Railay Beach Thailand

We stayed on Railay Beach during our trip to Thailand. I'll be honest by saying this was the one location I was most tentative about. It was where we booked our cheapest hotel and what we thought as the most complicating to get to. We prepaid for our rooms with no refund, or we likely would have ended up elsewhere. I actually considered losing the money we paid on the room - luckily for us, that wasn't the case.

Railay West Beach

Railay Beach is a large peninsula between the city of Krabi and Ao Nang in Thailand. It is accessible only by boat due to high limestone cliffs cutting off mainland access. We came from Phuket and could have taken a Ferry directly to Railay Beach, instead we went by car (big mistake, read about it here at the end of the post). Our van dropped off at the Ao Nang pier, where we purchased a ticket for a longtail boat to take us to Railay West. The cost for this is 100 baht a person but they will only leave the pier when you have 8 or more people in the boat. We didn't want to wait for four additional people and we were able to pay double.

Railay West Beach

The boat ride is short, about 10 minutes. Railay West does not have a pier so you will likely get wet getting out of the boat. Railay East has a pier and it is easy to walk from there to West. Not only did we get soaked, but our luggage also got wet. You can bring trash bags to keep your stuff from getting wet.

Railay West Walking Street

Once we arrived at Railay West, we snagged a few pictures of the sunset (amazing!) and walked through the walking street where the restaurants, bars and shops were located. Both Railay West and Railay East have a walking street but there are more things to do on West. Railay West has a beach, where Railay East has mangroves.

We stayed at Railay Phutawan Resort. Gabe and I paid $60 USD a night for a deluxe double room with sea view. It was a huge room with a stunning view over their infinity pool. The staff met us at the end of walking street to get our luggage. It is a uphill walk to the resort but we had no issues with it (except when it rained, the street flooded a bit).

Railay Phutawan Resort

Overall, I was very impressed with Railay Phutawan Resort and would recommend staying there. You can also send your clothes off to be washed for 60 baht per kilo. The food was decent and we enjoyed many frozen drinks by the pool. However beware - if you have a balcony room, the warning about monkeys breaking into rooms for the mini-bar are not a joke! We witnessed it (and luckily locked our doors)!

Railay has something for everyone. You can go rock climbing, cliff diving, kayaking, SUP, take a private longtail to the Krabi 4 Islands, visit Phi Phi islands and much more. It's very easy to rent any of the non-motorized watersports. There are vendors on the beach and they will negotiate pricing so be sure to ask!

Maya Bay, Phi Phi Islands

On our first day in Railay, we did an organized early bird Phi Phi Islands tour. It was magical and the top highlight of our entire trip.

Read about our early bird Phi Phi and 4 island tour

Longtail Boat or Uber Eats?

On our second day in Railay, we took a longtail boat over to Ao Nang and had lunch. We planned on buying beer and wine while over there to bring back to Railay but unfortunately were there during the no sale of alcohol time frame (1pm-5pm). The prices for buy beer and wine in Railay are higher than the mainland (and the mainland had a much better selection). After we took the longtail back to Railay, we decided to go stand up paddle boarding. We went over to Phra Nang Beach which was on the other side of the Railay West cliff. Here you will find more vendors, but nothing like Railay West. They even had a longtail food truck! 

Phra Nang Cave

Phra Nang Beach has a cave (AKA Princess Cave) where fishermen, before going out to sea, have made offerings to the symbolic Phallus of Shiva (known as the Siwaleung or Palad Khik in Thai). The fishermen believed the cave is the home of a mythical sea princess and that their offerings will bring them success and protect from danger. Well......... that gift is a wooden carved - yeah those carvings are what is looks like.

Railay Beach

Our third day in Railay, we rented Kayaks for 2 hours. We easily could have had them for the whole day. We went back over to Phra Nang Beach and explored various cliffs and islands. It was very relaxing and we had a great time.

That night, we did the Railay Cooking Class. Each couple selected our own starters, side, main and desert. This was a neat experience and we all took home skills. The only negative I have on this night was that they allowed another group to jump in (after we pre-paid for our reservations the day before which was a requirement) - it was supposed to be reservation only and this caused our cooking lesson to last nearly 3 hours.

Railay Cooking Class

We learned to make the following dishes:
Tom Ka Gai (chicken coconut soup)
Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad)
Yum Woon Sen (Glass Noodle Salad)
Deep Fried Shrimp Dumplings
Massaman Curry
Pad See Ew
Mango with Coconut Sticky Rice

If I were to plan another trip to Thailand, I would surely allow for more nights in Railay. I loved the relaxed vyb to the island and it was magically beautiful. If you are planning a trip to Thailand, I strongly suggest spending a few nights here.

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The Rez Grill Happy Hour at Seminole Hard Rock Tampa

Seminole Hard Rock Tampa recently added an amazing Social Hour (AKA Happy Hour) at The Rez Grill. They have a large selection of small bites, craft cocktails and wines for $7, Wednesday - Sunday from 3pm-6pm! Good happy hours are hard to find on the weekends so seeing the hours made me very happy! My husband Gabe and I were invited to sampling of their offerings and as always, I left very full and impressed with The Rez Grill.

$7 Craft Cocktails, Rez Grill Social Hour

Read about my first dining experience at The Rez Grill Tampa here.  

We have been a huge fans of The Rez Grill since it opened which specializes in elevated comfort food. We are frequent patrons because they are home of my favorite appetizer, Bentons Ham plate. Gabe and I love eating at the bar, splitting a plate of Bentons Ham and a few craft cocktails. So we were pretty ecstatic to learn our favorite appetizer was on the Social Hour menu for $7 vs $17.

Bentons Ham

Another thing I love about The Rez Grill is their innovative cocktails. You'll find everything from drinks served in gnomes to sangria in juice pouches. Gabe is a huge fan of their New Fashioned, where I always like to try a different drink on every visit.

When We Were Young

$7 THE REZ GRILL TAMPA COCKTAILS
KHALESSI: house-infused cucumber vodka, pear, sparkling wine
IMPROVED G&T: gin, elderflower, tonic water, b’lure ice
WHEN WE WERE YOUNG: house-made sangria blend, fresh fruit
NEW FASHIONED: dark rum, chocolate bitters, dehydrated orange, filthy cherry
1944 MAI TAI: dark rum, house-made curaçao, frank's orgeat, lime
REZ SMASH: house-infused cucumber vodka, macerated fruit, thyme syrup, soda
BELLINI: sparkling wine, peach purée

$7 THE REZ GRILL TAMPA WINE
riesling | fess parker | santa barbara ‘16
pinot grigio | camelot | california | tapped
chardonnay | chateau st.jean | north coast | tapped
rosé | malene | central coast | tapped
pinot noir | lange | willamette valley ‘16
merlot | kendall-jackson vintner’s reserve | sonoma county ‘13
cabernet sauvignon | heritage | columbia valley ‘16

Rez Grill Banh Mi

Aside from the Bentons Ham dish, which is safe to say I love - one of the best dishes I had from The Rez Grill's Social Hour menu was the Banh Mi. It was a decent size, I could easily have this for dinner and very good.

$7 THE REZ GRILL TAMPA BITES
SMOKED FISH DIP: poblano-corn vinaigrette, tortilla chips, cilantro
YUKON GOLD POTATO TOTS: dill crème fraîche
DEVILED EGGS: b&b pickles, bacon, chives
PEEL & EAT SHRIMP: rez spice, gringo blanco, lime
BENTON’S HAM: house biscuits, cherry-pepper jam, red eye aioli
BANH MI: pork, pickled carrots, jalapeño, cilantro, mint
CHOPPED SALAD: radicchio, salami, provolone, garbanzo beans, red wine vinaigrette

Peel & Eat Shrimp

Another favorite of ours was the peel & eat shrimp. This is something by title I would never order. However, this isn't your ordinary peel & eat shrimp! The flavor was incredible and it's my new goal to get the spice recipe from Chef Frank.

Smoked Fish Dip

The Rez Grill Social Hours menu includes so many great dishes to choose from. Luckily at $7 a pop, you can order many and not feel guilty! But please, whatever you do - even if you don't like ham, order the Bentons Ham!

Potato Tots

Have you made it to The Rez Grill yet? If not, I urge you to. The Social Hour menu is the perfect example to check out one of my favorite restaurants in Tampa!

The Rez Grill is open Wednesday - Sunday and Social Hour is available from 3pm-6pm. They also have a new Sunday Brunch (which I have yet to check out) from 11am-7pm.

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Carnival Cruise Lines Dr. Seuss Word Challenge

Carnival Inspiration Hosts Kick-Off Event for Dr. Seuss Word Challenge With Book Reading  by Los Angeles Dodgers Player Kike Hernandez to Kids from Boys & Girls Club.

Continuing its longstanding partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, Carnival Cruise Line kicked off its seagoing version of the Dr. Seuss Word Challenge with a fun book reading to local children by Los Angeles Dodgers player Kike Hernandez aboard the Carnival Inspiration in Long Beach.

Donning Dr. Seuss’s signature striped hat, Hernandez read the author’s classic “What Pet Should I Get” to more than 100 children from the Long Beach Boys & Girls Club who also enjoyed a delicious Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast featuring none other than with The Cat in the Hat and Friends and Thing 1 and Thing 2, part of Carnival’s exclusive Seuss at Sea program, available on all 26 of its ships. The festivities included in a $10,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Club of Long Beach.

Launched in 2014, Seuss at Sea is a fleetwide program featuring exciting youth, family, dining and entertainment experiences inspired by the amazing world and words of Dr. Seuss. The program includes such fun activities as the Seuss-a-palooza Parade and Story Time, as well as character interactions, Dr. Seuss toys and games and popular movies.

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Phi Phi Islands Early Bird Tour

If I were to ask you what your favorite vacation memory was, would you have an answer? Prior to our trip to Thailand, I would have given 5 answers to that question. Now I have 1 answer, and I honestly don't think it will ever be topped.

Maya Bay, Phi Phi Islands

In 2001, I saw The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio. In the movie, he went to Thailand and visited a "secret" beach which in real life is called Maya Bay, located in Phi Phi Islands. This movie put Thailand at the top of my bucket list and when we decided to go, Maya Bay was at the top of my list of must visit locations.

Pileh Lagoon

We booked an early bird phi phi island tour so we could arrive to Maya Bay before thousands of other tourists. It was the best decision we made on the entire trip. We booked through a company called Trip Store Krabi and paid just under $100 a person for the day trip on a speed boat. This included our entry fees into all the National Parks, breakfast and lunch. We were picked up at 7am from Railay West Beach which was where we stayed while in Krabi.

When we arrived at Maya Bay, I was overcome with emotions. I know it sounds ridiculous but this was the most beautiful place I have ever seen and I couldn't believe my eyes. There were a few boats who made it to the bay before us but the beach was primarily empty. We had an hour to explore Maya Bay and we had this gorgeous beach pretty much to ourselves.

After we left Maya Bay, we spent some time snorkeling in Pileh Lagoon. There were fish everywhere. I had a good time playing with my go-pro, snapping shots and swimming in crystal clear water. It was truly heaven.

We also had the chance to jump off the boat while in the lagoon. The water was electric blue and didn't seem real. It was very salty, allowing us to lay back and float.

We then took a trip over to Monkey Island and fed them bananas!! This was wild and a bit scary to be honest! I think Monkey's are adorable but I am not a fan of monkey jumping towards your boat to get bananas.

Monkey swimming at Monkey Island

Our next stop was a visit to Koh Phi Phi Don, which is where the resorts are. I had major buyers remorse while there, wishing we didn't stay 5 nights in Patong Beach and knew we should have stayed here a few nights instead. We had time to shop or do whatever else we wanted.

Koh Phi Phi Don

Once back on the boat, we headed to Ao Por, a private beach where we enjoyed a Thai buffet lunch in the beach front restaurant. We had time to swim and explore the beach. There were also Monkeys at this beach and we had to secure our belongings as they steal your belongings!

Ao Por

Following lunch, we went to the 4 Islands in Krabi. This came to a major surprise to me as apparently I didn't read the full tour description. We had planned on taking a private boat the next day to the 4 islands and didn't have to!

Chicken Island

We visited Chicken Island and walked along the sandbar at Thale Waek (Separated Sea). This is a unique occurance that happens each day during low tide and connects the offshore islands of Koh Kai, Koh Tup, and Koh Mor.

Poda Island

We ended the day at Poda Island, where we spent time exploring and swimming.

Poda Island

This was a perfect day that I will never forget. The staff aboard the Sea Eagle far exceeded our expectations. It was our most memorable experience from our entire trip to Thailand. If you book one tour while in Thailand, make it this one. Not only was it the top excursion of our trip, it was the top excursion of my life.

Poda Island

FYI, Maya Bay is closed through October 2018. We fortunately made it 1 week before the closing. When a destination becomes wildly popular like Maya Bay, you end up with thousands of visitors each day. Due to the popularity from the movie, over time Maya Bay has suffered from the tourism and this is the first time it has ever closed down.

Maya Bay

I'm ending this blog post with my favorite photo I've ever taken on vacation. I hope to one day find myself back in the Phi Phi Islands.

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