The Phi Phi islands are rightfully one of the most popular destinations in Thailand (and probably in all of South East Asia). In the Lonely Planet guide they describe this place as a hollywood star – partying every day until late night, but waking up fresh and beautiful again each morning. I couldn´t come up with a better comparison. Unfortunately, this lifestyle is taking its toll on Phi Phi and it´s hard to say how long it can keep up with this hectic tempo.
Today, I want to share with you everything I learned during our short stay on Phi Phi. Where is the best place to stay? What to eat and drink on a budget? What is there to do beside partying? Where can you find the most stunning beaches? Keep on reading and you find out.
This is my idea of a tropical paradise.
But first, here´s some geology and history 101 for you. The Phi Phi islands are located in Andaman sea, near the east cost of Thailand. You can find them between Phuket and Krabi, so it´s no surprise these islands attract both overnight guests and short-term visitors on their one-day trips from other popular destinations. The biggest island Ko Phi Phi Don is the only one that´s inhabited. It´s shape resembles the number 8 with a thin stripe of land in the middle that is surrounded by two beaches and rise up to mountains on the sides. The touristic centre is called Tonsai Village. The second island is called Phi Phi Leh, and you can find Maya Bay there – but more about this beach later in the text.
There are about 2-3 thousand inhabitants on Phi Phi Don. Most of the original population is Muslim, but new people are coming to the island creating and interesting mixture of original muslim community, new arrivals from Thailand with Buddhist roots, and European or American travellers who found their new home on Phi Phi. There are no cars on the island and most of the traffic is done by foot – after all, everything is either super short distance or reachable by boat only.
The islands were damaged by a tsunami back in 2004. The wave crashed Tonsai Village from both sides, meeting in the middle and leaving the village in ruins. Around 70 % of building were destroyed and thousands of people lost their lives. Since then, however, the centre was re-built from the ashes and life came back to normal pretty soon. Now the only thing reminding you of this disaster are evacuation signs throughout the island pointing to the nearest shelters and gathering points.
Oh, and there´s one more detail. The correct pronunciation is “pee-pee” – just like when you need to use the bathroom.
Hi there, Phi Phi. How you doing?
Accommodation and beaches
When choosing the right hotel or hostel on Phi Phi, it doesn´t always pay off to book the first thing you find on the internet. As with buying your first house, when it comes to accommodation on Phi Phi it´s location, location, location. It all depends what you want to do while there. Do you want to join the never-ending beach party? Are you looking for the best beaches for swimming and relaxing? Do you want to get a good night sleep but still stay close to the centre? I will go through all the main areas of the island and discuss pros and cons of staying there.
When it comes to choosing your hotel, it´s "location, location, location." Choose wisely.
1. Loh Dalum
The north beach is good for all the party people out there, who want to spend the day chilling and head to a proper beach party for the night. Al the bars on this beach turn into open-air clubs in the evening and they all try to be the loudest on the beach. And the party doesn´t stop at midnight, you can hear the music across the bay almost until the morning. If you plan to wake up early, you might want to live some place else.
Who is it for: Party-people who just want have a good time and enjoy the night life from up close
Pros: Living on Loh Dalum means that everything there is to Phi Phi is basically at your doorstep – the beach, the centre of Tonsai Village, the parties…
Cons: You simply won´t get a good night sleep here
This is the main beach during the day. At night, it´s a whole different story.
2. Ton Sai
The south bay is much quieter. Despite being within walking distance to Loh Dalum, most of the party noises never reach this side of the island. You find various accommodations here, but don´t expect luxurious resorts, there´s not enough space for them. Rather you will probably live in a small bungalow or teeny tiny room with miniature bathroom. On the other hand, you get everywhere within ten minutes – you´d be living just a few steps away from the harbour and the busy centre, and you just need to cross the island to get to the biggest beach party you´ve ever seen. Hovewer, you get some proper sleep during the night. Unfortunately, the Ton Sai beach is not very good for sunbathing and swimming, since this area is where all the ships go. You can only go into the sea in some places and the water is polluted.
Who is it for: Budget traveller who want to stay within the centre, but still get some good night sleep
Pros: Very close to everything but still quiet at night
Cons: The beach is not suited for sunbathing and swimming
Not really a swimmer´s heaven...
3. Long Beach
A little further from all the hustle of the centre, there is a place called Long beach. The water here should be cleaner than in Ton Sai Bay and the beach should be quieter and nicer than Loh Dalum. It´s reachable either by boat or by foot – there is a small trail leading form the village (but it´s not recommended to walk here at night, or drunk) and during low tide you can walk here through the beach.
Who is it for: People who want to have their peace, beautiful beach right outside their door, but like to visit the centre easily
Pros: more beautiful beach than in the village, and from all the remote beaches this one is the easiest to reach
Cons: coming home from the centre in the evening requires a water taxi
4. Loh Moo Dee Beach and the rest
On the map you can see Loh Moo Dee Beach marked by the number 4, but along the east cost there are some other remote beaches as well. All of them are fairly similar, so I decided to cover them all in this one paragraph. Personally, we visited Rantee Beach. These beaches are relatively small and usually there´s just a few possibilities of accommodation on each, so they can have nice “private beach” feeling. You can get here by boat or by taking a challenging hike over the Phi Phi Viewpoints. Besides sunbathing, swimming and snorkelling, there´s not much else to do here.
Who is it for: People who just wan to relax, chill and spend their vacation on the beach with a book in one hand and a cocktail in the other
Pros: Empty, private-like beaches and peaceful atmosphere
Cons: Beside your hotel´s services, there´s not much to do (there are usually no bars, restaurants and shops), you can only get to the centre by boat
Absolutely empy and so peaceful. Rantee beach is reachable by boat or by hiking over the Viewpoints.
5. Loh Bakao
I didn´t have time to visit the northern parts of the island, so I only know Loh Bakao from google maps. But this place looks like it´s halfway between the busy village and boring secluded beaches like number 4. There are some bungalows and even resorts to choose from, along with some restaurants and supermarkets. You can only get to the centre by boat, but there is a path leading to Loh Lana Beach and the small Nui Beach, which is perfect for sunset watching. Also reachable by foot is Haad Laem Thong (number 6 on the map).
Who is it for: Demanding clientele who wants to live in a beach-side resort, but still enjoy a bit of civilization outside their hotel
Pros: More luxurious accommodation possibilities than in the centre, facilities outside of hotel
Cons: It´s really far from the village
6. Haad Laem Thong
On the most northern part of the island, there are only a few resorts left. Apart from enjoying the services of your hotel, the only other option for you is to either walk to the Loh Bakao area or take a water taxi to the village.
Who is it for: People on holiday who just want to lay on the beach and enjoy the resort life
Pros: Privacy and luxury (if that´s what you´re after)
Cons: Absolutely no facilities and activities outside your resort
Boat trips for the win!
As I am sure, you already understand that boats are a necessity on Phi Phi since many of the beaches and areas are not reachable by foot. And obviously, the same goes for other islands around Phi Phi Don – like it´s little brother Phi Phi Leh, the Bamboo island or the Mosquito island. There are so many lagoons and bays to discover, where you can snorkel, swim with the sharks or find Nemo. Simply put, without a boat tour your visit to Phi Phi islands isn´t complete. Lucky for you, there are exactly five million of travel agencies on Phi Phi Don, so you have plenty of options to choose from. The weather was funny when we were on Phi Phi, it was sunny in the morning but cloudy and rainy in late afternoons – so we decided to take “just” a morning trip and after speaking to a few agencies on the island we chose a tour caller The Only Morning Trip.
What I wish I knew: before boarding, make sure you remember EXACTLY what your boat looks like. After making a stop, you might have a hard time finding it amongst other similar-looking speedboats.
The biggest advantage of this trip was that its schedule worked pretty well around the funny weather. Also, we were able to beat the crowds, not only coming from Phi Phi but also from Phuket and Krabi. Despite not being an early bird at all, I think waking up for this was definitely worth it.
Early morning, we gathered at the pier. The group was around 25 people and instead of the traditional but slow long-tail boat, we took a speed boat on this tour. We were looking forward to a full morning of beaches and underwater life. Our guide had a go pro camera with him, snapping pictures through the day, and they were online on their Facebook page later that afternoon.
That´s our group, around 25 people from all around the world.
The first stop of the day was Bamboo island (not sure why it´s called like this, there´s no bamboo), which is a beautiful piece of untouched tropical paradise. Ours was one of the first boats to arrive, which gave us the opportunity to really take it all in without the crowds. We stayed for about two hours, and even though we could actually spend the entire day there, it was plenty of time. We borrowed snorkelling gear from the boat, because after having a look under water on our 4 islands tour in Krabi, we knew that snorkelling in Thailand is always a good idea. The seabed on Bamboo island is covered with corals and luckily still full of life, despite the mass tourism. I have to say, from the two hours we had on this island, we spent only ten minutes with our head above the water, and the rest of the time we were swimming with the colourful fishes.
Waking up early really paid off, we were the first group to arrive on Bamboo island.
Which is why we got to experience it absolutely empty. Later, this beach became PACKED.
There were many other stops along the way on this trip, some very short only to take a picture from the boat, some involving a little bit more of swimming and snorkelling. First, the boeat went around the northern tip of the main island to Monkey Beach. Truth be told, during this holiday I have seen so many monkeys that I was rather unphased by the two lazy monkey boys drinking Fanta straight from the can on the beach. Later we headed towards the second biggest island – Phi Phi Leh. We went around Viking Cave. Despite seeing all kinds of blue throughout this trip, I was at awe of how amazing shades can be found in nature. The picture of the cave below has not been altered or filtered in any way.
I mean, this is cute, but please... keep your garbage to yourself, it´s seriously bad for the animals and nature in general.
Can I just point out one last time that this is genuinly how Viking cave looks? There has been no edits or filters done on this photo whatsoever.
The biggest attraction of Phi Phi used to be Maya Bay. Yes, the beach from the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio. This beach got insanely popular and the crowds coming here every day were distroing the local fauna and flora so badly, that the Thai government decided to take extreme measure and close the beach for tourism. At first, people could sail into the bay but had to stay on their boats, but now the entire bay is closed, and no boats can enter. The ban is indefinite. Because of this, our boat stopped just outside the forbidden area (which is market with red buoys) for us to take pictures.
On the other hand, this picture is in serious need of some edits. The lighting was just all kinds of wrong when we came to Maya Bay.
There were three more places to go to, one of them being the Pileh Bay Lagoon where we could enjoy a swim and some fun jumping off the boat into the clear-blue waters. Later the boat stopped in what looked like the middle of the sea for some more snorkelling – there were Nemo fishes and some other beautiful colourful underwater creatures. But the true highlight was swimming with sharks.
Iveta is preparing for her jump... and there she goes, scoring 7/5 stars for elegance and 3 more for effort. The crowds are going wild.
A big thanks for The Only Morning Trip for snapping this amazing underwater picture or us.
Oh and btw, we found Nemo.
There is a place called Shark Point, where (surprise) sharks live. This species is called the blacktip shark, and only after coming back home I learned they can grow up to 1,5 meters long and can even hurt people while being on a hunt, if those people get in the shark´s way! But usually they are rather shy, and they probably fear us more (or just the same) as we fear them.
Unfortunately for our group, the Shark Point was absolutely empty – I guess the sharks weren´t home at the time. I was about to come back to the boat, disappointed, but then I saw it – a big grey fish with the typical pointy fin. Next to me, there was a small shark who was almost a meter long. I got really scared and suddenly had trouble breathing under water through my snorkelling gear. I tried to get the attention of others to let them know I have indeed found a shark, but they were all far away and couldn´t see nor hear me. So after getting my heartbeat under control I went back under the water and actually swam side by side with that shark for a few minutes. It was such an incredible experience and I had it all to myself. I remained the only one from the group who met a shark that day.
I obviously didn´t take any picture so this one is stolen from Google, but it you´re lucky, oyu might see a full group or sharks.
And that´s it, guys. But as I said, you can pick a different trip with a different itinerary. Here are some other places or activities you can enjoy while on you one-day boat tour:
- Mosquito Island / Koh Yung – some tours stop here for snorkelling
- Watching the sunset from the boat
- Swimming with glowing plankton after sunset
- Nui Bay – small beach on the north of Phi Phi Don
4 other activities for you Phi Phi vacation
Some people just need a beautiful beach and they are covered for the entire vacation. And that´s exactly what Phi Phi offers. But if you get bored after two hours of sunbathing and want to discover the surrounding, that´s exactly what Phi Phi offers, too. And if you fancy a cold mojito to finish the day with, you couldn´t have chosen a better place to stay.
1. Rent a kayak
During the day, there are several kayak rentals on Loh Dalum Beach (the main beach). You only pay for the first hour, which is 200 THB, and then you can be on the sea as long as you like. After returning the kayak, you pay 100 THB for every extra hour. You also get a waterproof sack for your things and life jackets, so the rental is super stress-free, since you don´t need to worry about the time, your personal things getting wet or you drowning in the sea. The full day rental is around 700 or 800 THB. On the kayak, you can go to Monkey Beach or Nui Beach, which is a favourite sunset watching spot, but I wouldn´t like returning to shore after dark.
Just a little reminder: don´t be stupid like we were and don´t leave your life jacket on the beach. We realized we left them waaayyy later, when we were on the open sea and the wind started to blow really strong. Water started to have some weird currents and dragging us in the wrong direction so we had to work really hard to keep the kayak going towards the beach. At that moment I would kill to actually have the jacket on me, just to feel a bit safer.
Kayaking with a view like this... I could do this all day.
2. Hike those viewpoints
Did you know there are several viewpoints on Phi Phi? When people talk about Phi Phi Viewpoint, they usually refer to the series of three viewpoints, each of them a little higher than the previous one. The path starts between houses of the locals and small hostels and continues by a starway towards Viewpoint 1. This place, being the lowest one, offers a nice view but is full of people and there are some crazy decorations. This is where the “I love Phi Phi” sign is located. It´s nice to take pictures here, but don´t be fooled – the true Viewpoint is the second one.
"Number one" was fun and all, but the views were rather average.
There are weird but cute "statues" all over Viewpoint 1.
On Viewpoint 2 you get a full view of Phi Phi Don and the Tonsai Village being surrounded by mountains and sea. It´s a very popular place, a lot of people come here to enjoy the view, have a relaxing morning and stay for a while to grab a snack.
Are you sure you did Phi Phi right, if you haven´t hiked up to "number two" (see what I did there?)
Most people return to the village after this, but the smart ones continue even higher until they reach Viewpoint 3. This place is a private property, so you need to pay a small fee to enter. The family that lives here built a terrace with the most stunning view of the island. If the weather is nice, you get to see Bamboo island, Mosquito island and even the mainland. This place was virtually empty, and there´s a small bar where you can buy some soda or a popsicle.
"Number three" is the real deal in my opinion. Rewarding, secluded and quiet.
After you enjoy your private view, you can either go back the same way, or you can continue to the other side and reach one of the remote beaches on the east cost of Phi Phi. Returning to the village, however, requires you to either hike the mountain all over again or try to manage a boat taxi with one of the hotels on these beaches.
3. Enjoy the nightlife
Phi Phi is famous for the stunning nature and infamous for its huge nighlife. Each night, the Loh Dalum Beach turns into an open-air club where the party don´t stop. Alcohol is served by the bucket and people either dance around or try their hand in different competitions or even joggling with fire balls (which is not a good idea if you´re sober and it´s even worse when you´re drunk).
Loh Dalum at night and Loh Dalum during the day are two different worlds.
I mean, yeah, we bought a bucket of gin and tonic and it was awesome. Strolling through the village or the beach, sipping on your almost never-ending cocktail felt super nice, but after the day we had I was just too tired to join the riot. And besides, I decided to prioritize mornings on Phi Phi, and waking up early after a night out is impossible for me.
Death by drowning is not really an issue during the low tide at night, because the sea goes probably to India or somewhere. You´re more likely to burn alive from all those people playing with fire.
4. Try scuba diving
You know, I guess snorkelling was enough for me, at least for now, because I still feel way more comfortable with my head above water. But the underwater life around Phi Phi is very interesting and if I wasn´t a scared chicken, I might even consider scuba diving. Because what better place to start a new hobby like this than Phi Phi, am I right? There are plenty of scuba diving schools in the village. And because this place is super popular amongst traveller from all around the world, you might find a school where they speak your native tongue – even if it´s a bit exotic, like Czech or Slovak.
Managing Phi Phi on a budget
Thailand is super cheap to anyone from the west, but Phi Phi is definitely one of the most expensive places in the country. Keeping a strict budget, however, doesn´t have to be so hard, if you follow a few simple rules:
- Avoid restaurants offering western food. They are here only for the tourists, so the prices are also only for the tourists. Pizza on Phi Phi is more expensive than in the centre of Rome, and I doubt it´s any better (to be honest, it´s probably much worse). Just skip the western meals and try to look for something a bit more authentic and local.
- If drinking is what you´re after, try taking advantage of various Happy Hours that you can find in most of the bars. Or you can have a bucket of your favourite drink to-go, and they cost as little as 200 THB (and they are huge!).
- Find your accommodation in advance. Phi Phi is small and most of the cheaper options are sold out long before the actual date. If you decide to find your hostel after you arrive, you might get lucky and find a nice deal, but you can also get really unlucky and pay a fortune.
- If you plan on going to the centre often, choose accommodation in the village, so you don´t have to pay for water taxi each time you fancy a nightlife or a change of scenery.
- Haggle – when buying souvenirs or when booking your trips. You can get as low as half the original price. On the other hand, haggling is not acceptable in most restaurants and with street food vendors.
Bucket is a friend, he won´t let you down (just drink responsibly, ok?)
And I conclude this exhausting article with “The advice you never asked for”
- After arriving to Phi Phi, you need to pay a small fee as an “green tax” which is around 20 THB. Just bear it in mind and have some small cash on you.
- It´s soooo much fun to walk around Phi Phi sipping on your bucket. Just be aware that this amount is actually not one drink, more like two or three. It´s very warm, so you´ll be tempted to drink it quickly (so the ice doesn´t melt), but just remember my words, when you wake up with the hangover of the century.
- Hike to the Viewpoint first thing in the morning, before the temperature stops being survivable.
- When choosing a boat tour, you gotta compromise. Either you go early in the morning and beat the crowds, or you go during the day and stay later to watch the sunset and maybe even swim with plankton.
- Don´t even bother bringing your camera on the boat tour, unless it´s waterproof. On the other hand, it´s the perfect place to finally use that Go Pro camera for some amazing fish-related footage.
- Getting to Phi Phi from the land is easy, there are boats leaving from Krabi very often. You can buy the ticket either at the pier (if you live close by) or at any travel agency or tour company, who will come pick you up at your hotel and drop you off at the pier before departure. We bought return ticket, but in hindsight this was not the best idea. Ironically, buying two one-way tickets would be cheaper and you can choose from more companies and timetables once you´re on the island.
The cost of things (Autumn 2019):
- Boat from Krabi to Phi Phi: around 400 HB one way (10 EUR / 12 USD)
- Accommodation (2 people / 3 nights): 3150 THB (85 EUR / 99 USD)
- Gin&Tonic bucket: 200 THB (5 EUR / 6 USD)
- Entrance to all three viewpoints: 50 THB (1,3 EUR / 1,5 USD)
- The Only Morning Trip: 2300 THB / 2 people (62 EUR / 72 USD)
- Kayak rental: 300 THB for two hours (8 EUR / 9 USD)
Where to next:
Link to accommodation – Phi Phi Sand Sea View Resort
It was one of the cheapest options on the island, so it was not that comfortable, but enough for a short stay. We had a room on the second floor overlooking the TonSai Bay, whch was so beautiful and sunlit in the morning.
Check out The Only Morning Trip on Facebook.
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