Railay Beach, Thailand

Tuesday, September 24


 {not a bad view from the breakfast table:)}



I’m not going to lie, 
all Kevin and I had the energy for after leaving Nepal was, 
well…nothing.
 I literally had sobbed every ounce of energy from my body after leaving the girls house.

So we decided that doing nothing sounded amazing. 
And what better place is there to do nothing than on the beaches of Thailand? 
I honestly can’t think of one.

I had lived in Thailand about 5 years ago teaching English, but never got around to visiting Railey Beach…
which, in the opinion of many, 
is the best beach in Thailand.

So this time I was not planning on missing out on it! 
Railey was everything I imagined and more! 
MORE
It was a dream of a paradise, with a very chill atmosphere. 
If you’ve traveled at all to Thailand, you know that some (many!) beaches have turned into an all night party for crazy youngin’s that chug beer like nobody’s business. 
Railey, thankfully, was NOT that place. 
Railey struck me as a lagoon where time stood still 
and people lost themselves in the beauty, and in their books. 
It was quiet and peaceful. 
Kevin went for a run one morning and was the only one on the beach!

To get to Railey is a process. 
You need to fly/bus from Bangkok to Krabi. 
From Krabit you take a shuttle to the Ao Nang pier. 
While Railey is not technically an island, you have to catch a long-tail boat from the Ao Nang pier to get there, 
as it’s surrounded by massive cliffs on a penninsula. 
After a 30 minute boat ride, you reach Railey West. 
Railey has two sides, East and West.

The beach on the West side is where you want to lounge during the day, 
however the East side is where the cheaper place to stay are located. 
We stayed at Railey Garden View Resort on the East Side, and got the cutest bungalow for $20 a night. 
It was a steal if you ask me, and I couldn’t recommend it more:)

The other amazing part of Railey is that you also can take a short 15 minute walk 
and discover a whole new beach called Phra Nang
which is touted as the 2nd beach beach in Thailand!
 It is absolutely breathtaking with large cliffs rising out of the water. 
Unreal. 
it's also magical at night! 

One day we did a speed boat snorkel trip which
 A) made us feel a little less lazy, 
and
 B) ended up being one of our only activities favorite activities. 
Pics from the boat trip are here. 

I couldn’t recommend Railey Beach more! 
If you go to Thailand, make sure to add Railey to your list. 
You can thank me advance for this advice:)

love Katie 
ps- stop on by my sweet friend Rachel's blog for a little interview she did with me today:) 

20 comments :

  1. oh my goodness. it is pure paradise! it's so beautiful. totally wishing i could close my eyes and be there now.

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  2. It looks absolutely stunning! And you are gorgeous as always girl! Thank you for sharing these photos with us so we can live vicariously! *smiles*
    :) Rebecca
    p.s.- how did you get your photos to be the size that they are? Love it!

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  3. These pictures are gorgeous! My traveling heart is definitely getting restless. Glad both you and Kevin had a chance to just be still.

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  4. Such beautiful pictures!!! 😊 this looks so inviting!

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  5. Gorgeous! Thailand is at the top of my Life List :)

    I've been meaning to ask you where you found your volunteer/work position over seas through. I was looking at CCS (Cross-Cultural Solutions) but it costs roughly $1,500 a week to volunteer through them and that doesn't include a flight to or from.

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  6. What beautiful pictures. What a paradise! Adding Railey beach to my list!
    http://liveitinerantly.com

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  7. I'm. So. Jealous. I'm so happy you guys were able to stay there and do absolutely nothing for a little while. It's well deserved! Beautiful photos too. Thank you for sharing with us!

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  8. Oh this just makes me even more excited for our move over there!!! Your photos are stunning. Glad you see you too had so much fun! Any other fun recommendations about moving to/vacationing in Thailand would be greatly appreciated!

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    1. you two** had so much fun! :) oops!

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  9. Photos = Amazing! Thank you, thank you, thank you for the inspiration! Lovely!

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  10. This beach looks amazing! I've been warming my husband up to a Southeast Asia vacation for a while. I lived in Thailand as a kid and have always wanted to go back. I've never been to Railey beach, though, which has now skyrocketed to my "must visit" list.

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  11. What an amazing trip!! I hope you guys had such a relaxing, refreshing time--you deserve it! I can't believe that little bungalow. Unreal!! :)

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  12. Oh man I'm so happy to see this and you so happy and relaxed!,

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  13. what gorgeous pictures! so amazing that you can travel to these beautiful places

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  14. Stunning Katie, just stunning. I am glad you found time there to relax and enjoy!

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  15. Oh my goodness!!!!
    a) These photos are remarkably beautiful!!!
    b) I am so glad you guys got some respite time to transition you into the new season back in the States!
    c) Let me repeat that again, WOW! Those beaches look spectacular!

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  16. AAHHHH! Beautiful Katie! I am going to catch up on your blog this week because I have missed it :) I've become all of a sudden too busy! I was also wondering what kind of lens you use for your camera? I love it!

    <3 Jess

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  17. Wow!!! I'm so glad you got a chance to relax and rejuvinate after an intense 5 months. I don't know if there's a better place to do that!

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  18. Gorgeous! What a beautiful place. And you are beautiful too, my friend. These shots make me long for some quiet time at the beach!

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  19. So beautiful!!! It sounds like getting to Moose Factory! Such a process! Seriously, it's breath taking, and you look gorgeous! So grateful that y'all got rest! love ya!

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