Day 1
Krabi was the perfect destination to end a beautiful trip. We were surrounded by beaches. Krabi is a province on southern Thailand’s Andaman coast and is an almost otherworldly region of labyrinthine archipelagos, where islands seem to erupt vertically out of the sea and secluded beaches are only accessible by colorfully adorned long tail boats.
When we arrived at the Tubkaak Resort in Krabi, the staff welcomed us with open arms. We all felt as if we stepped into paradise and our villas were our homes (that just happened to have our own pools and outdoor jacuzzi tubs) so when it was time to return to NYC, we all shed tears of sadness.
(Photo Credit: Ali Inay)
Our resort was a little off the beaten path, but that didn’t matter because we felt at home. Tubkaak literally means ‘home for visitors’, the beach is a hidden corner of the earth facing the stunning archipelago of 13 islands that rise dramatically from the calm Andaman Sea. Backed by the mighty Hang Nak Mountain, the unseen stretch of gorgeous beach and fertile landscape has all the right ingredients for a relaxing hideaway Krabi resort.
We love the fact that this resort has their own canoes that guests can use to explore the Tubkaak beach.
After a little exploration, we separated into two groups to learn how to cook either Pad Thai or Tom Tum Goong at this resort. It was difficult to cook and not eat right away. See for yourself.
(Justin Livingston from Scout Sixteen cooked Pad Thai dish)
(Michelle Madsen of Take Aim prepared Tom Yum Goong)
On the first night, we issued a mini challenge to our influencers to shoot the best sunset photo and the winner (chosen by hotel management) would receive two complimentary drinks. You can see the photos below, but the win went to Justin Livingston of Scout Sixteen.
Day 2
We started the next day with morning yoga taught by their resident Yogi, Bharat. It was a good start to an eventful day island hopping with a private speed boat. We explored 4 different islands and had a picnic on the beach (although most of us got sunburned, we wouldn’t have traded that experience for anything else). One of the most memorable activities was snorkeling and seeing all the different fishes under the water. We had a scare when one of our influencers thought they lost their iPhone in the water 🙂 Enjoy the photos from the day below the description of the islands we visited:
- Phra Nang Cave, Railay Beach – This stunning, pristine beach has fine-grained white sand and crystalline waters—ideal for sunbathing and swimming and we loved it! The sand was soft and provided the perfect introduction to our first beach visit of the day.
- Poda Island – Poda Island lives up to the standard of white sandy beach, glistening turquoise sea water and vibrant aquatic creatures like its neighboring beaches. Famous for its amazing natural phenomenon, the sand dune emerges as the water recedes back during low tide and reveals a miraculous separated sea across Thap and Mo Islands, making it the world’s famous tha le whaek or the Divided Sea. We also saw cute monkeys running around.
- Chicken Island – Chicken Island, also known as Koh Kai, is situated just south of Poda and Tup Islands about 30 minutes by longtail boat from the west coast of Krabi. Chicken Island is just one island we visited and it just happened to be the shape of a chicken. This is where we anchored and snorkeled.
- Tup Island (“Thalay Wak” – Parting Sea) – This is one of the most popular offshore islands around Krabi for day trips and tours. Most island hopping tours come here to witness and photograph the amazing parting of the seas, but when we visited, the tide was high so we weren’t able to see the “bridge.”
(Although they are cute, these monkeys will steal your food so watch out 🙂
(Saul of Trend Styled and Michelle of Take Aim)
(Michelle of Take Aim)
(Longtail Boats along the beach)
Day 3
On our last day, we enjoyed an the “Hong By Starlight” tour by John Gray Sea Canoe. We spent the afternoon sea cave exploring literally inside Phang Nga Bay’s marine geology. After a detailed briefing, our professional guide paddled us and our partner through “Tidal Nape” Sea Caves literally inside Phang Nga Bay’s marine limestone karstic islands into “Hongs“(Thai for “Room”). The hidden cliff-lined lagoons are populated with macaques, water monitors, kingfishers, mudskippers, egrets, Sea Eagles and Brahminy Kites. You can see one of the videos here.
We finished after dark by floating our own self-made flower “Kratong” in a spiritual and spectacular natural light show. One of our favorite parts was the mini competition our canoe guides had amongst themselves on the best “Kratong” float (by the way, we won :).
We included some images below.
That wraps up group 1’s Choose My Thailand tour. Look out for group 2 later this year.
