The Tubkaak. One of my favourite places. Ever. In The World. I cannot sing their praises high enough! In fact, it's one of only 2 hotels in Asia I've gone back to, which is very rare for me

it looks absolutly gorgeous

we are staying at the phi phi island village for 5 nights after krabi so was looking for something around £100-£150 per night

what you suggested looks right up my street though and will definitely put it at the top of my list for next time

Krabi Sands Resort, small collection of bungalows in a garden with a pool...not really a resort just a nice place to stay and handy for a boat trip to Koh Hong. Sadly though this whole area is starting to get developed, soon end up like Ao Nang if their not careful.

Had a look round Nakamanda that was quite smart.

Flux, don't now when your travelling but your budget might get you in Tubkaak or Nakamanda as long as your not talking xmas and new year.

thanks sunbear, i had a look at the krabi sands resort and it looks lovely !!

is the beach there quiet ? and clean ? while here , as ive mentioned, we are mainy looking to explore and eat some 'proper' thai food

we will be arriving in krabi 13th to 18th november

tubkaak looks favourite though , it would be great to get in there

The beach by Krabi Sands Resort itself is not brilliant. However we used the boatman who lives next door for frequent trips out to the outlying islands. Then when we got back mid afternoon we would make use of the pool and garden areas of the hotel. There are a number of little restaurants within ten minutes walk of the hotel towards the Andaman and Nakamanda hotels. Alternativly we would do a ten minute walk to KHlong Muang beach nearby the Andaman and Sheraton hotels.

The Tubkaak is on a better beach but when I visited there was very little around it so it was a case of eating in the hotel or taking a taxi trip to the nearest outside restaurants or Ao Nang. Getting to the Tubkaak used to be via the cement works, which was a bit disconcerting especially as we were on the local bus open to the elements and dust. The hotel will use a limo to transfer you.

A newly opened hotel the Sofitel lies not to far from the Krabi Sands if you are looking a bigger resort style property.

thanks again sunbear , krabi sands does sound perfect

i think we would prefer to wander on foot to a restaurant/eaterie

are the beaches at ao nang really crowded in november ?

Not been to Tubkaak for a few years so it may be that a handful of local restaurants may have sprung up since then...Travelling Sam might know. I would have to say the Krabi Sands is not in the same league luxury or service wise as the Tubkaak, but then its not in the same price bracket either - its a family run establishment.

To be honest I've not used the beaches at Ao Nang...most people just use it as a gateway to the outlying islands which tend to have the better beaches and snorkelling. You are just coming into high season in November, we go Feb March also high season for the area. Ao Nang itself is a busy little resort with a reasonable buzz in the evenings. The beaches will be starting to get busier but hardly over crowded.

The Khlong Muang area (about twenty minutes drive from Ao Nang) is much quieter with a handful of restaurants and bars - may be too quiet for some. Though the last time I went they had opened an Irish bar.

just sent the reviews and the resort website to my husband and he's keen too !

are the bungalows well kept and clean ?
are the restaurants local to krabi sands good ?

we are hoping to eat authentic thai the whole time we are there , yum yum

tubkaak looks great but we don't really want 5* luxury all the way, we are saving that for phi phi island

our main drive is our bellies and looking around the local sights, in the evening we just want a lovely meal and a few glasses of wine, bliss !!

thanks again , your help is invaluable !!

The bungalows are well kept and clean. Actually a little better than they appear on website. Some face towards the sea others towards the mangrove that is around the resort. Note there is a road between bungalows and the beach restaurant, a small hamlet and mosque next door so you will here the call to prayer.

The beach restaurant of the hotel is reasonably priced and serves good food, both Thai and Western. The nearby restaurants (Baan Thai a particular favourite opposite entrance to Andaman and Nakamanda hotels) serve Thai and Western food. They are typical Thai tourist restaurants not particularly sophisticated, but it seemed easier to get good Thai food there than in Ao Nang.

many thanks for the info , ive emailed to reserve a bunglaow and am waiting to hear back

I think Sunbear has all the best advice for Ao Nang and Klong Muang - i'm not so familiar with these areas.

The best thing about the Tubkaak is that it's not really 5 star - the star are great, all local community, and really informal. It's not all deferential bows and awkwardness, they love talking to you about life in Thailand, and hwo much they love their work. It's not forced, it's staff with genuine happiness. I went post-Tsunami, and ordered room service whilst watching a game of footie on TV (I know, I know!), and when the guy arrived with the food / beers started chatting about football, and the Tsunami effects. It turned out that the big international hotel down the road had fired 2/3 of it's staff post-Tsunami, where all the local hotels understood the importance of tourism to local communities, so had kept all the staff on (despite having hardly any guests), utilising chefs to redecorate rooms, and sending lots of staff to Khao Lak to assist in the re-building effort, anything to avoid releasing the staff.

As a result the staff are really dedicated and love their work - and most recognised me when I went back last November.

This also started my one man crusade for locally owned hotels and against big, international generic chains!

Sorry, went off on one their! What I meant to say was, Sunbear, yes a couple of new hotels have opened along the beach, so you can stroll down their for somewhere different to eat. But I don't think there are any out and out local restaurants.

thanks travelling sam

its good to know that tubkaak is locally owned , its looks fabulous !!