The Railay Village Resort has a postcard-worthy setting on West Railay Beach, with long-tail boats anchored offshore and surrounding limestone cliffs. This isn’t a luxurious resort, but staying here provides an exotic getaway for guests -- who are primarily couples and families. There isn’t a pier, so guests are dropped by boat transfer in the water and should expect to get wet -- or opt to arrive at the pier on East Railay Beach. Tropical landscaping and palm trees fill the property, and monkeys and squirrels can be spotted. The atmosphere is laid-back with a modest, sandy entrance that leads into a pitched-roof pavilion. Guests are often offered a chilled drink and cold towel at check-in. The resort’s beachfront restaurant offers on-site dining with tables and chairs above the sandy shore and lanterns hung in the trees. While the beach can be lovely, guests say it can also become somewhat rowdy with college kids, as the sandy stretch is not owned by hotel. 

This resort is on Railay West Beach, an area only reachable by long-tail boat. There’s no pier, so guests must disembark and embark in the water. It’s a seven-minute walk to the Railay East, which doesn’t have beaches, but offers restaurants, bars, vendors, and a pier. Kayak rentals are available on the beach outside the resort, which has a tour desk that can arrange elephant rides or cruises. Dive shops and rock climbing companies are within about five minutes' walking distance. By boat it’s around 15 minutes to Ao Nang Beach with more restaurants, shops, and cafes. It’s about a 45-minute trip via car and boat transfer to Krabi Airport.

Rooms are spacious with warm wooden accents and flooring, recessed or pitched ceilings, contemporary furniture, and daybeds beside floor-to-ceiling patio or balcony doors. Deluxe Pool View rooms, with 44 square meters of space, are located beside the pool. Freestanding villas have 50 square meters of space, patios beside lily ponds, and small, separate rooms with whirlpool tubs underneath skylights and facing wall-mounted flat-screen TVs. Bathrooms have large frosted windows, bathtubs and separate showers, and standard toiletries. But fixtures are sometimes unclean and/or in disrepair. All rooms have air-conditioning, slippers, bathrobes, safes, hairdryers, minibars, coffee/tea facilities, flat-screen or tube TVs (with just a few English channels), and some have DVD players. Fresh flowers, fruit platters, and swan-shaped towel designs on beds are nice touches. Music from a nearby club can be heard in some rooms, and chatter from the pool area can drift in at times. 

Sunset vistas can be seen from the restaurant’s outdoor dining area, and from a thatched-roof pavilion with more seating. The menu offers Western and American fare, including Thai pancakes -- but no pork or alcohol. Alcohol can be purchased off-site or staff can deliver it on request for a price. Railay Coffee serves caffeinated drinks and ice cream with indoor and outdoor seating. Two pools are tucked away in the gardens with whirlpool jets and lounge chairs. Massages and facials are available in two treatments rooms in Mango Spa. For travelers with children, the resort offers paid day-care services. Wi-Fi is free, though can be slow.