We arrived at Railay pretty late, after a 2 hour shuttle from the airport where they seemed to stop at every hotel in Krabi and Ao Nang to drop people off, had to carry our luggage through the water to get to/from the longboat, and then were told they only drop off at Railay West, and we would have to walk a short distance to get to Railay East. Suffice it to say, I was a little tired and annoyed by the time we got there, but that all disappeared as soon as we landed at Railay. It's beautiful - with a beach surrounded by towering sea cliffs, it's something out of a postcard. The "walk" from the west to east side is no more than 5 minutes on a paved path. Our room was great - very large with lots of amenities and a private balcony. Unless you sit out on the balcony it's difficult to get any wifi access, but it actually forces you to be outside either on the balcony, or by the pool, which is a nice excuse not to spend too much time in your room. We were a little nervous about the food situation having read many reviews that referenced food poisoning so we were just mindful about what we ate/drank during breakfast, and were fine. We also heard that food poisoning was an issue throughout all of Railay, and was suspected to have come from Ton Sai. Overall, a really great experience - would recommend getting in a little earlier in the day so you don't have to wait for a longboat to fill up at the pier in Ao Nang, and can enjoy the area.

Stayed at the Railay Princess with my friend for 2 nights. The resort was so nice! It's located on the East side, which is about a 5 minute walk from the beaches of the west side.

We had a gorgeous room (one of the regular rooms, not a bungalow), with a balcony, HUGE soft bed, big bathroom, good amenities. Breakfast was included, and was great. There was an omelet station, tons of fruits, some local Thai dishes, cereal, pancakes/french toast, pastries, etc. We were initially a bit hesitant to eat at the hotel because of the reviews about food poisoning, but we learned from a non-hotel-related local that apparently there's some weird gastro bug that's been going around the whole peninsula for years & a LOT of people get it & no one knows what causes it. We ate at the hotel & did not get food poisoning.

Some general tips for staying here:
1) Definitely go to the beaches on the west side, or towards where the lagoon/caves are, because the beaches in front of the entire east side are grimy
2) Book your transport to the airport from one of the booths on the walking street. It's 400 bhat for the longboat and van transport, and takes about an hour. On the way to the hotel we booked a shuttle from the airport to Ao Nang, and it took us almost 2 hours to go door to door because it stopped everywhere. We didn't realize it at the time, but we actually needed a shuttle to go to Ao Nam, not Ao Nang (Ao Nang serves as the pier-point for the west side).

Please do NOT make the mistake not reading the review!!!

Let's start with the good thing.. NICE LOCATION.

So I have booked this hotel without reading the reviews... good learning point for life.
I got an email from the hotel if I wish to book private transportation I can for £30/pp. i figured since I have a hire car I can just drive there and leave it in the hotel's car park.

Fault in thought process:
1. Only at the car rental I have found out that the hotel is only accessible by boat. I drove to the pier to find out that the Car Park is nowhere to be found. Asking the locals didn't help either.
Phoned the Hotel (on roaming) ANSWER FROM HOTEL STAFF: Ask around if you see people because it's difficult to tell you. We have contacted BOOKING.COM customer service. Who has read the terms and directions from the booking confirmation explaining this is all there and they will not cancel/ament our reservation-Thanks

2. After about searching for 1 hour I have found a car park that had Railay Group name on it. They agreed to keep my car (supposedly free)
3. There is a Ferry service ONCE A DAY 11am out 2pm towards Railay Beach. Rest of the times you have to hire a private boat £20 each way or you can try to wait for more tourist to share the cost. We were lucky and had another couple to share a long tail boat.

4. Arriving into Railay Bay the boat want to drop us of with the 2x 23-24kg suitcases in the middle of the water. NOT KIDDING it was low tide so boat stopped about 600yards from shore. A tiny jetty is available but it is partially under water bit in complete darkness! It was slippery and mud covered So we had to carry out suitcases in hand for 600yards.. If I wanted dry clothes for the next days. I've only tripped over once soiling my clothes with mud and partially submersing my suitcase. No Hotel staff or anyone to help. NOT happy by this time.
I had to ask tourists if they know where the hotel is.

5. Arriving to the reception, tired, soiled with mud up to my knees, with a wet and muddy suitcase I just carried barefoot 600 yard in the dark on the slippery jetty, feeling angry and cheated. Here comes the worst part and I never ever want to hear about this hotel or it's staff again
the receptionist just said: YOU DIDN'T BOOK A TRANSFER WHAT DO YOU EXPECT? what the... This is the customer care? I have lost it with her so she just turned her back and walked away!! Pointing towards a man who turned out to be the manager. No apologies or anything from either of them. DO THEY REALLY THINK THIS IS ACCEPTABLE? Oh another thing this wired Hotel does not serve alcohol, not even bier! This minor detail was also hidden in the small print, the manager explained it with a grin on his face.
I was ready to kill him, I can not express the anger, frustration this hotel caused me.
The room is OK, but definitely needs a good clean. Bathroom dirty, room overlooking another 10-15 windows across an alley back of the room to local power plant...
So as no more boats available we will have to spend the night here, but first thing in the morning we will leave. It might be a Paradise on Earth for backpackers but I'm out of here as soon as possible. So if you are looking for hospitality and comfort than
AVOID RAILAY PRINCESS BEACH AND SPA HOTEL.
I don't even know who wrights these positive feedbacks. I'm sure they are fake written by the hotel management. I can not mention anything positive.