Doran’s Irish Pub

The kind of bar you drop into once and then keep returning to for the rest of your trip, going by how many people say exactly that. It sits on Ruamjit Road in Pak Nam, in Krabi Town rather than out by the beaches, and it's open air, so you get the evening warmth and somewhere to smoke and sit rather than a sealed, air-conditioned box.

The pull is the host as much as the drinks. Reviewers keep mentioning the owner coming over for a proper chat about where you've been and what you're doing, which is either exactly what you want after a day on the boats or exactly what you don't. Live music is a regular fixture, singers taking requests, Irish tunes, the sort of night that runs longer than planned. Beer arrives cold in a cold glass, cocktails are in the mix, and if you want a steer, the coffee martini is the one regulars push. Prices get praised often enough that I'd not worry about the bill.