Blue Mountain Market

Come for the food. The stalls selling clothing, handmade souvenirs, produce and the usual everyday bits are fine to browse, but what makes this place worth an hour of your evening is the row of vendors cooking Thai dishes to order and the fact that you can eat well without leaving Ao Nang's main strip.

It runs seven nights a week, 5pm to 11pm, which is unusually dependable for a market of this kind. I'd skip the opening hour. Turn up around six or later, once everything is set up and the crowd has arrived, and you get the version of the place people actually recommend. Being open-air and after dark, it's a far more comfortable way to shop than anything you'd attempt at midday in Krabi.

If you're staying in Ao Nang and looking for a low-effort dinner that isn't another beachfront restaurant menu, this does the job. Don't expect bargains on souvenirs. Do expect to eat cheaply and stand up while you do it.