Hi there

My hubby and I are celebrating our anniversary in Thailand this year. We found cheap flights going into krabi out of phuket. We have 9 nights and I'm thinking krabi in railay beach 4 nights with day trip to khao sok national park, 3 night phi phi don for the anniversary and 2 night phuket. Is this going to be too hectic? We want to relax and sightsee every other day.

Is it too much moving around?

Would it be best to fly in and out of krabi and forget phuket? Will it be similar scenery and life there? Ideally I'd like to experience some Thai culture which I understand is harder on the islands, and not go to overdeveloped areas that are too westernised.

Would appreciate your thoughts

Thanks

For me, it would be too much moving around since the object of the rip is to relax together. I'd suggest choosing two locations.

Hectic, if it is scenery you are after stick to Krabi area , also Khao Sok is a great idea, you can also add Khao lak for beaches if you want.

If you'd like to go to Kao sok, you better stay there for few days. There are nice bungalows. I think Kao sok is more closer to Phuket so when you are staying in Phuket, you can go to Kao sok for day trip and also you might wanna go to Phang Nga.

We are sailing on a yacht from Phuket in December and so I have no idea whether this will be relevent but....

The island of Koh Yao Noi looks beautiful, quiet and we will be anchoring our boat here :

http://theparadisekohyao.com/


for a couple of nights. It is around 20 miles off the Krabi coast between Krabi and Phuket.

From all accounts Koh Phi Phi is over crowded and the scenery is mirrored at other locations closeby but which did not host the filming of a Hollywood film.

Have you gone yet? Your post has a lot of the same questions I have. Dickie_Gr, Which other locations would you recommend near Koh Phi Phi that you mentioned?

The whole of Koh Yao Yai and Koh Yao Noi are very unspoilt, incredibly so considering they are so near to Phuket. They have predominantly Muslim villages and so have a different feel, the restaurants (small)have good reputations.

The area to the north of these island is the east of Phang Nga bay this isn't where the Phuket tour parties go. Koh Rok and Koh Chang Lat have incredible limestone networks and there is just nobody there. Compare this to the area to the west Phang Nga which is cheaper to get to for the tour parties, this is near " James Bond island". Again like Phi Phi, it is overrun with tourists and tacky businesses serving them.

I would say, that depending on your budget, a great base would be either the Tubkaak beach resort in Krabi or over on Koh Yao there is the Paradise Resort which is cheaper. Both are really well placed to explore the wilderness areas to the north.

I have never regretted ignoring travel advice more than that relating to KPP. The yacht charter company warned me not go, I just "saw" The Beach and had to go. Effectively, just wasted two days of my life sailing there.

Thailand has got under my skin, other the The Out Islands of the Bahamas, never been anywhere like it. Amazing experience, with the best mix of civilisation and wilderness.

Great place!

http://theparadisekohyao.com/

Here is a link to travelfish which I found quite useful when deciding on which islands to visit
http://www.travelfish.org/islands.php

Interesting article. It is very gushing and even it prints.....

"Phi Phi is a national disgrace"

thank you all for your replies