Thailand: Koh Phi Phi
Coming: Take the ferry from Phuket, Krabi or Ao Nang. Transport usually picks you up from your accommodation and takes you straight to the ferries. Pay attention to the time. The songthaew arranges the pick-up time but our driver stopped at home and ran some errands along the way and we had to tell him to get a move on so as not to miss the ferry. There should also be transfers from Krabi or Phuket airports (the two nearest airports to Phi Phi). The ferry takes around three hours and can be enjoyed inside or out on deck in the sun.
Once on the island there are very few motorize vehicles. You can walk within the island and hire long boats for excursions.
Sleeping: I honestly couldn’t tell you. We rolled in off the boat with no plan and nowhere to stay. I would not recommend doing that. The weather is HOT and after several hours of travel, crowded streets full of backpackers and people trying to sell you shit it can be hard to make a decision. Check out hostels HERE. I would spend a little more to stay somewhere decent. There are a lot of places that are sub-par quality. Check out AirBnBs HERE. MAKE SURE TO READ REVIEWS! When we arrived many of the hostels were experiencing a bed bug outbreak. Any mention of bed bugs in ANY of the reviews is an immediate no for me.
Eating: Stick to Thai food. Prices are exorbitant compared to the rest of Thailand and Thai food is going to be the cheapest and usually the best quality.
Doing: Maya Bay, take a stroll along the island, relax, party, diving
Maya bay- Made famous from the Leonardo DiCaprio movie “The Beach”, this picturesque spot is stunning. But get there early. And I mean early. We left on a 6 am boat (arranged the day before) to be the second people to arrive.
Snap pics, walk to the other side of the island to swim and generally just take in the insane scenery.
The general package here includes a stop at Monkey Island afterwards and some snorkeling.
Thai monkeys are the absolute worst. They are very used to being around humans and are therefore spoiled and aggressive. We stayed at Monkey Island just long enough for them to run onboard and steal my water bottle (which costs DOUBLE on Phi Phi what it does on the mainland….) before we’d seen enough and pulled away.
Stroll- Get out of main area and take a stroll to a beautiful lookout point. The morning is the best time for photos due to the position of the sun and it’ll take you around 20-30 minutes to walk there.
Relax- You’re on an island! And everything here is run on island time. Chill out at the beach or we headed to a hotel to use their pool because we had a friend staying there. Pools are more refreshing that the sea since the seawater can be just as hot as the air at times.
Party-There is no shortage of parties to be found on the island! Take your pick! Head to the beach for various fire shows, take a booze cruise, go dancing, or even get in a fight! They have a boxing ring for volunteers which is just as ridiculous as it sounds. Hit the 7-Eleven for some Chang or Hong Tong to save on buying a lot at the bars.
Diving: I am not certified and so cannot give too much information here, but anywhere in the south will have diving available. You’ll see the streets lined with dive shops happy to answer any and all questions.
Staying: 2-3 days was enough. There are a lot of other islands to explore!
Going: Leave just the way you came. Ferry schedules are easily booked ahead of time if you head to the port. Once you’re back it’s easy to go to any other island from here. You can also grab a van down to Malaysia (like I did) if you’re wanting to hear further down south. Make sure to arrange this beforehand though.
