Like Phuket, only Krabi

news by NEWS.COM.AU
You’ve seen the pictures of one of Thailand’s main drawcards: shimmering blue water lapping the white-sand beaches, limestone outcrops rising out of the ocean. You may have even seen movies set around the picturesque islands. Think of The Beach, where Leonardo DiCaprio and friends discover their own island “paradise”.

Then there’s Ko Phing Kan, better known as James Bond Island since its feature role in The Man with the Golden Gun in the 1970s. So where exactly are these postcard-perfect gems in Thailand? It must be the tourist mecca of Phuket, right? Or Koh Samui?

Try Krabi. About 800km south of the Thai capital of Bangkok, Krabi is probably best described as a younger version of Phuket.
It’s Phuket 10 years ago – less commercial than its more well-known big brother. It’s a good way to be, particularly in these days of heightened environmental awareness, according to Sofitel Phokeethra Krabi Resort & Spa general manager Ove Sandstrom.

“I mean, Krabi is now, it’s fresh, this is really Thailand like it was in Phuket 10 to 15 years ago. “I think they can keep it like this. Today you know you have global warming, people are becoming more and more conscious about the environment. “So now the nature is the biggest attraction. If you want the nightlife, OK, you go to Bangkok.” The local government was keen to keep it that way, Mr Sandstrom said.

“It’s not exploited, because the local government had made it stricter than anywhere else,” he said. “It’s the only region in Thailand where you’re not allowed to exploit the beach.”

Krabi, the place to go natural

Edwardo Iswandl, the resort’s director of sales and marketing, said: “Even in (the main tourist area and popular beach spot) Ao Nang, that’s quite a tourist area, you don’t see any umbrellas on the beach, because the local government, they want to keep Krabi as natural as possible.”

Ao Nang is small, but its shopping strip alongside the beach is big enough if you just want to try your hand at bargaining in the small shops, selling anything from beach gear to DVDs and souvenirs.

Or try the nearby market, held each Thursday. There are also plenty of small tourism operators, predominantly offering day tours to the islands around the area for sightseeing and activities such as snorkelling and kayaking.

Need to go Phi Phi

These include Maya Beach in the Phi Phi archipelago where The Beach was filmed. The main drawcard is the idyllic Ko Phi Phi islands themselves, between Phuket and Krabi, and about a two-hour trip from both. The bigger of the Phi Phi islands, Phi Phi Don, was hit hard by the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. Even in Krabi, there are still some reminders of the tsunami’s devastating effects, with signs pointing out evacuation routes, just in case.

We enjoyed our own private boat trip, courtesy of Sofitel Phokeethra Krabi, though the quick trip to Bamboo Island seemed to take an eternity in the choppy seas. (The fact that some in the group had partied hard the previous night probably didn’t help.)

By popular agreement, we abandoned plans to go snorkelling (the crystal-clear water wasn’t so clear due to the rainy weather) and opted instead to spend the bulk of the day on Bamboo Island – relaxing in the water, drink in hand, before and after enjoying a barbecue put on by the resort’s Australian head chef, Murray Patterson.

Then it was back to the Sofitel Phokeethra, where the previous afternoon had been spent sipping drinks in the pool (the biggest in Krabi, the hotel says), even if most of us did end up with varying degrees of sunburn.

Tourism is coming so hurry on over

We also enjoyed massages (a common theme on our Thai trip) in the resort’s Le Spa, the first of the Sofitel spas to open in Asia.

On Klong Muang Beach, along the Andaman coast, the 276-room resort – which opened in February – is the latest five-star hotel in this part of Krabi, with more expected to follow. “All the big names will be in Krabi,” Mr Iswandl said of plans for future hotels in the area. Our stay was in September, during the wet season, so there weren’t many guests about.

Travel sites agree that there are only two seasons in Krabi – the hot season, from January to April, and the rainy season, from May to December. The best time to go is the tourist season, November to March. “For me (the best time to come) it’s really April to October because the earth is green, you don’t have too many tourists,” Mr Sandstrom said. “It rains, yes, but you have one day rain and the rest fine. It’s a chance, yes. I think less people are on the beaches.”

Mr Iswandl said: “And also for Australians it’s June, July, August – that’s normally the season for Australians.” Most of the visitors to this part of Thailand are Europeans, with the top three tourist groups hailing from Sweden, Germany and Britain. “And the Australians are coming very quickly, too,” Mr Sandstrom said. “I mean very quick because they like the beaches, they like the excursions, they like the adventures. “It’s a good destination for Australians.”

Calling all Aussies

The local tourist industry hopes that more and more Australians – and others – will start to embrace Krabi. But, Mr Sandstrom said, they were keen to avoid becoming too commercialised, and maintain the area’s natural attractions. “We are the ‘lost region’ that’s not publicised the same as Phuket,” Mr Sandstrom said.

“We don’t want to make the same mistakes. They (the Government) want to keep Krabi more for the nation, more for the long-term future.”