• By: Riyanka
• Aug 06, 2019
• (2) Comments

Well, it was indeed a pretty long journey! I had to take a flight from New Delhi to Chennai, where my friend (the one for whom this trip happened!) joined me. It was another 3 hours from Chennai to Bangkok, and then we had to wait in this never-ending queue for the visa!

P.S – To make things clear for all those, who are excited about the Visa On Arrival scenes for Indians in Thailand, let me tell you that it would make you stand in a queue for no less than 2 to 3 hours (to get the stamp on your passport!). The situation is the same in both the international airports in Bangkok – Suvarnabhumi & Don Mueang! The best you can do is, stand in the Express Visa queue, which is comparatively faster (although, would take at least 30 to 40 mins, and 200 Baht per person)!

How We Reached Railay, Krabi – Taking A Flight, Followed By A Cab, A Mini Tractor, and A Long Tail Boat & Then, then Walked For About 10 Mins!

By the time we got our visa stamps, we realized that we couldn’t catch our next flight to Krabi – and evidently, after much hassle, we ended up bagging 2 seats in the next flight.

When we landed in Krabi, it was already midday, and I’ve been traveling for more than 12 hours, taking 3 flights and completely clueless about what to do next! We went to the first cab station, just outside the airport, and without much discussion, paid 300 Baht and hopped on the cab that agreed to drop us at the resort we had booked.

Just when we were feeling a bit relaxed, the cab driver stopped in front of a shop, and asked us to get down, mentioning the name of our resort! Quite surprised, my friend asked, “Where is Sand Sea?” He pointed at the shop and left, muttering something in Thai that we couldn’t understand!!

Then came this lady from the shop, welcomed us as ‘Cuties’ (yeah, that’s too much when you’re in a foreign land!) and told us that we needed to buy Ferry Tickets from her, ‘coz our resort was on a secluded beach and until then, we had no idea that we had booked a resort in a remote part of the island!

The lady got us 2 tickets for the Long Tail Boat and called a mini-tractor, asking us to hop on it! Initially, we were a bit disgusted with whatever was happening, but by then, we had started enjoying it all over again! We got on the tractor and finally arrived at the pier, where a bunch of travelers were also waiting to catch the boat to Railay!

Sometimes, the impatience of reaching the destination kills the joy of the journey, but I’m glad nothing of that sort happened for us… and the moment we got on the Long Tail Boat, it felt like the doors of a whole new world were opening in front of our eyes!

As the boat steered through the turquoise waters, our eyes were dazzled with what we saw in front of us! Huge rock structures, housing thick forests crossed one after another! It was something very rare for us, and as we were completely drowned in the beauty of the place, we didn’t even realize that time flew by the wink of an eye, and we finally reached Railay, finally!

The boat dropped us at Tonsai Beach in Railay East, and we had to walk through a narrow alley to the other side, at Railay West, where our resort was located. Sand Sea Resort is one of the most popular ones, having a private beach and moreover, it’s the Top Rated Resort in Lonely Planet (sums up everything, right?).

The moment we walked by the pool overlooking the majestic limestone outcrops, golden sands, and the beautiful clear, turquoise waters of the Andaman Sea, the tiredness from the long journey washed away! We were jumping like little kids, waiting to get down and splash on the beach. We were glad to have chosen this place, away from the hustle & bustle of mainland Krabi – surely, Railay is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and we’ve no doubts about it.

What We Did In Railay In Just 24 Hours!

If you’re planning a trip to Krabi, we’d definitely suggest you stay at Sand Sea Resort, which is a 3-star rated property, with luxurious bungalows, poolside cottages, 2 large swimming pools (one overlooking the sea and the other overlooking the rock cliffs), massage parlor and much more! The best part is, that the beach here is barely crowded and only accessed by the residents of the resort and the 2 other adjacent ones, Rayavadee Resort & Railay Bay Resort.

Kayaks are available here for rent, and one can go to explore the caves nearby. We saw a lot of people kayaking on the calm waters but didn’t go for it. We were happy soaking in the beach vibes and binged on the delicious seafood!

Completely exhausting ourselves after a splash in the sea followed by a swim in the pool, we headed back to our room to freshen up and then, returned back to the beach to catch a glimpse of the gorgeous sunset. The night market was just around the corner – precisely 2 minutes walk from the resort!

A narrow lane with shops selling all sorts of souvenirs and fancy bags & clothes, as well as food stalls created a buzz at the night market. It wasn’t very crowded but had a charm of its own. As we strolled around, my friend (being a shopaholic!) was intrigued by buying a lot of things, but let me warn you – the things are pretty expensive and need a lot of bargaining!

I rather chose to focus on the food scenes, which was pretty happening! They had all sorts of fresh seafood on sale and were ready to prepare as per your choice. In fact, we spotted some cooking classes as well, for those who are keen to learn how to make Tom Yum Soup or Pad Thai, maybe!

As we returned back to the room, tired and completely exhausted by the longggg journey and an eventful day by the beach, we called it a night!

The next morning, we decided to take a walk & explore the property (which was pretty big and extremely gorgeous!) before we headed for breakfast by the sea! We walked down the cobbled streets, listening to the chirping of the birds. We were absolutely drenched in the quaintness of the place and completely charged for the adventures ahead.

Filling our plates with all the delights laid at the breakfast buffet, we sat by the turquoise waters, discussing how beautiful life is and how blessed we are, to explore such corners of the world, where nature unfolds with all its glory! It was low tide in the morning, and the sea seemed to have gone far away from us, making the rock cliffs look even more grand. We walked along the beach for a while, before we wrapped up and hopped on another speed boat, to continue with our journey at Koh Phi Phi, being amazed at how the last 24 hours just passed by…