Krabi Phupranang Resort and Spa

I was in a group where we had 5 rooms for 3 nights at Krabi Phupranang Resort. First the good - the air-con worked and most of the beds were comfortable. Now, so many negatives, where do I start? - Arriving at night we found a small lobby illuminated by weak fluorescent lights, absolutely no warm welcome as we'd received in all other accommodations throughout Thailand - Almost zero English spoken by the staff. - It certainly did not look like a 3-star hotel, which was how it is rated on booking.com. I thought it might be the wrong place as it didn’t look at all like a resort, or a place worth $80/night. Unfortunately it was the place I had booked for 3 nights and being peak season there was no way we were going to find 5 rooms for 3 nights anywhere else in the Krabi area. - They didn’t have the type of rooms that I had reserved - They said I’d have to pay in cash immediately upon check-in (around $1300) instead of with Visa as was listed on booking.com. - The wi-fi usually did not work, but occasionally it did. - Some of the rooms didn’t have hot water. - There was virtually no customer service, and no one had the authority to offer a discount for the substandard rooms, or for paying cash. Apparently the owner lived in Bangkok, a sort of absentee landlord, almost like a slumlord. - The rooms were a hodge-podge of development, although our beds (one king and one single) were clean and comfortable. We had 2 showers in our room, one of which sprayed onto the entire bathroom floor (no shower curtain). Our bedroom had a light that could only be turned off from the front porch outside, one step from the parking lot! - We were totally isolated from the Ao Nang town and beach, a good 3 miles away, with virtually nothing within walking distance except a very local restaurant next door which had the worst breakfast of all the places we stayed in Thailand. - There was NO FREE SHUTTLE to Ao Nang Beach as the booking.com site stated. - It was a horrible location and terribly overpriced due to the peak season. I would’ve moved our group to another hotel if it were possible, but we couldn’t even get transport away from the hotel easily since there were no taxis cruising the area. - Photos of the pool and property are incredibly deceiving. The pool didn’t look nearly as good as the photos on the website. - Staying here was the worst experience during 3 weeks of traveling in Thailand and Sri Lanka.

My friends and I arrived at the hotel in the evening, were greeted with such warmth. After a long flight, we were given cold scented towels upon arrival. They had free shuttle service to the Aonang beach where there were so many activities lined up at night. Enjoyed the night market shopping and all. On the last day of the day, had nice dip in their pool with my friends. While packing to leave, we were sent off by their manager who had the same name as my friend, Sandy. In my next trip to Krabi, I will definitely stay here again.

Phupranang Resort is a couple miles outside of the main village in Krabi. Location is quiet, and they have a free shuttle to town pretty much whenever you want it, although it makes its last return trip at 10pm each night. The rooms here are pretty basic, and damp, damp, damp. Bathroom is bizarre, and actually unsafe. Shower is attached to the wall and just runs onto the tile floor, drains in the corner. Very slippery when wet, and it's always wet. So damp that there were actually about 50 mushrooms growing out of the ceiling, which constantly dripped. The AC works well, but only makes the room somewhat less humid. Wifi is available for free in the lobby area, and if your room is close enough to the lobby you might catch a signal there too. Staff is friendly but speaks almost no English. Meals in the restaurant are ok, nothing great. Better bet is take the shuttle into town and eat street food which is dirt cheap and delicious. The hotel gives you lots of free bottled water every day, which means probably don't drink from the tap. Beds are pretty firm. Rooms have a fridge. No TV (but who cares, you're in Krabi). Rooms on the 1st floor and higher have a balcony and windows, so try for one of those. We were in a ground level room, not so good. There is a pool as well. Mosquitoes, ants are everywhere, so keep the DEET handy and keep your door closed at all times! The main reason to stay in Krabi is the tours, and Phupranang offers some good ones for a cheap price (that's why they get 3 stars instead of 2). Take the slow boat instead of the speedboat tour. That might sound counter-intuitive but the speedboat is pretty uncomfortable and the tour is not that great. Slow boat tour is much better - and you get an opportunity to go cliff diving! Ocean is incredibly warm and clear, just like the Caribbean. And go into town for nightlife, massages, and great street food. All in all, it's kind of hard to recommend Phupranang, because there are dozens of similar hotels here for around the same price. Check around and get the best deal you can.