This makes me sad. We arrived at one of the most beautiful places in Thailand and found out the consequences of a, traveling in the rainy season and b, eating bacteria-laden chicken. If there’s somewhere we could go back to and do over, Phi Phi would be it. We loved the place and wish we could have made more of our time there.
Despite a full day laid up in bed/in the bathroom and didn’t venture out to other islands on a boat trip like we planned, we made the most of the Phi Phi Don (the main island) and explored its laneways, learnt where to get a cheap drink at sunset and where to get a deep-fried western meal, post food-poisoning. We also loved our accommodation and the pool we basically had to ourselves for three days, maybe you could stay here too. Read on for details.
Getting to Phi Phi
We had been staying in Karon, Phuket and therefore Phi Phi was only a two-hour boat-ride away. As the ferry leaves from the other side of Phuket, near Phuket Town, we didn’t want to muck around with the Tuk Tuk mafia or waving down taxis, so we opted for the most convenient way to travel, by organizing a pick up through the ferry company. I find these shuttles generally pick you up at least half hour after they say they will, as they first make their way around the hotels to pick up the other travellers, but sometimes they can surprise you, so it pays to be ready early. The cost of the ferry and pick up was approx. 1950THB and we booked through phuketferry.com. Speedboats are also available but speed comes at a premium I’m afraid.
The ferry ride was decent enough though, with travellers either opting for the comfortable seats below deck, or catching some rays on the top deck, unfortunately it wasn’t particularly nice weather the day of our crossing, but I made my way outside as we approached Phi Phi, to shoot some pics of the gorgeous island sanctuary.
The boat pulls up between the hundreds of long-tail boats and supply ships on one side of the island at Tonsai Port. From here you’ll disembark the ferry and pay a small tax (200 baht) ‘at the ferry terminal’, which is said to cover the rubbish cost of your stay. The island has a little more rubbish than what we would have like to have seen, so we’re not entirely sure this tax is going to the right people, but is a requirement of entry. While we had our accommodation sorted, there’s plenty of locals waiting for the boats to arrive to sell you accommodation options. Because we kind of knew where our accommodation was, we made our way on foot to our hotel, just a few hundred metres away.
How Phi Phi rolls
Having traveled to the the Gili islands previously, I’d say Phi Phi has more in common with this small group of islands than anywhere else we’d been. No roads, just lanes and no cars or motorbikes. Instead feet are the preferred mode of transport with locals pulling carts behind them when there’s heavy stuff to transport around the main island, which is only around 12km2 – not that big! Because of it’s small footprint, the place is perfect either for staying a couple of days or a couple of months, and there’s a decent amount of long-term tourists to prove it, with the bars and dive shops, full of tourists who are looking to earn a dollar or two while in the area.
There are of course the places from the movies that have made the area so attractive to tourists, that being Maya Bay (The Beach) and James Bond Island and all easily accessible from Phi Phi Don. With the beautiful landscape, it’s hard to imagine that only a few years ago, much of the island was wiped out in the Boxing Day Tsunami. The locals have really rebuilt the place quite quickly, although it stuns us, that perhaps more planning and thought weren’t put into the reconstruction of the island, but I guess what it is now makes it still feel local and accessible to travellers on a budget.
Where we stayed
Our three night stay on the island was at P.P. Casita Hotel, which we found via Agoda. It was a pricier option at 1500 Baht a night, but the grounds were lovely and the bungalow we stayed in a sure step-up from the fan-only dorm rooms we saw advertised elsewhere and more central than the pricier resorts. P.P. Cassita has several individual rooms on their grounds, with a nice pool area and a restaurant area for the ‘breakfast included’. Towels were available for the guests to take to the beach or the pool area and the room had cable, which turned out to be a blessing given that I wasn’t feeling the most alive I ever had, and poor Mike had to keep himself entertained via the Discovery Channel.
We definitely feel this property, while not on the beach, was a great option for us, just a short walk to Long Beach and close by a decent selection of bars and restaurants. And hey, Phi Phi is so small, you’re not usually that far from anywhere. The only criticism we have, was that the place has frogs, and when your room is in front of a pond, you’re going to hear them all night long. My advice, if you get a room by the pond, ask to move.
What we did
Because a blog describing the ups and downs of food-poisoning wouldn’t be ideal for anyone, we made the most of the time we could to explore the island, eat some food and go for walks on the beach. I’m not going to lie and say Phi Phi was picture perfect when we were there, because in reality it’s going to be rainy and overcast at points on any extended holiday, but we know that it can be stunning and were so sad to have missed out on the opportunity to see Phi Phi and the nearby islands in their full beauty.
There are booking kiosks all over the island to book half or full day trips to the likes of Maya Bay and all look to have similar pricing, due to the stiff competition. Would totally recommend one of these trips, from the photos we’ve seen and stories we’ve heard. Rather than scouring the internet for deals it’s probably easier to book your day trips once you arrive and you’ll be able to check out all that’s on offer.
Beach times
Despite the poor weather, Long Beach looks pretty good any time, particularly when the tide is near in. It’s the main beach on the back of the island and the perfect place to sunbathe, read a book and while away your day in the tropics. While there’s a beach on the other side of the island, Tonsai Bay, it can get pretty congested with boats, so if you’re looking for something a little more relaxing, Long Beach is your best bet. Just a word of warning, the monkeys at the far end of the beach are territorial, so a walk around the rocks might be off the cards if they’re loitering in the area. I’m not the biggest fan of the monkeys in Asia, but these ones took the prize for the scariest.
Getting lost in the laneways
I’d say you’d quite easily be able to spend half a day exploring the alleyways and dirt paths around the island. You will get lost to start with as you journey to become familiar with the place, but that’s half the fun. You’ll stop outside the many tattoo parlours on the island and watch the brave souls getting their memories etched into their skin, browse through racks of clothing in the many boutique stores and find yourself a souvenir or two in the market stalls. You’ll find yourself immersed into the culture and laid-back lifestyle of Phi Phi in no time, and be making notes of the places you need to come back and find for dinner.
Food and Drink
Our favourite thing about traveling is usually discovering the culinary delights of a place, but circumstances wouldn’t really allow us to indulge as we usually would. We’re not going to make allegations about where I got sick, as if truth be told, it’s just one of the ‘perks’ of traveling around South East Asia and you’ll be stretched to find someone who hasn’t got a belt of it during an extended trip in the region. All we can say is, if your dinner feels like it’s come out way too quick for your chicken to be cooked, it probably has.
With the above parked, Mike found some awesome pizza on the island at one of the stalls on the main stretch, and we had some good Indian at a spot called Himalaya, directly across from our hotel, nice and convenient. When we wanted Western Food, we headed to Breakers, a spot for all the usual comfort foods of fish n chips and burgers, You probably won’t find 5 star dining on the island, but you’re sure too find something you fancy, with all the things available.
As far as drinks go, our favourite spot was a decent walk from our hotel, a small beach bar at the West end of Tonsai Bay. Not only were the cocktails fantastic, they were twice as cheap during happy hour. The staff here were friendly and we liked the vibe of the place, a chilled out oasis, in a amongst an island full of noisy bars and pubs, which are of course fine if that’s your gig. Find yourself a nice evening to check this place out.
