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Railay Beach is a spectacular tropical beach widely regarded as the most beautiful seashore in Thailand. This spectacular shore is located in beautiful Krabi province and is nearly half an hour away from Ao-Nang Beach and Phra Nang Beach.
The way to reaching Railay Beach is in a long-tailed boat that leaves from the pier in Krabi province, and within 15 minutes brings you from Phuket – to heaven on earth.
Departure to Railay Beach begins with a morning pick-up from the hotel in Phuket, and continues to the pier from where you will embark on a cruise during which you can enjoy snorkelling and swimming, and watching the spectacular views that overlook Rooster Island and Fuda Island.
Actually, Railay Beach is a small peninsula boasting of four major beaches. It lies on the south of Ao Nang Beach around a rocky point and can be reached only by boat, thus presenting a tranquil world of its own. Here are extensive white sand strips of beaches with towering limestone cliffs on the sides, with viewpoints, caves and a lagoon inside the cliffs and shaped by the tides – within walking distance to each other.
There are no roads here, just footpaths, hence no motorized vehicles, just the long tail boats. The peninsula is separated from mainland Krabi province by the limestone promontories and jungle valleys. The tropical paradise as envisioned by the temperate countries. On Railay, you can look forward to easy days on the sands under the sun and chilling out at night by the whispering waves on the beachfront.
The beach is a very popular site among couples who are on a honeymoon and couples looking to relax and pamper. Riley Beach is considered a prestigious beach compared to the other islands in the area, and is therefore very suitable for those who are looking for a high level of comfort and quality.
The best time to travel to and stay on Railay Beach is during the dry season – November to April, when the weather is very comfortable.
The Railay Beach area is one of Southeast Asia’s best beaches and it is important where to stay, whether you’re seeking quiet solitude by yourself, finally having that romantic escapade with your partner, or giving your family the long-awaited Railay beach holiday. Here are the four major beaches of Railay Beach, Krabi and the location of some recommended hotels in Railay beach to stay in for your perfect Railay beach holiday!
At the base of the limestone cliffs is the Princess Cave, locally called Tham Phra Nang Nok, hence the name of this part of Railay beach, dedicated to an ancient goddess of fertility. A great hanging out area, with two small islands nearby, walkable during low tide, for snorkelling.
This is the main beach of Railay Beach and hosts the main arrival port. True to its credence as the main beach, West Railay beach sands are powdery soft stretching 600 meters, accommodating a small community of locals and expats running small business – convenience stores, beachwear and handicraft shops, bars and restaurants on Railay Walking Street.
Walking Street is like the downtown area of Railay Beach, with a pathway that crosses the peninsula connecting East Railay to West Railay beach. It is also possible to make a 15-minute walk on the beach of Railay east side toward the base of the cliffs to Phra Nang Beach.
West Railay Beach is also surrounded by amazing cliffs of varying shapes, molded by wind and rain through time. Some tourists come for rock climbing on the cliff face, looking for an adventure combo of sun-sand-vertical wall conquest. Majority of visitors here merely bask on the sands and enjoy nature’s magnificence.
Sundown brings a flurry of lively movement, with the long tail boats coming and going, the football and takraw (a Southeast Asian game of volleyball using the feet) games and strollers on the shore. The beach facing the west side making it the perfect place to view the impressive sunset with the limestone cliffs as borders.
East Railay Beach is unique from the other three beaches of Railay Beach – a long and narrow strip containing mangroves and a lot of birds beyond the shore where local fishing boats are moored. So here is where you can easily find a long tail boat to commute to Krabi town. There is a cement footpath from the beach northward to what used to be the end of the beach. This is a relaxing place for strolling or jogging
Nighttime turns this beach into the party scene of the whole Railay Beach. With the local and hotel restaurants along the beachfront giving shade and refreshing drinks during the day. The bars present a diverse combination of heart-thumping music and beats, fire-twirlers and a whole carefree mood until late.
Along the pathway which links to Railay West (about a 10-minute walk) are dozens of small bungalows giving the feeling of a small self-contained village, which indeed it is, with restaurants and convenience stores in addition to the many bungalows.
Tonsai Beach is not as popular as the other three beaches of the Railay peninsula. It is a 600meter stretch facing south and between two lofty limestone cliffs one side of which separates it from West Railay beach during high tide but makes it accessible on foot from West Railay Beach during low tide.
Tonsai Beach is not as crowded as the other three because of the reefs and rocks right in front of the sand, which makes the sea swimming or even snorkelling risky. During low tide, even longtail boats have difficulty mooring on the beach.
There is an interesting story of the 1980s that has become a legend of a man from Australia, who was said to own the beach and tried to sell it to Club Med. The geography of the area made it impossible during low tide to visit and the guy from Australia tried for several months to dig a channel and make the beach accessible even at low tide, but failed. Thus, Tonsai presents a rugged and still untouched environment up to now.
There is a good number of accommodations on the four beaches of the peninsula from luxury hotels to budget cottages and bungalows. Here are some of the THG-recommended accommodation options.
These are just a few of the many hotel options in Railay peninsula, Krabi province. All the basic facilities and amenities for your comfort are featured by these hotels. Free wifi, a swimming pool, others have an outdoor pool or two,
Here at THG, we aim to make your holiday as comfortable and relaxing as possible. This is why our services include helping you create Railay Beach holiday packages to choose from that caters to your interests. With us, you can also access discounts that other companies do not offer. We are affiliated with merchants and locals, which means we have insider knowledge on the best deals available.
Are you travelling with children/infants? Here at THG, we also offer travellers with children exclusive deals on Railay beach hotels. The deals include fulfilling special requests, such as bed preferences and bending room capacity to allow adults to stay with the children. Some deals may also help reduce the price/prices of your plane ticket/plane tickets/airfare.
In scenarios where the room you want is no longer available, we can contact the hotel directly and investigate the availability of the room. In most cases, we are able to secure the rooms from the hotels.
Additionally, we can also ensure that the room you get either has special features or does not require any additional prices upon check-in.
*Terms and conditions are subject to change.
RELATED INFORMATION
Railay Beach is known the world over for its great number of rock faces that have made it a rock climbers’ destination. On East Railay there are “practice walls” and on both sides of the beach are the mountainous rock faces that are great natural climbing spots.
People take a holiday on Railay Beach most of all to just relax and unwind on its beautiful white sandy beaches.
Krabi International Airport is the nearest, around 30 km to the east. There is a shuttle bus to Ao Nang or Ao Nammao Pier from there, priced at 150 Baht. From the pier you can take a boat or ferry to reach Railay in 20 minutes.
Railay Beach is around 450 metres long.
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