The flight attendant opened the door and immediately I could smell the ocean! As I stepped onto the stairs leading to the tarmac and raised my face to the warm sun, the familiar and welcome feeling of peace a tropical island can offer washed over me and my stomach flip-flopped with anticipation.

Lens flair on beach

It’s monsoon season in Singapore and after a month of nonstop rain, Joey and I were ready for clear, cloudless skies. Although we’d been to Thailand several times, we’d never been to Krabi and were looking forward to scoping out the local fare.  Thailand is the place for scuba and snorkeling and we were more than ready to jump in and see what was out there!

We’d done the price comparisons, review and rating searches, and decided to stay at The Elements Resort. One thing that always attracts us to a hotel or resort is how well they communicate with you before your arrival. The Elements’ staff did a remarkable job in arranging our transportation to and from the airport and asking if we had any preferences for our stay. They offered great prices and we read some good things about them.

Entrance to the Elements

Immediately upon arriving we knew we’d made the right choice. We were greeted even before getting out of the van that picked us up at the airport. The manager, Jason, started the check-in immediately and made it extremely easy and painless. Since the Resort wasn’t full and it was so close to the holidays, we were given an upgrade…definitely a great way to start a vacation!

Delux Room

The deluxe room was more than we expected and we were thrilled! It was spacious, clean, and offered amenities like a sarong, beach bag, sandals to use during our stay, bath robes, slippers, and beach towels. The rooms were cleaned daily with fresh linens and all our requests were addressed immediately by eager to please staff.

Food

The resort offered free shuttle service into the shopping and restaurant district and so we jumped on since we were craving good Thai food. Once we arrived we chose a restaurant that was packed with both locals and tourists; we find that if locals are patronizing the place, then the food must be good!

thai-food-duckcurry-thailand-best-hotels

As expected the food was great! We ordered a few local dishes and Joey ordered a dozen of the biggest oysters I’ve ever seen!

Excursions

Jimmy paddling

We booked a Kayaking excursions via the YourKrabi website. They were extremely helpful and I was able to pay online. They communicated with me via email with regard to pickup (which is free from whatever hotel or resort you’re staying in), and sent printable coupons for our chosen tour. As with most tour companies, YourKrabi prices were cheaper than in the hotels & resorts. Our tour guide, Jimmy, picked us up on time and we were off. He was extremely knowledgeable and friendly and talked about the various sites on the way to our destination.  We made quick friends with him and his assistant.

Sunset on the River

The Sunset Kayaking tour was amazing. The sunset was beautiful and we got to witness resident monkeys of a small island catching flying fish on the shoreline! Jimmy explained, since the island doesn’t have fruit trees, the monkeys have become quite adept at catching fish but are not shy to swim out to your kayak and help themselves to fruit should you have some. (Wish he had told us that before hand…I would have definitely brought some with me. I LOVE monkeys.)

Longboat on the beach / Krabi / Thailand / 27.01.2011

We did book a private long boat snorkeling trip through the resort. Jason and his staff organized everything for us down to a picnic basket with hot lunch, fruit, water, towels, and snorkeling equipment. Our boat driver, Mot, was a hoot and took us to the best snorkeling sites. For lunch he pulled up to a small island with a tiny strip of beach and set up our food at the water’s edge. It was gorgeous and we shared it with only one other couple.

If your traveling to Krabi, although about 25 minutes away from the busier tourist filled hotels, restaurants, and shops, we highly recommend staying at The Elements Resort. Their service is excellent and they make transfers to and from attractions and excursions simple and painless. Everyone we encountered was more than happy to assist in any way they could and they made our stay a wonderful experience.

For tips when visiting Thailand click here.

Spread the love
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •