It is a great place where you can easily spent a week to a month. There are many activities during the day and night to keep one occupied. There is strong WIFI at most hotels and some bars, massage houses, and shops. There are ATM’s on the island, 2 as I recall. Railay East has one at the convenience store next to Viewpoint Resort, and the other at Railay West’s "Walking Street". There are no ATM's at Tonsai Bay.
There are no Hospitals or medical clinics at Railay. There is a pharmacy on Railay east. All medical issues require a trip to Krabi by boat. This is one of the most spectacular beach destinations and worthy of a visit. I will definitely go back.
Here are my top 10 tips for Railay Bay :
1. Arrival to the Island:
This is the part that is really important. There is a west side to the Island and then the East side. Arrival on both sides are affected by the tide times. High tide is at approximately 1.41am and 1.34pm, Low tide is at 7.58 pm and 7.58am. The low tide depth gets down to 0.17 meters and high tide gets up to 2 meters. Current tide information can be found here.
2. Railay Bay East:
This is the glamorous side of the bay with the beautiful long beach and awesome views. During low tide the ocean is still deep enough for the Long tail transfer boats to come in and drop you off at the beach. So the west side is good for both tides.
Once you arrive on the west or east side, you will need to walk to the hotel and if this requires going to the other side of the island, the middle concrete path takes 10 minutes to get to the other side.
3. Railway bay West:
This is the glamorous side of the bay with the beautiful long beach and awesome views. During low tide the ocean is still deep enough for the Long tail transfer boats to come in and drop you off at the beach. So the west side is good for both tides.
Once you arrive on the west or east side, you will need to walk to the hotel and if this requires going to the other side of the island, the middle concrete path takes 10 minutes to get to the other side.
There are lots of great hotels, apartments or backpackers in Railay. I personally recommend Railay Princess Resort & Spa. This place is located on the East side but has two lovely pools and great facilities. The walk to the beach on the other side is 10 minutes and here you can find the sister resort to this hotel called Railay Bay Resort & Spa. If you planning a honeymoon and need to hit the ball out of the park then try Rayavadee on the Bay. It is near Phra Nang Beach south of Railay beach.
The area around here is covered in dense jungle. So expect a lot of animal noises and activity. Monkeys are the most popular animals here and they are not shy. Leave you balcony sliding doors closed or you will have visitors. We saw a monkey going room to room and picking the nuts from the mini bar. They are also quite the pickpockets on the beach. Mosquitoes are the next most popular thing you will see here apart from monkeys. Also be careful when walking on the paths further north of Railay bay as there are centipedes in the area. You do not want to be bitten by one of these. It won’t kill you but it will cause a lot of pain.
This place is rock climbing central. A lot of the guests come here exclusively for some great climbing with spectacular views from the top. There are many stores with gear rental and they also have beginners course for those that want to get into it. A much better experience than being stuck in an indoor climbing facility. The beach of the west side is fantastic so you can spend the whole day there tanning and swimming. Kayaking is also an option around the bay and to Phra nang (cave beach). Trekking to the viewpoints to catch the sunset or views is another physical option. Throw in some diving, and fishing to sum up the range if activities available.
7. Evening Activities:
When the sun goes down the options of activity range from dinner at any of the beach restaurants on the west side followed by a long walk on the beach. They have a street called “Walking street” on the west side with some restaurants and shops which is worthy of visits. However if you looking for something different then head to the east side. The evening means high tide and the water is right up to the edge of the concrete path on the bay. There are lots of restaurants and bars on this side of the bay. Rooftop bars with the Rastafarian setup are popular, so try Joy Beach bar or Skunk Bar. The music on this sound of the bay is great along with the night market style setup of shops.
There are also lots of massage places open till late. On Friday night’s Lucky restaurant & Last bar is the place to go to see some kickboxing and fire shows.
8. Excursions from the Island:
Never book anything online in Thailand for excursions as it is unreliable and overpriced. Always book in person at a dive store or tourist/tour operators stands. The east side of the Island has many operators that offer you a good price. There are several excursions from the Island that takes you on an Island hopping tour, snorkeling, dinner and a fire show. The locations are: Phra Nang Cave, Tup Island, Chicken Island, Poda Island, and some reefs around the area. This trip should cost about ฿800 at a tour operator but some hotels will have this from ฿1200 to ฿1800.
There are also longer excursions headed to Phi Phi islands or Hong Island. Alternatively sailing on yachts with private dinner/lunch is an option.
Also to note here the fire show we saw on our 4 Island trip was good but you can see that the performers failed to read the section on fire safety precautions. There was an incident where one of them failed to secure the fire wick on his stick. This resulted in the wick getting dislodged into the air and into a projectile motion towards the audience. Just my luck when I saw this coming right at me. Luckily the calm ninja techniques worked and I moved in the last moment to see it land 30cm away from me. All part of the adventure I guess.
9. Selection of boat:
Speedboats: If this is an option take it and pay the extra Bhats(฿). Speedboats are becoming popular these days and are very reliable, safe and comfortable.
Long tail boat: At first heading out there in a wooden boat seems risky but the handlers are experienced sea gypsies or locals at most locations. They know the oceans are the islands and do a fantastic job. Can get a little rough if the ocean is choppy but the small numbers on board make for a private experience.
Big Boats: These look great in the brochure but when you get close to it and see the rust on the boat you begin to worry. The boat is old and usually over crowded. Things seem to be in place but this doesn't mean it is working or attached properly. The boat I went on tilted a good 45-60 degrees at times when stationary. When you struggle to get to the other side of the boat to bring the boat to balance you are in for a rough ride.
Food is relatively cheap and will cost ฿200-400 a day. Water is quite cheap with big bottles 1.5 liters trading at ฿20. Beer is about ฿50 and cocktails can range from ฿100 to ฿300. Accommodation prices vary from backpackers to hotels. Hotels are roughly ฿5000 per night with breakfast. Groceries at stores are cheap and not overpriced like other locations (Ko Ngai, Ko Phi Phi). Shopping for souvenirs and clothing is not bad as there are quite a few shops on both sides.
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