Krabi, on Thailand's Andaman coast, keeps drawing travellers back for its limestone karsts, easy island hopping and beaches that haven't been taken over by jet skis. Condé Nast Traveller UK has rounded up six of the region's best hotels, and three of them show just how different a Krabi stay can be.
The Pimalai, on the quiet south-west coast of Koh Lanta, is the kind of place guests return to year after year. The beach here feels like Thailand a few decades back: golden sand, gentle waves and cheap pad thai at nearby beach bars. Rooms range from simple doubles with breezy balconies to villas tucked into a jungly hillside ridge, and open-air minivans shuttle you between the spa, tennis courts and restaurants. Days revolve around a faultless breakfast buffet, a choice of three pools (one with serious sea views), sunset cocktails with your toes in the sand, and trips out on the hotel's motoryacht to some of the region's best snorkelling. Rooms start around £160 a night.
Back on the mainland near Krabi Town, the Varana Hotel takes a refreshingly modern approach. Six steel-grey buildings house 114 rooms with rattan and cement-grey interiors, and the place is built around fitness: an Olympic-size pool long enough for guests to stand-up paddleboard down it, three more pools including one with a swim-up bar, a spa, and arguably the best hotel gym in Thailand. There's even a climbing wall. The beach is across the road, but the bar with its rattan lamps and fairy lights makes up for it, and the health-leaning menu of fiery salads and seafood is easy on the wallet. From about £295 a night.
For something slower, the Tubkaak Krabi Resort sits between Hang Nak Mountain and the Koh Hong archipelago, built around mature trees that were kept rather than cut down. A mountain stream runs through the lawns, where yoga happens daily, and the private villa pools are filled with natural spring water — chilly but pure. The cocoon-shaped spa treatment rooms channel sunlight from overhead, and long-tail boat trips reach the nearby islands. Evenings mean fairy lights on powder-soft sand, crab curries, or genuinely good pizza from the second restaurant. Rooms from around £280.
Krabi works for almost everyone: couples after romance at Tubkaak, families and value-seekers on Koh Lanta, and design-and-fitness types at Varana. Peak season runs November to April for a reason, but the region's range of prices and vibes means there's a base here for most budgets — just decide whether you want jungle, gym or golden sand first.
