Do you know there is a Premium Outlet Village or Brand Factory Outlet in Krabi? We missed it and didn’t manage to go there for our first two trips to Krabi so we definitely will visit this place on our third time.

The Premium Outlet Village is located on the main road. Often if you travelled from the airport to Aonang, the outlet can be visibly seen on the right hand side.

The outlet has a few sections and fully air conditioned. It was like a very hot day and the next thing we want was air-cond.

The first section has the brands like Lacoste, Paul Frank, Roxy and such. Rachel is always an admirer for Lacoste. I bought her a few Lacoste apparels last year in Kuala Lumpur. The prices of Lacoste apparels in the outlet after discount are still cheaper than the usual prices in Kuala Lumpur and probably Singapore. However the newer models are not discounted.

They had a few German brands like Rudolf Korner and Erich Kramer. These brands are not available in Malaysia if not mistaken.

I was quite tempted with the Columbia shoes. Frankly, the prices look very reasonable to me. The problem is I didn’t hike that much, so I passed.

Sports brands like NIKE, Puma, Adidas and Reebok are there too. Rachel bought a few jogging pants from Adidas. She told me it is cheaper than in Malaysia.

We spent an hour or two, looking for good deals and we went to Lotus hypermarket after that. If you are a bargain hunter this could be a perfect place to you. However, not all items are as cheap as you could imagine. It depends where you come from and what you want.

So on top of the beautiful sea and forest adventure in Krabi, you can find time now for shopping!

The Krabi Premium Outlet Village is located near the Krabi Town and Krabi International Airport and it is located quite a distance from Aonang. If you want to go to this outlet, go to Krabi town as well so your trip is worthwhile. I have blogged about the Citygate Factory Outlet in Hong Kong previously and this will be my second review on the Brand Outlets.

We hired a tuk-tuk to travel from Aonang to Krabi town. We hired the tuk-tuk for a few hours so we need not to find another one to travel back to Aonang.

Krabi Premium Outlet Village Address and Contact:

888 Mooh 11, Petchkasem Highway #4,

Krabinoi, Mungkrabi, Krabi Province 81000

Shopping Hour : Open Daily 11 am – 9 pm
Customer Service : Tel. +660-7570-1222 – 4

http://www.outletmallthailand.com

Who those who are interested in the flooding situation in Bangkok, you can read this. This is sent to me by Tourism Authority of Thailand Bangkok HQ.

Picture is taken at Don Mueang Airport last year. My first experience with Nok Air traveling to Phuket from Bangkok.

Below is the official press release from Bangkok.

BANGKOK, Thailand — Oct 27, 2011 — Bangkok is served by two airports. Suvarnabhumi Airport, the main gateway to Thailand with 120 international and domestic airlines, remains open. It is operating normally and handling around 76 flights per hour including all scheduled international arrivals and departures.

Suvarnabhumi Airport is also the main connector for international visitor arrivals to transfer to and from domestic flights serving tourist destinations throughout Thailand such as Phuket, Chiang Mai and Surat Thani. All domestic flights are also operating as per usual.

Don Mueang Airport, the old international airport located about 30 km northeast of Suvarnabhumi Airport, is closed until November 1st due to flooding. The two domestic airlines operating from Don Mueang, which are Nok Air and Orient Thai Airlines, have temporarily switched their operations to Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Useful Contact Numbers:

Nok Air:
1318 or +66 (0) 2900 9955

Orient Thai Airlines:
1126

Suvarnabhumi Airport Call Center:
+66 (0) 2132 1888

Please do remember that the flooding is currently happening in Bangkok only, it is not affecting other areas like Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi and Hatyai.

How much would you pay for a Charcoal BBQ Buffet in Krabi, Thailand? I paid 119 Thai Baht (RM 12 / US$ 4) for it. How did we do it?

We understand Thailand is popular with 99 Thai Baht (RM 10 / US$ 3) BBQ Buffet. The same applies to Krabi Thailand. However, due to recent increase of food prices, it is no longer 99 Thai Baht but 119 Thai Baht.

To get to know more about this places, we asked the locals and we got the location from the hotel bus driver. There are a few restaurants in Krabi offering 119 Baht BBQ Buffet and we chose the nearest restaurant to Aonang beach.

The place is called Rim Ta Non Moo Ka Ta, translated from Thai by the owner. I recommend you all to print this picture to show the local driver or tuk-tuk instead trying to be smart and read this in Thai.

A five minute drive from Aonang beach, we reached this small restaurant by the road side. We stopped and went in to check out the restaurant.

The friendly owner spoke to me in Thai, assuming we are Thais. The locals who were having their dinner there were shocked to see us. I told the owner that there were twenty of us, she smiled and said okay!

We checked out the food section (on three tables). It is definitely much smaller version than the ones in Bangkok. The fresh vegetables, mushrooms were placed together with instant noodles and “bee hoon”.

Then they had the meat section with bacon, pork meat, chicken meat, cuttle fish, prawns, fish balls and etc.

They also had athe sauce section with a different version of chilli sauces and couple of other seasonings available.

The dessert section was together with banana, watermelon and pineapple. Fried noodle and fried rice was at the same section.

We went there with family and friends from United States. As I mentioned, there were 20 of us and I bet it was their best evening of the year!

They started off by putting the hot flaming charcoal pot on the table.

Then they put the BBQ set on top of the pot. The top area is for grilling while the bottom part is for soup. They put a huge piece of pork lard on top of the BBQ set to make it greasy.

The next few hours were purely a feast. The waitresses kept refilling the food and we kept on going having them.

Drinks were not included in the set but for 119 Thai Baht would you complain? Not for me.

This kind of BBQ Buffet is very popular among the locals. The food they served was fresh and clean. The owner and the staffs were friendly. The restaurant can be reachable via taxi or tuk-tuk. You can even walk back to Aonang beach for 15 to 20 minutes. Please print out the Thai card instead of showing the address in English, I bet it is safer that way. We loved and enjoyed their food, we definitely will go back there for a feast again.

Rim Ta Non Moo Ka Ta Address and Contact:

104, (33 Apartment)

No 2,Subdistrie, Ao-Nang

Distrie Maung

Krabi Province 81000

Tel: 089-8671174

Krabi has been one of the popular tourists spot in Southern Thailand in recent years. A favourite holiday destination by the Scandinavians, Krabi is considered as the next best thing after Phuket Island.  In Aonang, streets are filled with motels, hotels, bars, restaurants, massage centers and tourists. Aonang is a better option than Krabi town as the jetties are located there and there are more hotels and restaurants to choose from. One of the best part of staying in Aonang is the beautiful sunset that can be seen along the busy the main road.

There are a few popular island tours in Krabi. One of them is the four islands hopping tour or also known as the “Unseen Island Tour”. The tour was inclusive of Tup Island, Chicken Island, Poda Island and Phra Nang Cave. The published rate was around 1200 baht (around US 40) per person with the speed boat. This rate is based on peak season rate. Most of the tour operators in Krabi are selling the same tour packages, the difference will be the type of boat and the pricing. My friends and I had pre booked the tour with the long tail boat, we should have booked it in Krabi as it’s cheaper. The tour was inclusive of one English speaking guide. There are three popular island hopping excursions in Krabi, the four island tour, Phi Phi Island Tour and Hong Island Tour.

The tour van picked us up in early in the morning from our hotel and the jetty which is roughly 15 min drive from Aonang. There, we were assigned to our boat. As everyone had their safety vests, our boat was ready to go.

The long tail boat was not really a bad option. Though it was slower but we can enjoy the breezes of the wind and also a great chat altogether.

The Tup Island was the first destination. From far, we could see there was a beautiful sand pathway in the middle of the island. As we went closer, we can see through the sea bed through the clear sea water. It was like a picture of the postcard, the color of the sea was turquoise and the clear blue sky. It was a perfect day for photography and sunbathing.

We walked around the island, having fun taking pictures with beautiful island as the backdrop and dipping ourselves to the sea.  We spent an hour relaxing there as we proceed to the next island. We wished we could spend more time on Tub Island but we have 3 islands to go.

Next, we went to the Chicken Island. There were no chickens on the island and there’s no hero named chicken died on the island.

The Chicken Island is named such way due to the shape of rock formation that looks like a head of the rooster. However, I felt it looks like a camel to me. The rock formation can be visibly seen from far. Well, that was not the reason we were there, the actual highlight of Chicken Island is to snorkel near the island, the water there is like Tub Island which is crystal clear. The snorkeling gears were provided by tour operator.  There’s nothing beat the moment of diving in to the cold sea for snorkeling, it was refreshing!

Snorkeling around Chicken Island was nothing particular spectacular, there were lots of tiger fish and there quite a number of sea corals as well. I reckon places like Redang Island has more variety of fish than here.

Then, we sailed to Poda Island for lunch. Our tour was inclusive of lunch which is a packet of mixed rice and a bottle of mineral water.

If you are wondering, everyone else was having the same lunch box.

Poda Island was slightly different from the earlier 2 islands. The island was slightly bigger and has the backdrop of a small rock island. As we walked around the island, we spotted 2 long tail boats offering food. Like the food stall, the 2 wooden boats were selling from fried chicken to Thai fried rice. It was an eye opener. They were also offering baguette and fruit shakes. There is nothing beats a good fruit shake under the hot sun!

The food and drink price in the range of 40-60 Thai Baht which is less than USD 2.  Slightly expensive than the stalls in Krabi but on an island like this, it’s worth it. We spent an hour lying down under the shady coconut trees after our lunch and fruit shake. Then, we went to the last island on the island hopping list, the Phra Nang Cave Island.

The first impression of the Phra Nang (Princess) Cave Island was packed. So who is Phra Nang? There are different stories on the legend of Phra Nang.

One legend mentioned that an Indian princess was killed in a shipwreck and her spirit occupied the cave while the other story was the wife of a local fisherman who lived out her life in the cave waiting her husband to come back.

Phra Nang cave has also become associated with fertility. Believe it or not, the lingams placed here are the actually carved wooden penises. Many fishermen will pray here for safe journeys with flowers or incense.

The island has a landscape of a huge rock hill and small resorts. The island is also very popular for its rock climbing activities. It is one of the top destinations for rock climbing in Thailand. Many rock climbers from all parts of the world went there to test out their skills. There was a few young climbers practicing at the lower part of the hill while the rest were seen climbing the hill from various locations. As we walked to the other side of the island, many climbers were seen getting ready on their gears. At least dozens can be visibly seen climbing the rocky hill.

As we walked back towards our long tail boat, we saw a stretch of long tail boat food stalls that we seen earlier at Poda Island. The beach side was parked by a long stretch of the long tail boats, it was really quite an effort to trace our boat if our guide wasn’t there. We left Phra Nang and reached Krabi in the late afternoon. The island hopping tour took more time than we anticipates, it will be shorter if we had the speed boat tour. We reached Aonang around 4pm.

We went for massage after that and then to dinner and shopping till late. Life in Krabi could never be better.

Overall, we enjoyed island hopping tour. Snorkeling near Chicken Island wasn’t that spectacular but we had great time there. Tub Island was beautiful and Koda Island was really relaxing. We enjoyed looking climbers stretching their arms and legs near Phra Nang Cave. Not forgetting, the clear turquoise water and the beautiful Andaman Sea. This is one of the reasons you should be going to Krabi for your holiday.

Stay on for Phi Phi Island Tour stories on the next few days!

I still remember my first trip to Bangkok in 1999 with my family. On top of the shopping and the tourist attractions we went, we were brought to try out the famous delicacies of Thailand. It was the bird’s nest and shark fins soup.

Busses loaded with tourist flocked to the restaurant to try out both traditional Chinese delicacies. As believed, bird nest soup is very nutritious and Thailand has the most affordable prices in the region. For shark fins soup, traditionally during the olden days only the riches can afford such delicacy. With the tradition pass on, shark fins soup is still remains popular with Asians despite many protested on the inhumane of the killings of the sharks for its fins.

Our recent trip to Hatyai this year brought us back to memory lane. We have not been patronizing any bird nest restaurants in Thailand for years and we took the opportunity to try it out in Hatyai.

We went to the Golden City Bird’s Nest, รังนกสยาม, 金城燕窩 which is located at the city center of Hatyai. It is located near Lee Gardens Hotel and Novotel Centara Hotel.

It is a typical restaurant in Hatyai, non air conditioned, bright lights and friendly waiters.

There we spotted raw bird nests packed in huge plastic bags. A plastic bag with raw bird nests like that can easily fetch a few thousand US dollars. This was the “home-made bird nests”, collected from designated bird nest farms.

We ordered a bowl of bird’s nest first. They have many ranges from as low as 200 Thai Baht (RM 20 / US$6) and above. We ordered a medium range (with higher quality bird’s nest). Bird’s nest is believed to be health beneficial to the female gender.

Then, we ordered the unpopular shark fins soup. The soup came with a huge sizzling claypot. They used small pieces of shark fins (as a whole). In Malaysia, most restaurants serve processed shark fins which are usually translucent in colour.

Shark fins can be cooked in many styles and used with different broths. At Golden City Bird’s Nest, รังนกสยาม, 金城燕窩 , they served the shark fins with beansprout, spring onion and parsley. That was definitely different than the ones we had in Malaysia. Most people would compliments shark fin soup with dark vinegar but I would prefer to compliment the soup with mustard. Try it with mustard, you will love it!

Our little foodie adventure at Golden City Bird’s Nest, รังนกสยาม, 金城燕窩 , didn’t burn a hole in our pockets.  That’s why bird’s nest and shark fins soup in Thailand remain popular to many Asian tourists. If you are particular with shark fins, you still can try out the bird’s nest soup at Golden City Bird’s Nest, รังนกสยาม, 金城燕窩 .

Golden City Bird’s Nest, รังนกสยาม, 金城燕窩 Address and Contact:

122, 124, Nipatutid 3 Road, Hadyai Songkhla 90110

Tel: (074) 237565, 351719

Name: CHIEW ENG WOOI

I/C no: ****** **  5461

Due to the recent flood situation, the prize validity has extended to next year thanks to sponsor Nanyang Tours Sdn Bhd

WIN a FREE 3 Days 2 Nights P2 Boutique Hotel Bangkok Contest September 2011

We are giving away a 3 Days 2 Nights P2 Boutique Hotel Bangkok package rooms for FREE! This is our first time running a contest on PlacesAndFoods.com. For those who want to travel to Bangkok, this is your opportunity to win a FREE 3 Days 2 Nights P2 Boutique Hotel Bangkok Free Room Stay Package.

The FREE 3 Days 2 Nights P2 Boutique Hotel Bangkok package (GROUND ONLY) FOR ONE WINNER inclusive of:

2 nights accommodations based on Superior Room (twin sharing)

Daily Hotel Breakfast

Airport Hotel Return Transfer (Sit in coach)

Complimentary Half Day City Tour (Sit in Coach)

Chaophraya River Boat Cruise/ Wat Arun/ Four Face Buddha/ Local Product Outlet

Gratitude for driver and guide

Package exclusive of:

Transportation arrangements such as plane tickets or bus tickets, travel insurance and expenses.

Thailand entry visa where applicable

How do you join the contest?

1. LIKE PlacesAndFoods.com Facebook Page HERE

2. LIKE our sponsor’s Facebook Page HERE

3. You must ANSWER this question correctly, how much is the Promotion Price for this Package Tour in RM (Ringgit Malaysia) per pax? Please find the answer at sponsor’s website HERE.

4. You must SHARE this page on your Facebook Page at the bottom of this page (small little facebook button) or post this link onto your Facebook wall.

Email your answers to Wilson@placesandfoods.com

Email Title: P2 Boutique Hotel Bangkok Contest September 2011

Name & Address:

Contact Number:

Answer: RMxxx per pax

Terms and Conditions:

1. Each person is allowed to participate for one entry.
2. Winners will be picked on random based on correct entries, there will be only ONE WINNER.
3. Winner will be disqualified if they did not FULFILL the SIMPLE STEPS.
4. Winner can bring a partner (twin sharing) for the package.
5. Contest ends at 30^th September 2011. Contest winner will be announced in October 2011.
6. The FREE package is valid until 31^st December 2011 based on availability.
7. Nanyang Tours Sdn Bhd will contact the winner for the arrangements.
8. Flight arrive at BKK later than 2230hrs & depart to Malaysia before 0700 hrs, a surcharge of RM 20.00 per person per way will be imposed
9. Check in time 1400, check out time before 1200.
10. This contest is for Malaysians residing in Malaysia only.

Information about P2 Boutique Hotel Bangkok

P2 Boutique Hotel Bangkok provides budget accommodation located right on Petchburi Road in the fashion friendly Pratunam area.

The setting is very close to a BTS sky train station as well as several other shopping and tourist spots including Siam Square and the legendary MBK mall. Rooms are large and bright with stylish minimalist décor and feature modern amenities including satellite TV, mini bar and high speed Wi-Fi access. Non-smoking rooms are available on request. The onsite bar / lounge is a welcoming spot for socializing or enjoying a quiet drink.

This Bangkok hotel is about 30 minutes from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

Using Random.Org, we chose a winner with random and the lucky winner is

Name: CHIEW ENG WOOI

I/C no: ****** **  5461

Due to the recent flood situation, the prize validity has extended to next year thanks to sponsor Nanyang Tours Sdn Bhd

My last trip to Phuket, I went to the Raya Thai Cuisine for lunch in Phuket Town courtesy of Tourism Authority of Thailand. I was there on a medical tourism trip with Indonesian blogger Wahyu.

The restaurant itself is a beauty. It sets in the old Sino-colonial building which many mistaken it as a historical residence rather than a restaurant. Walking into the restaurant is like walking into an old house with a couple of tables set beautifully.

The vintage design includes the floor tiles, the bar, the windows and the stairs are well maintained. As we were impressed by the architecture and the history of the building, we expect the food will have the similar influence.

Not much tourists know about this place, mostly locals patronize this restaurant. This is totally different then the ever popular Baam Rim Pa.

We started off with their signature dish, Crabmeat curry served with rice vermicelli. This was interesting as the curry was cooked with crabmeat instead of the whole crab. I wrapped the crab meat with the rice vermicelli and dipped it into the curry, it was delicious.

The next dish was definitely influenced by the Chinese. It was the Caramelized and braised pork belly. It was similar to Chinese dish “tong por” meat in a way, unique by its own.

Lastly, we had the Deep fried sea bass with shallots and red chillies in tamarind and lemongrass sauce. I am always a big fan of shallots while Rachel had no preferences on it. The perfectly deep fried sea bass had crispy skin and topped with crunchy shallots and spicy red chillies. It was yummylicious.

We didn’t order much as there were only of us. We didn’t stay long at Phuket Town as we need to go to our next destination. However, Wahyu manage to do some shopping at the textile shop nearby.

The food at Raya Thai Cuisine was good, lived up to our expectation. Do visit them if you are in Phuket Town. Trust me you don’t want to miss this good restaurant. Thanks again Tourism Authority of Thailand for the lunch and the trip.

Raya Thai Cuisine Address and Contact:

48 New Dibuk Cross Road, Phuket 83000

Tel: 076-218-155

Email: rayarestaurant@gmail.com

Open Daily: 10 am to 10 pm

Hat yai is a very popular destination in Thailand for Malaysians and Singaporeans. Many would drive up to Hat Yai a few times a year. It is a town for food and shopping for many Malaysians who stayed at the northern states of Peninsula Malaysia as they don’t required to travel with passports at they have border passes to travel to Southern Thailand. For people like us who stays in Klang Valley, traveling there could take more time.

The question now is how to drive to Bukit Kayu Hitam from Kuala Lumpur and to take a taxi from Bukit Kayu Hitam to Hat Yai? Let me try to explain in short and as simple as I can. From Kuala Lumpur, go to the Duta Highway (PLUS) and head to Pulau Pinang route via Sungai Buloh direction using North South Highway.

From there, just drive up all the way to Bukit Kayu Hitam (follow signages). From Kuala Lumpur, you will pass by Bidor within an hour, Ipoh Selatan in approx 2 hours, Pulau Pinang exit in approx 3 hours and reach Bukit Kayu Hitam within 5 hours. This is by driving on legal speed limit with the maximum speed limit only at 110 km/h (kilometers per hour). Please be aware speed traps are well placed along the highway and they will mail the summons to you after a few weeks. The penalty for exceeding the speed limit is RM 300 per summon ticket.

Right before you reached Bukit Kayu Hitam, you pass by Changlun.  From Changlun, you can see signages of parking spaces and tour services available. It is another option if you prefer parking in Changlun.

Upon reaching Bukit Kayu Hitam, drive straight to the border. Just before the immigration border building, there is a row of single storey shoplots on the left.  We booked our Hatyai hotel room and the taxi services there. You need to pay upfront for both services. For taxi services, it is only RM 40 per taxi (per car) one way to Hat Yai.

Now, where to park? Head to the immigration and get your passports stamped. Drive pass the immigration office, you will see the duty free shop the Zon.

Park at the Zon duty free shop, there is one overnight parking session at the back of the duty free building. Parking charges there is RM 15 per day. Please do lock your steering if you afraid of the safety of the car. I had no problems parking my car there, just to assure you all. The taxi will pick you up at the parking area, and drive all the way to Hat Yai.

From the border, you will pass by Danok and it will take less than an hour to reach Hat Yai town. You will stop at the taxi’s office first and then you can book your return taxi services there for 500 Thai Baht (RM 50). If you need local tours, you can book there too. After the short stop at the office, we reached our hotel at MayFlower Hotel in Hatyai. The journey was smooth and safe.

I hope this will help first timers to Hat Yai via Bukit Kayu Hitam exit. Thank you for reading.

Our stay at Beach Terrace Hotel Krabi was a joyful one. We enjoyed the convenience, their affordable room rates as well as their good services. We will be going to Krabi again next month and will be reviewing another resort.

Beach Terrace Hotel Krabi Address and Contact:

154 Moo.2, T.Aonang, A.Muang, Krabi Thailand 81000.

Tel: 66 (0) 7563 7181 – 3

Fax: 66 (0) 7563 7184 – 5

Email: info@krabibeachterrace.com, booking@krabibeachterrace.com

Website: http://www.krabibeachterrace.com/

Remember we blogged about our two days adventures in Krabi and Trang? Here’s the recap: Krabi Trang Holiday Day One: Ku La Ka Sai Restaurant, Tham Le Cave, Pak Meng Beach Resort, Krabi Trang Holiday Day Two Part One: Pak Meng Beach, Koh Chuak Island and Koh Mah Island and Krabi Trang Holiday Day Two Part Two: Koh Kradan Island, Emerald Cave (Marakot) at Koh Mook Island and Sunset Pak Meng Beach. Before I continue with Day Three, let me bring you to the town of Trang for the famous food!

Our guide brought us to the town to get the best food as we were told. As Thailand is popular as pork meat exporter, Trang has its own pork delicacy that is worth a try, it is the crispy pork.

We thought we would see a typical old man butchering the pork meats but it was a lady with the knife and the chopping board. With so many crispy pork bellies available for sale, this stall must be popular with the locals.

We ordered a small plate for us to try. The crispy pork belly is similar to Chinese version of “siew yuk” but they deep fried the pork unlike the Chinese methodology of roasting. The crispy pork is delicious and sinful.

Do not attempt to do the calories count here, not in Trang and not in Thailand. The best part of all, you do not need to dig deep in your pocket for this.

After the sinful experience with the crispy pork, we walked to the next shop for another popular food in Trang, the cakes and the pastries.

Dozens of different swiss rolls, cakes and pastries were stacked up like bricks and the flavours available were adventurous. The flavours include yam (taro), orange, pandan, coconut, banana, butter, fruits and coffee flavours. They have swiss rolls, puffs, cakes and even mooncakes!

With so many selections, we were spoilt for choices. The best part was three boxes of cakes/pastries were only 100 baht (RM 10, US$ 3.5)! That was really a steal!

The address of the crispy pork is as below:

Here is the map:

We have tried to get something in English but they didn’t have it. Print it out or something and try your luck!

Wait! That was not all of it. Check out our full adventure in the next few days, which includes our journey back to Krabi and also our attempt on Krabi’s famous duck noodle!