Krabi's Hidden Gem: Islanda Resort on a Budget (Guest Review)

Looking for a secluded island escape on a budget? Soak in serene nature and sunsets at Islanda Hideaway Resort in Krabi, Thailand. Here are tips for your next budget-friendly island vacation.

The Thai islands may be best known for their parties, but they are also an oasis for rest and relaxation. Krabi is a province with islands known to be quieter than others in the west of Thailand, like Phuket or Phi Phi, and is excellent for more laidback and/or isolated vacations by the sea.

There are plenty of hotels and resorts in Krabi Town itself, but if you’re looking for a bit of seclusion with a touch of adventure thrown in, then check out Islanda Hideaway Resort. Located on Koh Klang island in Krabi, Islanda Hideaway Resort is a very relaxed, natural environment right on the Andaman Sea. Here, the restaurant, docks, infinity pool and several bungalow rooms directly overlook the sea and a stunning sunset.

This is a 4-star resort with a 4.3 rating on Google reviews as of January 2023 - but it deserves more! The hotel offers spacious bungalows, a relaxing natural environment and 5-star quality staff that make the value excellent at just THB 2,050 (~ $60 USD / $80 CAD) per night for a private bungalow during my stay.

Note for North American friends: Resorts in Asia aren’t typically all-inclusive the way resorts in the Caribbean are, but the cost of the accommodation is usually very reasonable and everything is offered a-la-carte on-site, like meals, massages, activities and more. You can also opt to eat/drink out for much cheaper options.

Staying at Islanda Hideaway Resort

In my experience, this spot is ideal for those who are looking for a getaway. If you want to ditch crowds, cities, and business in general and relax in a beautiful environment with dreamy sunsets, then this may be a great spot for you. While you can (and should!) add on day trips or go to Krabi town in the evenings (more on that below), you’ll want to spend time relaxing in the serene environment here. That means Islanda Hideaway is ideal for people planning to spend some decent time at their resort.

I was travelling with my parents, who loved it here, and we met many couples, families and friends travelling here together. So it’s a good option for any travellers looking for a quiet getaway. If you’re a solo traveller, it can work as long as you’re okay to pay the transportation fees (see below) to get to and from the resort.

Sound good to you? Keep reading!

My mom and dad living their best lives, relaxing by the pool and the Andaman Sea at Islanda Hideaway Resort.

Rooms at Islanda Hideaway Resort

The bungalows are large, enclosed and elevated cabins, offering calming garden or ocean views from their decks. Mine (pictured below) was a “garden view bungalow,” which had a large bedroom with two beds making a king-size, a sofa, and a TV unit. There is space for drying clothes in the entrance, and a separate room with a closet, table, chairs, kettle, sink and mirror. Off of this room, you’ll find a private outdoor bathroom with a toilet and shower. Don’t worry, the walls are tall and it’s totally private while still being in nature!

Welcome to my crib! This is the bedroom for the Garden View Bungalow at Islanda Hideaway Resort.

Across the bedroom entrance, you have a spacious kitchen area which leads to the outdoor/indoor bathroom.

Each bungalow at Islanda Hideaway Resort has its own porch with outdoor seating to bask in nature with some privacy.

My parents stayed in an Ocean Front Bungalow, which overlooked the infinity pool to the ocean. The room layout was all the same except that their bed was in the centre of the room, facing the patio doors. This meant their bedroom was less spacious, but they woke up to ocean views, which is a good trade-off! The rest, including the living space and bathroom, were the same as my room.

Besides these, Islanda Hideaway Resort also offers triple bungalows and family bungalows/suites.

Food and drink

Continental buffet breakfast was included in our room rates as booked through Agoda. Always check inclusions when booking your room because they can vary for different rates and on different booking sites. Try to get the rate with breakfast because if it isn’t included, it will cost THB 650 (~ USD $19 / CAD $25) to add it daily. This is honestly a lot for this breakfast, which is standard (fried or boiled eggs, noodles, sausage, fresh fruits, juice, tea, instant coffee, etc.).

Comparatively, for lunches and dinners, the kitchen food is quite good! We especially loved their ginger cashew chicken and their Thai chicken wings. At night, they had a stand where a local family made and sold fresh roti - fried bread - available with savoury or sweet options. My mom and I were addicted to their banana chocolate roti!

Chocolate banana roti - aka the love of my life - served by a local Koh Klang family some evenings at Islanda Hideaway Resort.

A full bar is open throughout the day and evening, offering a “buy two, free one” drink special during sunset (6-7PM) every day. You can’t beat the amazing sunset with a cold Thai beer.

Moments to live for! I’m a sucker for a great sunset.

Facilities

Islanda Hideaway Resort has serene common areas, an infinity pool, a massage spa, fitness centre, and free kayak and bicycle rentals.

The pool is serene. With shaded seating overlooking the ocean, you will definitely enjoy taking a dip here and getting a reprieve from the sun. There is also seating on docks right along the coast, which is lovely! They have bathrooms, showers and fresh towels available by the pool.

Views, views, views at Islanda Hideaway Resort.

We all really enjoyed the massages offered on-site. Foot massages or full-body Thai or oil massages range from just THB 500 THB (~ USD $14 / CAD $20) to THB 700 (~ USD $20 / CAD $27) for one hour. While you could get a massage for cheaper in Thailand, I think this is a reasonable price for a secluded resort.

When you’re ready for some physical activity, you can borrow a free bicycle to explore the island of Koh Klang, or a kayak to get on the water (high tide only). There is even a small lake in the resort where younger families can try kayaking in a safer environment. They also have a small indoor fitness centre for guests.

There are two things to note regarding the ocean view and access. One is that you cannot swim in the ocean from here - there is no beach or direct water access from the resort. This wasn’t a problem for us, as we got plenty of beach time and swimming in during our day trips to islands, and we loved the environment and pool at the resort. The second thing is that the view looks very different at high and low tide. You won’t be stunned in the mornings when the tide is low, during which time you’ll spot some locals looking for crabs and other fresh foods along the water. It transforms throughout the day as the tide rises and has its best moment at sunset.

How to get to Islanda Hideaway Resort

Getting from Krabi Airport to Islanda Hideaway Resort

Getting to Islanda Hideaway Resort from Krabi Airport takes about one hour. It’s a mini adventure because it involves a taxi, boat and tuk-tuk! It’s actually a lot of fun.

I highly recommend paying the hotel for a private transfer when you book. A private transfer costs 1000THB (~$29 USD) and will significantly simplify your life by having drivers who know their way and make sure your boat/tuk-tuk meets you. You can pay for this when you arrive at the hotel, but make sure to have some small Thai Baht bills to tip your drivers. We asked our driver to stop at an ATM on the way to the marina.

It takes about 25 minutes to get from Krabi Airport to a private marina. From there, a long-tail boat driver meets you and takes you to Koh Klang Island, where a tuk-tuk driver takes you to Islanda Hideaway Resort. Admittedly, our driver wasn’t at the airport when we arrived, but I called the hotel, they sent us a driver about 15 minutes later, and everything was great after that.

It would be quite long and complicated if you insisted on going by public transportation, so I don’t advise this.

Getting from Krabi Town to Islanda Hideaway Resort

The front desk staff at Islanda Hideaway Resort will help you arrange transportation wherever you need to go. To get to Krabi Town, which I recommend you visit for the night market, ask them to arrange a tuk-tuk and boat to get you to Thara Park pier in Krabi town. Get the WhatsApp numbers for your drivers so you can let them know when you’ll be back. Just give them 15-30 minutes’ notice when you’ll be back at the pier. The Krabi Night Market is about a 15-minute walk from Thara Park Pier.

My parents’ first tuk-tuk ride in Southeast Asia was from the Koh Klang pier to Islanda Hideaway Resort!

Day trips from Islanda Hideaway Resort

To explore the Andaman Sea and visit landmarks of Krabi and surrounding areas, I highly suggest taking a day trip from your resort. Islanda Hideaway Resort offers three options, which each include a dedicated boat driver for the day. On all tours, remember to bring cash for lunch, drinks and tips.

Krabi Town or Night Market

Krabi Town is quiet but cute, and they have a nightly market where you can get delicious street foods and buy handicrafts, clothes and more. They sometimes have live music at the night market too. If it fits the mood, you can get cocktails from a stall and walk around.

On a night out to Krabi from Islanda Hideaway Resort, my parents and I enjoyed a mix of Thai street foods and cold beers from the stalls at Thara Pier before walking up to the local night market (where you can find a lot more food…!).

As mentioned, you can arrange transportation here from the resort for a small fee, and it’s just a 15-minute walk to the night market from Thara Pier. It’s farther to get to town but you could do so daytime by taxi or tuk-tuk.

Island Hopping

• Half-day private boat for THB 2,800 (~ USD $80 / CAD $110)

• 4 people max.

• + THB 500 (~ USD $14 / CAD $20) per extra person

• + THB 200 baht (~ USD $6 / CAD $8) per person for the Thale Waek park

All smiles when I’m island hopping! This is from our first stop at Thale Waek park in the Andaman Sea.

We opted for the island hopping tour and fully enjoyed a full day on and in the sea. Our trip started at 8 AM with a tuk-tuk ride to the pier (at low tide the boats can’t get to the resort), where we were met by a long-tail boat driver who took care of us all day.

The first ride took us all the way out to Thale Waek, famous for its sand bar connecting two islands. While it’s a beautiful area, this experience will vary depending on conditions/water level. We walked across about knee-deep and it was quite hard to walk on the rocks, so water shoes are advised! If the conditions aren’t good, I’d say you can skip paying and crossing here and spend more time at the other stops.

Next, we went to Chicken Island where we swam and snorkelled (snorkels provided) and enjoyed some fresh fruit from our driver before stopping at picturesque Poda Island to chill on the beach. While Poda is very nice, I advise that you not spend too much time here because the best stop is the next one!

Finally, we went to Railay Beach, where we had lunch (note: it’s a more expensive area because it’s remote and touristic) before walking the pathway to the stunning beach. Surrounded by rock formations with climbers dotted all over them, the water here was pristine and the ambiance is lovely. It’s a busy place, but gorgeous and we wished we had more time to hang out there.

All three of us fully enjoyed this day exploring islands and basking in the sun!

Mangrove Cruise

• 2-3 hours private boat for THB 1,500 (~ USD $43 / CAD $59)

• 4 people max.

• + THB 300 (~ USD $9 / CAD $12) per extra person

On this day trip, you would visit mangrove forests in a long-tail boat, visit a cave and have lunch at a floating restaurant.

Hot Spring, Emerald Pool & Tiger Cave

• Half-day private tour for THB 2,800 (~ USD $80 / CAD $110)

• 4 people max.

• + THB 500 (~ USD $14 / CAD $20) per extra person

• + THB 200 (USD $6 / CAD $8) per person for the national park

This half-day tour hits up some major landmarks of the area: hot springs, the Emerald Pool and Tiger Cave. Note that some stops require considerable steps/hiking.

Book a Room at Islanda Hideaway Resort

Islanda makes for a great long weekend stay if you are looking for some peace. With the hospitable staff, spacious bungalows and perfect sunsets, you really get value for your money here. To book your stay, please use my Booking.com link below:

 

Book Activities in Krabi

Looking for activities to do in Krabi or elsewhere in Thailand? GetYourGuide offers plenty of great options:

NOTE: You can always count on me to share my honest opinions! This article was not sponsored in any way by Islanda or Agoda. It is a reflection of my personal experience and opinion based on my visit in January 2023.