fluffernutter09

Thanks everyone, really helpful and much appreciated. Going to check out pricing / logistics for Klong Muang Beach or Tubkaek Beach, and if those don't strike my fancy (or perhaps even if they do), we'll just plan to do Ao Nang after all but hop a boat to Railay for a day of lazy beach time. Thanks!

Going to be in the Krabi area for only about 2.5/ 3 nights days in early November. I have an early flight departing KBV at the end of our stay - 8:00a or so -- and from my research it appears I shouldn't stay in Railay therefore, as originally planned, b/c it'll be very difficult (or maybe impossible?) to find a longtail to take us over to Ao Nang / catch a taxi to the airport. 

Assuming I'm right about departing Railay being a bad idea at 5a on our departure date... are there any beautiful beaches you'd recommend we look for hotels on in or around the Krabi area, that wouldn't require a boat ride? Looking for a place with clear waters / a good area for swimming; Ao Nang obviously has a lot of hotels to choose from, but I've also read it's super packed and the beaches aren't very clear / good for swimming.  (Is that true?)

Thank you in advance - I appreciate any tips/recommendations you might have! 

This very very helpful, thanks to you all! 

Not our preference to come in this late, but our flight from the US connects through Hong Kong and this is what we ended up with. At least we know we won't be alone per KhunBENQ! (Fingers crossed to avoiding confused cleaners haha)

Sounds like we can feel relatively confident in finding a cab between the official queue or the departures area, even if we'll need to negotiate a bit / not be surprised by a fixed rate fare. That makes me feel much better. We'll plan to hit an ATM (no fees from our bank) in the airport since it sounds like they're around, and just deal with changing our required-on-entry-USD later in Ayutthaya. (Or not, and keep using ATM's, and just stash the USD for emergencies/redeposit when we're home...). And since it sounds like SIM's can be found at lots of 7-11's and won't be an issue in Ayutthaya, I'll just plan to pick one up there and not stress about it if we don't see an open option in the airport, or just buy a super basic one that we top up later. 

You all have seriously put my anxiety to rest; I was worried the airport would be dead and it'd be a huge hassle arriving this late. Thanks VERY much!!

Hope this is OK to post here. If not, feel free to redirect me. 

Assuming I arrive on time, I'm going to arriving at BKK at 2:30 AM from China. The airports I'm used to are usually fully closed up at that hour, but I'm not sure what to expect at BKK: 

1. Will customs be pretty busy then, or no? Trying to get an idea of when I'd actually be out of the airport; unsure if it'll take 30-45 mins vs. 3 hours. Mostly curious b/c of how that timing would then play into the following questions...
    
2. From what I can tell SuperRich is not going to be open at 2:30a. Are there any other good money changers in the airport that might be (google didn't get me anywhere)? If not, I'll need to exchange currency before I go to have on hand for a cab, either in the USA before I head out, or I suppose in the hong kong airport if that's going to give me a better rate of exchange for some reason. 
    
3. Will cabs be readily available that early in the morning? I need to go from BKK to Ayutthaya; are odds good that I can find someone willing to take me that far in the middle of the night? If not, I may need to plan for a pricier pre-booked car service; don't want to be stranded at BKK for a few hours waiting to get to Ayutthaya. 
   
   Bonus question: any idea what I should expect to pay for a cab for this trip from BKK to Ayutthaya, assuming the answer is "yes you'll be able to find someone"? Just want a ballpark understanding so taht I can tell whether someone is scamming me if they'll only take fixed price.
    
4. Will need a SIM for my phone. Will any providers be open at that hour in BKK? If not, am I likely to find a provider in Ayutthaya, or is that more of a Bangkok-only thing, meaning I'll need to expect not to have cell service / data for a while? 

Thanks very much!