The first glimpse of the rock cliffs in Krabi sent my heart aflutter. Our spot! They were instantly recognizable, like seeing a sign for “Welcome Home.” Krabi is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. And it’s a place where Bradley and I learned a lot about each other and our relationship really developed. To get there from Phuket, we took a speed boat with Koh Yao Sun Smile Tour that had a midway stop and in total took us about 3 hours including the stop. We booked the boat through a really useful site called 12Go Asia which gives all kinds of transportation options with a very friendly interface. It was a really great experience all around. Our boat captain even gave us a ride on his motorbike to use the toilet and not have to walk a quarter mile in the drizzle.
We decided to treat ourselves and booked 4 nights at the Bhu Nga Thani resort in Railay Beach. Bradley was able to find a great deal for a pricey place that would normally be out of our range. Then it was basically free since we were able to use our Chase rewards points. We were winning! It was a very luxurious place, but it still had subtle marks of the effects of COVID here and there. A humble reminder. Best thing? Phenomenal breakfast included. The room had a luxurious bath that I could not get enough of. After getting settled in we decided to go for a walk to check out Railay and see what was around our new digs. The path was sweetly familiar with a lot more jungle encroaching than I remembered before. When we turned the corner from the path we saw a very empty strip. Disheartening to see. We found a little place called Railay Family Restaurant and stopped to eat. Let me tell you…those ladies can cook in that kitchen!
Now that our bellies were full we wanted to see the rest of the strip that curves towards the West Railay beach. As we walked down the strip we saw a couple bars, a massage parlor, a few more places to eat, and one very lightly stocked mart. There was an adorable coffee and tea shop, Coffee Station, open that we stopped at each day. It is a must if you are in Railay! And thankfully, there were laundry services. It’s disrespectful what Bhu Nga Thani wanted to charge per garment. Disrespectful. Plus, always go local if you can! Aside from them and the resorts, it was quiet and Railay was a ghost beach. We had a great first night at the Skunk House Bar. They had great music and lights, our kind of scene. There wasn’t a single customer in sight. Chilo called to us with a smiling “Sawatdee Ka!” and we decided to stop. She can make a mean Mai Tai! We played some serious games of Jenga and it was so tangible how welcomed we were. The locals were invested in our games and made us feel at home like we were hanging with friends.
The next day we made our way to Phra Nang Beach. Walking there is really cool because there’s a paved path that winds through the cavernous bottom of the limestone cliff on the mainland just before you hit the beach. Really magical. There is even an intense trail up to an amazing lookout point with what I can best describe as a cenote at the top. It’s a dangerous trail, especially when it’s muddy, so we didn’t get a chance to go up. As we reach the beach to the left we see a few climbers dangling from the cliffs and their watch parties. To the right, we see a glorious skyline with hardly another soul on the entire beach. Two years ago when we were there it was crawling with people. Every inch of the beach was claimed by tourists and most of the water claimed by longtail boats. It was as if we had one of the most iconic beaches in the world to ourselves. Sharing with just a few others. A precious yet tragic feeling. Even though it was an overcast day with sporadic rain, we had a great time swimming in the ocean, making sand art, and taking in the view.
On our way back we ran into a sweet family of Spectacled Langur monkeys and watched them chow down on some bushes for a minute, keeping our distance. Normally I am terrified of monkeys. They are always adorable but I remember what Tarzan taught me. When Jane took her parasol back from the baby monkey…you remember. Monkeys can be very aggressive and very dangerous. Bradley worked with monkeys for a while at Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, and he has some stories. Crazy enough, after we have been hanging out on our patio for a bit, Macaques suddenly appear on the railing! You do not mess with these monkeys. They ran us off our patio and held us up for a bit in hopes we would bring them food. My heart was pounding! Eventually they ran off and realized we weren’t giving them anything. It was a bit terrifying for me. I’m a bit extreme, but one can never be too careful with monkeys.
The most heartbreaking part of our trip by far was our trek to Tonsai beach, which is just north of Railay West. Typically you can get there by boat or a pretty intense trail through the jungle. Tonsai was a super special place and is way more off grid than Railay. We stayed in some bungalows there 2 years ago and had the greatest time. It’s a hard place to stay though for most as there’s no air conditioning and you only get power from about 18:00-22:00 each day. Service is challenging unless you are on a WiFi network at one of the local businesses. This was a great place to get away from the touristy vibes of Railay and really popular for strong rock climbers. But there were restaurants and bars and a mini mart there so it was really all you needed for a few days. In 2019, we had a great stay with really cool people. Post COVID we couldn’t get a boat to Tonsai without paying too much for it so we hiked at low tide! It was so fun hiking up that familiar trail. I remembered it so vividly. And it was a lot less treacherous this time around. I’m in better shape and a more experienced hiker now. I was giddy. So very hopeful to see a familiar face from my last visit. They finally finished building the resort that takes up the front of the beach property. I was unimpressed. It took away from it’s local vibe and beauty. As we walked up the long path alongside the resort walls to the original village, we noticed the overgrowth. And the small businesses that were wrapped in net barriers and caving in. I teared up almost instantly. There was nothing left there. It looked as if a hurricane came through and ravaged the place. We passed by an older couple who used to have a coffee shop there that we had visited before burning some brush and boiling rice. And we saw a small group of people eating rice at a closed down business, one of whom we remembered. Wat was his name. So kind and funny. We spoke for a bit, asking how he was and expressing our deepest sorrows about the state of the place. You could see pain in his eyes. He said “I’m not good…” but his expression suddenly changed “I’m the BEST!” He was still hopeful and bright and smiled so big. We had planned to stay in the bungalows again if they were open and when we inquired, they were willing to work hard to prepare us a place (the bungalows were in rough shape) but couldn’t offer us a promise of food more than rice and maybe some eggs. They were striving to survive. Catching fish for food and buying rice when they could. These people with so little, willing to give us whatever they could. It was humbling and devastating. We spent some time taking it all in on a bench at one of the bars that was still standing. As we were making our way back, the older couple waved and called to us so we stopped at the old coffee shop. We had some coffee and spent some time with the couple, talking with them about COVID (all in broken English and Thai). I cannot tell you how many times they thanked us for coming to Thailand. For coming to Tonsai. It was the most memorable cup of coffee I’ve ever had and I shall never forget it. It gave me perspective. As much as we wanted to stay in Tonsai and give some support to these beautiful people, we decided it wasn’t the safest or most practical option for us at the time. It was a very hard decision to make. We left and promised to return just as we had this time. I can only hope that the resort draws people in who are willing to take a walk into the jungle and experience the people of Tonsai. It’s going to take them much longer to come back. But they will.
Our last full day in Railay the rain held up in our favor and we were able to kayak around the limestone cliffs again. It was a mesmerizing experience. Pictures and video will never do this place justice. You must see it! You must. The cliffs look like melting M&M ice cream topped in green sprinkles and the stalactites seem to float in the air around the rock. It’s a real adrenaline rush to kayak directly under them (which we did) as it seems as though rock could fall at any moment. But they never do. The word that always comes to mind when I see these cliffs is Majesty. We dipped off at a bunch of small beaches throughout the limestone islands and enjoyed the cool water. We looked around and discovered beautiful shells and watched the pacific reef egret hunt for fish from the cliffs. A wonderfully exhausting day.
The magic of Railay did not disappoint. The flame is still there flickering with intensity, even though it’s small. I’ve been truly blessed to be one of the first to come visit post COVID and experience this place, almost all to myself and I will cherish it forever. I look forward to coming back and seeing the growth as I’m always inspired by this place.
Wow! When I come to visit y’all I definitely want to go there!!!
It is a MUST when you come to Thailand. So magical!