May Day Short Vacation - Day 01: Krabi

After our last short getaway to Ko Samui, Thailand, we decided that we really like having an annual holiday to beaches and resorts. Therefore, we decided to again arrange for a trip to Thailand for another short getaway. Our flight was scheduled in the afternoon, and we had our lunch at the Terrace Chinese Kitchen, which is located at Changi Airport Terminal 1 before boarding the plane.

We purchased our air tickets from Scoot to Krabi, Thailand. The flying time was less than 2hrs. 

Prior to our departure, the hotel staff contacted us via email to obtain our flight schedules, as a special return Airport/hotel transfer was provided to us.

Unfortunately, there are not many Marriott Bonvoy hotel options on the island of Krabi, so we ended up choosing none of them. We decided to go for the Banyan Tree Krabi as I saw many videos which featured the beautiful lobby of Banyan Tree Krabi.

After an hour's drive from the airport, we arrived at the Banyan Tree Krabi entrance. We were stunned by the hotel lobby's beauty.

We arrived through the hotel entrance way and started the check in process. The hotel had a sleek and minimalist look from the outside. However, once we got inside, we were greeted with tremendous views of the Andaman Sea.

Upon arrival to the lobby, we were welcomed by the check-in agent. We were seated on the couches while welcome drinks, sweet snacks as well as refreshing cold towels were presented to us!

After the check-in process, we explored the lobby area and of course enjoyed some of the iconic Banyan Tree Krabi views from the lobby before hopping into our buggy to get escorted to our room. 

This hotel has a ritual for every guest who has checked in to choose a color stone of their choice and make a wish before throwing it into the pond which was located at the centre of the hotel lobby.

We were informed to call for the buggy anytime we wanted to use it, and the wait time would merely be an average of a 5 minute wait.

We were led down to Block E, which was a good 10 mins walk to the beach, spa and dining areas. Of course, since we were on holiday, it would not make sense not to make use of the buggy!

The room was simple and clean with full amenities. I love the high ceiling and the very comfortable soft king-sized bed! Each room had its own pathway, and I found that it made it exceptionally private. There is little wonder therefore, that the Banyan Tree Krabi has a 2 Michelin Keys Hotel award.

Heading outside, there was a large outdoor space with a large daybed, a single lounge chair, together with a small coffee table & stool. What we loved most is the private pool and separate jacuzzi area.

The surrounding environment was beautifully landscaped with trees and the peaceful beach.

The Banyan Tree Krabi is located on beach -front property. We walked around to get our bearings, and to explore the amenities that the hotel offered.

The Banyan Tree Krabi isn’t the top beach when it comes to worldwide beach resorts, but the quiet environment and calm sea gave an extreme relaxing vibe!

The general pool in Banyan Tree Krabi seemed to be under-used to me, as most rooms have their own private pool resulting in the main pool area being a pretty quiet place to be.

While we were getting ready for our dinner at Ao Nang, Baby We called reception to arrange a buggy to our room to bring us to the main lobby. We booked a ‘Grab' taxi to our dinner place, and our taxi took 15 minutes to come, we decided to check out the basement of the lobby while waiting for it to arrive.

KoDam Kitchen – This eatery is supposedly a hidden gem for local Thais located at Ao Nang, which was recommended to us by the hotel. We didn’t manage to get any reservation, and therefore we walked in instead. This eatery place is always crowded with diners, which I noted were mostly tourists!! We waited for about 15mins for our table.

I love this Stir-fried Malindjo Leaves with Egg, and this dish is also loved by people all over Thailand.

We were impressed by the delicious and affordable Thai cuisine served at Kodam Kitchen. Don’t give it a miss when you are in Krabi! 

After dinner, we walked around the popular Ao Nang Landmark Night Market.

Prior to my trip, I knew that there is a collaboration between McDonald's Thailand and Powerpuff Girls where you can get an exclusive 'Jai-Fu' Pocket Pouches (blind boxes) for 99 Baht with any ‘Power Set’ purchase.

I really love the Heart-Shaped Soft Pocket Pouch which featured Bubbles!

It was almost 11pm, and we ‘grabbed’ back to our hotel to end our day. The ride back took us 25mins. We needed to charge up our energy levels for our morning half day tour the very next day