Vogue Shopping Center

This is where you go when you need sunscreen, a toothbrush and a bag of snacks before an island trip, not where you go for an afternoon of browsing. On Maharaj Road in Krabi Town, it's a supermarket, a department store and a handful of fast-food counters under one roof. Locals use it for the weekly shop. That's the honest measure of the place.

If you're self-catering or staying somewhere with a kitchen, it earns its keep. Groceries, household bits, clothes, general odds and ends, all at everyday prices rather than resort ones. The food court is fine for a cheap, quick lunch when you can't face another walk in the heat. What it isn't is a destination. Nobody comes to Krabi for this. For anything with more character, wait for the evening and head to the walking street or the riverside market instead, and treat this as the errand you run beforehand.