Based on my readings, Ao Nang beach in Krabi is not as recommended as Railay beach. So, am looking for a nice, $100/night range, hotel close to or on Railay beach. Any recommendations?

Railay beach has to be accessed by boat, Sunrise Tropical, Railay resort, all these well under your price range. Many people stay in other Krabi areas and go by boat to the beaches, railey is nice but you are very much cut-off from other places, that is either good or bad depending on what you are looking for.
Some recent Jan reviews of some krabi area places might help

http://www.res24.com/review/posts.ht...=beachsiam.com

Sunrise tropical reviews:

http://www.r24.org/beachsiam.com/krabi/sunrise/review/

Railay bay:

http://www.r24.org/beachsiam.com/kra...laybay/review/

That should give you some ideas.

I prefer to stay at Ao Nang and just pop over to Railay for a few hours swimming and walking around admiring the strange scenery. But by evening I like to be back at Ao Nang where it's cheaper, and with more restaurants/bars/shops. Plus from Ao Nang it's easy to get around to other places.

We stayed (as backpackers - so am no help with your hotel! a few years ago on Ao Nang and Railay. I would go with Railay, in preference to Ao Nang The beaches are much nicer on Railay and there are still plenty of restaurants and bars for the evening. The fact it is only accessible by boat means that you don't have road traffic.

What you should be careful of is which beach in Railay you are booking to stay on - there are 4 beaches in the Railay area - Railay West, Railay East, Tonsai and Phra Nang. Railay West and Phra Nang are the prettier beaches. The only accommodation on Phra Nang is Rayavadee which is a luxury resort. Railay East has more 'party bars' (at the far end), beach parties and cheaper backpacker accommodation. The beach here is not that pretty - and there are lots of boats coming and going. I think Railay West accommodation was more expensive - reflecting the fact that the beach is nicer. You can walk on paths between Railay West and East and Phra Nang.

Thanks for the compare+contrast. We were at Ao Nang last week (highly recommend the Cliff), but only saw Phra Nang. Can you imagaine getting up from your $500/night snooze to see "your" beach covered with long-tails and tourists? I would have stroked out.

My husband and I stayed on Railay a couple of years ago, on the West beach. At high tide there is no beach on the East side, and it is muddy when the tide is out. The Railay Beach Resort(I can't remember for sure if that was the name of the place we stayed) was perfect for us, and under your price.
We took the 10 minute boat ride to Ao Nang, where there are more shops and restaurants.
It depends on what you want---the beautiful setting and beach, or more activity.

Gina