Ao Nang, near Krabi - This was one of my favourite places from about 1989 to 1995.  Ao Nang is a lovely little beach not far from Krabi, with lots of beach bungalow operations, some excellent seafood, a few bars, and some offshore islands where you can go snorkelling during the day.  Back in 1989, it was, in the phrase of a rather cynical friend, just spoiled enough.  These days, the bungalows are a lot more expensive, and the soap-dodging back-packers have long gone, but it's still a fairly pleasant place to hang out for a few days. 

How to get there - Song-taos from Krabi leave every half an hour, and take about 45 minutes.

Where to stay - In 1989, I stayed at the Peace Bungalows, a perfect location, in timber fan-cooled chalets around a lake.  In about 1994, the operation went way upmarket and renamed itself the Peace Laguna Resort, with air conditioned bungalows and western toilets, although the little wooden bungalows are still there if you can catch an empty one.  In December 2000, Pong and I stayed in one of the posher air-con rooms for 3 days at 1,900B a night (!) inclusive of something called "American Breakfast" which we never bothered with.  I tried to book the room in advance, but they didn't bother to answer their e-mails, and said they didn't receive a booking by letter which I sent a month in advance.  This Is Thailand, as they say. Another option which I used to go for in the mid-1990's were the BB Bungalows, set among cashew nut trees on road 4203 heading back towards Krabi, but even these are a lot more pricey now.  In the high season - December to February - all the rooms tend to fill up quickly with couples and families, so if you're staying in Krabi for a few days beforehand, take a trip out to Ao Nang, have a wander around some bungalow set-ups, and book a place for when you intend to stay. 

What to do in the day - Swim, have a wander, have a cold drink and some snacks, hire a boat to take you on a trip.  You can take a trip out to one of the islands you can see from the beach, and snorkel over coral reefs literally just a few metres from the beach.  I think the island I went to was called Chicken Island, or Ko Gai.  You can also take a boat trip out to Rai-lay Beach or Pranang Beach, just around the promontary.  At Pranang, there's a cave called Princess Cave where fishermen leave carved wooden phalluses to bring them good luck in their fishing expeditions.  Judging by the selection of seafood available in all the Ao Nang restaurants, the phallus thing works a treat.  Jeff and Caroline once went on a sea kayak trip around the mangrove swamps, but the least said about that the better. (They got lost because Caroline fancied the guide in the other kayak party).  Another good day out is to get a song-tao up the road to Hat Noppharat Thara National Park.  The beach is flat and usually deserted, apart from the millions of tiny little crabs that scuttle across the sand between the beach and the island, which you can walk to at low tide.  Alternatively, there's a couple of cafes and some foodstalls where to can pick up some snacks, and then sit under the Casuarina trees waiting for nothing to happen, which it invariably does.

What to do at night - Eat and drink!  Don't expect to find a load of authentic Thai food here - this is now a resort for westerners who like pizza.  There are plenty of seafood restaurants, but most of these boast about their Italian, Swiss or French food rather than highly spiced tom yam goong.  There are a few little bars where you can enjoy a very cold beer and some bawdy chat or a game of pool with the girls.  My favourite bar back in the old days was the Corner Bar, run by a German called Mike, and (at the time) staffed by the most delightful bar staff I encountered anywhere - a guy called Ham and a girl called Bai.  If you find them, say hello from me, and take along a photo of me so they know who the hell you're talking about!  Otherwise, the place is pretty tame, because all the European visitors seem to go to bed at 11pm.  Weird.