Planning · 1 November 2026 · 6 min read
Luxury resorts in Krabi: choose the setting first
At the top of the range, the hotels are all comfortable. What differs is where they are: on a peninsula with no road, on a calm and empty beach, or on an island an hour away by boat.
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Krabi's most expensive resorts are not spread along the coast: they sit in a handful of places, each with its own trade-off. Railay gives you the cliffs and no traffic, but everything arrives by boat. Tubkaek gives you calm water and space, a long drive from the boats. The islands give you quiet, at the price of a crossing.
This page is about choosing the setting, not ranking hotels. We name the best-known resorts in each place so you can find them, with what their own descriptions and several travel guides agree on; we do not print rates, scores or reviews. Room prices at this level move a lot with the season, so compare your own dates.
Railay and Phra Nang: the cliffs, by boat only
Rayavadee is the resort most guides name first in Krabi, set on the Railay peninsula between its beaches, with Phra Nang Beach and its cliffs on the doorstep. Railay has no road from the mainland: you arrive by boat, and so does everything else, which is what keeps the evenings quiet once the day boats have left.
It suits you if the setting is the point and you are happy to stay put in the evenings. It suits you less if you plan to explore by car, or if a wet landing with luggage would spoil your arrival: ask the hotel how it brings guests in.
Tubkaek: calm water and space
Further along the coast road past Klong Muang, Tubkaek is a long, quiet beach facing the Hong islands, with a few large resorts set well apart and no village or bar strip. Two of Krabi's best-known top-end resorts are here: Banyan Tree Krabi, where all 72 suites and villas have a private pool, and Phulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, with 54 villas and pavilions, the first hotel of the Ritz-Carlton Reserve brand when it opened in 2009.
It suits you if the resort and the beach are the holiday. It is the wrong base if you want to walk out to dinner or to the boats every day: the island tours leave from Ao Nang and Nopparat Thara, a drive away, and travel guides put the airport about 45 minutes to an hour away by road.
Staying in Klong Muang and Tubkaek
Pai Plong: a new name over the headland
Just past the eastern end of Ao Nang Beach, the small bay of Pai Plong has a single resort. It closed for rebuilding, and its owner announced that it reopens in February 2027 as Centara Reserve Krabi, with 119 rooms, suites and villas. It is close to Ao Nang on the map but cut off from it: the public way on foot is the Monkey Trail and its steep staircase.
Until it has opened, we can only repeat the announcement. We will update this section once guests can stay.
Pai Plong Beach and the Monkey Trail
Koh Lanta: Kantiang Bay and Long Beach
On Koh Lanta, the top end sits on the west coast. Pimalai Resort & Spa is on Kantiang Bay, near the quiet southern end of the island; Layana Resort & Spa is on Long Beach, further north, and several guides describe it as adults only.
The island is a longer trip from Krabi: by boat from November to April, by road and the vehicle ferry the rest of the year. It suits a stay of several nights, not two.
Koh Yao Noi and Koh Yao Yai: the bay to yourselves
In Phang Nga Bay, between Krabi and Phuket, the Koh Yao islands have some of the region's most secluded resorts, among them Six Senses Yao Noi, with 56 pool villas on Koh Yao Noi, and Anantara Koh Yao Yai Resort & Villas on the larger island. They belong to Phang Nga province, not Krabi, and the speedboat from Ao Nang takes about an hour.
They suit you if you want views of the bay and very little else to do. They suit you less if you want to see Krabi itself: every outing starts with a boat.
Before you book
Ask how you arrive. By road, by the hotel's own boat, or by public longtail: it changes the first and last hour of your stay, especially with luggage.
Ask about the beach at low tide. On this coast the sea goes out a long way on some beaches. Hotel photos rarely show it.
Check the season. From May to October the southwest monsoon brings swell to the west-facing beaches, and some boats stop. A resort is a fine place to sit out the rain, but a sea view is not a swim.
Where to stay in Krabi, area by area
Read nextKrabi for couples: which base, which boat, which month ▸
Read nextAo Nang or Railay? ▸
These places on the map
- Railay West Beaches
- Phra Nang Beach Beaches
- Tubkaek Beach Beaches
- Klong Muang Beach Beaches
- Pai Plong Beach Beaches
- Kantiang Bay, Koh Lanta Beaches
- Long Beach, Koh Lanta Beaches
- Koh Yao Noi Islands
- Koh Yao Yai Islands
Common questions
Where are the luxury resorts in Krabi?
Mostly in five places: on the Railay peninsula, at Tubkaek beyond Klong Muang, at Pai Plong next to Ao Nang (reopening in February 2027), on the west coast of Koh Lanta, and on the Koh Yao islands in Phang Nga Bay.
Which luxury area of Krabi is easiest to get around from?
None of them is as handy as Ao Nang. Railay and the islands depend on boats, and Tubkaek is a drive from the piers. If you want both comfort and easy outings, compare the top end of Ao Nang with a secluded resort.
Is Rayavadee reachable by road?
No. Railay has no road from the mainland, so you arrive by boat. Ask the hotel how it brings guests in and what happens to your luggage.