A Special Return to Thailand: Krabi & Berlin Adventure
A Berlin Stopover to Start Our journey began with flights from London to Berlin with British Airways, with an overnight stop in the German capital. We were quite excited, as it was our first time in Berlin. We stayed at the Premier Inn near the airport and were both really impressed with Berlin as a city‑break destination.
In a short space of time we still managed to see: The Brandenburg Gate The Reichstag (German Parliament building) Alexanderplatz Getting around was extremely easy and good value. We bought a Berlin Card for the day at 10.70 euros per person, which included unlimited travel on buses, trams, the metro and trains within the city. It is a great way to explore Berlin’s history and striking architecture without worrying about individual tickets.
We also sampled the local speciality, Currywurst. It is a classic street‑food dish of sliced sausage served on a cardboard plate, topped with curry ketchup and a generous sprinkle of curry powder, eaten with a small plastic or wooden fork. Simple, but very tasty.
Long‑Haul to Bangkok via Singapore After a full day exploring Berlin, it was time to continue our journey. The next morning we flew to Bangkok via Singapore with Scoot Airlines. The overall flying time was around 17 hours.
Scoot is a low‑cost airline, so you pay extra for everything, including seat selection, blankets and in‑flight meals, and there is no in‑flight entertainment. I was surprised at how busy the flights were to Bangkok. Transiting in Singapore was very straightforward though, and we did not need to recheck our bags.
On arrival in Bangkok, after clearing customs and immigration, we connected onto a domestic flight with AirAsia, another low‑cost carrier, for the final leg to Krabi. The flight from Bangkok to Krabi took around 1 hour 30 minutes.
Arriving in Krabi: Road, Boat & Floating Pontoon In Krabi, we had arranged a private transfer to our hotel by road and boat, which took about 1 hour 30 minutes in total. On arrival at the pier we boarded a boat, then walked along a floating pontoon to reach the resort.
One tip: do not wear your best clothes or shoes for this part of the journey. You need to walk on sand to get to the boat, and the floating pontoon can be quite wobbly, especially at high tide, so you need reasonably good “sea legs” too.
Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi At Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi we checked in with a refreshing welcome drink and were shown to our room, 1034. Staff throughout the resort were very friendly and helpful, which made a great first impression.
Our room was lovely, with great views and a spacious bathroom featuring a rain shower. The resort itself is quite large and offers an excellent range of facilities, On our first evening we walked the Monkey Trail, a wooden walkway and staircase with plenty of steep steps. It took around 10 minutes to reach the resort area of Ao Nang, which has lots of shops and restaurants.
We found a great spot called The Last Fisherman Bar, serving authentic Thai food at very reasonable prices. It became a firm favourite. For the next five nights we had breakfast at the hotel, enjoying a generous buffet of hot and cold dishes with both Western and Asian options. The variety was excellent and it really set us up for each day.
The hotel is ideal for honeymooners but also works very well for families. It offers a complimentary shuttle speedboat service to Nopparat Thara Pier, from where you can take a taxi to Ao Nang night market, Krabi night market (weekends only) or Ao Nang town centre.
We tackled the Monkey Trail again in daylight and, true to its name, saw plenty of monkeys, including some very cute babies. Along the way you enjoy views of beautiful beaches and dramatic cliffs, and the trail is well lit at night.
Ao Nang itself has a great mix of shops, restaurants, bars and currency exchange bureaux. I would recommend changing money in Thailand, as the rates are generally better than at home.
Weather, Sister Hotel & Island Hopping We travelled in October, which is considered the rainy season, but we were very fortunate and only had one rainy morning during our stay.
We also had the chance to visit the sister property, Centara Ao Nang Beach Resort & Spa Krabi, which impressed us both and would be a great option for those who prefer to be right in the heart of Ao Nang.
Krabi is an excellent base for island hopping to places like Phuket, Phi Phi Island and Koh Lanta. We visited both the Ao Nang night market and Krabi night market, which were fantastic for sampling cheap and tasty street food. We found Ao Nang very reasonably priced for eating out and it also has some lovely beaches.
We both fell in love with Krabi: the food, the scenery and, most of all, the people. We would absolutely love to return.
Homeward Bound via Bangkok, Singapore & Berlin Sadly, after five nights it was time to start our journey home, flying back via Bangkok and Singapore with Scoot Airlines and AirAsia, and once again stopping overnight in Berlin.
This time we stayed at the Riu Plaza Hotel. It is a great property with fantastic views over the city. We had room 1702, which had a lovely bathroom, and again we found the staff very friendly and helpful. The hotel is in a good location, with a metro station less than a five‑minute walk away and close to the famous Berlin Zoo. On our return stopover we took the opportunity to visit the Berlin Wall, which was a very poignant experience, as well as Checkpoint Charlie. Both of us feel that Berlin is a brilliant city to visit, with lots to see and do, and we are already planning a dedicated city‑break there in the future.
A Heartfelt Thank You A special thank you to Betsie Barr from the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Dan Vo from Centara Hotels & Resorts for making this wonderful trip possible for me and my wife. Winning this trip gave us the chance to rediscover a country that means so much to us, and to fall in love with a new corner of Thailand in Krabi.
