Latest news with #Krabi
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Travel + Leisure
25-05-2025
- Travel + Leisure
This Tiny Island Is One of Thailand's Best Hidden Gems—With Crowd-free Beaches, Luxury Hotels, and Fruit-loving Monkeys
Koh Lanta is a small island located in southern Thailand—and it's one of the country's most underrated destinations. Although it flies under the radar of most American travelers, it's home to luxury resorts such as Rawi Warin Resort & Spa and Pimalai Resort & Spa. The island is also great for snorkelers and has healthy reefs that teem with marine life. Koh Lanta, an island in the southern Andaman Sea off Thailand's west coast, is one of the country's true hidden gems. There are no Western chains here. No bar girls. There is still unbuilt beachfront, although in five years it may be gone. There are plans to build a bridge that will soon connect Koh Lanta to the mainland. Once it's done, it'll be an easy 45 minutes to Krabi International Airport (KBV). But that's a travel writer's worry for another day. For now, Koh Lanta remains relatively undiscovered, especially by Americans. During my second consecutive January visit—November to March are the best months to come to the island in terms of the weather—I didn't meet another American. Scandinavians, however, are a different story. There are nonstop flights from Stockholm to Krabi International Airport, and I spoke to quite a few Swedes and Norwegians who were eager to escape the winter darkness. I found plenty of those snowbirds at both Rawi Warin Resort & Spa, a kid-friendly luxury hotel, and at Pimalai Resort & Spa, one of the island's top properties (it has two Michelin Keys)—my wife and I spent a nearly perfect week there this year. A colorful longtail boat on the sandy shore of Ko 22 years ago on 100 unspoiled acres, Pimalai boasts 3,000 feet of prime Kantiang beachfront. Most mornings, I slow-jogged its entire length, which verges on the Platonic ideal of a tropical beach: mostly empty, with soft sand that can be found both in and out of the gentle water. Pimalai is luxury done right, with more beach and poolside lounges than hotel guests. While there are small resorts at both ends of Kantiang, in the morning, I saw almost no one. Because of the terrain, Pimalai feels like two resorts, each with an infinity pool and restaurants. There are only 121 total accommodations. Deluxe rooms are located near the beach, while pool villas are tucked into the terraced hillside. All guests get access to round-trip van service to the Krabi Airport and a speedboat transfer to Pimalai's pier—this cuts 45 minutes off travel time. Again, real luxury. Rustic beach bars and restaurant along the Long Beach in Koh Lanta Island, Krabi province. Tuomas A. Lehtinen/Getty Images One memorable morning, my wife and I were picked up at Pimalai to begin a day-long snorkeling charter to Koh Haa and Koh Rak. Because we're old and crafty, we sat up front beside the driver, Jaroon, while other passengers crammed into uncomfortable bench seats in the bed of the pickup. After 40 years of chasing the sun on unspoiled (and then only slightly spoiled) Thai beaches, we've learned that the best part of travel is the people you meet and talk to. Like most Thai people, Jaroon was gentle, affable, and warmly friendly to tourists. He apologized for his English (which was quite good) and laughed when I told him my name was 'Khun Khon-di,' which roughly translates to "Mister Goodman ." Because Koh Lanta is in the far south of Thailand—near Malaysia—90 percent of its inhabitants are Muslim, including Jaroon. He admitted that many of his friends drank alcohol, although he didn't, perhaps because he had 500 rubber trees on his property, from which he gathered latex each morning starting at 3:30 am, before going to work. Income from his rubber trees doubled his monthly salary as a driver, which had enabled Jaroon to send his daughter to college in Bangkok, a fact of which he was justifiably proud. The snorkeling that day on Koh Rak was spectacular. I saw lots of healthy soft and hard coral. There were fish everywhere, large and small, and though I've been diving and snorkeling in Thai waters for quite some time, I saw something I'd never seen before: a 15-legged crown-of-thorns starfish. It was an electric blue mammoth with black thorns peppering its surface. One of the many Longtail Macaque monkeys in the nature of Thailand's Koh Lanta island. On the boat back from Koh Rak to the pier, our captain made a detour past a mangrove forest inhabited by a large band of swimming, fruit-loving monkeys. I'd never seen monkeys in the water before, but I got the idea these monkeys eagerly awaited our boat's arrival for their daily treat of leftover watermelon and pineapple. One evening later in the week, we hired Jaroon to drive us to Old Town, on the east side of Koh Lanta. This coast fronts the Straits of Malacca, rather than the Andaman Sea, and lies along a traditional trade route to Malaysia. The east coast of the island doesn't have sandy beaches or upscale resorts, but it does have Moken (a group of Indigenous sea nomads) communities. The other big attraction of this unique place is the simple restaurants that are built on wooden pilings—we listened to the waves break as we feasted on squid and grouper. We loved our time on Koh Lanta and at Pimalai, which was incredibly well-run; our room was serviced, unobtrusively, three times a day. The international breakfast buffet included obscure regional specialties, Thai noodle soup, an array of tropical fruit, and organic juices. The food at Rak Talay, the beachside seafood restaurant where we often ate dinner, was not only sumptuous, but for a five-star, surprisingly affordable. If you visit, try the soft-shell crabs. You'll be amazed by the flavor and by how many crabs comprise a single order. I can still taste them—and hope to again.
Gulf Business
18-05-2025
- Business
- Gulf Business
Air Arabia to launch direct flights to Thailand's Krabi
Image: Air Arabia Air Arabia has announced it's launching direct flights to Krabi, Thailand, further expanding its footprint in Southeast Asia. Starting November 28, the new service will operate daily from Sharjah International Airport to Krabi International Airport using Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said in a statement. The schedule includes four weekly evening departures from Sharjah at 10:45pm, arriving in Krabi at 8:10am the following day, and three weekly morning departures at 8:15am, arriving at 5:40pm. Return flights from Krabi are scheduled at 10:10am and 6:40pm on alternating days. Krabi flight launch reflects increasing demand: Air Arabia GCEO 'We are pleased to expand our network in Thailand with the launch of our new direct service to Krabi, a destination that offers strong appeal for both leisure and adventure travellers,' said Adel Al Ali, group EO of Krabi becomes the
Trade Arabia
15-05-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
Air Arabia launches new non-stop flights to Krabi
Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africa's carrier, has launched non-stop flights to Krabi, Thailand, starting on November 28th. The service will operate daily from Sharjah International Airport to Krabi International Airport, marking Air Arabia's third destination in Thailand. The new route connects to Bangkok and Phuket, and offers a gateway to Thailand's scenic coastal region. Customers can book direct flights between Sharjah and Krabi through the airline's website, call centre, or travel agencies. The airline operates a modern fleet of 83 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft, offering a value-added onboard experience with SkyTime, SkyCafe, and Air Rewards, a loyalty program for earning, transferring, and spending points. Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia, said: 'We are pleased to expand our network in Thailand with the launch of our new direct service to Krabi, a destination that offers strong appeal for both leisure and adventure travellers. With the growing demand for travel to Southeast Asia, this new route reaffirms our commitment to providing affordable and convenient air travel while continuously investing in expanding our global reach'. -TradeArabia News Service
Zawya
15-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Air Arabia launches new non-stop flights to Krabi, Thailand
Air Arabia today announced the launch of its new non-stop flights to Krabi, in Thailand. Starting November 28th, the new service will operate daily from Sharjah International Airport to Krabi International Airport. Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia, said, 'We are pleased to expand our network in Thailand with the launch of our new direct service to Krabi, a destination that offers strong appeal for both leisure and adventure travellers. With the growing demand for travel to Southeast Asia, this new route reaffirms our commitment to providing affordable and convenient air travel while continuously investing in expanding our global reach." This new service marks Air Arabia's third destination in Thailand, joining its existing routes to Bangkok and Phuket and further solidifies the airline's commitment to expanding its presence in Southeast Asia. The new destination offers a gateway to one of Thailand's most scenic coastal regions, known for its vibrant tourism offerings.
