Ko Phi Phi Islands
Thailand

This article is about two of the Phi Phi Islands
(Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Ley),
and mostly about Ton Sai Bay on Phi Phi Don.

Ever seen "The Beach" (2000) with Leonardo DiCaprio?

I believe that the popularity of Ko Phi Phi grew after this movie!

Well, Phi Phi`s white sand beaches are known worldwide because the islands are surrounded by clear, turquoise water and a vast variety of marine life.

This makes the islands excellent for snorkelling and diving, and have attracted backpackers and tourists from all over the world!

The island itself is spectacular as well, because of its limestone cliffs, beautiful bays and delicious sea food.

But Phi Phi has gone through a lot..

Most of us remember the Indian Ocean tsunami that hit Phi Phi Don back in December 2004.

Did you know...

...that the Phi Phi island group is actually six islands:

• Phi Phi Don
• Phi Phi Ley
• Yung Island (Mosquito Island)
• Bamboo Island
• Bida Nok
• Bida Nai

"Don" means big, and "Ley" means small.

When I walked around in the streets of Ko Phi Phi (Dec 2007), I saw locals building houses, heaps of rocks and blue signs of tsunami evacuation routes located at many restaurants, cafes and roads.

It was hard to imagine that this beautiful island was hit hard by the tsunami...

... But despite the catastrophe, the island has maintained its true beauty!

That`s why I think it`s important to contribute to the habitants` economy by visiting the island. Good for the local Thai people, and good for your karma! ;-)

Where to sleep

During the high season (Nov-Jan/Feb) the prices for accommodation on Ko Phi Phi rise! That`s because there are so many tourists and backpackers on the island at this time of year.

So if you`re planning to spend Christmas/New Year`s on Ko Phi Phi, I strongly recommend that you book a room in advance.

This was one of my many mistakes:

I stopped by Ko Phi Phi around New Year`s and thought that it wouldn`t be a problem finding cheap accommodation. I was clearly kidding myself when I heard that there were few "budget" options. I even heard that the normal price for a room would be between 500-1500 B.

So again, book in advance! This way, you`ll save time and energy.

Here are some options!

The Rock

Price per night: Dorms from 200-400 B

I think the Rock is the only dorm you can find on Ko Phi Phi.
So, if you`re looking for cheap accommodation, you should try The Rock.

Ironically, I heard about this place on my last day in Ko Phi Phi... So I didn`t get to crash there a couple of nights. But I met two backpackers at the Garlic 1992 Restaurant who told me about the Rock:

The Rock is Spartan basic, and its location makes it even better:
it`s right in the middle of restaurants, shops and a 3-5 minutes walk to the Lo Dalam beach. They even have their own restaurant where they sell great Thai dishes!

You should book a couple of days ahead cause it fills up quickly during the high season.

It`s located near Rim Khao Guest House.

Phone nr: 075-612 402.

Oasis Guest House

Price per night: 800 B (Jan 2008)

I didn`t find my room particular special, but it had a clean bathroom, hot water, fan, Western toilet and it was a 5 minutes walk to the beach.

My room was on the 1st floor, so I had problems sleeping at night because of the thin walls. I could hear all the noise from the street.
Your call!

RC Guest House

Price per night: 1200 B (Dec 2007)

For this price you can get a bathroom with hot water and Western toilet, fan, mirror and a wardrobe. '

Internet surfers will find a small internet "shop" downstairs and they provide laundry services. Otherwise they arrange pick-ups at the pier, and it took about 3 minutes to walk to the beach. That's just perfect!

But the place has thin walls as well.. In the middle of night we could hear our British neighbours doing it...

Phi Phi Viewpoint Resort

Viewpoint at Ko Phi Phi -- Image credit: siamhotel.net

If you`re interested in luxury accommodation on Ko Phi Phi, try the Phi Phi Viewpoint Resort by Sunflower Bar.

It`s supposed to be a great place. I met some Australian travellers who enjoyed their stay there.

Visit Phi Phi Viewpoint Resort`s website.

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Where to eat and relax

If you want reasonable food prices, I suggest you eat inside Ton Sai Village instead of eating at a restaurant on the beach. The prices by the beach can be overpriced and the food doesn`t necessarily taste better.

I personally preferred eating at local restaurants or food stalls, so I could have authentic Thai food. And if I got sick of Thai food, I just went to restaurants serving Western food.

Garlic 1992 Restaurant

I usually had my brunch and dinner at the small restaurant Garlic 1992. The prices are reasonable and the food is great. They serve Thai and a few Western dishes. Their sea food, Pad Thai and Panang Curry tasted excellent!

It was usually packed every time I got there, but be patient. You don`t need to wait that long before there`s an available seat.

To get there walk on the main road towards Lo Dalam beach. It`s not far from The Rock and Oasis GH!

Local food!

If you want a more local atmosphere on Ko Phi Phi, there`s a small restaurant 3 minutes from Lo Dalam beach. Don`t remember the name I`m afraid.. But the place has blue walls and it`s just around the corner of RC Guest House.

They had a sign on the street, advertising for great seafood... and they were right! I tried the rice dish with slightly fried squid and it was delicious.

Meal prices: Between 30-100 B

Lemongrass Restaurant

My delicious crsipy sniper dinner on Ko Phi Phi!

I love fish and Ko Phi Phi is known for sea food, so I wanted to try it.

Their fried sniper with lots of garlic and fresh salad, and some warm rice, made my taste buds go crazy!

The sniper dish was supposed to be a meal for two people, but I ate most of it.. It was that good!

Cheap cheap market!

You`ll find a large market inside Ton Sai Village selling many types of fruit, vegetables and meat.

Pass the fruits and vegetables, and you`ll find food stalls. They have some cheap dishes on their menus. Try the Chicken soup with coconut milk..or their BBQ...aah...to die for!

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Where to party

Ton Sai Village is the party place of Ko Phi Phi!

You can find bars everywhere! After the sunset, the streets fill up even more than during the day.

Rolling Stoned 2003 Bar

We went here on New Year`s Eve (2007/2008). And we bought Singhas and gin tonics while listening to a live local band singing Led Zeppelin, The Doors and other classicals.

When it got close to midnight, the place was full. The bar has its own charm to it: chess-patterned floor, a huge wall with famous Western celebrities (like the Beatles), teak tables, pool table (I love pool!) and a warm atmosphere!

Sunflower Beach Bar

The Sunflower was surrounded by palm trees and had pillows, so you can sit on the sand. To me, it was a perfect spot to watch the beautiful sunset.

On New Year`s, we spent the last hours before midnight at Sunflower.

Let me tell you about this place...

One of the special things about this place was the interior.

It was weird, but unique and comfortable.

You`ll feel like you`re on a pirate boat/stranded island because of the stuffed fish, bricks of wood, sea shells, wooden flutes and bowls hanging from the roof net. And there was a tailor-boat in the middle of the bar... as I said.. UNIQUE!!

A long-tail boat by the bar -- unique! -- Ko Phi Phi	Drunk local trying blowing the Didgeridoo -- Ko Phi Phi	Sunflower Bar during daytime -- you can see that it`s right by the beach! -- Ko Phi Phi

Sunflower gets even more interesting...

I saw a small library at the left-side of the bar where you can just... relax.

QUICK TIP!

Feeling warm after all the dancing?

Try a refreshing night dip at the beach.

Outside Sunflower, some guys threw me in the water while I was still wearing my dress.. So I took a night dip and felt like a kid again, playing and rolling in the water. It was so relaxing just letting my hair down...

But beware of the strong current combined with alcohol..

Another thing...

We danced to a local "band" and drank buckets and Banana Daquiris. Some of the staff played "music." To be honest, it didn`t sound like it and I wasn`t the only one noticing it.

One local hippie tried an instrument resembling a Didgeridoo (don`t know the Thai name).

Well, all I can say is.. nice try...!

On the other hand, I didn`t know if the guys were just too drunk (perfectly normal on New Year`s), or if it was normally like that at Sunflower.

But the location, drinks and atmosphere make up for this!

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Where to shop

I can`t recommend any specific shops on Ko Phi Phi because I seriously don`t remember any names. All I can say is that you don`t have to go far before you can see the shops in Ton Sai Village.

From the pier and all the way up to Lo Dalam Beach, you`ll see shops and stalls in every corner...

What can I buy there?

You can find t-shirts, swimming shorts, bikinis, handcrafts, beautiful wooden jewellry, DVDs, CDs, bags, money purses, snorkelling masks, souvenirs, paintings, posters, buttons, dresses...

My point is that you`ll find everything you need inside the village. I also noticed some small second-hand shops selling everything from clothing to books.

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Activities on Phi Phi

The cheapest thing to do is to rent a long-tail boat, so you can snorkel and explore the turquoise water around
Maya Beach (Phi Phi Ley).

I think it cost 2000 B for the whole trip (we were 6 persons. So around 300 B per person). Remember to bargain!

Boat is bouncing all the way to Phi Phi Ley -- to Maya Beach!	The clear water -- Ready to snorkel!	Another long-tail boat by Maya Beach -- Ko Phi Phi

The trip lasted from 03:00 pm to 06:00 pm, and we bought fruit, snacks and drinks for the trip. It took about half an hour to get from Lo Dalam beach to Maya beach.

On our way, the wind was strong and we were bouncing on waves. So if you suffer from motion-sickness you should bring tablets just in case...

When we finally arrived near Maya Beach, the driver stopped the engine.

Take a look at this...

You can get off so you can see the beach, but we didn`t do that. Since there was an extra fee (200B) for getting on land, we didn`t bother. They charge you this fee because Maya Beach is a protected National Park in Thailand.

Anyway, in our opinion the fun was in the water, not on the beach!

So, we jumped in the water and snorkelled!

The water was incredibly clear -- I could actually see the bottom (4-5 metres) while standing in the boat. I saw huge colourful brain corals formed as balloons.

And below the water surface you`ll see different types of amazing fish:

Clown/anemone fish, butterfly fish, bannerfish, snappers and other fish types I don`t know the names of. The fish swam beneath me, beside me and it tickled! Because of this, I kept laughing under water and got it in my throath a couple of times.

The cliffs at Ko Phi Phi Ley...

After the snorkelling, the driver took us to some cliffs where we could jump off.

Our cool boat driver went cliff-jumping first. I`m afraid of heights so I had to gather some courage to do this.

Me and another traveller chose a cliff that stood 3 metres above the water.

I hesitated at first when I saw how "high" it was. The others told me that this was the moment I had to let go of my fear, and that I had to get a grip of myself..and just jump..

And so I did...twice!

I was so proud of myself after this experience!!!

The Beach!

You can do whatever you want on Lo Dalam Beach: Tanning while reading a book, swimming, take a long walk along the beach, snorkelling, kayaking etc.

Need tips on sunscreen? -- Go here!

If you go kayaking, watch out for the current!

On our way back from Maya Beach, a sporty couple was trying to kayak towards Lo Dalam. The current was too strong for them. They paddled and paddled, but it didn`t seem like they were getting close to the beach. They were just drifting away!

Our boat driver saw this, pulled out a rope and threw the rope so they could tie it to their kayak... The way the couple fought the current looked... scary!

Diving and Rock-Climbing!

Image credit: divernet.com

But one of the shops that I heard was recommended:

Spidermonkey (rock-climbing)

If you want to find out more, you can check out their website.

When it comes to diving, you can check out one of these options and find the one that appeals to you:

Dive the World
Scuba Diving
Mosquito Diving
Phi Phi Scuba Diving Center


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Beauty and Tattoo

I can`t remember any names of any beauty, massage or tattoo places either. But I do know that you can find these kind of shops everywhere inside Ton Sai Village.

I had my Thai massage at a small salon 4 minutes from Lo Dalam Beach (if coming from the beach, it`s on your right-side near RC Guest House). I only saw one-way to the beach, so I hope it`s easy for you to locate.

The massage cost around 300 B and it made me doze off like a baby..

You`re done reading about Ko Phi Phi, where do you want to go next?

Going (back) to Bangkok?

Stopping by Koh Pha Ngan for the Moon Parties?

Heading for Ao Nang or the Railey Peninsular?

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