Phi Phi Islands: Top Travel Tips & Must-See Spots
How To Get to Phi Phi Islands
Getting to the islands was a bit more challenging than we expected. There is no airport, so the only way to arrive to Phi Phi is by boat. There are several ports with boats to Phi Phi, but the two main ones are Rassada Pier in Phuket and Klong Jilad Pier in Krabi. You can take a speed boat, or regular Ferry. With the speedboats arriving in less than an hour, and the ferry taking closer to 2 hours. The speedboats are fast, but bumpier and have less viewing opportunities and on board amenities, so we recommend the ferry unless time is a huge priority.
It is highly recommended to book a ticket ahead of time, especially in the busy season. However, the usual tourist booking sites like Klook do not have tickets to Phi Phi. We used 12GO, a popular ticketing platform in Thailand. If you need help booking a ticket, talk to your hotel or Airbnb host. They likely have experience booking tickets, and can even arrange transportation to the pier.
Long-tail Boat Tour
One of the most popular things to do in Phi Phi is to go on a boat tour. We’ve been on boat tours before, so we just wanted a simple hop on hop off experience. There are more comprehensive tours available with full guides, but we didn’t need that. We found the perfect group tour on Airbnb for a great price. Sadly, the tour we went on is no longer available, however there are many similar tours from other providers like Klook and Get Your Guide.
Luckily for us, we were the only ones on the tour, so we got a private boat for ourselves! Most of the boats on Phi Phi are long-tail boats. These iconic boats are constructed by attaching a canopy to a canoe, and retrofitting a small car engine to the back. While they are charming, the improvised nature means they are very loud and a little shaky, so be prepared.
Pi Leh Bay
Our first stop was Pi Leh Bay. It is surrounded by huge stunning limestone cliffs and bright blue waters. Phi Phi Islands are a very popular place for tourists, which of course we were contributing to. While the bay was beautiful, it was crowded with many long-tails. The noise of the tourists and boat engines mixed with the smell of gasoline made the atmosphere a bit hectic but lively.
Michael and I decided to swim around and float in the water, which was colder than we expected. Since we were the only ones on the boat we had flexibility when we wanted to start and finish activities. We didn’t spend too much time here and moved on to our next stop.
Maya Bay
Maya Bay is one of the most famous spots in Phi Phi. Starring in “The Beach” with Leonardo DiCaprio, this location has become internationally recognized. When we arrived there was a huge rainstorm. People were finding shelter but since we were already wet from swimming we kept trekking to the beach. As a result of the rain storm, we were able to explore the beach with a small amount of people.
The sky cleared up and the beauty of the bay glistened in the sunlight. It was some of the softest sand I have ever walked on. Maya Bay is definitely not overhyped, it’s truly stunning! At the bay, you can not swim in the water or go out very far due to endangered sharks in the area. You truly visit Maya Bay to experience it with your eyes! You’ll have no regrets seeing this gem.
Snorkeling
We rode the boat to the other side of the bay and went snorkeling. The waters weren’t as clear as we expected but there was still some visibility and a decent amount of sea life around. While the coral wasn’t amazing, we still saw many fish including a parrot fish and many moorish idols. There was also a very venomous (and adorable) sea krait, as well as the stunning but invasive crown-of-thorns starfish. We swam to an interesting sandy cove that had rocks stacked up all around.
After all of the swimming, our boat driver surprised us with some fresh pineapple. All day in the sun and ocean made this the perfect snack. It was so beautiful getting to swim in such serene waters by ourselves. I was grateful to have this experience and it was truly nice to be surrounded by the beauty of the islands.
Sunset
To end the boat tour, we headed out to open ocean to try and get a glimpse of the sunset. Because of the tropical weather, it’s hard to predict if the sunset will be visible on any given day. Sadly, ours looked like it was going to turn out bad. Despite having no direct view of the sun, we were pleasantly surprised by stunning cloud formations catching the last beams of light as we drove back to shore.
Papaya Restaurant
Phi Phi Islands are targeted entirely towards foreign tourist, so it was shockingly difficult to find great Thai cuisine. We decided to eat at an Indian/Thai restaurant called Papaya Restaurant. It’s located in the “downtown” and has lots of seating and menu options.
Since we had some amazing Thai dishes earlier in the trip, we opted for Indian food. We ordered some biryani and curry. Of course, to finish our meal we had to get some mango coconut sticky rice. Even if it’s touristy, what are we if not tourists? After all, it’s still the best dessert!
Night Life
We tend to go to bed early and wake up even earlier. But the nightlife on Phi Phi was on fire! Literally! There are two bars that are very popular called Slinky and Freedom Bar. On the inside of Slinky, there is a mechanical bull and a disco laser light show. As you could expect from a party spot, there is a bunch of music, alcohol, and fire. Of course, the music was absolutely destroying our ears, and everyone was having a really good time.
It felt like a scene in a movie, with people jumping rope with fire, doing limbo under fire, and dancing with, you guessed it, fire. It was a very hot night! We didn’t stick around for too long since we had a pretty early morning the next day.
Phi Phi Sunrise Hike
One of the best things to do is to wake up early and watch the sunrise. There are several lookout points, but we couldn’t find much info about them. We decided to try lookout 3, as it seemed to be the only one facing east. From our resort, we walked about an hour and a half to get to lookout 3. Even after all the walking and googling it was unclear where it was. When we arrived to (what we think was) lookout 3, we realized it was a random shack falling apart with no view. The sun was coming up so we scrambled down to try option B.
After having no success with lookout 3, we decided to go to lookout 2. We made it just before sunrise, and it was the perfect golden hour. The sun was nice and bright and the skies were clear. Although we couldn’t see the sun actually coming up, we were glad that we came to lookout 2 because the view here was spectacular. While our hike was over an hour, from the center of town it is only a 15 minutes hike so it’s definitely worth the trek.
There are many spots where you can enjoy the sunrise so we sat on the edge of the deck. It was a bit sketchy because there was nothing to stop you from falling hundreds of feet off the cliff. We took a moment to slow down and just stare at the view as we were mesmerized by the limestone cliffs, water, and boats. It was a picture-perfect moment. Isn’t nature great?!
Phi Phi The Beach Resort
We booked our trip last minute, so this was the only resort left. Phi Phi does not have many Airbnb’s or hotels, so this was our only option. Most of the resorts across the island are similar to ours, so you can expect something like our visit. From the dock, the resort will send staff to pick you up and you will ride the boat taxi to the resort. We were welcomed with fresh juice and CATS! This was our first time staying at a true resort, so it was a new experience for us.
We had a cute little villa with all the essentials. They have a pool, private beach, restaurants, and excursions. You can leave the resort by boat taxi and go to the main part island if you want a change of pace. It was a comfortable stay and we wished we spent more time exploring the resort. During our stay, we had free breakfast at the buffet, which was so nice after hiking and it had a good variety of options.
Final Thoughts
Phi Phi Islands is a beautiful place to visit. I recommend if you are in Thailand to take a few days out of your itinerary and immerse yourself in the serene nature of the island.
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