Pak-Up Hostel — a backpacker hostel in a former school building that solo travellers love in Krabi
If you arrive in Krabi on your own and want to meet people, not just find a bed — Pak-Up Hostel is the name backpackers mention most in Krabi Town. It's a social hostel set in a former primary school, so the dorms are named after school subjects and artists. Expect big solid wooden bunks with privacy curtains and roomy lockers, a swimming pool, a bar with something on almost every night, and a rooftop gym. It's a 1-minute walk to Chao Fah Pier, so island-hopping is easy. Scored 8.8 from 175 Trip.com reviews, with dorm beds from approx. THB 270/night.
The fun here starts with the building itself — Pak-Up opened in 2010 in a former primary school in the heart of Krabi Town. The owners kept the school theme almost everywhere, naming each dorm after a subject or an artist — Art, English, Picasso — complete with classroom-style signs, like walking back into middle school. It sounds like a small gimmick, but in person it gives the place a character you won't find in a box-shaped hostel.
The heart of Pak-Up is the beds — big teak bunks built into the wall, not flimsy metal frames that wobble the whole room when someone above turns over. Every bed has a privacy curtain, a reading lamp, its own plug and USB socket, and a large under-bed locker that swallows a 60-litre backpack whole. All dorms are air-conditioned, ranging from 4-bed and 8-bed mixed dorms to a 10-bed female-only dorm. If you'd rather not share, there's also a Budget Double private room with a shared bathroom.
"I've done a lot of dorms in Thailand — these are the steadiest beds, the curtains fully close and the lockers are genuinely big. I woke up to roommates inviting me on an island tour."
What sets Pak-Up apart from quieter hostels is the ground-floor bar, the centre of everything. There's something on almost every night — pub quizzes, beer pong, bingo, free shots — plus the Ao Nang Pub Crawl three nights a week. Next to the bar is a small pool to cool off in, and up on the roof there's a functional gym with free weights and yoga gear. Mornings bring free breakfast (a simple spread — bread, eggs, fruit, tea and coffee). In short, it's designed to turn strangers into friends within a single night.
The location is an underrated advantage — Pak-Up sits on a corner of Utarakit Road in central Krabi Town, just a 1-minute walk from Chao Fah Pier, where boats leave for Poda Island, Chicken Island and the Separated Sea. All around are the Krabi night market, local restaurants at local-Krabi prices, convenience stores and the transport hub for Ao Nang and beyond. Whatever trip you're planning, you can launch it from here without paying resort-area taxi fares.
To be honest, per the real reviews: the most common gripe is that it's not on the beach — Krabi Town is about 20–25 minutes by road from Ao Nang beach, so if your mental image is rolling straight onto the sand, this isn't it. Breakfast is very simple, not a buffet. Some say the bar service slows down when it's busy, and a few of the wooden beds creak when you move. There are also a lot of stairs (it's a four-storey building with no lift), so heavy bags or bad knees are something to plan for.
But looking at the whole picture, an 8.8 from 175 reviews on Trip.com (and around 8.7 on Booking.com) matches the fact that Pak-Up was voted Krabi's Most Popular Hostel three years running at Hostelworld's Hoscars. For solo travellers, backpacking pairs, or anyone who values atmosphere and meeting people over a sea view from the room, it's hard to find somewhere this complete and this fun in Krabi for a few hundred baht a night.
A tip from following the reviews here: if you want a quieter night, ask for an upstairs dorm away from the bar, as party nights carry late. If island-hopping is the plan, book tours through reception — prices are similar to outside but it's more convenient. And in high season (Nov–Mar), the good dorm beds fill fast, so book ahead.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Central location; walk to Chao Fah Pier, the night market and the transport hub
- ✓ Steady wooden bunks with privacy curtains and big lockers
- ✓ Social atmosphere; easy to meet people, with a pool and bar
- ✓ Friendly staff who happily arrange island tours
- ! Not on the beach — about 20–25 minutes by road from Ao Nang
- ! Breakfast is simple, not a buffet
- ! Four-storey building with no lift and lots of stairs
- ✓ Excellent value for a backpacker budget, cleaner than expected
- ✓ Well-designed beds and lockers, more comfortable than the usual dorm
- ✓ Plenty of nightly activities and a fun pub crawl — great for solo travellers
- ✓ Near local restaurants and the market, easy to find food
- ! On party nights the noise carries late; rooms near the bar are hard to sleep in
- ! Some of the wooden beds creak when you move
- ! Bar service slows down when it's busy
- 💡If your image is waking up and walking onto the beach — Pak-Up is in town, 20–25 minutes by road from Ao Nang → a stay around Ao Nang or Railay fits better.
- 💡If you're a light sleeper who wants quiet rest — the bar has something on most nights → ask for an upstairs dorm away from the bar, or consider a quieter hotel instead.
- 💡If you have heavy luggage or find stairs difficult — it's a four-storey building with no lift and lots of stairs → plan for it, or ask for a lower floor.