In a nutshell
- Ao Nang is a small tourist town on the sea in southern Thailand, close to Krabi — great as a base for island-hopping.
- The top thing to do in Ao Nang is a boat tour to four or seven stunning islands off the bay — budget around 1,500 THB.
- Our top pick for accommodation is the Ao Nang Colors Hotel — seriously impressive infinity pool and a private beach club with legendary Pad Thai.
Where is Ao Nang?
Ao Nang is part of Krabi Province in southern Thailand. The nearest airport is near Krabi City, only about 25 km from Ao Nang. Most accommodations offer a pickup service, including the Ao Nang Colors Hotel.
What can you expect in Ao Nang?
Ao Nang is a classic tourist town — and it wears that label proudly. The tourist infrastructure is excellent. Along the main street, restaurants, bars, travel agencies, and massage parlors line up one after another.
Right in town there’s a long sandy beach you can reach on foot from most hotels in just a few minutes. If you rent a scooter, you can ride a few kilometers out and discover some truly stunning beaches and secluded coves — that’s honestly one of the best things to do in Ao Nang.
4 Island Boat Tour or 7 Island Boat Tour
Every travel agency in town and every hotel offers them: full-day boat tours that take you to either four or seven islands in the region. The Ao Nang Colors Hotel arranged one of these tours for us, and we were on the boat by 8 AM.
The schedule is pretty packed, of course. Covering seven islands in eight hours is no small feat. That meant: boat ride – 30 minutes on an island – boat ride – 30 minutes snorkeling – boat ride – 30 minutes on another island, and so on.
The tour is a great way to see as much as possible in a short amount of time. If you’d rather take it slow and spend a whole day on one or two islands, you’re better off chartering a longtail boat that takes you exactly where you want to go. That’s definitely more expensive, but also much more flexible.
For the large boat tour, budget around **1,500 THB**. You can charter a longtail boat starting at around **2,200 THB** — but you can split that cost four ways, which makes it a lot cheaper.
The exact price naturally depends on where you want to go and how long you’ll be out.
Bamboo Island
Our first stop was Bamboo Island. The entire island is a national park and looks exactly like you’d picture a paradise island: a wide, white sandy beach lined with palm trees and crystal-clear water. There’s also a small reef right off the beach where you can snorkel.
Koh Phi Phi: Maya Bay, The Beach
Every boat tour naturally stops at Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Leh — arguably the most famous beach in Southeast Asia. If you’re not staying overnight on Koh Phi Phi, this will be one of the highlights of your tour!
Ever since the film The Beach, tourist numbers here have jumped dramatically, and Maya Bay is now one of the top attractions on Koh Phi Phi.
The bay is truly beautiful — but the original atmosphere has been lost, with hundreds of tourists crowding onto the narrow strip of beach. We were there during the off-season and it was already very busy. During peak season, it’s probably absolute chaos.
If you get the chance, rent a longtail boat and head to Maya Bay very early in the morning. That gives you the best shot at soaking up some of the magic it once had.
Hotel Tip: The Ao Nang Colors Hotel
As mentioned, we spent two nights at the Ao Nang Colors Hotel (formerly the Alisea Boutique Hotel). The first impression is excellent right away. The hotel stands out from the many average places to stay in Ao Nang with its distinctive design — you can immediately tell it’s run with a lot of love.
The rooms are spacious and beautifully furnished. Our room even had a second floor leading to a balcony with its own outdoor bathtub. Incredible!
Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to use it. Breakfast is very generous by Thai standards, with both traditional Asian options and Western alternatives.
Highlight #1: Our First Experience with an Infinity Pool
The first standout is the rooftop infinity pool, where you can sip a drink while floating in the water and gazing out over Ao Nang. Life doesn’t get much better than that.
Highlight #2: Relaxing in a Hammock at the Private Beach
The Ao Nang Colors Hotel also includes the Andamana Beach Club, located right on the beach a short distance outside of Ao Nang. As a hotel guest, you get free shuttle service that gets you there in about ten minutes.
This gives you your very own beach — no sharing Ao Nang’s town beach with hordes of other tourists.
The Andamana Beach Club is a world apart. Tucked away from the hustle of town, you can relax in hammocks, get a massage, swim at the private beach, or enjoy what might just be the world’s best Pad Thai. And that brings us straight to highlight number three.
Highlight #3: The Best Pad Thai in the World
Pad Thai is Pad Thai and somehow always tastes the same. Sometimes more MSG, sometimes less. That’s what we thought — until we tried Mr. Na Mo’s Pad Thai at the Andamana Beach Club.
Mr. Na Mo walked up to our table with complete confidence and told us we absolutely had to try his Pad Thai. It was the best Pad Thai in Thailand, and after tasting it, we’d never want to eat Pad Thai anywhere else.
Well, what can we say: he was right. And anyone who knows us knows we don’t say that lightly.
We can’t quite put our finger on his secret, but the Pad Thai was truly outstanding — and completely free of MSG.
It had a light but pleasant kick and was topped with fresh shrimp. Mmm, just writing about it is making us hungry all over again.
If you’re in Ao Nang, make sure to stop by and order one.
But be warned: you’ll never look at Pad Thai the same way again, and a run-of-the-mill version probably won’t make you as happy as it used to.
We actually wanted to book one more night at the Ao Nang Colors Hotel after our stay on Koh Lanta, but unfortunately it was already fully booked. So if you want to stay here, book early.
Check availability at the Ao Nang Colors Hotel
Our Verdict on Ao Nang
Many thanks to the Ao Nang Colors Hotel for the invitation and the hospitality. We can recommend this hotel without reservation — and the Pad Thai is seriously world-class.
If you’re after peace and quiet and real seclusion, Ao Nang is probably not the right fit. But if you want a huge variety of restaurants and occasionally need a taste of Western food, you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for here.
As for things to do in Ao Nang, renting a scooter is our top recommendation. The town is a great base for exploring the surrounding area, and in the evenings you’ll have an enormous selection of restaurants and bars where you can wind down the day over a Chang, Singha, or Leo.
