Railay, Thailand

We arrived in Railay via the infamous long tail boats that are typical of the region, dropping us off directly on to the beach. We trekked just 15 minutes to arrive at our hotel, a wooden shack in what felt like an idillic jungle island resort.

Settling in we hit the beach and caught some rays, sipping on coconuts and slapping on the sun cream. The average temperature was a sweaty 30 degrees, the very occasional wind offered some light relief but a dip in the sea quickly cooled us off. After 2 nights the fan room lost its charm and we upgraded to the resort next door which was much less jungle, more brick built havana and of course offered what we were both yearning for; air conditioning.

Basking in our new found smugness in living it up in a paradise resort we utilised the free breakfasts and pool side living. As we continued to explore the island it offered much more than just a beach. We visited a cave called phra nang cave which was full of phallic carvings, yes giant willies! According to the plaque inside it said that the cave was in honour of a princess and an offering of said carvings was placed in the cave after a wish of there’s was fulfilled. It was also meant to fulfil wishes of fertility and prosperity. 

Another cave in which we visited was the Diamond cave, slightly disappointingly it was not full of a girls best friend but rather large families of bats which squeaked above our heads as we went by. Luckily avoiding the poop we followed the rickety wooden bridges through the cave noticing that the walls sparkled in the torchlight; a type of mineral I think. 

After all that exploring we needed to treat ourselves to a nice refreshing bottle of Thailand’s finest beer, Chang, Tew lay bar offered us this and more. Overlooking the sea, the bar was away from the tourists and an idillyic spot for a read on one of the hammocks strung up between the mangrove trees.

Our final day saw us looking for adventure. We decided to grab a kayak and try and discover some deserted islands. Much to our surprise, kayaking isn’t as easy as you might think, especially when the wind was against us and a consistent flow of boats churning up the waves. So in our 2 hour expedition we discovered little more than some cavernous formations within tepee islands with no beaches (check out the pictures below for details) still it was fun and definitely tested our co-ordination skills. 

Once again I can’t finish my post without mentioning the food. We would love to say we ate at separate establishments every night but what would be the need for that when our first hotel (the Rapala rockwood resort) had the best food ever! We took advantage of the Thai meal deal every night, 2 thai dishes, 2 rice and a dessert for 280 bhat (roughly £7) which is expensive in Thai terms but the cheapest we found on the island. We had the same desert every night and I’m telling you it was like drinking liquid gold, bananas and coconut milk. Railay is a beautiful beautiful place and I would definitely recommend a trip here if you have the chance. I’m currently sat in Krabi airport waiting for our flight to Siem Reap, our next stop. Stay tuned for more fun and frolics (and food).  

#travel #thailand #adventure #globetrotter #beach #caving #food