Koh Phi Phi Islands, Thailand

Koh Phi Phi Islands, Thailand (3/4-6/2014)

We absolutely loved our visit to the beautiful islands of Koh Phi Phi!

Beautiful Long Beach on Koh Phi Phi Don

These islands offer some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Yes, the island of Koh Phi Phi Don is overrun with visitors and development in certain areas. But... if you know a secret we discovered, this can be avoided. Keep reading and we will tell you the secret to finding the laid-back paradise that Koh Phi Phi can be.

Sunset at Long Beach on Kho Phi Phi Don

Koh Phi Phi (pronounced 'Ko PP') is a group of 6 islands off of southeast Thailand near Phuket in the Krabi Province. Of the many islands we have visited in the world (and we love beach islands), Koh Phi Phi Don is one of the most beautiful and fun we have visited. The entire area is a marine National Park.

Ton Sai Village 
on Pho Phi Phi Don, Thailand

Ariel View of Kho Phi Phi Don, Thailand

Koh Phi Phi Don is the largest and only populated island of the group. Most of the development is in the narrow sandbar separating two of the islands most prominent beaches. This is in and around Ton Sai village where you can find the most action and budget backpacker accommodations along with more upscale hotels. Ton Sai is where you want to stay if you want more action. If you want a more relaxing stay with much less crowds, then...

Beach Resort on Long Beach 
- Kho Phi Phi Don

Our Beach Beach Bungalow 
on Long Beach

Ton Sai Village on Pho Phi Phi Don

Here’s the secret... We stayed on Long Beach where there are nice accommodations right on the picturest beach with amazing views! The ocean water is 3 shades of blue, surrounded by stunning island cliffs rising out of the ocean (see photos). Staying on Long Beach was everything we dreamed about a Thai island – steps to the silky tree-lined beach, breathtaking views, swimming in calm warm turquoise ocean water, beautiful sunsets, wonderful romantic Thai dinners on the beach, nice snorkeling and diving, and 400 Baht ($12) hour-long massages – again on the beach under a tree with warm breezes blowing over you. This is a wonderful tradeoff of beautiful quiet beach with several good restaurants where you can choose to walk or take a long boat into town for partying, etc.

Lunch Overlooking Long Beach 
and the Long Boats

On Long Beach you can enjoy very good Thai food from close-by restaurants overlooking the beautiful beach. The nightlife on Long Beach is quiet so you take a long boat into town (Ton Sai Village) for some shopping or vibrant nightlife. The 10-minute boat ride costs just a few dollars. 

Pe-Ley Bay - Kho Phi Phi, Thailand

You can walk into town from Long Beach but only the fit should attempt it because there is a tricky climb. Prices at Long Beach are more expensive than in town but still very good compared to other places in the world.

Breakfast at Beautiful Long Beach 
- Kho Phi Phi Don

We stayed at The Paradise Resort Phi Phi on Long Beach in one of the beach bungalows upgrading to one facing across from the beach. The upgrade was well worth it for us seeing the beautiful beach and ocean everyday. Breakfast is served each morning with a beautiful beach view (see photo).

Amazing Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Leh

Don’t miss taking one of the boat trips, especially to Koh Phi Phi Leh that was made famous by the 1998 movie The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio. Maya Bay is truly beautiful (see photo) and well worth the visit even if it is crowded. Go early in the morning if you want to miss the crowds. 

We are off on Our Long Boat Excursion

We did it on a half-day boat trip for 500 Baht ($15)/person that also included a scenic ride to a couple of the other beautiful islands with snorkeling and a visit to monkey island (see photo). For about 700 Baht/person you can visit more places such as Ko Pai (Bamboo) Island that is beautiful.

Wayne Monkeying Around 
on Monkey Beach

Besides relaxing and enjoying one of the spas, there is plenty to do on Koh Phi Phi Don. For the fit adventurers, a steep walk up to the Viewpoint offers great views of the entire island. You can also try rock climbing, kayaking, yoga, snorkeling, and diving. Monkey Beach is fun. As you can see from the photo, I ignored the warnings about bites. You may want to be more cautious. 

Ariel View Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Leh

You might want to have a drink at a beach bar and check out a Fireshow in the evening. There are several pretty beaches you may want to walk to take a long boat such as Yao Beach, Lanti Beach, and Hin Khao Beach.

Our Beach Resort on Kho Phi Phi Don

When to Go: High season in this part of Thailand is from November through April. The rainy season is from May to December. The best time is from February to the beginning of April when there are less crowds, better value for accommodations, and the weather is almost perfect with calm seas. Peak season is in December and January and accommodations can be scarce and more expensive.

Loh Samah Bay on Koh Phi Phi, Thailand

Getting there: We flew into Phuket airport from Bangkok. From there, we took a 45-minute taxi to the Rassada ferry pier, a ferry to the Ton Sai Pier on Koh Phi Phi, and a long boat to our hotel on Long Beach. Make sure you purchase your taxi ride from the taxi stand at the Phuket airport or the taxi guys will try to charge you a lot more. There are websites that you can book the ferry ticket that may be a good idea, especially during busy times. 

Thai Food Dinner - Kho Phi Phi, Thailand

From Koh Phi Phi, you can take ferries to other places such Koh Lanta, Railey, Ao Nang, and Karbi. You can also fly into the Krabi Airport (KBV) and come from there. If you are planning to ferry-hop these other places like we did (wonderful experience), you may want to consider flying into Phuket or Krabi airports and flying out the other.

Our Paradise Resort - Kho Phi Phi Don, Thailand

Some recent history: The Koh Phi Phi islands were devastated by the Indian Ocean 2004 tsunami. Ton Sai village on Koh Phi Phi Don was nearly wiped out. With new building codes to preserve views, Koh Phi Phi’s infrastructure has been rebuilt.

For much more information on visiting all the beautiful beach destinations in Thailand including hotel, restaurant, and other reviews, we found this website to be very helpful:

Thailand, Bali, & other Destinations.

Please see our other post on Thailand:

Phuket town, Thailand

 

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