Our evenings at Klong Muang Beach in Krabi

After spending three evenings at Ao Nang, we moved to Klong Muang Beach. Compared to Ao Nang, Klong Muang is more secluded, quieter with lesser shopping, dining and nightlife. Perfect place to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.

An excellent resort hotel located at Klong Muang is the Nakamanda Resort and Spa, our “home away from home” for the next 4 nights. Besides a boat trip to the islands located just off Klong Muang Beach, we spent most of our time relaxing at our luxury resort.

One of the highlights of a Krabi seaside vacation is spending the evenings watching the sun goes down as we strolled down the sandy beach, or on the lounge chair by the hotel’s pool or over a cold drink in one of the beach bars.

We did all three. Although some days were cloudy and on those evenings, we did not get to view the spectacular sunset that Krabi is famous for.

Here are some moments in the four evenings we spent at Klong Muang.

First evening

View of the small island and beach from the roof terrace at the Nakamanda resort. One could walk to the island at low tide but must make it back before the tide returns.

Watching the sun set on our first day at Klong Muang from the beach.

I was trying to capture our long shadows on the beach in front of Nakamanda Resort but the clouds caused our shadows to be slightly diffused.

Low clouds on the horizon.

Ao Nang has its Ao Nang Seafood Street, and Klong Muang has a row of bars and restaurants set right on the sand of Klong Muang Beach. Most of these bars cum restaurants were simply built with bamboo, driftwood, recycled materials and thatch.  Many would grab a beer or cocktail and have a relaxing time watching the sun goes down.

Row of bars and restaurants set right on the sand of Klong Muang Beach.

Pre-dinner passion fruit mojitos at the Sunset Bar on the beach. The passion fruit mojitos were great!

Deep fried sea bass with sweet and sour sauce at the Sunset Bar and Restaurant. The food and drinks at the Sunset Bar were good and reasonably priced too.

While we enjoyed our seafood dinner at the Sunset Bar, a performer was spinning a pair of flaming torches tied to a string on the beach just outside the neighbouring bar.

A drink and dinner on the beach during sunset is a “must-do” when in Klong Muang or Krabi. 

Second evening

On our second day at Klong Muang, we hired a private long-tail boat to take us island hopping. The popular Hong Islands are located just off Klong Muang Beach. We enjoyed the white sand beaches of Hong, Lading and Pakbia Islands before returning to Klong Muang by mid-afternoon.

We spent the rest of our day at the hotel pool and the evening on the beach. There were fewer clouds on the horizon and we managed to see the brilliant globe of the sun dropping slowly down below the horizon.

 

Long-tail boat at the beach next to Nakamanda Resort, Klong Muang Beach.

After the beach got dark, we went for dinner at the Baan Thai Seafood Restaurant, located just across the road from the entrance of Nakamanda Resort.

Grilled squid, Tom Yum Goong (Tom Yum Prawn) Soup and garlic fried rice at Baan Thai Seafood Restaurant.

We picked a medium sized squid displayed on a tray of crushed ice, got it weighed to confirm the price. We chose to have it grilled and served with the spicy Thai seafood dipping sauce.

This restaurant serves great Thai food and seafood at reasonable prices. We went back to this restaurant for lunch (pad thai and pork noodle soup) the next day.

Third evening

Our original plan for the day was to go hike the Dragon Crest or Tab Kak Hang Nak Hill Nature Trail  at Tubkaek Beach. We changed our mind due to the extra hot and humid weather that hit Krabi. We did a morning walk along the long stretch of Klong Muang Beach instead.

This was followed by a 2 hour massage at the hotel’s spa and a late lunch at Baan Thai restaurant.

Once again, the best place to be in the late afternoon, just before sunset, was by the beach.

After the sun had gone down, we went to explore the Beyond Krabi Resort, located next to our hotel. This hotel is very nice, seems larger than Nakamanda and seems to be popular with groups. They had a poolside restaurant offering buffet dinner with a live band on a small stage. 

Pool at the Beyond Krabi Resort at night.

We prefer a quiet place for dinner and chose to have seafood dinner at Bai Tong Restaurant, located on the main road opposite the Beyond Krabi Resort instead.

Don’t let the quiet and almost empty restaurant fool you. This restaurant serves some of the best Thai and seafood in Klong Muang. The food was just as good as the Baan Thai Restaurant a few shops away.

Fresh coconut drinks at the Bai Tong Restaurant.

Prawns with pineapple curry. Deliciously sweet and spicy!

Steamed Sea Bass with lemon and garlic sauce. This dish was so good that we looked up the recipe and tried cooking this dish back home. We followed the restaurant’s method and stuffed a few sticks of lemon grass in the fish’s belly for fragrance.

They sell the fresh seafood by weight, just like at Baan Thai. A sea bass would typically cost about 55 THB per 100g or about 300 to 350 THB per fish.

We enjoyed the steamed sea bass with lemon and garlic sauce. The Spanish family on the next table also ordered this dish. They liked it so much that they asked the restaurant owner for the recipe. The friendly restaurant owner actually invited them into the kitchen to see how the chef prepares the above dish and shared some tips.

Last evening

We spent most of the morning at our hotel villa and the afternoon on the loungers by the hotel’s pool.

View of the beach from the pool of Nakamanda Resort.

Once again, we took a walk on the beach to watch the setting sun and shoot some photos before dinner.

Enjoy a romantic stroll on the beach at twilight.

Pool at the Nakamanda Resort after sunset.

We were deciding between eating at the Kitchen Restaurant within the Nakamanda Resort based on the good reviews or to go across the road to the Bai Tong Restaurant for dinner again.

Bai Tong won.

Our dinner at Bai Tong Restaurant. Squid fried with curry powder, Tom Yum Seafood Soup and deep fried sea bass with pepper and other spices (Yes, sea bass again!)

Once again, we had seafood for dinner in Krabi.

And once again, we had squid and an entire sea bass. We just cannot stop eating the fresh and delicious Thai seafood while in Krabi!