Railay hotels & places to stay

This was our first time traveling in the Krabi / PhiPhi / Railay area and we booked a different night at each hotel. We found a good deal on Rayavadee and decided to splurge for one of the nights. It far exceeded our expectations and it was the best place we've ever stayed in Thailand. The facilities and staff were great, the bungalow felt like a nice house with the room being upstairs, food was good - but the scenery is the best part. It was hard to stay at other hotels after this because nothing else can come close.

We booked the hotel with Agoda.com - including a free upgrade to a privacy cottage. I wouldnt recommend paying extra for a beach facing villa because you are facing the pool then the beach so you dont get any privacy in your room - privacy cottages are set back a little, we were in room 9004 which was on West Railay as the numbers get higher you are heading to East Railay which isnt as nice. If you read any comments about the staff then i would ignore them - i would say that the island has mixed cultures from the surrounding countries. The thai people are lovely and yes some of the other staff that work their are little abrupt but i would ignore it We got to the hotel via traveling from Krabi airport to ao nang via taxi (500bhart) and then longtail boat to west Railay - be aware of low tide and having to wade out in the sea with bags - it cost 100 bhart each and goes when 8 or more people were ready. Recommend only looking at hotels on West Railay if you want the beautiful scenery - hence why East railay is cheaper and to be honest smells with sewage. The tide goes at lunch leaving a muddy shore behind. I think this part of the island is the trade entrance for the hotels. Boat ride from Railay to Krabi 45mins longtail boat - nothing really worth visiting in the town - would suggest Ao Nang for shopping and if you need western shops this is your place. Hired a longtail boat for half a day 1600 bhart - island hoping around chicken island and Pra Nang Beach worth exploring - Ko Phi Phi is at least 2.30hrs away via longtail boat. Rayavadee Hotel is a must for dinner for at least 1 night - it is one of the top 100 places to stay in the world and whilst it is expensive to sleep their the restaurant is good value - you pay about £30 for wine compared to about £10 back home but to be honest we were sick of Singha beer towards the end of our tip. I would say that the Railay Bay resort which is next door to Rayavadee is the second best hotel on the Island es

we stayed here for 5 nights in a standard bungalow for about $45/ night. the bungalow was high up on stilts with fan only but very spacious and brand new. we felt like getting a high class bungalow worth much more than what we paid. the balcony was great, lovely ocean views and very cozy chairs!! the bungalow had everything what we needed: safe deposit box, mosquito net, tv, mini fridge, phone etc. the bathroom was amazing, although it had a shower only. the more expensive ones come with bathtubs. we were dropped off at railay west and walked over to railay east (maybe 5-10 min) and from there it was another 10-15 min to the hotel. it was a bit of a sweaty hike with our backpacks in the heat, but we didn't bother. the hotel has everything you can wish for, always considering what we paid ($45)!! a great and refreshing pool, very nice restaurant with awesome food (we had thai food all the time and it was delicious!!), a little gazebo where you can enjoy massage at a very reasonable price. you are surrounded by limestone cliffs and water, very scenic. we actually liked the location very much because it was away from all the hustle and bustle and unpleasant smells. railay has kind of a garbage/ wastewater etc. problem. specially railay east is not very appealing, so beeing away from it all was actually a relief. coming back to the hotel always felt like coming back to a retreat. railay great view is in my opinion the best choice in railay east, west and tonsai except for the rayavadee probably...staff at railay great view were very nice and helpful, especially the guys in the restaurant always made us feel very welcomed. the only downside was the noise from the longtail boats.

We booked a Tropical Villa, which is a stand-alone villa with a king bed and large bathroom. Whilst not the newest, nor fanciest hotel in Railay, it's small-to-medium size means easy access to everything, with short walks between your room and the reception/dining area. Buffet breakfast was OK with freshly cooked eggs to order. It's located on the East (mangrove side) of Railay Beach, but in my opinion, is in the best location as it is half-way between West Railay beach and the Pranang Cave beach (my favourite when there's no crowds). I've stayed at a few places in Railay but now only stay here, as it's the best overall value for money hotel. I don't waste money paying for a ritzy hotel room that I am never in.....especially considering the beauty of Railay Beach.

Bhu Nga Thani is located on the east side of Railay, which some will tell you does not have as nice a beach as the west side. This is true, but when we were there (early Oct), we were very happy to be on the east side of Railay, since the west side was so windy and seas so rough. The walk to the west side is also very quick and a very nice beach exists closer to the east side, including a path occupied by monkeys you can hand food to as you walk through. Careful, though, many monkeys might come to you if they see lots of food ... though I never saw any aggressive behavior. 100 yards down from the hotel is a nice little restaurant called the Relax Bar (and other restaurants beyond). You sit on the wooden floor (on pillows) and the family run place serves the best Pad Thai I had in Thailand, along with very tasty papaya salad, mango smoothies, and all other dishes we tried, which were many on our repeated returns. All 5 or 6 tables were always taken and the family even ate lunch on the floor with us, occasionally the small children bringing us dishes (along with mom) and making for a very relaxing atmosphere and aptly named hang out. The hotel itself is very nice. The staff was great, the room was as clean as could be expected in such a wet environment (rainy season too), but I would suggest trying to get a room on the 3rd floor. We had a 1st floor room the first night and then asked to be moved to the 3rd floor the next 2 nights of our stay. The result was a great view of Railay (water, boats, picturesque jagged hills with trees, etc.), and much better internet reception. The breakfast was a fairly standard western style pancakes, eggs, etc. (but still nice), but the room service Thai food was very good and at very good prices. If we ever return to Railay (and we hope to for sure) we will definitely stay at Bhu Nga Thani!

certainly best hotel in Railay beach, very nice area. we recommend people and our friends to go. very beautiful landscape. just be prepared the beach and hotel are bit remote. if you like to rent a speed boat they will charge you more vs Phi Phi, for instance, You have to bargain hard as they inflate the prices. Be prepared that hotel and whole area has no pier for ferries and is reachable by longtail boat. so you have to get off the ferry and board the longtail boat at say 200 m away from shore. it is OK just be prepared for that. the territory of a hotel is small due to limestone cliffs around but very nice. you don't need to go anywhere, you are in the beauty there. definitely a place to go for seekers of natural beauty. people from Krabi came to our beach every day. that says something.

My husband and I initially stayed 2 nights at Railay West but was not very satisfied with the hotel. The beach was great but price was expensive for its facilities so we decided to move to the East side where Avatar Railay is located. The East doesn't have much of a beach (to sunbathe or hangout) as there are mangroves but it's walking distance to the West side (where the beach is located). Pros: - Reception is easy to find and very friendly. We arrived around 12pm and were given welcome drinks and told our rooms weren't ready yet — that we'd have to wait until 2pm to check-in but they were happy to hold our luggage for us. They offered us to hang out by the pool while we waited. 30 minutes later the staff picked us up from the pool with our backpacks on his back and was happy to take us to our room. - The room was very clean, new and modern. Everything was to our liking and worked well. Wi-Fi, TV, AC, plumbing, doors, etc all worked well. - They had a nice balcony, with a pool view + lounging area that had a nifty drying rack. - It was nice that the toilet, sink and shower were all separated especially if you have more than 2 people sharing the room. - The pool was clean and new. Had a few floaties for you to enjoy. - Guests were mainly couples or families, so it's fairly quiet. Although a few groups of people can get occasionally rowdy (not drunk rowdy but more happy rowdy) - Breakfast variety was good and quite delicious. - Staff were always friendly and would greet you whenever they saw you. Cons: - Dining at the restaurant (other than the free breakfast) was relatively expensive. We ate out because of this. - Some mischievous monkeys would come swing by to disturb the cleaning crew and their kits so try not to leave food / trash outside your door and balcony. Other than that we loved our stay at Avatar Railay and would recommend it to anyone!

As Railay is more expensive to live at, I do understand that some people prefer to stay at Ao Nang or Krabi. Nevertheless, I would definitely recommend to stay at Railay for a few days. My boyfriend and I went to this Resort at the end of August for two nights (bungalow) and extended our stay to 4 nights, because we absolutely loved it. The Pool and it’s view are so beautiful and I find the location of this resort better than any others resort at Railay (as you can see all of the resorts down at the beaches). It’s surrounded by nature, It’s quiet and you can reach everything by foot. When you walk to the beach you might even meet some monkeys on your way. The Pool and Poolbar-area was open until 10pm, so we enjoyed coming home in the evening having a quip dip and then dinner at the Poolbar, with the most amazing view. The Bungalow was beautiful, we even had a small balkony where we dried our swimwear. The Air con was leaking a tiny bit but that didn’t bother us as it did it’s job properly. The bathroom is not air conditioned by the way, so you have to keep that door shut, as the bathroom is sort of open to the outside the whole time (sounds worse but didn’t bother at all. The ceiling is very high and the roof sits on the walls with a little gap, so the wet air can escape. The resort provided shampoo, conditioner and shower gel in a dispenser in the bathroom. The bed was huge and cozy. We would definitely recommend this resort to people who want to have a relaxed time and wanna go there during low season (because I can’t tell how it’s like there during high season). We spend 1300 Baht per night for the bungalow. We took the longboat from Ao NamMao to Railay East for 100 Baht per Person (every hour at half past). You can walk to the Resort from Railay Pier.

We chose Sand Sea after reading reviews here on Trip Advisor, and seeing it was one of the cheapest hotels on Railay West. I have nothing but positive things to say about this hotel! The location on Railay West is perfect, with beautiful beach out front and an easy walk over to Railay East. The hotel grounds themselves are well-maintained, and the hotel pool is beautiful. We stayed in a deluxe bungalow, and our friend stayed in a superior bungalow. Both rooms were clean, with good AC and comfortable beds. The hotel restaurant was pretty good, serving both international and Thai cuisine. We found the staff to be quite helpful, answering our questions and providing shuttle service over to Railay East on the day we left. Yes, you do have to take a longtail boat and walk through some water with your bag when you arrive and depart - this is true of all the hotels in Railay. One of the beautiful things about Railay is the lack of development and huge commercial pier! We loved Railay and I would absolutely stay here again!

I was lead to believe that Railay was an island, rather than what it actually is- a peninsula. Perhaps because the beach is only accessible by boat. The other thing that is misleading about Railay is how spread out everything looks on maps. Everything is within walking distance. That being said, Railay Princess is located on the East Beach of the peninsula. We arrived by longtail boat (very easy to catch from helpful English speaking staff from any mainland pier) on the West Beach. Clear signage lead us across the peninsula over a 3 minute walk to the East Beach. Railay Princess is one of the nicest hotels available on the beach. Railay Princess and Railay Bay are jointly owned, so you can enjoy the facilities (like massage) at both hotels. Rayavadee is probably the nicest on the Beach. If you're looking for an extravagant getaway- stay at Rayavadee. If you're looking for a well-priced hotel that will provide a comfortable stay, they stay at Railay Princess or Railay Bay. I was very happy with Railay Princess's facilities, services, and available food. Check in was very easy, but is later than 2 PM. Internet was quite slow and for the most part only accessible in the lobby. Railay Princess has two pools- a beautiful one in their garden in the back, and another atop their restaurant on a balcony facing the beach and beautiful limestone cliffs. The breakfast buffet was huge and diverse with plenty of Western options. I read reviews that the restaurant had terrible food, but I completely disagree. The menu had Thai and Western options and everything was delicious. Restaurant staff in general on the beach is a little inattentive and slow, but this we got used to. Our room was very clean and had everything we needed. Beautiful balcony facing their garden- but leave your balcony door closed! Monkeys WILL come in and raid your minibar. Comfortable bed, nice bathroom, and the television had a great selection of channels.

My wife and I stayed at this hotel end of November 2016. We found the location of this hotel very well, because Railay is not that big, so it is not neccessary to book some expensive hotel on West beach because from East side you are on west side for less than 15 minutes. The garden of this hotel is very nice, the room service (cleaning and towels change) is possible if you request it on hotel reception (if you leave your key). It is possible to pay for breakfast - we did it for one day and it was OK. In general, this hotel is good choice considering that on beautiful Railay you will have much more activities outside of hotel room. :)

We LOVED our stay at Railay Garden View Resort!! We initially booked one night but ended up staying 6 because we loved the atmosphere so much. We had a private bungalow with a garden view, which was gorgeous! The plants were lush and the property was well cared for, creating a beautiful and peaceful environment. The property is at the top of a small hill at the end of the East beach, past all the bars, so it is quiet and feels quite remote, though it is only a 5 minute walk to the restaurants and shops. Our bungalow was spacious, with a sitting area, and came with a bed net to protect us from the bugs at night (though the bugs were minimal in our bungalow). We spent many hours on our bungalow porch sipping the complimentary tea and catching up on emails/internet activity while enjoying the view and listening to the sounds of the forest/garden and the waves crashing below us. The breakfast was light (toast, jam, tea, and coffee), but we could have all we needed of it and that was plenty for us. The view of the sea from the breakfast area was spectacular! We loved the free water cooler from which we could refill our bottles as much as we wanted. The staff were really friendly and always available, even going out of their way to make our stay as comfortable as possible by offering us a mosquito coil to burn on our porch at night. This is not a typical "5-star resort" kind of resort so set your expectation accordingly. Go expecting a cute private cabin, without all the fancy frills, in a beautiful, quiet forested/garden area near the sea, and I don't think you will be disappointed! We can't say enough good things about Railay Garden View Resort; it was one of the best places we stayed on our 2-month vacation and was definitely the best value. We highly recommend this accommodation.

We can totally recommend the railay viewpoint resort! When we arrived they showed us the room we booked but due to a bad smell, we asked for another room and got a very clean and nice room (same c section for the same price). The standards were very high for this price (10€/night), the only thing you could criticise is that there were some ants in the room, but for us it was not a big deal. We had our own balcony with a great view and our own bathroom. Whenever we wanted our room to be cleaned, we just had to write a note at a list and they cleaned the room very well. The stuff was friendly, they always gave us water and towels etc. when we asked for it. The pool was great and clean. Railay is a beautiful place to stay with an amazing nature, rocks and beaches but also expensive. We payed a lot more for food and water then in bangkok or koh samui. There is also no supermarket (7eleven) only minimarkets. All in all we had a great time at railay viewpoint resort.

Booked one night stay and picked Rapala as it was the best rated hotel in our budget. Bungalow was charming although I agree with some of the other reviews...the bathroom wasn’t the best. We also had lunch at the restaurant which was surprisingly good. Vegetarian options for every meat dish which is always good and the prices were on the cheaper side. Would recommend for a couple nights stay.

There are four large bungalows and five small ones. The whole place is run by a guy. He's a really great guy. You can talk to him about anything from customer service to acupuncture to conspiracy theories about air pollution and genetic splicing. His English isn't the best, but he's certainly hospitable and offers food and coffee every morning. I don't recommend booking online though. There are over a dozen places to stay on Tonsai Beach, and most are not on Agoda. If you're not staying during the high-season, you can find rooms for as little as $5/night, including here at Sai-Ngam. It's the farthest resort from Tonsai Beach before you start walking to Railey, but it makes for a great experience. It's up a big hill so it's 10-15 minutes from the beach, depending on which way you're heading. Nonetheless, it's a great place! So, if you're not afraid of a few bumps in the night, this is definitely the place to stay, unplug, enjoy the wildlife, and save a few dollars in the process. Fan and electricity during generator hours (common practice) between 6pm and 1am, mosquito net, toilets and showers, decent beds, and sheets laundered on site.

I think this is the only hostel in Railay. Since it’s on Railay, I was hoping it’d be a bit more laid back, but it was really hard to chill out in the common areas. The bar plays loud electronic music all day and people are shouting and day drinking at the pool every day. If that’s what you’re into, I guess it’s good, but probably not if you just want to relax or have conversations. The dorm room and bed are fine, but my roommate said she had to clean it because the bathroom was so dirty. She also said they don’t wash the sheets after every new person, they just fold the sheets. The staff was friendly and helpful. It’s a decent value considering everything else is expensive, but if I booked again I would stay in Tonsai or Ao Nang and just day trip to Railay.