Navinda Krabi

The rooftop has a small pool with a nice sunset view, and the staff, location, and clean hotel were all good. The room on the second floor was damp, though. Even with the AC running all day and night, breathing felt heavy at night and our clothes stayed wet. Opening the balcony door wasn’t really an option because of the mosquitoes. The AC was also noisy enough that you’ll want earplugs.

The location worked well for us. It’s a good choice if you want to avoid the pub-crawl scene, with a pleasant 15-minute walk down the road to the left toward the beach, and the Ao Nang Landmark night market to the right. The rooms had a modern design and were quite good. Staff were always helpful and greeted us cheerfully each day. The rooms were cleaned very well, and they left the air-conditioning on while we were out. Special mention to reception.

A lovely, quieter part of Krabi away from the busiest areas of Ao Nang. A tuktuk gets you to that busier stretch of beach if you want it. There are a few peaceful cows nearby, and you can hear the mosque’s lovely call to prayer. The layout feels well considered and everything was very clean. Snacks, strong wifi, and easy pickup for Grab or Bolt were handy. It’s also near a nice night market and pier, with a few complimentary rides, and the pools make a wonderful centerpiece.

The main advantage is the location, close to the main beach and street market. Otherwise, Navinda was a big disappointment. It’s a secluded property mostly offering rooms for backpackers, with a tiny reception on the main road and no in-house restaurant or other services. The ground-floor rooms have some quality and pool views, but the first-floor rooms were terrible for a family. We were told extra baht would be needed for ground-floor rooms, and ended up moving to another hotel after paying an extra 1,000 baht per night. Bedding and linen were below standard. Breakfast and other amenities are at the sister hotel, La Palaya, which is a true four-star hotel; Navinda only has an arrangement to use its facilities. There were no Indian or vegetarian options there. There were also no toilet faucets or water provisions suited to our Indian habits. Make My Trip arranged the hotel, and it was a major letdown that they relied entirely on their local travel partner without doing due diligence. Indian travellers should choose carefully.