Kopi Kita Cafe, Krabi

Kopi Kita

Utarakit Road, Krabi Town

0830 - 2100

This halal cafe is less than 100 metres from the famous Crab statue in Krabi. With the statue on your back, cross the road and turn right. If you turn left, you're heading towards the night market.

Taste - Good. Love the drinks!

Price - 435 THB for 3 pax

Ambiance - Like a proper cafe, air-conditioned. Pretty wall murals. Nice place to hangout and they even have prayer area and free WiFi

Krabi Night Market, Krabi Town

Krabi Night Market in Soi Maharat 8

Friday - Sunday

1700 - 2200

I booked transport from hotel for 200 THB/person. Pick up at 7 pm and I was given about 3 hours to explore.

On the day I visited, it looked as if it was going to rain. So, I walked around quickly, aiming for things I'd want to buy later and went to find a cafe or restaurant to hide in while it rained.

After the rain, I resumed my exploration (shopping) at a more leisurely pace and got myself more food and some souvenirs. The things sold here can be cheaper or more expensive than in Aonang. It is kind of hard to tell so try to bargain and if you think the price make sense, buy. Some goods can only be found here while others can be found in Aonang, for cheaper/higher price. I really don't know how to tell.

I got all my souvenirs from a shop here. They sold pretty little fridge magnets, notepads, pouch and other stuff which I didn't find elsewhere. My girlfriend saw a pretty Bieber (harem) pants but thought that it was too expensive. She got cheaper ones in Aonang but none as pretty as the one she saw in Krabi town. So use your shopping instinct ;)

They have little cultural shows all over the market with a main stage featuring more professional performers. Good luck finding a table!

Something to distract the kids

The famous (and cheap) bamboo booze

Muslims can find halal food here. There were fried chicken, takoyaki, mango sticky rice and lots of other food. If you're unsure, just ask the seller nicely. Some of them even displayed the halal sign prominently.

***

I told you that I went to find some place to take shelter from the rain, didn't I? I forgot whether I used Google Map or Waze but I saw a halal place near the night market. On the way, I found the famous crab statue and that familiar scenery of Krabi River Estuary.

You might want to come earlier while there's still daylight to check out these places before heading to the night market when you visit Krabi. 

Emerald Pool, Krabi

The Emerald Pool or Sa Morakot is about 40 minutes drive from Krabi. It is a popular tourist destination and since it was a Sunday, the place was packed with foreigners and locals. If you're a Malaysian, think 'hutan lipur'. Families and friends go there for a dip in the pool and to have picnics.

Most tours leave in the morning. We arrived mid morning and decided to go on the same day. So we hired a tuk-tuk to get us there. It costed 2000 THB. Sane people hire comfortable vans with aircond. But I love the wind in my hair :)

Entrance fee : 200 THB/adult

Tours would cost you about 900 THB per person BUT you get to go to other places like the Tiger Cave Temple, the hot spring and go on elephant ride. We only wanted to see the Emerald Pool and the driver let us stay for as long as we wished so it was a good deal.

Ticket booth

From the entrance, you'll have to WALK (or crawl/roll if you wish) for what felt like an at least 1km trail to reach the pool. You can also choose to use the walkway on the right-side of the entrance. So wear comfortable footwear and bring some water, if not a whole picnic basket.

There are toilets and showers near the visitor centre. A shop selling towels and the likes is also available for your shopping need.

It was sunny but there was many people in the pool and we decided to continue our journey to the Blue Pool. The road after the Emerald Pool go through an area with not much trees, unlike the trail to Emerald Pool. Rub some sunblock and wear a hat!

You'll find the Hermit Court (Sarn Ruesi) along the way. It is a sacred place where people pay homage and make wishes. 

After about 600 metres walk on the mini desert and cooling jungle, you'll reach the Blue Pool or Sa Nam Phut. It is the popular spring with gorgeous blue water in which you CANNOT take a dip in :)

Stay for a while and take lots of pictures to make the hike worth it. 

We stopped at Emerald Pool for a swim on the way back. Still lots of people but we went ahead anyway.

Warning: The edge of the pool is SUPER SLIPPERY! 

I was literally crawling my way into the pool after my gf slipped and fell (luckily no serious injury).

Got tired of swimming and the pool felt too icky so I got out and went to sit a bit away from the pool at the river brook with some kids. Much nicer and under the tree shades too.

We stayed for less than 2 hours and took the concrete walkway path back to the entrance. 

If you're too lazy or unable to hike, there are spots near the entrance where you can enjoy a dip. The picture above is only a few metres from the entrance. But you won't see the gorgeous Blue Pool ;)

Restaurants, halal eateries and souvenir shops are available outside the main entrance. Like I said, think hutan lipur.

Adam Thai Restaurant, Krabi

Adam Thai Restaurant is located about 200 metres from the hotel I was staying in, the Aonang Eco Inn. There is a tour counter under the same roof, from which you can book tours and transport. The whole setup is a part of Adam Bungalow and there is also a laundry service next door. You'll spot the place from the road.

Taste - Delicious! I had the big flat noodle (some call it kuetiau) and it was very good. My girlfriends enjoyed their pineapple fried rice and pad thai too.

Price - 355 THB for 3 pax including drinks

Ambiance - Typical tomyam restaurant

<3<3<3<3

It is more expensive than in Malaysia but I found that halal food generally cost more in places where Muslims isn't the majority. The portion was good anyway. I was there for late breakfast/brunch and felt full till dinner.

Aonang Eco Inn, Krabi

Aonang Eco Inn

420/11-13, T.Aonang, Muang, 

Aonang, Krabi Town

81000 Thailand

Phone #: +66 75 695 184

Email: aonangecoinn@gmail.com

I arrived on the early morning flight and was lucky that the room was ready. No extra charge for early check-in; perhaps because we checked out real early as well. I've actually emailed and phoned them earlier to confirm the booking and asked about safe place to leave my luggage. Staff was helpful and knowledgable.

Booking - Easy. Did mine via Booking.com

Rate - Fair. Paid in cash 4,125 THB for 3 nights (only RM150+-/person)

Location - Good. 1 hour 30 mins walk to beach if you stop for a 1-hr Thai massage & do some shopping along the way :p 

Plenty of halal restaurants, one money changer nearby. Prayer calls (azan) from a nearby mosque wasn't a bother at all.

Dining - Did not try. Cafe available.

Service - Good. Friendly, helpful & efficient staff. Good command of English. 

They lent us umbrella when it rained and helped arrange tour(s). Overnight staff able to help with our early-6-am check-out, no fuss.

Balcony

Spacious bathroom

Room was spacious enough for 3 of us. When we had too much of each other, one took the balcony, another took a shower and one stayed in the room. Mini bar, bottled drinking water, safety box available in the room. 

  Elevator available so this hotel is a good option if you have elderly or wheelchair-bound or diva with lots of bags in your party.

Overall 4 <3<3<3<3 of 5

#KeKrabi September 2015

Aonang Beach September 2015

#KeKrabi is an all-girls trip. We wanted a room that can fit all 3 of us and that somewhat limited our accommodation options.

   In Krabi, we pooled some of our cash and assigned each one of us to be in charge of either transportation, meals or hotel & tour. So the budget I'll share is approximate, average of 3 pax except for spa, shopping & souvenir- that was my personal spend.

  I topped up 100 THB on the SIM I got in Phuket and purchased the Happy Internet 400MB at 59THB/week. The girls used either WiFi at hotel/restaurant/massage parlour or my Personal Hotspot to get connected.

Itinerary

13 - 16 September 2015 (4 days 3 nights)

3 pax

13 Sept 2015 (Sunday)

0700 - 0725 : Flight to KBV
0800 - 0900 : Leave bags at hotel
0900 - 1000 : Breakfast at Restoran Adam, visit Tiger Cave Temple/Emerald Pool
1100 - 1400 : Lunch. Check-in
1900 - 2000 : Dinner in Krabi Town
2000 - 2200 : Krabi Town Night Market in Soi Maharaj 8

14 Sept 2015 (Monday)

0700 - 1600 : Breakfast. Island hopping. Lunch at Restoren Thai Food Bersenang-senang.
1900 - 2200 : Dinner & massage

15 Sept 2015 (Tuesday)

0700 - 1200 : Breakfast & laze around/Krabi Fun Park
1200 - 1300 : Lunch
1300 - 1900 : Catfish Farm & Emerald Pool*/Spa day
1900 - 2000 : Dinner
2000 - 2200 : Last minute shopping/massage

16 Sept 2015 (Wednesday)

0700 - 0755 : Check out. Flight to KUL

Note: Local Krabi time except for departure from KUL and arrival in KUL.


What I didn't do?

- Visit Tiger Cave Temple

- Lunch at Restoren Thai Food Bersenang-senang (it was under renovation, new name)

- Krabi Fun Park, Catfish Farm. We expected a rainy day so we lazed around and had a whole day spa and makan.

***

Budget

RM1166 per person (including flight, accommodation, transportation, tour, meals & attraction)

Cash brought to Krabi 6500 THB, changed another 2000+ THB in Krabi (slightly better rate). Only flight paid, accommodation paid in cash in Krabi.

Actual Expenditures

Accommodation - 1375 THB
Transportation - 650 THB
Meals - 870 THB
Attractions & Tours - 1317 THB
Spa, Souvenirs & Shopping - 2828 THB

Cash balance 1460 THB


Feel free to use the itinerary as guide when you plan your own. I didn't go to Phi Phi Island and didn't take the 7 Islands Tour because I hate speedboat and didn't want to spend a whole day at sea during rainy season. The 7 Islands Tour ended at night and sea can be choppy by then.

  Check the season and weather forecast before you go and plan accordingly. Book in advance the trip(s) you want to go to on the arrival day bcoz the tours usually leave in the morning. You can gamble and arrange own transportation like how we did for Emerald Pool. Just get some idea on the price & negotiate.

  As you can see, we spent a lot on spa & shopping so if you want to save, you can look at cheaper accommodation and don't go shopping :p but please don't miss the massage because how often can you get a GOOD full body/foot massage for less than RM30 in Malaysia?

Patong Spa & Shopping

Two things you don't want to miss while you're in Patong are shopping and spa.

If you're big town kind of girl (or boy) and want something familiar, you can get your shopping and spa fix at the Jungceylon Mall. 

You can find outlets offering facial deals at ground floor and 1st floor of the mall. There's a cinema at the top floor along with some kiosks selling goods like phone accessories, beauty products and home decoration. Don't be surprised when you see beds for the facial spa. It's like one big room where everyone get their treatments together.

If you're looking for scrubs, soaps, massage oils and the likes, head down to the lower ground. You can shop comfortably in air-cond and then eat at the cafeteria or get a massage from one of the parlours. The price is standard, Thai massage from 300 THB; cheaper options can be found outside of the mall. I chose an outlet which has the treatment area a bit hidden from the front counter. 

If you are tired of malls, you can always venture out and check the shops along the road opposite or next to Jungceylon Malls. The cute tops below were selling for 100 THB each at the shops across from Jungceylon Mall.

They don't have aircond so you'll sweat a bit. Wear something comfortable and be ready to bargain.

Most of the massage parlours offer mani pedi and facial. However, I suggest sticking to massage at massage parlours and get your mani pedi at a proper nail spa like Valentina. 

I went to Valentina to fix an unsatisfying pedicure I got from a massage parlour. They call what I usually do as Japanese manicure (I didn't know that) and we had a brief guessing game as the manicurist try to figure out what I wanted. 

Honestly, I was expecting a quick fix job since I already had a pedicure the day before but the manicurist scrubbed, buffed, poked, shaped and God knows what and I got a set of REALLY pretty toe nails for only 400 THB (including ugly polish removal). I tend to marvel at my own nails and stare at them after pedi but this time, I stared longer. She made my nails looked so shiny and pretty and so cute and just HEALTHY. Like pink healthy. 

P.s. It is over a month and my toe nails are still shiny!

Find Valentina among a row of shops towards Karon Beach from Jungceylon. It's on your right.

Best massage parlour for me is the Pothingham. I don't remember the correct spelling but you can find it at the alley next to Patong Beach's Burger King. Walk down the alley, just before a junction, the parlour is on your right. It is opposite a restaurant. Best Thai massage on my #WetPhuket trip.

Right next to Jungceylon are several shops. Head towards Hard Rock Cafe and enter the first shop alley. The Bangladeshi in 3rd or 4th shop (I can't remember) sells clothes and speak good Malay. Very willing to reduce price as well. Negotiate wisely! :)

Some of the stuff in Phuket/Patong are cheaper than Bangkok and Krabi. If you don't know the standard price, go to a few shops to compare prices. Convert to your currency and if you think it's a fair price, ask to reduce price by 20-30% :p

Thai massage starts from 250 THB and I found that Krabi can be more expensive than Patong. If you frequent a parlour (I went for massage every day in Thailand), or bring friends, you might get further discount as well. 

So... that's about it on #WetPhuket. Will tell you about #KeKrabi next week ;)