For first time visitors to Krabi, Thailand, it is always a dilemma choosing where to stay, between Ao nang beach or Railay beach.

Railay is known mainly for its great beaches and huge limestone cliffs.  Visitors mainly come either for the beaches or for rock climbing.  While connected to mainland Thailand, Railay is only accessible by boat, and it definitely has an island like feel.  Most daily visitors that arrive by boat come from Ao Nang or Krabi. Due to the huge limestone caves, there are no rocks cutting through the tip of the peninsular from Ao Nang, so people have to take a short boat ride from Ao Nang pier to arrive at Railay.

For those who are landing at Krabi airport after 6pm, it is not advisable to stay at Railay because getting there is very expensive. During the day, it only cost B100 per person to travel by longtail boat from Ao Nang to Railay. Boats leave once it is filled up with eight passengers. At night, you would have to charter a private long tail boat which cost B1500 for the whole boat (would be cheaper if you find more people to share, but it is quite hard at night). It was quite an adventure for us on the first day because even though we arrived at the pier before 6pm, there was no more passengers to share the longtail boat except for another backpacker who had also just arrived. Left with no choice since we had booked accommodation at Railay, we split the longtail boat fare among the three of us.

In terms of food, Krabi has more food options than Railay, from local street food to expensive international restaurants. There were many Indian-Thai restaurants too, selling a fusion of food from both cultures and due to slow business, they were offering 20% dinner dishes to passers-by. Food on Railay is more limited, but it has a stretch of walking street filled with restaurants, massage parlours, bars and souvenir shops. Each main dish cost around B100 or less, for example phad Thai, phad siew, pineapple rice etc. Breakfast was around B60-100, with western classics such as jam and toast, or local food such as noodle soup or phad Thai. We ate mainly Thai food while in Railay because we are not craving for other types of cuisine while we are there.

For day tours, both Ao Nang and Railay offer the same kind of tours, be it snorkelling, diving, island hopping etc. You can choose between a speedboat (more expensive) or a normal longtail boat. Most of these tours have a meal included, with fruits, mineral water and snorkel rental included. For the typical 4 island tour, it includes Chicken Island, Poda Island, Koh Tub and Koh Mor. The latter two islands are connected by a narrow strip of sand during low tide so you can cross both islands easily. One of the stops on this tour also includes Phra Nang cave beach, so if you are already staying at Railay itself, you can visit Phra Nang cave on your own without joining a tour. If you are into rockclimbing, then Railay is the place to be because of the proximity to the high walls. There are shops at Railay selling rockclimbing tours, as well as equipment shops for those professionals looking to purchase their gear.

Railay is really walkable, so if you stay there it’s easy to hit all of the spots (bars, restaurants, beaches, etc.)  In comparison, you would need to take tuk tuk rides around Ao Nang if you don’t stay in the town center.

In conclusion, I would recommend staying at Railay to be close to nature and to enjoy some of the nicer beaches at Phra Nang and Railay East. It is a very walkable area, with most attractions close by. Railay has a more relaxed feel and without any transport vehicles on the island save for a few rickshaws owned by the beach resort, it was very tranquil here. On the other hand, if you prefer a place with more tourists and food options, then choose to stay at Ao Nang.