Grand Mercure Krabi Ao Nang

Every room has a private bathroom with bathrobes, a hair dryer, toiletries and towels, and free Wi-Fi is available in all rooms. Bed layouts run from single and king beds to a family suite with single and double beds.

Some rooms add air conditioning, heating, flat-screen TVs or a separate shower and bathtub, and the equipment depends on the room you pick.

The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool and a children's swimming pool, plus a spa with a hot tub, body scrubs, body wraps and massage beds, and a fitness centre. A garden, a terrace and a rooftop area give outdoor space around the building, and a kids club and playground are available.

Dining includes restaurants serving Asian, International and Western cuisine, a vegetarian restaurant, a coffee shop, a snack bar, a poolside bar and 24-hour room service, and food delivery is offered as well.

Practical services include a 24-hour front desk, an airport transfer, car hire, tours, a shuttle service and a taxi service, along with laundry, dry cleaning, ironing and currency exchange. Diving and snorkelling are also offered.

Ao Nang is a beach town on the Andaman coast of Krabi province, with a long sandy bay below limestone cliffs and a line of tour offices and shops along the streets behind the sand. The hotel is in the town itself, 850 m from Ao Nang Beach, so the sea is an easy walk away. A local mosque stands close by, and the side streets keep an everyday feel, with small guesthouses and shops set back from the main road.

The Ao Nang Night Market, 1.4 km away, is a lively evening market with food and souvenir stalls. Railay Beach, 2.4 km from the hotel, is known for its limestone cliffs and is reached by longtail boat from the Ao Nang piers. Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea), 14.5 km away, is a hillside cave temple reached by a long stairway. Krabi International Airport is 18.2 km away, and the hotel offers an airport transfer.

Boats are the way to the islands from here: Poda Island, a small island with beaches, is a common day trip. During the monsoon months, rough seas can cancel boat trips to the islands. Back in town after a day on the water, the evening market and the bay make a pleasant way to end the day, and the walk along the sand is a simple way to see the cliffs at dusk.