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Hidden away in secluded Pai Plong Bay and a luxuriant national park, this beachfront resort is a tropical paradise. The resort features generously-sized rooms and private villas (72-399 sqm.) with the option of garden or ocean views, an outdoor Jacuzzi, or a plunge pool. Designed in modern Thai style, with high ceilings, wooden accents, stone features and soothing colours, the rooms and villas are calm oases. Accessible by boat only, the resort offers an abundance of opportunities to relax and explore: a spa, Thai, Japanese, and International restaurants, water sports (kayaking, sailing, paddle boarding), 2 swimming pools, 2 kids clubs. The experts at the resort’s PADI dive centre provide everything that is needed for beginners, those with medium skills, and expert divers. Krabi International Airport is 40 minutes away from Nopparatthara pier which is approximately 15 minutes from the resort by boat.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Marina View
Luxury
Languages Spoken
English, Thai
Location
396-396/1 Moo 2, Ao Nang 81180 Thailand
Name/address in local language
Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi
4.1 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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The Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi offers a secluded, picturesque setting that some travelers find inconvenient due to its limited access. While the hotel's lush grounds and various amenities are appreciated, guests have called out the need for updates and improved service. Rooms are often critiqued for being outdated and not always up to the mark in cleanliness, although their size and views receive some praise.
Service quality receives mixed reviews, with negative experiences of unresponsiveness somewhat overshadowing compliments on staff friendliness. The atmosphere strikes a balance between lively entertainment and peaceful retreats, yet is occasionally disrupted by noise and dated decor.
Location
Secluded
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Dated
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Relaxing
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Centara Grand Krabi is an excellent choice of stay in the area. One thing to note is its location, it is not accessible except by boat and a trail over the headland. . Boat services are great and on time, the monkey trail is steep at each end so unless you like exercise you'll find it a chore. Some rooms at the resort require a bit of a hike or several stair cases to access - there is a complimentary buggy pick up, but worth noting that it's not a flat area if you're not very agile. Unlike other resorts in the area, it is truly a private beach given the location and access. It is one of the nicest beaches we visited in the area, much better than the beach along Ao Nang. We stayed for 7 nights and mixed our time up with visits into Ao Nang and some Island trips to Phi Phi etc, We shopped around and researched several boat trips but the service offered by the hotel was a great price, a great size (35pax) and very convenient with pick up and drop off direct from the hotel pier. Food offerings at the resort are very good and the price, while dearer than visiting town, were pretty reasonable compared to some places we've stayed. Rooms are clean and have everything you need, beds are huge, and very comfortable. Our only hit to 'perfect' is the resort is showing some signs of wear from age and the weather, plenty wood rot around railings, and in need of some maintenance in areas. Overall we are very happy with our stay.
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Review collected in partnership with Centara Hotels & Resorts
Date of stay: May 2024
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sathish Narayanan, General Manager at Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi
Responded 5 Jun 2024
Dear Mr. Scott, Thank you very much for taking time to share your feedback. We are glad to hear that you and your family had a pleasant stay with us. Your positive highlight to the team members is highly appreciated. We will happily share your kind comments with our teams. May I take this opportunity to thank you again for staying with us and I look forward to welcoming you back again for a more delightful experience. Sincerely yours, Sathish Narayanan Resident Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
An excellent experience all around, absolutely breathtaking location on a private beach accessible only by boat or hike. We loved seeing exotic species of Toucan and monkeys from our balcony whirlpool against the backdrop of the bay and high cliffs.
Lots of small perks and added bonus of Club Lounge access when booking an upgraded room. The staff were consistently friendly, attentive, and quick to assist. Special mention to Jomel and Zach, who went above and beyond in the lounge, creating a warm and inviting environment while ensuring our glasses were always full during our evening visits!
Would give 5/5 rating except the hotel is showing its age and lacking cleanliness; many aspects of the rooms, facilities, and buildings are in need of maintenance or a complete overhaul, which we were told is scheduled to take place in 2026 (which is great!). A few points to improve would be overall cleanliness of the rooms, no USB ports, broken blinds, water stains on mirrors and glass doors.
My wife and I still enjoyed our stay thoroughly, however important to set expectations correctly as it was less than a 5-star resort experience. Hopefully better after the remodel!
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Date of stay: January 2025Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Getting to-from the hotel requires extra time and planning, as it is only accessible by the hotel...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sathish Narayanan, General Manager at Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi
Responded 29 Jan 2025
Dear Valued Guest, Thank you very much for taking time to share your feedback. We are glad to hear that you and your family had a pleasant stay with us. Your positive highlight to the team members is highly appreciated. We will happily share your kind comments with our teams. May I take this opportunity to thank you again for staying with us and I look forward to welcoming you back again for a more delightful experience. Sincerely yours, Sathish Narayanan Resident Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Excellent hotel for those. who doesn't like noisy entertainment. Very high prices in restaurants and especially the price of massage. Meeting monkeys on the territory is scary at first, but then you get used to it. The appearance of a monitor lizard in a pool with fish generally caused a natural shock, but is remembered with pleasure. If we repair the Monkey trail and wean tourists off from stopping in the middle of the narrow trail and taking pictures of monkeys, then walking along this trail will be much easier.
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Review collected in partnership with Centara Hotels & Resorts
Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I’m not normally one to leave negative reviews, but this was the worst hotel that we stayed at while we were in Thailand. I have no clue how it has a 5 star rating - the rooms are what I’d expect from a 2 star hotel. The room we checked into when we arrived had such a strong mildew odour that I could barely sleep the first night. On top of that, the door to our room didn’t shut properly which meant that it was full of bugs and mosquitoes, and the toilet didn’t flush properly. The room was also incredibly dirty - showers and windows were full of mildew, floors were dirty, etc. We ended up asking to change rooms after the first night due to the smell. We were moved to a different room which was slightly better, but still had an underlying mildew smell and the same cleanliness issues. Besides the room, the other major issue we had was location - our room was located near the top of the resort and was quite literally a hike to get to from the beach, which meant we were strategically planning our trips out to minimize the hike back to our room. From the beach to Ao Nang, they advertise that it’s a 15 minute “walk” via the “monkey trail”. What they don’t mention is this “trail” is straight up stairs (extremely rickety and uneven stairs) so if you have any mobility issues don’t count on using the path. They offer a boat shuttle to town, but it docks at the opposite, far end of Ao Nang, which means you need to either pay for a taxi, or walk 30+ minutes to get into central Ao Nang. They also expect you to book the shuttle at least 8 hours in advance - who plans that far ahead on vacation?? Prices - because of the location and difficulty getting into town, it’s most convenient to eat at the bars and restaurants on site, however they were exorbitantly expensive. About 3-4 times what you’d pay in town. The one saving grace of this hotel is the beach. It really is beautiful and rivals Raylay beach next door, but doesn’t make up for the cost they’re charging to stay here and the extremely poor facilities.
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Date of stay: November 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sathish Narayanan, General Manager at Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi
Responded 22 Nov 2024
Dear Ms. Katrina, Thank you very much for taking time to share your feedback. Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused and we highly appreciated your kind understanding. Please rest assured that we have taken your recommendations into consideration for further improvement. May I take this opportunity to thank you again for staying with us and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back again. Sincerely yours, Sathish Narayanan Resident Manager
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The resort is in a secluded cove accessible only by boat, or by trekking across a hazardous wooden trail through the mountain. The hotel has its own beach which is lovely, and the sunsets are beautiful. However, being quite remote you don’t have easy access to town, which can be a positive or negative depending on what you’re looking for. The resort looks a bit tired and dated, with limited WiFi and old TV in the rooms with a handful of Thai channels, along with a few news channels. You cannot access any smart features as it’s not connected to internet. The hotel provide 4 bottles of complimentary water in your room each day (2 in fridge & 2 on countertop). On the first day we arrived we went to town and stocked up on some snacks and drinks. I noticed the next day the hotel only gave 2 bottles of water in our room, which I put down to a mistake. But when it happened again the day after I had to raise the issue with them. I assume the housekeeping didn’t put any water in the fridge as we had some of our own drinks in there, but I don’t understand why they didn’t leave it on the countertop where there was plenty of space. The cynic in me feels this is so they can sell you more water at their highly inflated prices, which are 3-4x the rates you’d pay in bars/restaurants in town. The other annoying thing is they have a notice on the water bottles in your room warning that the glass bottles are not to be taken down to the pool for “safety reasons”. However, they’re very happy to sell you drinks in glasses around the pool(!). Staff also seemed miserable and looked like they didn’t want to be there (with a handful of exceptions). When I’m paying this kind of money to stay at a luxury resort, I expect better. If you’re looking for the best resort in town, Centara Grand Beach Krabi is not it. I would try Amari next time.
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Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Book your ferry transfer to/from town in advance as there's only 20 spaces on the boat which fill...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sathish Narayanan, Other at Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi
Responded 1 Mar 2024
Dear Valued Guest, Thank you very much for taking time to share your feedback. Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused and we highly appreciated your kind understanding. Please rest assured that we have taken your recommendations into consideration for further improvement. May I take this opportunity to thank you again for staying with us and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back again. Sincerely yours, Sathish Narayanan Resident Manager
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It's not a five-star hotel. Only location leaves a positive impression. The pool is small, the beach beds are old plastic, the beach guards are not beach guards, but invisible corn. A lot of strangers come from the common area, and it's not safe to leave your stuff behind. The rooms are old, the plumbing is rusty, there's no water pressure, the toilet doesn't flush. Room service is mediocre, shampoos are cheap. Before I ordered the hair conditioner and razor kit in my room on the app, they didn't bring it. The spa is not like this, in street massage parlours everything is made more quality. The food in local restaurants is terrible. There are boxes of sauces on the tables - they're dirty and expired. At the same time, the price of services is tripled. The monkey trail tastes much better and better, but somehow cheaper. I can afford to eat in hotel restaurants, but it doesn't taste very good. But to be honest, breakfast is good. At the front desk, in the lobby, there are artificial flowers, which five stars don't understand at all.
Review collected in partnership with Centara Hotels & Resorts
Automatically translated
Date of stay: December 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
What can I say, Centara Not So Grand, When you arrive you think you are in paradise beautiful location wonderful views and I'm afraid that's where it stops. You get off the boat and aren't even shown where to go so you find signs to reception where you await a 1st come 1st serve basis you then have to leave a security deposit which is taken off your card (not held) and shown to your room which at 1st glance was lovely but on closer inspection old battered and bruised windows filthy, floor dirty, towels hard as brillo pads, and once taken to be washed never come back so we were down to 2 bath towels and no hand towels after 4 days of staying ! You have to book resturant of which are extremely average (really not good at all) food is very basic and not up to a high standard its expensive for what it is, as they have you at a disadvantage as you are in the middle of nowhere.. they then on every bill they take a 10% service charge for abysmal service plus another 7% vat 1 star service advertising 5 star resort. As requested we booked our table in the coast resturant to watch the sunset just as we finished our meal and the sun was just about to set we were told basically to shift as a family wanted our table while the family stood over us with their arms crossed although the table next to us on the front was available the waiter was not having it we were told to move! Until the manager stepped in and told us we were fine and placed the family on the empty table! As you can imagine, I asked for the bill and left, and of course missed the sunset ! I wasn't happy, so I went to the hotel manager who assured me she would investigate. A few hours later, she came to our room with a bottle of Perry (which was still unopened in the wine bucket when we left )to apologise. We still had 4 days left at the hotel but decided to cut our losses the following day and checked out to be told it was non refundable and could I sign a disclaimer to agree! Absolutely shocking hotel. Never have we been treated or spoken to in a hotel like this. To sum up AWFUL
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Date of stay: February 2025Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sathish Narayanan, General Manager at Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi
Responded 1 week ago
Dear Mr. Vikki, Thank you very much for taking time to share your feedback. Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused and we highly appreciated your kind understanding. Please rest assured that we have taken your recommendations into consideration for further improvement. May I take this opportunity to thank you again for staying with us and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back again. Sincerely yours, Sathish Narayanan Resident Manager
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As soon as we arrived at the hotel we didn’t have a great experience, it was a late evening and the restaurant closed 30 minutes after our arrival which I understand as it was late(10pm), we ordered the food it came cold & tasteless, I didn’t eat my food it was taken away without being asked if there was any issue with my meal so didn’t eat that evening. I complained to be told it would be looked into and someone would come back to me, never heard anything again, got our bill on check out and it was still on there. I then I had to repeat it all again finally it was in the end removed (only the food not the drinks). Also they stopped serving drinks at 11pm every night other than in your room, which we didn’t always want to sit in (especially the first night after travelling) as what was the point in paying for the hotel/resort felt this was a bit early . Room smelt a bit musty and horrendous smell from the stream at the side of our room every morning, blinds broken so we couldn’t easily get on to our balcony which we had paid extra for a sea view, also light in the room very early each morning, I reported it heard nothing. Very dated all the shower bathroom not a great state looks a bit mouldy with scum. boat service to the shore was ok but the app didn’t always work for this & the buggies round the resort and we were right near the top made it a bit hard work. no drinks service round the pool which I thought would be something offered never asked once did we want a drink etc staff in the daytime in the beach restaurant better than evening it felt like they just weren’t bothered to be honest, the breakfast pretty good. Workmen started right underneath our room Pretty early with no warning which also wasn’t great. best part of our stay was seeing the monkeys sat in the trees one morning walking to breakfast sorry we wouldn’t stay or recommend this hotel maybe just our preference but it definitely needs work! It was over Christmas we stayed and very disappointing.
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sathish Narayanan, General Manager at Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi
Responded 11 Jan 2025
Dear Ms. Rebecca, Thank you very much for taking time to share your feedback. Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused and we highly appreciated your kind understanding. Please rest assured that we have taken your recommendations into consideration for further improvement. May I take this opportunity to thank you again for staying with us and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back again. Sincerely yours, Sathish Narayanan Resident Manager
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The location by itself is a real postcard. Cela s.arrete la. If you like the quiet and tranquility were running away.Music at the beach bar ,guests and pretty noisy staff who roll like crazy with carts.I am not talking about the incessant ballet of small local boats with free exhausts that make a hell of a noise. Admittedly the hotel is not there but the creek has an echo effect that is unbearable.After a fairly mixed reception we are brought to our room called "Deluxe" .2 beds in 130 cm when I had specified a King size bed.The hostess explained that this was not possible. Dirty and obsolete room.Cracked paint,stained lampshade ,etc... Comfort very average bedding. I strongly discourage rooms in the center near restaurants and lobby.outdoor air conditioners make a lot of noise. On the beach the deckchairs are out of age, very dirty and the mattresses completely stoned.The concrete accesses to the beach are also broken with scrap metal appearing in places. We haven’t tested restaurants given the prices!. Do not hesitate to take the little path in the forest, although a little steep it is charming with monkeys, day or night, it takes you from the hotel to Ao nang beach and its small restaurants, very affordable them! Breakfast on the other hand is very good.There is something for everyone. The pastries are good as well as the fruit juices, well prepared omelets, etc.... In short given the price the services are far from up to standard even by local standards we are far from the account. This hotel should either review its rates or do a good renovation.
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Automatically translated
Date of stay: October 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The Good Now upon arrival at CG it is easy to think you have made the right choice of hotel, as without doubt the pool area is impressive, although it is easy to see that finding a sun lounger will be hard. I could easily post photos of the areas that would make you go Wow, however !!
The Bad When you look around you quickly see that many areas of this hotel are in desperate need upgrading, many areas are battered, broken and in need of decoration. After a lengthy checkin ( it took 45 mins, with mistakes being made by them on the paperwork) . We were escorted to our room, but there was no buggy assistance. ( the resort is large , uphill with many stairs ) We only stayed 2 nights but had to call maintenance on 4 occasions. Broken window blind, no hot water, broken lock and finally no flush on the toilet. The last one we reported early evening but when we returned to the room it had not been fixed. They did come out 30 minutes later and took a further 45 mins to fix it, hardly ideal at 11pm. Cleaning is not of the standard we expect from a 5 * resort. In general around the resort you can see it is old and hardly at 5 star standards. This place needs work and should stop displaying very old pictures from when the hotel was first built.
The Ridiculous Now when booking CG you have to accept it is a remote location, only accessible by boat, and they provide regular complimentary service back and from Ao Nang Pier. However this is your only option and if you want to go to other nearby beaches you have to take the complimentary service 15 minutes in the wrong direction, just to get a long tailed boat back past where you came from to say Railey Beach for 100 Bht. Or ….. the hotel will arrange a LTB for you for the 10 minute journey for 1500bht . This is just crazy.
Now in fairness I did raise concerns with the management and we were able to reach a suitable agreement to compensate for my inconvenience. There are some good staff at CG but we would not stay there again until they refurbish the whole estate.
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Stay elsewhere.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sathish Narayanan, Other at Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi
Responded 26 Jan 2024
Dear Valued Guests, Thank you very much for taking time to share your feedback. Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused and we highly appreciated your kind understanding. Please rest assured that we have taken your recommendations into consideration for further improvement. May I take this opportunity to thank you again for staying with us and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back again. Sincerely yours, Sathish Narayanan Resident Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
If I’m honest, we made the boat so I’m unsure but they were great and waited a little time so that everyone was on the boat. If you have booked it I’m sure they won’t leave without you
There are more places to choose from in the Ao Nang area.
PRICE RANGE
RM 618 - RM 1,506 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
centara grand beach resort & villas hotel ao nang, centara grand beach resort and villas, centara grand beach hotel, centara grand beach krabi, central krabi hotel, central krabi bay resort, central bay resort krabi
LOCATION
ThailandKrabi ProvinceAo Nang
NUMBER OF ROOMS
192
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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