India, April 25 -- I wrote, a couple of weeks ago, about the enduring charms of the Maldives. My purpose was to suggest holiday destinations that were unaffected by the hostilities in the Middle East and were near India, while still seeming different enough to offer some novelty. Many people who responded to the article said, "Yes, it looks amazing. But have you looked at the hotel prices?" They were right, of course. The Maldives has been very expensive for a long time, but it may now be unaffordable because of the plummeting rupee. In fact, many, if not most, foreign destinations now seem out of reach because the rupee keeps sinking. I resolved then to try to find a vacation destination that was beautiful, had good hotels, was unaffected by the Middle East and its tensions and still did not seem too expensive. In other words, a destination where airfare and room rates were the same as they would be in India. (Though if you are really keen on the Maldives, check the net. Because of cancellations from Westerners who are unwilling to travel long distances during the war and amid flight disruptions, there are some good deals to be had.) Inevitably, my search turned to what may be my favourite country in the world: Thailand. The problem there is that while Thai rates have not gone up by much, the fall in the rupee has made everything seem more expensive. When I first started going to Thailand, one dollar got you 25 baht. Now it gets you around 32 baht. In contrast, the dollar used to be worth around Rs.17 in those days. Now one dollar is worth around Rs.93. So complete has been the destruction in the value of our currency that everything abroad now seems too expensive to those of us who earn in rupees. So is Thailand still worth it? Yes it is. Especially if you go beyond Bangkok and look for scenic places. (Luxury Bangkok hotels cost as much as similar Mumbai hotels, so it's still not too bad, if not the bargain it once was.) I looked for destinations that offered a Maldives-quality experience without the huge expense. I recalled shooting in Krabi (on the Thai coast, near the better-known Phuket) years ago, and admiring the huge rocks and hills that emerged out of the sea. I had not been back in years, but it seemed worth exploring. I went back last week and thought to myself: This is one-tenth the price of the Maldives and so much fun! Krabi is on the Andaman Sea, which as you may have surmised, is where the Andaman Islands are. It is only around 700km from Port Blair, the capital of the Andamans. In comparison, Chennai is around 1,300 km from Port Blair, and Kolkata is also just over 1,300 km away. Unfortunately, we have made such a bad job of developing the 836 islands of the Andamans that the Thais have left us far behind. And the success of Krabi demonstrates how much we have messed up our tourism infrastructure. There are direct Indigo flights between Delhi and Krabi, and the economy fare is only a little higher than the Delhi-Goa fare. I went via Bangkok on Indigo Stretch and had a much better flight than I have had on the exorbitantly priced Air India and Thai business class. (Stretch to Bangkok costs less than Delhi to Goa on Air Indiabusiness class.) Why go to Krabi apart from the cost advantages? Well, because the coast is stunningly beautiful. There are around 200 islands off the coast of Krabi, some inhabited and some too small to sustain communities. One of the first things I did was to get on a speedboat and go island-hopping. Some islands had jetties and some were so small that I had to get off in the shallow, crystal-clear water and wade to the shore. These are very different from the coral islands of the Maldives because they are largely composed of limestone and include hills and lush natural vegetation. The sand is fine and white, and while some islands attract visitors, many are largely empty, with just sea and sandy beaches bordering the trees and hills. The famous rock formations of Krabi are on these islands. If you want to spend a day on the beach or picnic on a Robinson Crusoe island, these islands are the places to go. There are many attractions on the mainland, and presumably they get some Indian visitors in the winter season because I saw many Indian restaurants with vegetarian food. And my hotel, The Banyan Tree, which has two Michelin keys, introduced me to its Indian chef, Chander Prakash from Simla. I asked him to cook me a home-style vegetarian meal (dal, sabzi, roti etc) and the food was very good. So, Krabi is a safe option for Indian vegetarians. But I only really saw the point of Krabi when I got to Koh Lanta, one of the larger islands. My hotel there, the wonderful Pimalai Resort and Spa, was the same price as luxury Goa resorts and could compete with the $2,000 Maldives resorts. Except that the villas are much larger (in all categories) than most Maldives villas. My view beat anything Goa had to offer. The villa was on a hill and offered a stunning bay view from where I could see the most spectacular sunsets. The villa was surrounded by tropical vegetation (in that sense it was a little like The White Lotus, though that show was shot at the top-of-the-line Four Seasons Samui) and you could see Lanta village in the distance. Food is never a problem in Thailand because the Thais have such a great cuisine, though you have to make it clear that they should cook for you like they cook for Thais and avoid the sanitised farang-friendly food. Pimalai has an executive chef from Meerut, so vegetarians are well looked after. The big questions: Is it as good as the Maldives? No, of course not. The Maldives has the best resorts in the world. But if you don't want to spend a couple of lakhs every night, then this is a very good alternative. You pay Goa prices or less for a holiday that is far superior than anything Goa has to offer, in hotels that are much better than any Goa hotels. The service is gracious and efficient. And, since you asked, there is no taxi mafia to contend with. There is just peace and quiet....