Railay Beach is Resorty
Railay Beach East, Krabi, Thailand
Ya Ya Resort, Room 114
Railay Beach is Resorty
I arrived by long-tail boat yesterday evening at Railay Beach. The long-tail boats are those long, narrow Thai boats that have an automobile engine harnessed to a long drive shaft that extends way behind the boat and turns a propeller. Once you've seen one you won't forget it.
Map of Krabi, the junction to reach Railay Beach, in relation to Bangkok. The bus ride should have taken about twelve hours, but the tourist bus gymnastics made it take seventeen.
Even though it is on a peninsula, Railay Beach is only accessible by water. High limestone cliff formations jut upward, blocking overland travel. The beaches, laden with coconut trees and fine sand, curve between these cliffs. It certainly is beautiful and for many people must be unlike anything they've ever seen before.
Landscape on the road near Krabi; Giant karst formations rise above tree plantations.
Railay Beach has many "resorts". But they are not huge sprawling resorts; rather, they are collections of bungalows with a patio restaurant in the front. Some are right on the water and some are inland. Railay Beach West and Railay Beach East are actually on opposite sides of the peninsula. But it is the narrowest part of the isthmus and a five-minute walk through the inland resorts gets you to the other side. Railay Beach West is the "nice" beach; Railay Beach East is narrow and lined with mangrove trees and is not where you would picture yourself sunning and swimming. Railay Beach East has the cheaper accommodations and is where I'm staying.
Map of the Railay Peninsula with Railay Beach, Ao Ton Sai, and Phranang Cave Beach. You can walk between Railay Beach East and West in five minutes or so.
I found the last cheap accommodation in the evening when I arrived at the Ya Ya Resort. It is a simple double room with bathroom for 700 Baht (US$ 20). This is a high season price and the cheaper rooms go fast each day. It is on the second floor of a bungalow and reminds me of a cabin room in the Adirondacks or a lake cottage: it is all dark wood frame construction with grind-open windows. It's a decent size; I picked the lowest grade of "regular" below "medium", "standard", and "deluxe" so I expected something tiny. The bathroom is not very exciting and a bit mildewy and the shower head keeps falling off.
Approaching Railay Beach by long-tail boat.
I am not very excited about staying on this "resorty" beach. People tend to be here as couples and groups. The restaurants are all tables and no bar; in the evenings it seems that movies and televisions are played instead of music and dancing. It is not a great place for a lone traveller to meet people. There is a nearby beach called Ao Ton Sai that is supposed to be more "backpacky"; I will check it out today.
Railay Beach is Resorty
