Where to stay in Krabi? A guide to Railay Beach

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RAILAY is the name of a mainland peninsula just south of Ao Nang, but, as three of its sides are surrounded by the sea and it is backed by a range of spectacular limestone cliffs that cuts it off from all roads, it has the feel of a real island. Almost every square metre of habitable land has been developed, though the buildings are all low-rise, low density and, for the most part, tastefully designed.

The main attraction of Railay is that the two principal beaches are, without a doubt, the most stunning strips of sand on the Krabi coastline - perhaps even on the whole Thai mainland. We are talking world-class, picture postcard material. Long, gently curved, with white powder sand sloping down to emerald green water and framed by coconut palms against a backdrop of towering, craggy rocks. Awesome.

As Railay is so small - crossing from one side to the other takes less than 10 minutes, all accommodation can be classed as being close to the beach. Its three sides cannot all be considered equal, however.

West Railay (sometimes known as Sunset Beach) is where you will find the most of the big resorts offering high quality accommodation. Their reception areas, restaurants and most expensive rooms are situated right next to the sand, although the area they cover stretches right back almost to the east coast. The beach is beautiful, but can get a bit noisy in the day as it is also the arrival and departure point for longtail boats from Ao Nang. Evenings are blissfully quiet.

East Railay has the least attractive beach of the three. In fact, there is no actual beach as much of the water is lined with mangrove trees and seemingly continual construction work (rather than the tsunami, as some tourists seem to believe) along its length means it looks rather shabby. It is used as 'the back door' of Railay, the goods delivery point for all of the hotels, as well as the pier for taxi boats to and from Krabi Town and Ao Nam Mao. At low tide, the water recedes around 300m, so passengers have to wade out - with their luggage - in the slippery mud.

The bulk of accommodation is actually on this side of Railay and on the steep hill behind it. But why stay here? Well, for one, it is much cheaper. Most of the bars, tour offices and independent restaurants are also located here - but you will have to walk to get to a beach.

Phra Nang Bay (pictured top) is on the southernmost tip of Railay and, as the best beach on the peninsular, is where most people (including daytrippers from Ao Nang and Krabi) spend their days. If you want to spend your nights here, you will have to splash out on the super-luxurious Rayavadee Resort which occupies all of the land behind the beach. Because of this, public access to Phra Nang Bay is only by boat, or by a pretty cliffside pathway located at the end of East Railay.

Apart from sunbathing and swimming, the main activity on Railay is rock-climbing, which attracts enthusiasts from all over the world. An abundance of climbing schools also exist to teach beginners. Although this is still considered to be the best place to climb, many serious climbers on a budget have moved to the next door Ton Sai beach, which offers cheap accommodation and a more bohemian lifestyle.

The atmosphere in Railay can best be described as 'hippy chic'. The real hippy crowd that 'discovered' this place ten years ago have all but disappeared, leaving the pleasant legacy of a slow-paced, shoeless way of life as well as a clutch of bars and coffee-cum-book-shops run by guitar-playing, dreadlocked Thai boys. It is now a great place for trendy, young-ish couples who have a bit money to spend but don't want to stray too far from the ethos of their student backpacker days. Older people and honeymooners are also very well catered-for.

Nightlife varies from sitting around candlelit tables on the west beach to wild parties at the east side bars. Live music is a regular proposition, mostly reggae-inspired, although return visitor Fatboy Slim did play an impromptu set for a crowd of less than a hundred people. Other celebrities spotted out and about in recent years include Colin Farrell and Mick Jagger.

There are a couple of ATM machines on the Railay peninsula. One thing to note before you arrive is that prices in general in Railay tend to be higher than the rest of Krabi, simply because it is like an island. It has to sustain extra transport costs as well as high electricity bills - there is no mains current and everything is run by individual generators (although there are plans to lay an underwater electricity supply from Ao Nam Mao - this project should be completed by early 2007) . Food is possibly another minus point: both choice and quality are fairly limited as the restaurants are cooking for a captive market.

If you are looking for a beach holiday, pure and simple, then Railay is the perfect choice of destination. Longtail boats are available to explore the islands nearby. However, if you've got itchy feet and want to get out and explore the rest of the Krabi region, you may find that staying in Railay makes things a little difficult. Its relative inaccessibility may also not suit others like the elderly, the disabled or anyone else that has difficulty walking or getting in and out of a longtail boat.

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