We took a quick ferry from
Railay West to Ko Phi Phi, and along the way we passed what seemed like
hundreds of small, lush, oddly shaped, jagged islands like something out of
movie.
We’d heard mixed reviews about Ko Phi Phi and people either
seemed to love it or hate it. Some described it like an eternal college Spring
break destination, and others described it as paradise in the form of desolate
beaches. Luckily for us, we found both, and concluded those who hated it must
not have explored the island enough because to us, there seemed to be something
for everybody.
We stayed on a beautiful
stretch of beach on the border of Tonsai Bay and Yao Beach, which seemed to be a 15 minute walk from everything: the
Tonsai Pier from where the ferry and most scuba trips depart, laid back Long
Beach (along Loh Moo Dee Bay), the craziness and nightlife along Loh Dalam Bay. The area we
stayed was quiet and relaxing and accessible to everything, which was perfect
for us. Despite what some people told us about the noise and (lack of)
cleanliness, I really think this island has it all and if you know what you
want, you can easily find it there. Sure, you have to come by ferry, and it’s a
bit chaotic, loud and very busy when you first arrive at the Tonsai Pier, but you
know what they say…don’t judge a book by it’s cover…so don’t judge Ko Phi Phi
by just one small part of the island! Here is a helpful map to orient yourself with the island.
After
dropping off our luggage at our hotel, we headed straight for Yao Beach which was basically at
our doorstep. Like Railay, the water was crystal clear and warm, and the beach
was an idyllic white sand beach lined with lush trees. The view was pretty
amazing as we saw those same crazy looking islands out in the distance,
including the famed Phi Phi Ley, home to Maya Beach where “The Beach” was filmed
back in 2000. We never saw the movie, but it’s hugely publicized there and we
even saw maps with Leonardo DiCaprio’s face as a milestone marker!!
We then took off to explore
the island, as it was much, much larger than Railay Beach. There are so many
“neighborhoods” there and we definitely didn’t see them all as many of them you
can only get to by boat. We did venture into the crazy “downtown” area which
was flooded with 20-something tourists and backpackers. That area felt like it
could’ve been any young city, with back to back restaurants, bars, shops, and
men asking if you want to eat at their restaurant as you look at the menu
outside, just like in Europe. We walked through this area to get to the beach along Lo Dalam Bay, and it was probably the
craziest beach I’ve ever seen.
If you’re in your 20’s and you want a party
atmosphere…go here. If you don’t want noise and young people running around
drunk, definitely stay somewhere else. The beach was littered with bars,
blaring music, and tons of people. You can’t easily lay out at this beach as
the bars have chairs set out for customers only, so we basically walked
through, relaxed to watch the sunset, and were on our way. We had dinner at one
of the many restaurants offering Thai food, pizza, and more varied, slightly
touristy food. We stopped on our way back to our hotel to view one of those
fire shows that were seemingly everywhere, consisting of a young boy twirling a
stick of fire in all directions, throwing it in the air, sometimes dropping
it…pretty entertaining…more so with a drink in your hand at a beach bar.
In addition to exploring the island, we went scuba diving! This was initially the reason I put Thailand on my bucket list back in 2005…Ko Phi Phi is one of the top five dive spots in the world, and for good reason. Despite friends telling me to skip this island, I knew I had to go, if for nothing more than the diving. There are hundreds of dive shops to choose from on Phi Phi, and I’d done some research before our trip and found this little independently-owned, environmentally friendly shop called Blue View Divers. The were so nice, easy to work with, and let my fiance come along as a snorkeler for super cheap.
We met them at the Tonsai
Pier and left for Maya Bay, the
first of our two dive spots. It was really nice to be at Maya Bay for something
other than the beach, because as the morning went on, there were way too many
boats and tourists there for my taste! A lot of people do day trips from Phuket
out to Maya Beach so if you want to go, definitely go early in the morning or
around sunset when the day trippers aren’t there. The diving was pretty
incredible. The first thing we saw was a black tip reef shark. Luckily they
only eat fish and plankton because they looked like sharks (the kind that eat
people) to me! We desceneded into the water and it was so clear and warm, and
there were bright schools of fish everywhere, not to mention beautiful coral,
clown fish, and so many fish that I can’t begin to list them all here.
Our next dive spot was to Ko Bida Nok, just next to Phi Phi Ley. The
diving here was even more incredible, probably the best diving I’ve ever
experienced (my previous favorites include Belize and Lana’I, Hawaii). My
favorite part was when the dive master motioned for us to literally swim
through a school of fish, and on the other side we discovered a small cave. We
swam along with the fish and came out the other side and it was awesome. My
writing probably doesn’t do it justice, but I understand why Phi Phi is one of
the top dive spots in the world and highly, highly recommend checking it out if
you are a diver! I never can get over how cool it is to experience life at the
bottom of the ocean. It’s so quiet and serene when all you can hear is your own
breathing, and you’re focused enough on your surroundings that you can’t
possibly be thinking about anything else. In that way, it’s very meditative and
peaceful and I just love that.
After an eventful day of
diving, we headed out for a short walk to Long
Beach. This was my fiance’s favorite beach of our entire trip. It is a long
stretch of beach, as the name implies, along Loh Moo Dee Bay, and feels very isolated and laid back.
You can take a boat there, or you can walk for about 10-15 minutes (from our
hotel) along a somewhat uneven dirt path. During the day it was fine, but I
wouldn’t recommend doing this walk at night as there wasn’t any light; it’s
literally a dirt path around some of the local housing (shacks). There were far
fewer people at Long Beach, and better yet, fewer boats humming around. There
were also very few restaurants/bars, so again, we liked it but it depends on
what you’re looking for. This was like a 180 from Loh Dalam Bay and we loved the diversity on the island. We stayed
at Long Beach for hours, just relaxing on the beach, swimming, and walking down
the beautiful white sand beach.
The next day, our last partial
day before we left on the ferry, I walked up to the “View Point” which takes you up hundreds of very steep stairs to one
of the highest points on the island, offering a panoramic view. I went in the
morning, but I definitely recommend coming here to watch the sunset, as the
high walls of the island actually block the sunset from most beaches on Phi Phi
Don, but here you will actually be able to see the sun itself. We loved the
View Point and it was a nice little workout to the top. The flat stroll (or
run) through the middle of the island and then up tons of stairs definitely
provides some quick and intense exercise (especially in the thick humidity!)
for those looking for activity, as we always are. Bring some cash with you
though – it was 20 TB to get in – this helps them maintain the area. It feels
like a tropical garden at the top, with absolutely magnificent views of the
island and ocean below. Definitely check this out while you’re there!
Where we stayed: Phi Phi Villa Resort
We loved it here and I really don't know why it only got 2.5 starts on Trip Advisor. We found it to be clean, the people friendly and helpful, the grounds beautiful and the location perfect.
Favorite Restaurant: Pappaya
Favorite Beach: Long Beach
Dive shop of choice: Blue View Divers
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