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Panan Krabi Resort Hotel, Ao Nang – Honest Review

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Panan Krabi Resort is a 4 star hotel centrally located in the Ao Nang area of Krabi, close to numerous bars and restaurants and a short walk to Ao Nang beach.

With Ao Nang beach very much a gateway to numerous Thai islands or coves in the area like Ko Phi Phi, Ko Lanta (and even nearby Railay Beach, on the mainland but inaccessible by road), Panan Resort is an ideal way to start or end your trip to Krabi.

We stayed at Panan Krabi Resort in November 2022 and paid around £160 ($194 USD) for four nights including a daily buffet breakfast.

This is our honest review of Panan Krabi Resort in Ao Nang Beach, Thailand.

Panan Resort Krabi hotel, Ao Nang - an honest review

Panan Krabi Resort Location

Pannan resort is well located, just a 5 minute walk away from Ao Nang beach. It is also in the heart of town meaning you are just a few steps from numerous restaurants including the neon lights of the renowned RCA street.

There is also a 7-Eleven, McDonalds and Subway just across from Panan Resort Hotel if you are missing treats or Western food.

To note it is important to choose a centrally located hotel in Ao Nang / Krabi if you wish to be picked up for a tour or day-trip as most tour companies only offer free pick-up and drop offs if you are close to the beach.

Panan Krabi Resort Check-In

Our check-in at the resort was swift and we were given two free welcome drinks at Panan Krabi Resort when we first arrived as well as two free drinks to use at the swim-up bar during our stay.

Copies of your passport are taken upon check-in and then a member of the concierge team takes your luggage up to your room on a trolley and shows you the room facilities.

Panan Krabi Resort Rooms

We booked into Panan Krabi Resort for four nights in mid November 2022.

We had booked a standard double room facing the mountain but were fortunate enough to be upgraded to a pool facing room which came with a HUGE bed – seriously, it is the biggest bed we’ve ever slept in and was so comfy.

It also felt like we were in two different time zones when we slept, such was the distance between us.

Panan Resort Krabi hotel, Ao Nang - an honest review bedroom

Our pool-facing room also had two balconies, the larger of which overlooking the children’s pool and main pool. There was a wicker chair and small table on the balcony which was nice to sit down in and enjoy a view of the pools and Krabi mountains.

Panan Resort Krabi hotel, Ao Nang - an honest review bedroom balcony

Our Panan Krabi Resort room was very clean and much bigger than a lot of other hotel rooms we’ve had in Thailand.

The room was open-plan in style meaning the bathroom and shower area were open plan, with privacy maintained through sliding doors which you could keep open when the bathroom wasn’t in use.

Panan Resort Krabi hotel, Ao Nang - an honest review bathroom
Panan Resort Krabi hotel, Ao Nang - an honest review bathroom

Panan Resort rooms have a safe, fridge, umbrella (it can get rainy in Krabi especially during the wet season), slippers, bath robes and slippers. A fridge is provided and tea / coffee making facilities and two free bottles of drinking water every day.

The bathroom at Panan Resort had complimentary toiletries such as a comb, toothbrush, sewing kit and sanitary bag.

Panan Resort Krabi hotel, Ao Nang - an honest review bedroom

Our room was nice although the layout meant we had no bedside tables (or lamps and charging points); not a huge issue as there was a table behind the headboard.

However, with only one light above the bed, the room felt quite dark in the evenings when the curtains were drawn.

One other slight chagrin was that most days we usually eat breakfast early, go out first thing and return mid afternoon when it is hot – and the cleaner didn’t turn up until around 2.30pm / 3pm meaning we couldn’t relax, but this is a minor grumble.


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Panan Krabi Resort Breakfast

Our room rate at Panan Krabi Resort included a daily buffet breakfast, served daily between 6.30am to 11am (last orders at 10.30am). The buffet breakfast is served in a large downstairs room near to the reception with a small outdoor seating area near to the children’s pool.

The Panan Resort breakfast had lots of choices including an egg station (omelette/ scrambled eggs freshly prepared), a freshly cooked waffle and pastry section plus a noodle soup section.

Panan Resort Krabi hotel, Ao Nang - an honest review buffet breakfast
Panan Resort Krabi hotel, Ao Nang - an honest review buffet breakfast

The Panan Resort breakfast catered for all tastes and cuisines – cereal, continental section, stir fried noodles, curries including vegetarian dishes etc.

There was a warm bread and dessert section too plus dishes like roti, vegetable tortilla, puri etc served on a rotational basis. Coffee and tea were also available to pour yourself – the breakfast is all self-service.

The included breakfast at Panan Resort was appreciated but not one of the best ones we’ve had in Thailand. It also never felt too busy which was nice.

Panan Resort Krabi hotel, Ao Nang - an honest review buffet breakfast
Panan Resort Krabi hotel, Ao Nang - an honest review buffet breakfast

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Panan Krabi Resort poolside floating breakfast

We never tried the Panan Resort floating breakfast as it is only available to guests who have their own private pool access but we did see several guests with it and it looked rather fantastic and quite the treat, including two glasses of bubbles. The Panan Resort floating poolside breakfast must be booked by 5pm the night before.

Panan Resort Krabi hotel, Ao Nang - an honest review floating breakfast

Panan Resort Krabi restaurants

As the hotel is so close to numerous bars and restaurants in Ao Nang, we only ate breakfast at Panan Resort but there is an a la carte menu available to purchase during the day. It seemed very popular at lunch (possibly tour groups) but less so at dinner.

There were also some dining special offers and buffets at Panan Resort like an all you can eat seafood buffet served Friday to Sunday (599 baht per person) plus a daily all you can eat Japanese buffet at their ‘Kaze’ dining cart.

Panan Resort Krabi hotel, Ao Nang - an honest review seafood BBQ buffet
Panan Resort Krabi hotel, Ao Nang - an honest review Japanese a la carte buffet

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Panan Resort Krabi Swimming Pools

Definitely one of the best things about Panan Krabi Resort is their swimming pool ‘selection’ – there are three pools at Panan Resort:

A children’s pool chock full of fun things like a water slide, a fountain and giant mushrooms. This is separate to the main pook with lots of seating and chairs for parents to watch on from.

A massive main pool area that consists of various creeks, bridges and in-water seating areas – with all the trees around the pool, it felt quite tropical, just watch out for the falling fruit.

Panan Resort Krabi hotel, Ao Nang - an honest review swimming pool
Panan Resort Krabi hotel, Ao Nang - an honest review swimming pool

Bridges lead across the various pools and there is loads of seating and loungers so there was always space to relax. In addition, there is a swim up bar too at Panan Resort plus some pool ‘caves’ where you can escape from the sun.

Panan Resort Krabi hotel, Ao Nang - an honest review swimming pool

On the fifth floor of one of the accommodation blocks, there is a rooftop swimming pool and bar. The Panan rooftop pool offered views of the nearby mountains and a partial ocean view. It is also a nice place to see a Krabi sunset as the sky often erupts into a sea of red. Various sun loungers and shaded areas can be found here.

Panan Resort Krabi hotel, Ao Nang - an honest review rooftop swimming pool
Panan Resort Krabi hotel, Ao Nang - an honest review rooftop swimming pool
Sunset before the storm

Pannan Resort Krabi Bars

There were two main bars at Panan Krabi Resort – a swim up bar usually open until around 6pm or 7pm (some seats were in the water, some out) with various cocktails available (you can use your free drink voucher from check-in here).

Panan Krabi Resort also has a rooftop bar situated next to the rooftop pool – prices were very reasonable for a rooftop hotel bar e.g. a can of cold Chang or Singha cost 80 baht including tax and service.

You could buy beers in the lobby / main restaurant during our stay but we didn’t see many people drinking in this area (more so the poolside bars).

In addition, the Panan Resort lobby had an ice-cream / sweet-treats counter with cakes and sorbet available to purchase.


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Panan Resort Spa

Panan Resort offer a range of spa treatments which include massages, hot stone therapy, facials and aloe vera wraps.

At the time of visiting (November 2022) they were offering half price on certain treatments between 10am and 1pm, and 40% discount if you book two days in advance.

Panan Resort Reception

Reception at Panan Resort was friendly and they always greeted us when entering or exiting the building. A nice touch was the free towels you could take to Ao Nang beach – just sign them out and then give them back when you return. There was also a security guard out the front at all times, helping with traffic and parking.

Panan Krabi Resort Review – Overall

We enjoyed our stay immensely at Panan Krabi Resort – our room was large and most importantly clean and the various swimming pools and swim-up bars made this a relaxing and fun place to stay. The rooftop pool and bar was an added bonus offering some nice views. The included breakfast was appreciated.

Panan Krabi Resort score: 8 out of 10

Click here to check out the rates and availability for Panan Krabi Resort >

Read our guide to the best hotels in Ao Nang >

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