Ao Nang – the peaceful village in Krabi that people miss.

Phuket too full during high season to enjoy a relaxing vacation?  Heard others mention Krabi, but not sure what is there?  Well the answer may just be as close as Krabi province across the bay on the mainland.  The lovely, peaceful village of Ao Nang may be just the place you are looking for to spend some time away from the crowds.

Due to its central location along the Andaman Sea and to its fabulous geography and multiple sporting opportunities, Ao Nang is currently one of Thailand’s best all-round beach destinations. It is predominately a family and sports destination. It does lack a wild nightlife and young party travellers will find it boring, it does have a few relaxed bars and two nightclubs for the more mature adults to enjoy.

Many beach destinations get ruined by over-development and the resulting over-population results in excess of pollutants in the environment. But before reaching this situation there is an optimal state, where there are sufficient facilities, but a still ecologically-sustainable tourist population.  Ao Nang is now at this point and represents an ideal compromise between a pristine but boring destination and a fun but polluted one.

The southern half of the beach is not accessible by road, yet the town has a wide range of facilities, for example six Italian restaurants, which will keep most visitors happily occupied for a while.  Ao Nang is active but hasn’t lost that laid back, friendly small-town feel; it is developed but still retains its original beauty and charm.

Ao Nang has numerous spas, beauty shops and massage parlors to offer you a Thai full- body massage, lasting an hour and will cost around 250 Baht and, though you may feel that you have been pushed and pulled in improbable directions, you will feel rejuvenated afterwards.

It is one of Thailand’s most exciting soft and extreme adventure sports destinations. The town’s location on the eastern coast of Phang Nga bay puts it within easy reach of all the fishing, diving and kayaking sites in the bay.

Ao Nang has all standards of accommodation, from traditional wooden bungalows to luxury 5 star spa resorts.  Here are a few that we can help you book: 

• Phra Nang Inn is one of Ao Nang's first resorts (built in 1987) which is why it's in one of the best locations, right on the beach and close to the everything.  It's an old resort that has been renovated to modern standards but still has it's rustic charm. It is nestled under the limestone cliffs that Krabi is famous for.  The resort is separated from the beach by a small path so there is no road to cross to get to the beach. It's ideal for kids who also have their own pool in the resort (there are two pools).   Phra Nang Inn serves excellent seafood.    

• Ao Nang Sunset Hotel is located on Ao Nang beach, at the north end, just steps from the beach. It's the perfect base for whatever you want to do in Krabi. During the day enjoy the beach or a local tour and in the evening stroll along the promenade past the local restaurants and shops.  it is a small hotel of 3 star quality and offers good value for its location. Most hotels in this price range are not right on the beach.  Request a room on an upper floor and have a view across the Andaman Sea.  The hotel is spotlessly clean with all the facilities that you would expect.   Ao Nang Sunset is a very popular hotel with families.  Children under 12 stay free if sharing a bed with parents. Connecting rooms are available and the staff are friendly and attentive and on call 24 hours per day.

• Green View Village Resort is a beautiful tropical garden resort that offers seclusion without you feeling isolated. The resort is 15 minutes walk from Ao Nang beach (or 3 minutes drive in the free shuttle). The lush gardens create a relaxed atmosphere in harmony with nature and the dramatic limestone mountain views will refresh your senses.  The rooms are all individual bungalows and there are different budget options available. You can enjoy the exotic flora and fauna from your balcony or from the open air restaurant pavilion.The large free form pool is surrounded by a wooden deck with sun loungers and sun umbrellas. A great place to relax.

Ao Nang itself has two idyllic, unspoiled beaches, which are lapped by clear, warm water. Other, pristine beaches are located on a number of outlying islands which can be accessed cheaply and quickly from Ao Nang by local long-tail boats.

Thai food is abundance and is available 24 hours a day. So be sure to visit one of the traditional Thai restaurants and stop by the local market to sample the wide variety of food or experiment with one of the many street vendors, who are based on every street corner.  The smell and taste of the Thai dishes are enhanced by a variety of fresh, local ingredients; just don't forget to ask for non-spicy (mai pet) if you have a delicate, Western palette.   For those people who need a break from Thai food, a whole host of Western options are available in Ao Nang; these include traditional English food, Indian Food, Scandinavian food, steaks, pizza and pasta (there are 6 Italian restaurants).

Ao Nang offers a wide range of activities and attractions, including snorkeling, kayaking, island-hopping, climbing, diving, spa/massage/beauty, shopping, white water rafting, hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, temple visits, fishing parks, elephant trekking, cooking classes, massage classes, market exploration and fishing.   Nopparat Thara beach is good for children and is only a few minutes away from Ao Nang.  In addition there are numerous offshore islands, some of which are not too busy, even in high season.  You can schedule a 4 island tour that leaves from the beach in Ao Nang.

Ao Nang to/from Phuket

The ferry service leaves at 3:30pm from Had Nopparat Thara pier and costs 650B, Children 3- 10years old at 500 Baht. Private taxis will take you to Phuket town for 3000B. Contact us to book.
To catch a public bus to Phuket you must first go to Krabi bus station. The public bus service leaves Krabi bus station hourly and takes 3 hours to reach Phuket. This trip costs 170B but the roads are very windy and it is a most unpleasant experience.

There is a much more enjoyable option available in the form of direct speedboat transfer to Bang Rong pier, which is 2/3 of the way up Phuket’s coast. From this pier taxis will take you into the town for 100B. The speedboat leaves at 11am and travels across Phang Nga bay, winding its way through the multitudinous karst islands that rear sheer from the sea. It is a beautiful trip which arrives at 12:15pm and costs 950B. Contact us to book.

From Phuket to Ao Nang, the ferry leaves Phuket town at 8:30am  and arrives in Ao Nang at 10:30am. The public bus leaves every hour to Krabi for 170B. See the above section entitled Ao Nang to/from Krabi for how to get from Krabi to Ao Nang. The speedboat leaves Bang Rong pier at 3pm returning to Ao Nang at 4:15pm. Contact us to book.


     Note: In the low season (May-November) only the over land option is available.

Lets recap the pro’s:

• Lots of beautiful natural settings and activities, both on the mainland and the offshore islands.
• Nice Hotels, perfect for families.
• No Traffic.
• Fair rates for transfers.
• Nice people
• Very relaxing

Now let’s review some of  the con’s:

• Offshore islands are National Parks and there is an entry fee.
• Very small area (walk side to side in 40 minutes).
• Shopping limited and expensive ( half the businesses closed during low season).
• Very tourist oriented place, not a sample of real Thai life.
• .Not a good place for pack backers or bargain hunters.

Easy Day Thailand Developing New Family Tours

Are you and your family thinking and planning your next vacation and considering stunning Thailand?  You have heard that Thailand is called the “Land of Smiles” with warm, constant weather, beautiful beaches, lush tropical jungles, delicious cuisine and wonderful people.  But you have also heard it is not really a family destination, rather a sex destination for men of all ages; WRONG Easy Day Thailand offers family oriented tours and vacations and is currently developing an entirely new set of family tours to expand its repertoire of offerings.  I have lived here in Thailand for four years and can enthusiastically recommend you contact Easy Day Thailand (EasyDayThailand.com) to help you plan and execute your next and future vacations.  Diego and Ingo, two of the owners, both long time family men married to lovely Thai ladies will be more than happy to work with you in putting together an absolutely tremendous vacation for your family.

Khao Sok National Park

Easy Day Thailand already specializes in providing great diving adventures on a variety of live a board yachts and have always provided themselves in giving outstanding customer service, offering essentially everything you need to make your vacation worry free.  They have continually grown and enhanced there product offering with families in mind and have the following new tours on the planning table:



Day trips to the Khoa Sok National Park for a peaceful day relaxing in a lush tropical jungle setting while taking a lazy ride on the river.


Trips and stays in Ao Nang, a quite, peaceful, real Thai town in the Krabi province, including a tour of the four islands just off the coast.

Stays in Koh Lanta or Khoa Lak, both small, uncrowded, under-developed Thai villages where you can kick back and relax without the burden of huges crowds of people or over baring shopping plaza’s.

"Death Railway" along  River Kwai

Visit and explore the River Khwae Yai better known by westerns as the scene for the block buster movie “Bridge over the River Kwai” centered during World War II.  This magnificent river runs thru Kanchanaburi Province, flowing through Sangkhla Buri, Si Sawat, and Mueang Districts of Kanchanaburi Province, where it merges with the Khwae Noi to form the Mae Klong River.   Please note that in Thai it is pronounced ‘quay’ not ‘qui’ as was pointed out to me by my long time Thai girlfriend while actually watching the movie one night.

Stay here in the island paradise of Phuket and enjoy all that it has to offer – Beautiful beaches, National parks, shopping centers, tropical jungles and a spectacular night life for those so inclined.

Phang Nga Bay

Tour South Central Thailand – enjoy Phuket for a few days, then a quick1 or 2 day trip to Phi Phi island off the coast to perhaps take in some scuba diving or snorkeling; next head to Ao Nang to relax in its quiet uncrowded atmosphere; next if you are up to a very relaxing time in a very laid back Thai village you can head over to Kao Lanta before returning to Phuket.

Stay tuned to this blog for future details as we roll out these and other new trips and adventures!  If you would like Easy Day Thailand to get started planning your next vacation, do not hesitate to contact them directly through their website EasyDayThailand.com

New, Fast, Easy way to get in and out of Bangkok Airport!

Travelling to Bangkok?  Many of you have been here before or perhaps this is your first trip to this exotic Asian city and I want to make the experience easier, perhaps more enjoyable and even less expensive.  Let me first explain a bit about your arrival to Bangkok Airport, Suvarnabhumi especially if this is your first time. Suvarnabuhmi  is a big airport with a spread out terminal divided into either international or domestic flights.  That is not to say that it not an easy place to get around, well designed with signs in Thai and English, as well as some other Asian languages, but its mire size can be some what imposing to the first time visitor. 

I will assume you are flying in from overseas, so you will arrive on the international side of the airport and need to clear immigration and customs.  After what seems like a very long walk (they do have moving side walks to make it easier) you will reach immigration.  Be prepared for long lines at immigration and be sure to have all relevant paperwork filled out, along with you travel documents and passport (this being the most important).  If you are travelling as a family, immigration will want to see all of you at the same time.  After clearing immigration with at least a thirty day visa in your passports you will proceed to baggage claim on the lower level.  Once you have all of your luggage, you must pass through customs, usually no problem. 

At this point you exit into a large lobby and are faced with getting ground transportation into the city since the airport is located in the western suburbs of Bangkok, about 26 kilometers from the center city area.   Now here is where my recommendation comes into play; just follow the signs to the Skylink station, by far the quickest, easiest, most comfortable and by far the least expensive method for getting into Bangkok.  Your other options are taking an expensive taxi (possibly getting scammed by one of Bangkok’s less scrupulous cab drivers), which could mean a long uncomfortable ride depending on time of day and traffic patterns, plus many of the taxis have limited space for large families or large amounts of luggage.  You definitely do not want to take one of the bus services, not with any sort of luggage, or multiple family members.  The local buses are definitely out of the question and the airport express bus will cost you more and take you far longer to get into the city, plus these are not very comfortable.

To get to the Skylink station you proceed to the B1 level after exiting customs, it will be in the center between the Domestic and International sides of the airport, so again assuming you just arrived from overseas, it will be to your right once you get to the B1 level (also quite easy, both elevators or moving side walks down are available).  Once at the entrance to the Skylink station, you will want to stay to you left to get to the express trains.  I would not recommend using the City Line service since it is a local type train and can get very crowded with locals and is pretty much like any subway cab in many other cities.  The express trains are much nicer, larger seats and more room for families and luggage, plus the express train gets you there faster since it is a direct run to a single station in downtown Bangkok.  There are two express trains and you should choose the best for your situation, depending on where you are staying in downtown Bangkok, although the two stations are not really that far apart.

The Makkasan Station is located closer to the center of Bangkok near Sukumvit area and the PhayaThai Station is a little further east, close to the Siam Shopping complex.  It might be best to ask you hotel which station is closer.  I mention these stations because they give there names to the express lines, i.e., if you want to go directly to Makkasan Station, you get on the Makkasan Express and to get to PayaThai Station you take the PhayaThai Express, logical.  Both trains will cost you 90 baht  per person one way or 150 baht round trip; travel time is under 20 minutes to PhayaThai Station and under 15 minutes to Makkasan Station.  Both trains run every 30 minutes and start very early in the morning and run until midnight.

Once at either station, you make you way to street level, a sometime daunting task if you can’t find the escalators down or the elevator, but both stations were designed with airport passengers in mind, so just ask if you have difficulty.  At street level, hail a taxi to your hotel, unless of course you chose a hotel right near the station.  I recommend you ask your hotel several questions when making the booking, before paying:

1. Do they have an airport pickup service, eliminates all of this?
2. Which station is closer, Makkasan or Phaya Thai to the hotel?
3. Do they have a pickup service at either of these stations, again eliminates the need for a taxi?
4. Direction from the station to the hotel to help prevent the Bangkok taxi driver from scamming you, something many of them will attempt.  To this end be sure and ask the approximate fair from the station to the hotel and then be sure the drive engages the meter.

Ok now you are ready to leave Bangkok and head home or your next destination and my recommendation is when you leave the hotel, take a taxi to the Makkasan Skylink train station.  I recommend this station because it is the city airport terminal and you can even check in for your flights there, including your luggage.  After checking in, buy tickets on the Makkasan Express train if you didn’t buy round trip tickets on arrival.  The express train leaves every 30 minutes and will get you to the airport in less than 15 minutes.  Once at the airport, you arrive back in the B1 level station, from there you go to the fourth floor for either domestic or International flight departures.   Since you were able to check in at Makkasan station, you can go directly to the gate,  if you failed to checking at Makkasan Station, then you will have to check in at the airport.

As you can see, the whole experience is quite easy and eliminates many of the hassles of getting to and from the Bangkok airport, no long traffic delays on the way, a common experience in Bangkok; fair inexpensive rate with no chance of getting scammed by the train operator; comfortable seating with plenty of room for you, your family and luggage  The train cars are air conditioned, a very important fact in Bangkok.

Flying Fox Phuket - The Flying Hanuman

Flying Fox in Kathu Rain forest is an adventure like no other on Phuket. It shows that the island’s beauty goes far beyond the sea, sun and sand that it is famous for the Island.

Flying Hanuman Kathu

Phukets hillsides overflow with thick green forest that is excellent for exploration & outdoor activities. The latest Flying Fox "the Flying Hanuman" provide travellers with an exceptional service, great enjoyment, excitement and ever lasting memories without impacting the natural balance within the rain forest forest environment surrounding it.

Reviews - Chris & Dot

Happy customer after Easy Day's Private Phang Nga Bay Tour

"Francesco, 

We both thought that we would write to let you know how much we enjoyed the day. Tee was the perfect guide and looked after us perfectly. I would appreciate it if you could let him know how much he 'made our day'. 

From the initial meeting to the end of the day, he did you proud and made our day memorable. 

We will certainly use you again and look froward to doing so. 

Best Regards, 

Chris and Dot"

 Return to Reviews and Comments

Review - Shenal

Shenali went to Phi Phi Island with the Premium Day Trip of Royal Jet Cruiser 9...

"Hi Francesco! 

Just a small note to say thank you for your recommendation & help for us to attend the tour. It was a magnificent day! The tour catered well to our needs. 

Thanks again! We are sad to be leaving Phuket tomorrow but thankful for the clear blue skies on our last day :)

Kind Regards, 

Shenal"

 Return to Reviews and Comments

Review - Anisa

"Dear francesco, 

Thanks for helping us organise the racha yai day trip. We had a great time! Weather was really good. 

Best wishes, 

Anis" 

 Return to Reviews and Comments

Easy Day Thailand Staff Party at Khao Sok – Part 4

Easy Day Staff Party 2012: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Once the necessary pictures had been taken we gathered for the quick transfer up river in the van and cars, only about 10 minutes, where everyone boarded canoes for a guided tour down the river. The river skirted along the cliff walls and past the resort and everyone had a relaxing time.

Canoeing at Khao Sok

Upon our arrival down river, a hardy lunch was served and after the ride down river, everyone was hungry. Not to rush things, everyone relaxed for a couple of minutes to let our food settle before moving on to our next river voyage with Tubing. This time we decided to actually enjoy the river water and use large inner tubes to float down the river. One problem was getting in a starting the journey, the other was how cold the water was, by the time we were getting out everyone was looking to warm up.

Tubing in Khao Sok, Phang Nga

All in all, it was a good day on the river and everyone agreed it was great fun and a different kind of adventure then they are use to. After a brief discussion, Diego decided since we got out of the river right at “The Cliff & River Jungle Resort” Restaurant, we might as well relax a bit and have dinner there before getting on the road to head home to Phuket. Dinner was very good and we all got to choose what looked good on the menu. Everyone’s hunger satisfied and warm again, we load into the various vehicles we came in for the long ride back, I was glad to be in the minivan and not driving. Everyone arrived home safe and sound after what was a great two day adventure to one of Thailand’s beautiful Nature Parks.

Easy Day Thailand Staff Party at Khao Sok – Part 3

Easy Day Staff Party 2012: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4


After a leisurely ride back across the lake to where our vehicles were parked, we all headed to “The Cliff & River Jungle Resort” to check in to our individual cabins. Once we get checked in some relax in their cabins while the more energetic soles head to the pool for a quick dip.

The Cliff & River Jungle Resort

We are in the peaceful, calm Garden Zone near the restaurant overlooking the river we will enjoy tomorrow.

A couple of hours of free time to relax and recharge our batteries bring us to the dinner party at one of our guide’s house. He has setup a great BBQ pit and has already started the slabs of pork tenderloins, jumbo shrimp, hot dogs, and plump sausages. The table is covered with various beverages on one end while the other holds the steamed rice and noodles along with several Thai dishes and condiments. In no time everyone is helping themselves and serving others the various delights from the BBQ.

 I enjoyed the BBQ Shrimp and hot dogs while my girlfriend filled her plate with noodles and traditional Thai dishes to begin, but wasting no time peeling and eating the BBQ Shrimp. Diego brings out several large loaves of bread and cut up the pork to make nice thick sandwiches. The music is loud and fills the air with a rhythmic beat that provided a great opportunity for some karaoke after the kids have eaten their fill.

Easy Day Thailand Staff Party at Khao Sok – Part 2

Easy Day Staff Party 2012: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

After our initial stop we headed to the middle of the dam to await the arrival of several members of our group that had trouble getting started as early as the rest of us. Again the views from this vantage point were incredible and we all enjoyed relaxing on the grass while we waited patiently. Taking advantage of this opportunity, we took some pictures marking it as the “Easy Day Thailand Staff Party 2555”. It took several attempts to get the pose just right.

 
After this brief respot and once the entire group was together, we headed down to the “Long Tail Boat” docks to board our boat for the trip across the approximately 1,500 sq Kilometer lake. Getting down to the boats and then boarding them proved to be an adventure in itself for me, but once on board the breeze and spray from the bow of the boat as it cut through the water were very pleasant.
 
 




Once we reached the far end of the lake, we arrived at a restaurant/cabins resort where we had both breakfast and lunch.

While the adults relaxed and ate, the kids in our group enjoy a refreshing dip in the lake and tried practising their kayaking skills.

Easy Day Thailand Staff Party at Khao Sok – Part 1

Easy Day Staff Party 2012: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Every one at Easy Day Thailand was very excited and really looking forward to the two day outing to Khao Sok National Park. After all it was 2 days away from work, staying at the beautiful “Cliff & River Jungle Resort”, with lots of great activities to keep us entertained. All in all we had a wonderful two days of excitement and adventures.

Tuesday started out at the marvellous hour of 4:00 am for yours truly, when my alarm awaken me so I and my girlfriend could be ready for the minivan pickup at 4:50. Unlike most minivan drivers in Thailand, ours was right on time, perhaps 5 minutes early. I am not sure what time he started, but he had already picked up two others. We headed over to Kathu to pick up several more people before heading north to Khao Sok for our first day of relaxation. We did make several stops along the way for fuel and provisions before arriving at picturesque Rajjaprabh Dam. First we stopped just off the dam to take some pictures for our scrapbooks.

The Easy Day  folks checking their cameras and stretching their legs after the long ride.

For those of you interested here are some facts about the dam; the crest length is 969 meters, with a maximum height of 94 meters; and a volume of 6.5 million cubic meters. It is a hydroelectric dam and produces a maximum of 240 MW. At its normal high water level of 95.0 m, the reservoir has an active storage of 5 050 million cubic meter and a water surface of 165 sq.km2. After project completion the Chiew Larn Dam was conferred by His majesty the King to be called the “Rajjaprabha” Dam which means in English the “Ligth of the Kingdom” Dam.

Here we see the inside and outside faces of the dam and down into the valley below it.

But I must admit that these shots out over the lake Behind the dam are the most beautiful views. The pictures do not do this scene justice with the gigantic limestone cliffs rising out of the earth all around the lake.

Reviews from Customer No. 1000 - Jennifer & Laurie

Easy Day Thailand had something special in mind for our customer 1000 - A free tour ....

And our "no. 1000" Jennifer & Laurie wanted to book our popular Phang Nga Bay sightseeing tour,  when we told them it's for free ....

First comment from Jenn ... "That's amazing! I've never had such good luck, or won anything! :) Thank you so much, and congrats on your business achievement!"
 
Comments after the tour:

"Francesco, Diego & T,

Thanks again we had a wonderful day..."


 Jennifer who is a professional photographer allowed us to use the pictures she took during the trip. Here a few examples...

 Return to Reviews and Comments

Reviews - Christian e Lucia

"Buongiorno Sig. Bianchi, 

Innanzitutto grazie a Voi, il servizio che ci avete offerto é stato molto buono, non abbiamo niente da dire sull'albergo e sulle escursioni che ci avete organizzato, anzi per quanto riguarda l'albergo abbiamo riscontrato un servizio molto efficiente e pulito così come le escursioni da voi organizzate, le guide sono molto cortesi e preparate e gli autisti sono gentilissimi. 

L'unico appunto che ci sentiamo di sollevare é sulla crociera subacquea alle Similan che, come già detto a voce a Francesco, ci ha lasciato un po' perplessi sul servizio, visto che in cabina mancavano le lenzuola e la stessa cabina non era il massimo in termini di pulizia, sotto l'aspetto tecnico delle immersioni non c'è niente da dire, guide molto preparate e immersioni molto belle. Speriamo di poter un giorno tornare in Thailandia e di usufruire ancora dei vostri servizi. 

Cordiali Saluti

Christian e Lucia"

 Return to Reviews and Comments