Panan Krabi Resort

A great location, on-trend decor, and extensive features have quickly established Panan Krabi Resort as one of the top hotels in Ao Nang since its April 2018 opening. From the main road, Panan's sign announces the hotel's presence (half a block down a side road) and introduces one of its design motifs, a modern diamond pattern that's seen everywhere from the inlaid parking lot to the black-and-white tile flooring in the lobby and halls to the throw pillows in rooms. The hotel is a half-minute walk down its side street, and it's immediately distinctive with a massive wooden canopy jutting over the car lot and a severe, gunmetal-gray exterior. Marble wall panels and white furnishings in the soaring entryway look contemporary and chic, though the hotel's overall minimalist design sense might come across as sterile. Lush plantings and a winding pool in the courtyard help, but it's hard to shake the sense that you are sandwiched between chunky black-clad buildings that feel disconnected from their tropical whereabouts.Along with its look and style, the building stands out for its height (room buildings are six and seven stories) and proximity to the famous cliffs of Ao Nang. As of this writing, Panan has perhaps the best cliff views of any hotel in town, though this may soon be compromised by the two hotels who have broken ground to the south of this property (between Panan and the cliffs). But for now, Panan's rooftop pool and bar are the best seats in town for seeing the cliffs and snapping selfies in front of them. Social-media-savvy guests bring their own pineapple-, flamingo-, and sprinkled-donut-shaped pool floats in order to get the perfect Instagram shot between sips of pina coladas and mai tais.The overall package is perfect for young couples who care about presentation, a central location, and unusual (for Ao Nang) extras like a rooftop pool and free yoga. The hotel also caters to families with spacious rooms, a kids' pool, and a kids' club with free activities. A few small shows of poor workmanship, like poor grouting and streaky paint in the halls, indicate that the hotel likely rushed to open its doors to the public.

It seems as if new hotels are going up in every direction in downtown Ao Nang. Panan Krabi, which opened in April 2018, is a part of this growth. In fact, as of our in-person visit in 2018, Google Maps Street View (captured eight months earlier) shows a muddy construction site where the hotel now stands. The hotel is located at the end of a side street (more of a driveway for multiple hotels) off of the main road, wedged between other properties. On the main road can be found every convenience: a 24-hour McDonalds, a Starbucks, a 7-Eleven, bars, cafes, halal eateries, motorbike rentals, and massage and body treatment parlors. The block parallel to Panan's is the RCA adult entertainment alley, with wall-to-wall bars with pole dancers and free shots.The walk from the hotel to the beach takes six minutes and the drive to Krabi Airport takes a half hour. 

The 199 generously sized rooms at Panan Krabi (starting size: 430 square feet) are noticeably more stylish than what's generally available in Ao Nang. All have king beds with chic tropical-leaf backdrops, which pair well with abstract black-and-white diamond-print throw pillows that recall the lobby floor. An opaque glass wall separating the bathroom has a similar vintage-style tropical-flora motif. The designers wisely let these elements shine by keeping the rest of the rooms simple, with light-wood-finish floors and furniture. There are wicker chairs with lime-green cushions and matching lime-green-cushioned stools at the built-in wall desks. On the private balconies and terraces are big round rattan daybeds.Bathrooms have marble countertops and recessed shelving containing shower gel, body lotion, cotton swabs, and toothbrush/toothpaste packets. The walk-in showers have marble benches and standard (not rainfall) showerheads. Philips ionic hairdryers are provided.Views are either of the pool or cliffs, and some top-floor rooms overlook the town to the west and the sea beyond. Upgraded pool-view rooms include indoor jetted tubs placed next to big windows overlooking the pool and upgraded sea-view rooms have either outdoor tubs on their balconies or private rooftop terraces. Some ground-floor rooms have direct pool access and others have individual whirlpools on their terraces, though we heard many reports of the jets not working properly. The whirlpool units offer 550 total square feet of space. There are also two-bedroom, 1,110-square-foot suites that can sleep up to four adults and four children.All rooms have personal AC panels, minibars, free coffee/tea, two free bottles of water, and free Wi-Fi. Flat-screen TVs are programmed with more than two dozen channels, including Discovery Channel, BBC, EuroNews, and AMC. Open closets are stocked with cotton Thai-style bathrobes and flip-flops, but pool towels are only available in Deluxe Pool Access Rooms. In-room safes and umbrellas are free to use.As of this writing, Panan's Deluxe Cliff View Rooms offer some of the closest views of the cliffs, though two new hotels have broken ground on the land between Panan and the cliffs, so the rooms' unobstructed views may not last long. Even though the hotel is a short walk from all the chaos that Ao Nang has to offer, our Deluxe Cliff View Room was surprisingly quiet at night -- we could hear bullfrogs and the occasional dog fight more than any party noise. We did leave our Panan stay with one gripe: There's no bedside lighting.

For Ao Nang standards, Panan Krabi has quite a few features. Its most prominent is its rooftop area, which has an infinity pool, adjacent bar, thick all-cushion loungers, and canopied Bali beds. Rooftop pools aren't unheard of in Ao Nang, but they're not as common as you'd might think. The feature is notable in of itself, but even more so for its views: as of late 2018, this is the closest elevated view you can get to the cliffs. The building of two new hotels may impact this, though. When we visited, most of the pool visitors were (not unexpectedly) using the pool -- and its flamingo- and pizza-slice-shaped floats -- for social-media purposes. A few guests seemed to be more interested in enjoying the view -- and not posting photos of it. One couple we spoke to said that they wished the space were for adults only. A full food and drink menu is available at the rooftop's Catch Up Sky Lounge, which has everything from pizza and burgers to Thai foods special to Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and the Isan region.Panan's main pool is a freeform pool on the ground level between the two buildings. Despite the dark sober buildings surrounding it, the pool feels lush and tropical, with nice landscaping, wooden bridges, and little islands. There are sunken curving loungers and, at one end, Splash Bar, a swim-up pool bar -- this feature is also more rare than you'd think for the area. One side of Splash Bar is walk-up for those not in the water. The pool also has a kids' play area with a slide and sprinklers.A supervised kids’ club offers daily kids' activities, like dance classes, movies, towel and straw folding, origami, and coloring. There are also activities for adults, including an adults-only yoga and aquarobics. Private yoga sessions and cooking classes require a fee. A small fitness center with machines and free weights overlooks the pool and is free to use. The hotel's free breakfast at Diplee, its all-day restaurant, is better than what you'll get at most competing hotels. On our visit, we sampled a little bit of everything, starting with bread pudding and croissants (white and wheat available) with butter and jam (honey and condensed milk are also topping options) and finishing with green chicken curry and rice vermicelli topped with fresh herbs and vegetables. Sausage, eggs, milk, cereal, a selection of meats and cheese, toastable breads, and pancakes are all for the taking. Drinks include coffee, tea, and pineapple and mango juice. Lunch and dinner are a la carte and room service is available during the day.Meeting and special-event space totaling more than 3,000 square feet are also available; groups or wedding parties can add a Sky Lounge buy-out in addition to the indoor conference space. Island tours, rock-climbing excursions, and other outings, plus airport transfer, can all be booked through the hotel's front desk. Wi-Fi is free throughout Panan.