Flew to Krabi via Air Asia a day before MH-17 was shot down. Stayed in Ao Nang throughout my trip. July was low season in Ao Nang. It was safe to walk around in Ao Nang even at night. I had no issue at Krabi town either.
The following day after arrival, we traveled by longtail boat to Hong Island (5 persons). Price was 8000 baht I think. We chartered the boat for the sake of flexibility. We ordered some kind of rice with chicken for lunch which was not part of the package (price was forgotten). The visit at Hong Island and the lagoon was worth it. Due to the Monsoon season the sea was a bit choppy. Remember to bring some plain bread either you go to Hong Island or the 4 islands hopping in order to attract the fishes by feeding them. Kids will love it...so are some adults. Please take note that bread was often sold out at the end of the day. So, it's better for you to shop for bread in the morning. We skipped the 4 islands hopping because my family members were concern about the sea was being choppy. I was told that feeding fishes were possible in Poda Island (Koh Poda) and Chicken Island (Koh Gai) too.
We chartered a van to Krabi town for 800 baht if I remember correctly. We didn't climb the Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Sua) because there were old folks with us and I hated the steep staircase as well as the height. It's 1237 steps - the highest temple I have come across so far. Wat Kaew which was located at the night market area was relatively beautiful from the outside but it's nothing to shout about if you have visited the White Temple in Chiang Rai. There was no entrance fee for all of the temples in Thailand unlike Laos but you could provide donation. There's nothing great about the night market at Krabi. The one in Chiang Mai was 10 times better and cheaper.
Food, clothes and everything else were more expensive than Chiang Mai. Even in Kabi town itself, everything was more expensive. So, I would not recommend shopping if that's your intention of going there. I only purchased a t-shirt at 180 baht (150 baht in Chiang Mai), a military short at 200 baht (150 baht in Chiang Mai), a Feelfree waterproof 30 litre backpack at 1800 baht and a Feelfree waterproof 15 litre bag for a price I could not recall (probably around 500 to 600 baht). Spotted the tiny pineapple that I was hunting for but it was not as cheap as I expected - 50 baht per fruit. Maybe I got rip-off. The small Durian and mangosteen were cheap though. Durian was about 300 - 500 baht per fruit. I could not remember the price of mangosteen unfortunately.
Overall, if you are interested in beaches and snorkeling, the islands will be interesting for you and you ought to stay in Ao Nang. Never consider staying in Krabi town as you will be bored to death. If you are not keen in beaches, you should skip flying into Krabi altogether.
