Krabi Bamboo Kingdom at Aoluek Paradise

A truly wonderful experience staying here in this corner of paradise. They arranged a pick up from the airport making the transition effortless. Accommodation is basic but has all the amenities you need including power, lights, super refreshing showers, bar, food and entertainment. The vibe here is one of shared experiences that embraces both guests and locals and it makes for an immersive environment. If, however, that’s not your thing, you can also find plenty of comfy places to relax and chill away from the crowd.. Massage is available on site and there are excursions available too. Highly recommend the boat trip. I won’t talk about it as it’s your surprise to have but it was one of the most memorable things we’ve ever experienced. Bring reef shoes if you’re planning to do this. Food is excellent but don’t expect a menu, you get served a selection of local dishes based on whether you selected meat or vegetarian options. It’s prepared and cooked on site and is wonderful. The bar is cheap and open late and you basically have a daily tab that you are expected to settle before you go to bed. Everything here is designed to help you relax and maximise the experience of staying in the jungle, with the all the accompanying noises of cicadas, monkeys and feathered friends. Also recommend a visit to the jungle pool. It’s an easy 30 min walk and well worth it to bathe in crystal clear fresh running mountain spring water. Delightful.

This is not your usual Thailand hotel. It is portal to understanding supporting the life of every day Thai people. You will be introduced to a variety local (delicious) homemade products, hear historic music genres that you never knew existed, travel to remote corners of thriving, wild nature, and listen to detailed, captivating accounts of history, pre-history and current events and issues, on ecology, biodiversity, land use rights issues, religion, politics, trade, ancient civilizations who lived here and hidden petroglyph art. But most importantly, Aoluek boasts kindness, friendship and humanity, in a world dominated by transactional/empty relations and attitudes of “don’t bother me”. Aoluek bothers in the best way possible: an explosion of stories, skills (cooking, boat handling, adventure planning), and sweetness. If you wish to reconnect with humanity and nature, you can come stay here. We like it here. If I can sum it up in one word, it’s this: discovery.