Ao Nang

Introduction

Ao Nang

© Martaiik

Ao Nang is a beach town in Krabi Province in southern Thailand. A range of lovely beaches here contours a long limestone range. The bay has several tiny yet idyllic islands, accessible by boat. Railay, Nopporat Thara and Tub Kaek are some most popular beaches here. Railay Beach is tailormade for enjoy relaxing holidays in solitude. Swaying casuarina trees, which contour Nopporat Thara Beach, make it fantastic. Tub Kaek Beach offers fresh sand blending in sea. With the backdrop of forests, it seems fantastic.

Formally Ao Phra Nang ("Princess Bay") although everybody uses the short form, Ao Nang. It is the most "Westernized" beach in Krabi, originally a backpacker hotspot but now upmarket as the airport brings in higher flyers. While not quite as scenic as Rai Leh, there is some cheap accommodation, many good restaurants, easy transport and travel/tour agencies ready to cater to your every whim, making it a good base for exploring Krabi.

Orienting yourself in Ao Nang is easy: almost everything is either along Ao Nang and Nopparat Thar Beaches, which run roughly northwest-southeast, adjacent to Ao Nang Road (Rte 4203) which goes east, then north from the southeast end of the beach. Longtail boats arrive and depart from the beach at either end of Ao Nang Beach. An impassable headland and Khlong Haeng (Dry Creek) separates Ao Nang Beach from Nopparat Thara Beach. Don't swim in the vicinity of the creek as it conveys raw sewage straight to the ocean. At the bridge over Khlong Haeng, Ao Nang Road becomes Nopparat Thara Road.

One of Ao Nang's drawbacks is that Ao Nang and Nopparat Thara Beaches are crummy beaches, certainly not beaches worth flying thousands of miles to visit. The Rai Leh Peninsula has superior, but crowded, beaches, but to get there you are dependent on the local longtail boat cartel which will charge you 100 baht to get there and another 100 baht return.

Sights and Activities

Fossil Shell Beach (Su-san Hoi, literally "Seashell Graveyard") (7 km west of Ao Nang). This overblown tourist attraction has slates of compressed 40 million year old shellfish, which resemble concrete. There's also a small grubby museum and a huge slew of gift shops. This tourist trap is simply not worth the money unless you're a geology student. 200 baht for foreigners, 20 baht for Thais.

• Ao Nang Beach. Ao Nang Beach, lined with shops and restaurants, is more like a base for exploring Krabi than an important destination in itself. The west side of the beach is no great beauty, being heavily littered and ruined by the massive number of boats ready to take tourists to other beaches and to the islands. Most tourists spend the day on the east side of the beach, which is more scenic, swimmer-friendly, and contains some friendly monkeys interacting with visitors, although litter is a problem and the area is crossed by a putrid stream. At the eastern edge, a 10-15 minute trail leads to Pai Plong Beach. This is the most scenic and peaceful beach one can walk to, but has no infrastructure other than the Centara Resort. The trail itself is not particularly difficult, but still best avoided by the elderly, disabled, and small children.

Nopparat Thara Beach - Long beach at the western edge of Ao Nang, zoned as a national park. Nopparat Thara beach is effectively divided in two parts, separated by a river that hosts the Hat Nopparat Thara Pier, where longtail boats and speedboats depart to Phuket and other islands. The western half is located in the neighboring Nong Thale sub-district. It is mostly surrounded by forest and a few resorts, and hence extremely quiet. The eastern half, located in Ao Nang, is lined with hotels, restaurants and shops, although not as much as Ao Nang beach. In the section of the beach closer to the pier, there are more businesses catering to Thai, rather to Western visitors, making it a good place to look for budget food. Nopparat Thara is a quieter alternative to Ao Nang and excellent for a morning stroll or watching the sunset, but the beach gets rather narrow at high tide, and it is a good idea to ask the locals if it is jellyfish season before plunging in if no one else is in the water. Near the river, during low tide you can walk up to some of the nearby craggy limestone islands like Kao Pak Klong.

• Pai Plong Beach (Centara Resort) (From Ao Nang Beach looking out to sea, turn left and follow the beach to the end. Behind The Last Cafe, you will see an elevated wooden walkway. Follow it for 10-15 min (steep in places) to Pai Plong Beach. If driving, turn onto Soi 15 off Ao Nang Rd. Nearing the sea, bear left and you will see a shaded parking area. Park there and find the walkway to your left.). Centara Resort occupies a scenic little cove just around the headland from Ao Nang Beach. The resort is doing its best to give the impression that it owns the beach frontage. But beaches in Thailand are all public and the public cannot be denied their use. Security guards abound and you will be asked to sign in and out. The beach itself is small, with only about five metres of sand at high tide. But it's a cute, relatively secluded beach that is hands down better that Ao Nang or Nopparat Thara. Use this beach so it stays in the public domain. The resort is quite happy to have you sit at the beachfront bar and eat and drink. Great place to watch the sunset. The wooden walkway is lighted at night, so should be no problem negotiating it after dark.

Diving - There are a number of scuba diving centers in Ao Nang, offering dive course from basic up to instructor level. The "local" islands in Ao Nang Bay are relatively easy to access and uncrowded compared to many of the diving sites around Phi Phi Island. Other options include Shark Point Marine Sanctuary and the King Cruiser wreck which is suitable for intermediate divers, and mini-safaris to Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, and the Ko Ha Yai Islands for experienced or deep qualified divers. Most of the dive shops offer a very similar price for the dive courses and dive trips. It's now also possible to do a one day safari by speedboat to Hin Daeng and Hin Muang for a chance to see whale sharks and manta rays, or to do some spectacular cavern diving at the five islands of Ko Ha Yai. Some of the more popular dive sites can become crowded in the peak of high season late-December to early-January.

Weather

Like much of Thailand, the weather here is of the tropical variety, meaning hot and humid conditions year-round. Temperatures hover around 32 °C during the day and 25 °C at night, with just a few degrees difference between the warmest and coolest months. Humidity is mostly around 80% or more, so be sure to drink enough fluids! November to February in general is the driest time of the year, with just some regular showers (later afternoon) and a mix of clouds and sun. Rain increases from March onwards, reaching a peak in August and September before preparing again for the somewhat drier and cooler season.

Getting There

By Plane

Krabi Airport (KBV) is about 40 kilometres away and has regular connections with Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Singapore. Tiger Airways, a budget airline, handles the Singapore - Krabi traffic. Bangkok Airways also flies to Bangkok and Koh Samui. Air Asia flies to Kuala Lumpur. There are even seasonal flights directly to Krabi from Helsinki, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Goa, Oslo and Gothenburg.

There is a bus / shared minibus from the airport to Ao Nang (150 Baht). The counter at the airport selling the bus ticket might switch you later to a minibus. For going to the airport ask your hotel if they can arrange it (but some offer only expensive services). The bus stops are not well marked, in Ao Nang there is one close to the Railay beach boat stop.

Local shuttle buses, really just converted pickup trucks (songthaew), run from Ao Nang to Krabi (50 Baht) and from Krabi to the airport (50 Baht). The trip between Ao Nang and the airport takes little less than 2 hours. To get to Ao Nang from Krabi town you should look for a white songthaew outside the 7-Eleven in town centre.

By Bus

Krabi is served by regularly scheduled buses from all over the kingdom. Buses from Bangkok travel to Krabi down Hwy 4, the major north-south route from Malaysia to Bangkok, stopping along the way at towns like Chumphon and Hua Hin. At any of these stops you can go onward to Krabi. From Hua Hin to Krabi, for example, a BKS (government) bus departs from the station south of town centre at 22:00 (there are certainly more buses during the day). A VIP seat costs 855 baht (Jan 2016). It arrives in Krabi at about 06:30. Important: to get the best price you must go to the bus station to buy your ticket. You will be offered a choice of seats when booking. If booking a VIP seat, Do not choose a seat immediately behind either of the two stairwells on the double-decker bus. If you do, you will have no legroom whatsoever and would be better off going first-class at a cheaper price. If travelling during the day, give some thought to the location of the sun morning and afternoon. If going north after noon, sit on the right side of the bus; if south, sit on the left side.

To travel to Ao Nang from the Krabi bus station (or anywhere along the route they travel), look for a white, well-marked ("Krabi-Ao Nang") songthaew. From the bus station to Ao Nang, it will cost 60 baht on arrival at your desired stop.

There is a songthaew (shared pick-up truck/taxi) service to Ao Nang from the Krabi Bus Station and Krabi town, which runs during daylight hours in low season and up to 22:00 in high season. The fare from Krabi to Ao Nang is 50 Baht, 60 Baht after 6pm. Songthaews can be expected every 15–20 minutes. Songthaews are colour coded according to destination. From Krabi Bus Station and Krabi town, get on a white songthaew. To find one of these white ones in Krabi, go to the 7-Eleven at the corner of Soi 8 and Maharaj Rd (the main road, on that stop is also a sign stating the price). Songthaews from bus station en route to Ao Nang stop there for 10 minutes.

By Boat

Rai Leh West and Ton Sai are only 10 minutes away while the less developed Had Yao (Long Beach) is 25 minutes away by longtail boat. Boats leave constantly from the east end of the beach and charge a flat 80 baht/person during the day, 100 baht/person at night (after 18:00). There is no pier so expect to get at least your feet wet, probably more. A longtail boat from Ao Nang is available all seasons, but subject to the weather. In the monsoon season (May–October), getting to Rai Leh from Ao Nammao is recommended.

There are also public ferry services to Ko Phi Phi and Ko Lanta (usually twice daily), for which any travel agent will be happy to sell you tickets at around 200 baht/person. During the monsoon season, the ferry runs once day.

Boats from Ko Lanta now arrive at the new jetty, from there take a taxi (350 baht), or local bus to Krabi (50 baht) and then on to Ao Nang (40 baht).

If you travel by long tail boat, getting waterproof bag for your photo and video equipment and phone is highly recommended (see photo).

Getting Around

Tuk-tuks in Ao Nang charge a flat 20 baht/person for trips around town. Songthaews also run all across Ao Nang to Shell Beach and some all the way to Krabi Town, fares from 10 baht up depending on distance.

If you are going to or from the bus station in Krabi, a songthaew costs 60 baht. The Krabi-Ao Nang songthaews are white, with destinations clearly indicated in English. If you don't see one at the side of the bus station, wait a while and one will come by. In Ao Nang along the beach road, catch a songthaew to the bus station by standing on the beach side, not the inland side, of the road. This is counter-intuitive as Krabi is in the opposite direction.

Renting a motorbike is a great way to explore some of the sites outside of Ao Nang. There are shops up and down the major strips and you can get a reliable bike for 24 hours for 150-200 baht.

Eat

Ao Nang restaurants are, in general, outrageously expensive. You will pay double or triple the price in Krabi town to eat here, main courses are about 150 baht, and seafood very much more (starts at 250 baht). If you are after cheap food, look for the street stalls or restaurants at either end of Ao Nang.

If you are the kind of person who rises early and enjoys breakfast with a cup of coffee and a newspaper, Ao Nang is not for you. As most of the larger hotels provide free breakfast, decent breakfast places are hard to find. Decent, cheap breakfast places are impossible to find. Daily newspapers? Forget about it. Even if some are supplied by the posher hotels, it will not be until the afternoon.

For cheap food, there are a few street carts scattered about, although most serve backpacker fare such as banana pancakes at 15 baht each. A lady serving fried chicken lady in front of the Tipa Resort also does good som tam (papaya salad) at 40 baht. Also look out for the yellow-signed noodle stalls with a "4" in a bowl as their logo, which serves a garlic-flavoured and tasty bamii muu daeng (roast pork noodles) for 25 baht.

The pad Thai served in a stall named "Kai Tieun Restaurant" is good and cheap. The noodle itself is not spicy although spice-rich condiments are available.

Generally the places along the beach are more expensive and the ones up the hill or down towards Nopparat Thara tend to be cheaper and better value. Even up past McDonald's on the right, some offer squid and fish at amazingly low prices.

• The Boat Cafe (On Airport Rd, opposite the 7-Eleven). No sign in English, but is easily recognisable by the old longtail boat outside where they serve up tom yum and other Thai soups at lunchtime. Popular with locals in the evening. 20-35 baht.
• Isan Food & Cooking Inter (Central Ao Nang, road side opposite McDonalds, a few steps from Soi RCA, between currency exchange and Chanaya's Restaurant). Evenings. Weird name for a restaurant, but it doesn't matter as there is only one sign on the back wall of the restaurant's interior. Run by a lady (Noi?) from Issan. One of the cheapest restaurants in central Ao Nang. Simple Issan cooking. Large fish (tilapia?) seem to be the most popular fare here. Good and cheap.
• One More Restaurant (On Airport Rd 15 min from the beach up Airport Rd on the right side). Low-key restaurant serving a variety of Thai dishes and seafood. The staff here are incredibly friendly.
• Tonsai Restaurant, Ao Nang Soi 15 (15 minutes from the beach up Airport Rd). Popular low-key restaurant offering Thai food.
• U & P Bakery House, 401/4 Moo 2 (At Ao Nang's one traffic light, go straight, out of town. About 2 km on your right.), ☎ +66 81 895 6670. M-Sa, 06:30-17:00; closed Su. Nice little bakery/restaurant. One of the few places besides McDonalds to get an early-morning breakfast. Coffees. Excellent breads by Thai standards. They sell breads, nan, brownies, cakes, and a limited supply of Cheddar cheese retail (expensive; vintage Cheddar, 240 baht here and 170 baht at Makro). Pass on their 150 baht breakfast: two eggs, two strips of bacon, one barely edible 7-Eleven-style hot dog/sausage, and two slices of nondescript white bread. Instead order one of their breakfast sandwiches: real brown bread, generous filling, and cheaper price. Beware of sandwich number eight. Billed as ham and cheese, it is two 7-Eleven hot dogs and processed cheese. Free Wi-Fi. Egg/bacon sandwich, 100 baht.
• A. One Restaurant (Nopparat Thara Beach Rd), ☎ +66 94 586 4949. 09:00-22:00. Very good restaurant for lunch and dinner with a romantic ambience and attentive service. Full bar, Western and Thai menu. Skip the breakfasts: the Engilish breakfast is a whopping 290 baht. The American breakfast, at 210 baht, is two eggs, two slices of toast, bacon (three slices) or sausage, orange juice, coffee. Free Wi-Fi. Large ribeye steak, 450 baht; Hamburger, 190 baht; Greek salad, 190 baht.
• Khow Soy Restaurant (Outside of town opposite the U&P Bakery. In front of Rick's Bar). M-Sa, noon-22:00. The name is a playful, farang riff on "khao soi" or "khao soy", the popular northern Thai/Burmese noodle dish. Lovely restaurant with attentive service. Full bar service as it is adjacent to Rick's Bar, also worth a visit.
• Wanna's Restaurant (Central Ao Nang). Offers rather good Thai and Swiss dishes for approximately 100 baht. The home made Swiss muesli with yoghurt and fresh fruit is highly recommended. The pad Thai here is quite good! Go to Burger King if you need a toilet as it is out the back!
• Carnivore, 127 Moo 3, ☎ +66 75 661 061, e-mail: info@carnivore-thailand.com. Daily, 15:00-23:00; kitchen open 16:00-22:00. Known for delicious steaks, beef or lamb. Chicken, pork, and duck as well, all prepared to high European standards. Luckily, you can order the steak in a size to suit your appetite or your budget: 200-400 grams. Nice ambience. The boss, Gidi, is a friendly Dutch national who runs a tight ship to high standards. Huge wine and European beer lists.
• The Hilltop, 99 Moo 3, ☎ +66 75 637195, e-mail: hilltop.aonang@gmail.com. 11:00-24:00. Lovely views at sunset. They will arrange transport if you reserve a table. Cocktails, 220 baht; main dishes, 200-400 baht.

Drink

Ao Nang's nightlife centers on two areas, which are known locally as "Center Point" and "The Soi" (Soi RCA). Another nightlife area, the strip of bars along Bamboo Soi, was demolished in 2014. Both Center Point (on the main beach road) and "The Soi" (about 200 metres up from the beach on the right just before McDonald's across the street) contain bars offering loud music, hostesses, and free pool.

The cheapest place to have a drink in Ao Nang is down Soi 17 off Ao Nang Rd (where Ao Nang Rd meets the beach and makes a sharp right turn). About 100 m down the soi are two kiosks that serve cocktails for 100 baht and beers (Leo, Chang, etc.) for 40 baht.

Bars close in Ao Nang at 02:00, possibly a bit later if doing bang-up business, in which case the music and lights will be turned down, and the shutters lowered.

• Rick's Bar, Moo 2, 4201 Rd (Across from U&P Bakery, behind Khow Soy Restaurant, about 3km from central Ao Nang), ☎ +66 91 158 3641. Daily, 17:00-last man standing. At most bars in Ao Nang and elsewhere, you're served by a disinterested employee and lucky if you get a smile. At Rick's Bar you're served by two persons with skin in the game, the husband and wife team who run the place. A bit out of central Ao Nang, but worth the trip. Run by a courtly, knowledgeable, and affable Louisianan and his Thai wife, Rick's Bar is a comfortable place to drink. Nice ambiance, good music, no pressure. Prides itself on the coldest beer in Ao Nang. Sells pickled eggs, for chrissakes! Good selection of top shelf liquors. Pool table. Darts tournament every W night. Free Wi-Fi.
• Soi RCA (Just down from McDonalds towards the beach on the opposite side of Ao Nang Rd.). Ao Nang has some fairly well-hidden beer bars. The largest concentration is just off the main road on a soi with a big archway announcing "RCA" over the entrance. It has about 15 bars. A good place to go if you fancy a game of pool but have no partner. A bar hostess will be happy to serve as opposition (it is good manners to buy her a drink for doing so). No one seems to know what "RCA" stands for. It may be named after Bangkok's Royal City Avenue—more commonly known as RCA—the center of that city's club scene.
• Sweet Bar (South end of Nopparat Thara Beach). 17:00-02:00. If you fancy a chilled out drink and few games of pool in a friendly location, go for a drink adjacent to Nopparat Thara Beach. There used to be several bars here. Now it's down to Sweet Bar. Excellent fireworks can be seen here at new year. Free Wi-Fi.
• Ting Tong Bar (Ting Tong Bar, Part 2) (Near the Ao Nang Post Office on the main road). 18:00-02:00. Spacious, clean bar with good music at a level that permits conversation, and a good pool table. Run by the amiable At and her husband, Patrick. Free Wi-Fi.

Sleep

Ao Nang is one of the more expensive places to stay in Thailand. Accommodation that costs 600 baht in low-season (May-November) will cost you 1,600 baht in high-season.

• Blue Bayou, 79 Moo 3 (Nopparat Thara Beach, north end of Ao Nang), ☎ +66 75 637558, +66 75 637083. Bungalows with private bathroom fan/air-con, 20 m from the beach. Owner is very helpful and friendly, speaks very good English. Has a super little restaurant. 300-600 baht low-season.
• The Krabi Forest Homestay, 68 Moo 3 (1 min walking distance to Nopparat Thara Beach and 5 min walking distance to Ao Nang Beach), ☎ +66 75 661500, +66 86 5706524, +66 87 4887199. Owner and the staff are very helpful and friendly. They can speak fluent English and can provide you with excellent tourist information. The bungalows have private baths. You can pick between the bungalows that have one king size bed, 2 twin size beds or 3 twin size beds. All of the bungalows/rooms come with private terrace, standard toilet/bathroom, and standard shower with hot water, air conditioning, multi-channel cable TV, coffee/tea pot and small refrigerator. 2 free bottles of water daily. Massage, spa, beauty salon, tour office service, bar, transportation services, tailor service, Thai restaurant, Indian restaurant, laundry/dry cleaning service, free Wi-Fi, motorcycle rental, car rental, bicycle rental, and private parking. 600-1,000 baht in low season and 800-1,500 baht in high season depending on room type.
• Seaworld, 247/10-11 Ao Nang Rd (Near PK Mansion), ☎ +66 75 637388, e-mail: seaworld999@hotmail.com. Clean, good value. 300-600 baht low season fan/air-con.
• Ao Nang Palace Hotel (A couple of hundred metres from the beach on the road up the hill). Can be expensive in high season as they all are, but normal off-season price is 940 baht. Breakfast is included, and there is a reasonable buffet choice. Hotel has a swimming pool, a travel agent is co-located, as are Internet computers. No lift.
• AoNang Paradise Home, ☎ +66 86 2801223, +66 86 2783441. Private bathroom, pool. 650 baht fan/air-con.
• Aonang Smile Hotel, 23/4 Moo 2, Ao Nang (Next to J Hotel, N of the McDonalds on the same side of the street), ☎ +66 75 63 8192. Check-out: 11:00. Great hotel. Spacious rooms. Good Wi-Fi and a desk to work from. No amenities such as restaurant or laundry or coffee, but perfect other than that. For those who watch TV, TV is not perfect, at least in Room 103. Clean, accommodating, great location next to three or four 24/7 convenience stores. A low-season room is 700 baht, 1,700 in high-season.
• Chatchada Guesthouse, 596/6 Moo 2 Ao Nang Rd, ☎ +66 75 695 420. All new Thai/Australian-run guesthouse with good service. Rooms have air-con and showers. Food both European and Thai is available all day, with an excellent English breakfasts. Free Wi-Fi and all the normal stuff in the room. 900 baht. edit
• J Hotel, 23/3 Moo 2 (Up a small soi on the inland side of the road just south of the Irish Rover Pub sign), ☎ +66 75 637878, e-mail: j_hotel@hotmail.com. This small hotel beats PK Mansion hands down. Chinese-Thai-run hotel. Impeccably clean. Big rooms, big baths. Rooms in back have balcony that face a wall, thus are much cheaper than those in front which overlook a parking area. Free, strong Wi-Fi. Nearby is its sister hotel, J Mansion. 800+ baht.
• P.K. Mansion, 247/12-15 Moo 2, ☎ +66 75 637431-2, e-mail: pkmansion@hotmail.com. Run by a coven of wily little old ladies who don't miss an opportunity for a baht. Internet prices top out at 1,200 baht, but you may be asked for more. Centrally located accommodation, on a quiet street close to the beach. The large rooms have en suite bath, with TV, fridge, and balcony. The in-room Wi-Fi is poor with decent access an additional 50 baht. 1,300 baht.
• Ananta Burin Resort, 166 Moo 3 Ao Nang Soi 8, ☎ +66 75 661551. All rooms equipped with king-size or twin bed, air-conditioner, 32-inch LCD TV, Wi-Fi, and coffee/tea maker. Swimming pool, Jacuzzi, and massage service, car rental, and laundry/dry cleaning service. 3,000-12,000 baht.
• Ao Nang All Seasons Beach Resort, 162 Moo 3, ☎ +66 75 661598. Well equipped with air conditioning, cable TV and Wi-Fi. Swimming pool, car rental and parking. Their website appears to be exclusively in Japanese, so perhaps they don't care so much about your business. From 1,827 baht.
• Aonang Terrace Hotel, 131-131/3 Moo 3, ☎ +66 75 637091-2. It offers 42 rooms, all of which have an air-conditioner, cable TV, hair dryer and a refrigerator. Some of its amenities are transportation services, games room, and high speed Internet access. 1,200-3,500 baht.
• Beach Terrace Hotel, 154 Moo 2 (On Ao Nang Beach), ☎ +66 75 637181-3. All rooms have air conditioning, minibar, cable TV, safe deposit box, hair dryer, DVD Player, Wi-Fi, swimming pool with water power stream jets and child pool, pool bar service, tour desk service, car and motorbike rental. 2,300-9,700 baht. edit
• Duang Jai Resort, 152 Moo 3, ☎ +66 75 638211-4. 21 room accommodation, air conditioning, cable TV and Internet access, swimming pool, room service and restaurant, cafe, bar. 2,200+ baht.
• The Emerald Bungalow, 80 Moo 4, Nopparat Thara Beach, ☎ +66 81 9562566. Standard and family rooms, all equipped with fan, bath. Garden, gym, restaurant, and bar. From 1,500 baht.
• Krabi Riviera Villas (Krabi Villas), 251/13 Moo 2, ☎ +66 75 695633, e-mail: info@krabivilla.com. 17 villas for rent nightly/weekly with private swimming pool on Ao Nang Beach. 5,000-19,000+ baht.
• The L Resort Krabi (formerly Wanna's Place). Views of the Krabi Mountains and the islands of Ko Talu and Ko Poda. All rooms include Wi-Fi, 40-inch LED TVs, air conditioning, mini-bar, safe, and breakfast. 3,300-15,500 baht.
• Palm Paradise Resort, 165 Moo 3, ☎ +66 75 661667. Between Ao Nang and Nopparat Thara Beaches. Resort is 500 m from the beach. 1,000-4,490 depending on room and season.

View our map of accommodation in Ao Nang

Keep Connected

Internet

There are countless internet bars across the country in big and small towns. Internet cafés are widespread and most are inexpensive. Prices as low as 15 baht/hour are commonplace, and speed of connection is generally reasonable, but many cafes close at midnight. Higher prices prevail in major package-tourist destinations (60 baht/hour is typical, 120 baht/hour is not unusual). Keyloggers are all too often installed on the computers in cheap cafes, so be on your guard if using online banking, stock broking or even PayPal. Remember that in the smaller towns and more traditional areas the owners and staff of internet bars prefer if customers take off their shoes at the entrance and leave them outside. This might seem strange although this gesture goes a far way to make friends and give a positive image of foreigners to Thai people.

Outside the most competitive tourist areas, free Wi-Fi is not as common as in neighbouring countries in many budget hotels and guesthouses and they may charge small fee for Internet by LAN or Wi-Fi even if you bring your own laptop. Wi-Fi is commonly available in cafes and restaurants serving Westerners.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

The international code for Thailand is 66. 999 connects to all emergency services. Standard GSM emergency number 112 is supported in mobile networks. 911 for Tourist Police Department, English available.

For mobile phone users, Thailand has three GSM mobile service providers - AIS, DTAC and Truemove - which may be useful if you have a mobile phone that will work on either one or both of the GSM 900 or 1800 frequency bands (consult your phone's technical specifications). If you have one, you can buy a prepaid SIM card for any of the Thai carriers in any convenience store for as little as 50-200 baht and charge it up as you go. Using your own mobile phone while on holiday with a Thai pre-paid SIM card can save a lot of money and lets you give your number to family back home, so they can have an emergency contact number.

Post

Thailand Post is the Thai postal service that deals with all local and international mail in Thailand. The business is operated from local post offices. Post offices are easy to recognise with their red white and blue motifs and the words 'Thailand Post' in English and Thai above the entrance. They are open from Monday to Saturday, usually 8:30am to 4:30pm (main ones until around 8:00pm), though keeping shorter hours on Saturdays (usually until 1:00pm). They are generally closed on Sundays and Public Holidays. Each post office offers a comprehensive service which includes an Express Mail Service (EMS) and parcel post. They also have a price calculator for letters, postcards and parcels, both domestically as well as internationally. They also have a track and trace system and money transfer services. If you want to send packages, it might be a good idea to check with private courier companies like DHL, TNT or UPS, as they are fast, reliable and generally quite competitively priced.

External Links