Railay in high season is quite the place to be, with beach fire dancing, full moon, half moon and black moon parties, impromptu get-togethers and bars with organised live music, Thai boxing and drinks specials.

Again, there’s a gulf between what goes on in Railay West and East and if lazing around on Thai cushions, listening to ambient music or the inescapable Bob Marley is your thing then East Railay is for you while Railay West has more of a beach appreciation scene – logical if you consider how beautiful this beach is with a full moon rising over the breathtaking surrounding limestone cliffs.

Okay – so it’s not Patpong or Patong, still Krabi Town has its own particular personality and a couple of hot spots as well as a few mellow pubs and bars where guitars are passed around and the art of conversation practiced.

The area around Chaofa and riverside is home to lots of guesthouses doubling as bars/cafés and has a farang-tinted bohemian atmosphere while Room 69 along the main Maharat Road has an out-and-out Thai flavour to it.

Another archetypal wooden bar used as a meeting place and watering hole by travellers passing through to nearby islands. Buffalo is actually open during the day and has a view over the three-way intersection that is home to Viva Italian Restaurant. Basically a Reggae Bar that has morphed, expect the dreadlocked one to be somewhere close by…