Pak-Up Hostel
by the TopOfHotel team
Pak-Up is the hostel that lets you base yourself in town and day-trip to Lanta and Phi Phi on a backpacker budget — it wins on location and social energy rather than peace and quiet.
Pak-Up is the hostel that lets you base yourself in town and day-trip to Lanta and Phi Phi on a backpacker budget — it wins on location and social energy rather than peace and quiet.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
Pak-Up is the #1-rated hostel in Krabi on Tripadvisor and has been a top 3 hostel in Asia on Hostelworld for years, sitting in the middle of Krabi Town on Khong Kha Road beside the Krabi River. The building is a modern four-storey property, renovated from an older structure and expanded in 2019, done in an industrial-chic style mixed with contemporary Thai — stone walls, teak furniture, sharp signage and graffiti art. There are two main room types. The dorms come in 4, 6, 8 and 12 beds, running $7 to $20, each with a locker under the bed big enough for a large pack, plus a privacy curtain, power socket and a USB reading light per bunk, and very clean shared bathrooms on each floor. Trip.com reviews (9.0/10) mostly call it cleaner than your average hostel, with fresh bedding, firm mattresses and notably friendly staff. The private Double/Twin rooms run 12-20 sqm at $20 to $34, with an en-suite bathroom, a soft bed and fast Wi-Fi — a decent fit for couples on a budget.
Food and amenities
Pak-Up isn't a plain backpacker bunkhouse — it's a flashpacker hostel kitted out closer to a 3-star hotel. The highlight is the 6 x 12m pool on the yard beside the building, ringed with sun beds and open 9am to 9pm daily. The in-house bar runs 6pm to midnight with trivia night on Tuesdays, a pool party on Saturdays and live music on Fridays — the easiest place in town for a solo traveler to find company. Free breakfast runs 7am to 10am: fried eggs, congee, bread, fruit and coffee or tea, not a big buffet but complete and fresh, with a shared kitchen on-site if you'd rather cook. The tour desk books the lot — a Phi Phi boat for about $23, the 4 Islands tour for $20, a van to Lanta for $7 and an airport van for $6 — all arranged at the 24-hour reception. Overall score 8.8/10.
Location and getting there
Pak-Up sits in the center of Krabi Town, the provincial capital and its travel hub. Chao Fah Pier is a 5-minute walk and runs boats straight to Koh Lanta (2.5 hours), Phi Phi (1.5 hours) and Koh Jum (1 hour) without looping through Ao Nang, which makes this the best transit point for anyone island-hopping south. The Krabi Night Market, open Friday to Sunday, 6pm to 10pm, is a 3-minute walk with local food from about $1 to $3 a plate. Restaurants, cafes and convenience stores are all within a 5-10 minute walk. Krabi Airport is 15km out, about 20 minutes by road, with a hostel shuttle at $6 a person. Ao Nang beach is 20km away, around 30 minutes by road, with a white songtaew passing every 30 minutes for about $1.50.
Things to know before booking
Straight talk to help you decide. First, brace for the fact that Krabi Town has no beach — it's an inland town, and the nearest sand at Ao Nang is a 30-minute ride away. If you want to wake up on the sand every day, this isn't it; treat it as a 1-2 night stop before or after the islands rather than your main base. Second is the bar noise — the hostel bar runs until midnight and the Saturday pool party can go until 1am, so if you need dead-silent sleep, look elsewhere or grab a private room away from the bar and pack earplugs. Third, the 12-bed dorm gets crowded: at $7 it's the best value if money is genuinely tight, but it's hard to sleep with people coming and going all night, so the 4-bed dorm at roughly $11-14 is the smarter call for rest.
Our take
Pak-Up is the hostel that hands you the real backpacker experience in Krabi — clean dorms, a pool, a bar and a full social scene, in a central Krabi Town spot that feeds into every island. From $7 a night, if your trip is about traveling solo and meeting people, using Krabi as a base for Lanta or Phi Phi, and you don't mind some late-night noise, this is the right answer. If you're a couple after a honeymoon or a family with young kids, other places on this list fit better. Overall we give it 8.8/10, best for solo travelers, backpackers and anyone using Krabi as a springboard to the islands.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- The most social atmosphere of any stay in Krabi. The in-house bar runs trivia night on Tuesdays, a pool party on Saturdays and live music on Fridays, so solo travelers meet people fast.
- Central Krabi Town location, the easiest onward-travel base in the province. Chao Fah Pier is a 5-minute walk and the staff book boats and vans to anywhere you're headed.
- Genuinely good value: dorms start at $7 with free breakfast included, and the in-house tour selection covers Phi Phi, the 4 Islands trip, Lanta and airport transfers.
- This is a flashpacker hostel with near-3-star facilities — a 6 x 12m pool with sun beds open daily 9am to 9pm, big clean shared bathrooms, and beds with privacy curtains, sockets and reading lights.
- Staff are hands-on and friendly. They sort every tour for you and will check for cancelled boats before you commit, which matters when island ferries get bumped.
- Krabi Town has no beach. It's an inland town, and the nearest sand at Ao Nang is a 30-minute ride away, so this works as a 1-2 night transit stop before or after the islands rather than a beach base.
- The bar runs loud on some nights. It's open until midnight and the Saturday pool party can go until 1am, so light sleepers should request a private room away from the bar or come prepared with earplugs.
- The 12-bed dorm gets packed. At $7 it's the cheapest bed, but people come and go all night; the 4-bed dorm at roughly $11-14 is the sweet spot if you actually want to sleep.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Krabi
Day tours, attraction tickets and experiences around Krabi — book ahead on Klook with mobile e-tickets.
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Insider Tips
- Ask for a 4-bed dorm if you can — it sleeps far better than the 8- or 12-bed rooms, for an extra $3-6 a night.
- Book your tours through the hostel desk rather than outside; the rates are better and staff will check for cancelled boats for you.
- Walk to Krabi Night Market around 6pm for local food starting at about $1 a plate.