Phi Phi Island

Phi Phi Island – Thailand
Day 1
This was one of the many places that I was itching with excitement to visit. Following our holiday to Thailand last year and visiting Phi Phi, I fell in love with the place and I was desperate to go back again. To me, Phi Phi island is one of the best islands at Thailand and a must visit when coming to the country. It is a tiny island on the South East side of the island. Even though the island is fairly small, it is filled with things to do. There are many bars, cafes, beauty parlours, restaurants and shops scattered around the island. There is even a Mcdonalds and Burger King! Although it is a shame that it seems to be getting westernized with places like this. It has the most beautiful beaches and the famous ‘long tail taxi boats’ with the colourful ribbons on that you can rent to take you around the islands. The tranquility of the daytime soon turns into a lively party spot at night with many parties along the beach side. Phi Phi is easily reachable from Krabi or Phuket. We caught a ferry from Krabi that took around 2/3 hours.

As soon as we stepped off the boat at the port, my insides were bursting with excitement. Unfortunately though, it was slightly raining but that didnt take away the beauty of the place. We stayed at Kitty Guesthouse which was around a 20 minute walk from the boat and up very steep hills. I think my bag seems to be getting heavier and harder to carry every time! As we stayed in a cute, wooden, seaview bungalow last year, we decided to find a normal sort of hotel this year and have a break from lizards in the room haha. The hotel was really pleasant. Friendly staff, clean room and free coffee and tea included. It was close enough to the main part but far away enough to not hear the noise at night.

We dropped our bags off, freshened up and went to explore. It was already nearly evening time so we headed to the beach to watch the sunset. Beautiful. Then we grabbed some food. We seem to have become obsessed with massaman and penang curries! I really don’t think any other Asian country beats Thai food. After eating, we checked out a muay thai boxing match! It was crazy! The locals who were fighting were so good and quick I couldn’t believe it! There was an option for the tourists to go up and fight other tourists but that was a definite NO for me haha. Then, we headed to the beach to watch a fire show; another thing popular at Phi Phi. The men throw rings and balls of fire around and it is breathtaking to watch. They are so talented. Most of the beach bars seem to offer fire shows.

Day 2
Today, it was pouring with rain! It is annoying coming to the beaches/islands and it raining as we are limited to what we can do. Not that I am complaining though. So after fuelling up on coffee, we headed out in the rain with our lovely blue rain macs on! We bought these in Pai, Thailand and they have been so useful. We did bring an actual waterproof jacket with us but it is too hot to wear! Anyway, we decided to get a massage. Thai massages are the best! We are yet to have one since being in Thailand so today was the day. It cost around £5 for a whole one hour massage and it was amazing! So Thai massages start off nice and relaxing and then they begin to stand on you and pull your arms and legs! An interesting experience but it felt very good! After, we grabbed some pizza and booked a boat trip for tomorrow. Unfortunately, it was still raining so we spent the rest of the day browsing the shops and also playing with the cats that live at the island! It’s breaks my heart that most of the Asian countries we have been to have so many stray dogs and cats around. It makes me want to take them all home!

As sunset began to approach, we bought a Chang beer from the supermarket and sat on the beach to watch it. I will always feel lucky for nights like this and I will cherish them forever. After dinner, we bought a cocktail bucket. Cocktail buckets are mainly the popular thing to drink on Phi Phi. There are cocktail stands everywhere with jazzy lights and music to attract you. I went for a frozen strawberry daiquiri and it was delicious! We headed back to the beach and watched another fire show. A few drinks down the line, we made our way to the beach clubs. We spotted a sign for ‘free shots’ so of course that was the one to go. We had such a good night dancing on the beach with countless amounts of shots!

Day 3
Well don’t I regret the amount I drank last night. I don’t usually drink a lot at home and haven’t even been drinking much whilst travelling. Just the odd few beers and cocktails every now and then. So I think it was a shock to my bodies system! I was so hungover! We had the boat trip booked at 10am and there was no way I was going. So Lewis (bless him) walked down the the tourist office and asked if we could go tomorrow instead and she kindly said yes! Phew! So I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon feeling very rough in bed ugh. That will teach me!

When I finally surfaced and freshened up, we strolled around the town and went for another pizza! This time I was on the water. I dont know if I’ve mentioned this before but we bought some metal water bottles with us from home that keep the water cold for around 12 hours and they are probably one of the best things we have brought with us! Anyway after filling up on pizza, we had an early night and a good sleep ready for tomorrow’s boat trip.

Day 4
Yay I’m feeling human again! I much prefer waking up like this! We had booked a boat trip tour to the nearby islands. Last year, we hired a private long tail boat to take us around so this year to save money, we tried out a group tour. It began at 10am and my goodness was the boat rammed. There were about 20 people crammed on a tiny wooden boat and already I felt claustrophobic! Trying to look to the bright side, I couldn’t wait to explore Phi Phi more. The first stop was snorkelling and we saw a decent amount of fish. The water was so turquoise and clear. It reminded me how much I love Phi Phi.

Of course being on a tour, means strict times stopping off so before we knew it we had to get back on the boat. It was another 45 minutes or so to the next spot. It was beach (ah I cant remember the name) but wow it looked stunning. Then as we were ready to get off, the taxi boat driver said we had to pay around £15 to just get off the boat?! Something we were not told when booking. Some of the group paid it but most of us didn’t. The driver then said we were stopped here for around 2 hours so we’d have to stay on the cramped boat for two hours. One of the other tourists began to complain so eventually the driver said we were allowed to go in the sea but only in a certain area and not on the beach. So at least we could have a swim! Apparently, the beach is a natural reserve so hence why you have to pay.

It was soon reaching 2am and as Lewis and I had only booked a half day tour we thought we should be heading back. We spoke to everyone else on the boat and they had all booked a one day tour. So somehow we got put on the whole day tour for the price of a half day tour!

After eating rice on the boat, we went to visit Maya Bay. This bay has been closed for a couple of years to protect it so we just looked at it from the boat. Then, we saw more caves again we couldn’t get off, instead just look at them.

The views of the journey were so stunning but I hated being on the boat! Eventually, we stopped off somewhere and were allowed to do some more snorkelling. It began to rain and there is something so relaxing being in the sea whilst the rain trickles down onto you.

The last stop was monkey beach. We went here last year and it was beautiful! I think one of the best beaches at Phi Phi and of course, the monkeys add to that. Within 10 minutes of being on the beach, a monkey had already stolen someone’s bag! We are always told to be careful of them and not try to grab something back when it takes something so I try to stay clear haha. They are such clever, cheeky little animals.

Overall, the boat trip was fun and we enjoyed the snorkelling. However, there were too many people packed onto such a tiny boat and we seemed to spend more time on the boat than in the actual sea or beach. So I would definitely recommend spending a little bit more and renting a private boat!

Once showered, we headed to grab some food and it was penang and massaman curry again, yummy! And we spent our last night with a drink on the beach whilst watching the fire show. We also had another short visit to the Muay Thai show!

I am sad to leave Phi Phi tomorrow as there is just something about it that I LOVE! But also looking forward to visiting the next island which is Koh Lanta! Now this island hopping is the life.

Laura and Lewis x