Koh Phi Phi

There are actually two islands here:

* Ko Phi Phi Don is the populated island.
* Ko Phi Phi Lai (also known as Ko Phi Phi Leh) is the smaller island to the south popularised when parts of the movie "The Beach" were filmed there - although it's uninhabited apart from bird nest harvesters and a few Maya Bay wardens, expect plenty of tourists.

Although rapidly becoming less and less attractive due to the masses of tourists as well as the construction on the island, it's still a very beautiful place to visit, and is one of those places everybody should go at least once in their lifetime. Although the beaches are not the best in Thailand, the place has a good vibe and nightlife and there are dozens of dive shops to choose from.

Ko Phi Phi was devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, when nearly all of the island's infrastructure was wiped out. Services like electricity, water, Internet access and ATMs are up and running again, but waste handling has been slower to come back online.

Get in By air
Destination Air Shuttle direct seaplane transfers from/to Phuket International Airport and other popular Andaman coast destinations. They often run a low season promotion for transfer from Phi Phi to Phuket Airport for only 2000 Baht (high season is 6000 Baht). This is a fairly good deal considering the ferry (400 Baht) plus taxi (700 Baht) to Phuket's airport will run you around 1200 Baht.

Get in By boat
Ferries leave from Phuket and Krabi daily (several times a day during the high season). Tickets are 450 baht to/from Phuket, Krabi (390 baht) or Ko Lanta, and if bought in advance should include transport to the pier. Open tickets (you can fix the day at a travel agency on the island) are 400 baht, however there are rarely any advantages with buying open or return tickets, whereas one-way tickets are a good way to avoid hassle and often end up costing less overall.

Not all ferries are created equally. You can often take your ticket from a travel agent and apply it to a nicer ferry. Talk to the locals and find out what is the best ferry to take.

Get around
Long-tail taxi-boats ply between all beaches; on Phi Phi Don, you can also walk to any beach. From Ton Sai to Long Beach, expect to pay 40 baht/person in the afternoon, at least 80 baht at night. To have a complete boat to yourself, expect to pay at least 100 baht.

Wheelbarrows are used to transport goods, including your luggage if you like. Expect free "transport" from the pier to your room, but not necessarily in the opposite direction.

Sleep / Cost
Accommodation is relatively expensive - doubles range from 400 baht up into the 1000s the closer you get to the beach front. If you are a budget traveler expect to work hard to find a decent price. If you get really desperate a couple of places rent out tents for about 200–300 baht - mind your valuables! One thing to note, prices are double during the high season which runs from October/November until May. Other time of year you can find relatively cheap accommodation in the 200 -300 range.

To have the best choice for accommodation, arrive in Phi Phi just before the time of the full moon party, when most people will be on Ko Pha Ngan. Since a lot of people move from Pha Ngan to Phi Phi after the party, accommodation may be very hard to find on Phi Phi around this time. It is not uncommon to see people arrive on the morning ferry only to leave on the afternoon one because they have been unsuccessful in aquiring accomodation.

* The Rock has 200 baht dorm beds, and a few 400 baht doubles. Clean and friendly place and excellent for meeting up with other travellers.

* PP Viewpoint has a variety of rooms, from bungalows with fans to air-con with minibar, all with awesome views of the bay. Pool, full service dining, two bars, kayak rentals, diving lessons and a private trail to the viewpoint.

* View Garden Resort still offers rooms with bathroom and double bed and a shared balcony for 300 baht (Nov 2006)

* PP Island Resort offers quite the experience. they offer a better place for couples on a vacation or honeymoon. But, you can find a great price for many of the resorts on Pee Pee Island on Latestays . This will cost you around 3,000 Baht a night; but, it's well worth it for those who enjoy nicer resorts.

Shopping
Most stuff is brought in by boat, so most things are less original and more expensive than on the mainland. However, there are a few shops that manufacture their goods on the island. Prices for commodities vary widely between shops.

D's Books, with two locations on Ko Phi Phi and many others throughout Southern Thailand, is a well respected book store.

Most of the items sold here are either made by local fishermen or they are brought to the island from Phuket town.Rising commercialization and inflow of tourists throughout the year seems to be a big bonus for these locals. Prices told may exactly not be worth the item, but if you are a good talker, you can bargain for a good price.

Food on Ko Phi Phi is not as spectacular as it generally is in Thailand, because most ingredients have to be brought in by boat from the mainland. Nevertheless there are some restaurants that manage to serve surprisingly tasty food:

* Cosmic - Italian restaurant that deserves the name - has two outlets on the island.

* Hibachi - all you can eat Japanese-style buffet. Excellent sushi selection for the price (200 baht). Two outlets very close together.

* Oasis - good Thai food and great cocktails. Waiting can be long but laid back customers don't mind.

* Papaya - a small green stall opposite the Reggae Bar and next door to Tiger Bar. Serves authentic Thai food, hot and spicy as it should be. Among local expats living on the island, this place is known as the place to get good cheap thai food. If you are looking for a personal sized portion with rice at a cheaper price ask for your food to be "On Rice".

* Sports Bar - For some great English style meat pies Sports Bar is the place to go. It is also the only place on the island where you can buy a Pint of Chang and get Pitchers of beer.

* Little Britain - If you are looking for a good traditional English breakfast with eggs, Heinz Baked Beans, sausage, bacon, potatos, mushrooms and black pudding this is the place to go. English tea also comes with your breakfast.
Drinks prices are quite high (cocktails 180 baht). Many bars offer similar entertainment, cabarets and striking fire shows - performed by the same people, advertised by posters and flyers apparently drawn by the same person...

* Tiger Bar - The local expat's hangout. Located next to Papaya Restaurant and Rolling Stoned Bar this small multi level bar is a favorite with the local dive community. The bar typically gives out FREE buckets from 12:00 - 12:15.

* Rolling Stoned Bar - Great rock music with a live band during high season and at other times of the year. They also have four pool tables and is a one of the more popular bars on the island.

* Beach Bar - located right in the tsunami wastelands and a good choice for those looking to have a quiet drink.

* Carlitos Bar - relaxed drinks on the beach served by amiable waitresses. During the winter months this place is full of Scandinavian party goers. Most of the service staff this time of year is over on extended holiday from Sweden so expect a lot of beautiful tanned blonds to be walking around.

* Hippies Bar - nice place at the beach with a lot of fire shows

* Reggae Bar - popular place that organises mock Muay Thai fights most nights. If you are there at the right time you can even join in with the Muay Thai fights. They invite tourist, usually drunk, to get into the ring geared up and to beat on each other for a few rounds for a couple of FREE buckets.

* Apache Bar - a multi-storey bar overlooking Ton Sai. And the home of the weekly transvestite shows. Was damaged in a fire in the early parts of 2007 though should be back up and running at this time.

See view point walk up to the View Point and get a view of the entire island. You will be surprised at how narrow the sand strip is between the two main parts of the island. Also while up there you will see the massive damaged caused by the Boxing Day tsunami.

See Monkey Beach accessible on foot or by renting a canoe, or be lazy and charter a long tail boat. Don't forget to take some bananas for the monkeys!

Do
* Ko Phi Phi Ley - take a longtail boat and visit Maya Bay - the "secret beach" where the movie "The Beach" was filmed. Water directly around the island is sometimes disappointingly murky and not so good for diving. The beach on the other side of the island, across from where the boats land, is slightly nicer.

It is highly recommended to arrive at Maya Bay before 8am, when the place can still be enjoyed in solitude. As from 9am hoards of speedboats arrive with European and Japanese tourists on package tours from Phuket. At 11am we counted 40(!) speedboats in the bay, many of which were revving their engines unnecessarily loud. Another thing to think about when coming to Maya Bay is the time of year. During the high season (October - May) you will feel like you are at Disney Land but come durning the off season and you shouldn't be surprised if you are one of only two or three small groups on the beach. NOTE: Since the begining of 2007 the Park Rangers have begun to enforce a park fee on the island though, if you are trraveling in a tour group, they will typically include it in the price of your trip.

* Snorkeling - there are two rocks within swimming distance of Long Beach, where blacktip reef sharks can be seen (dive schools organise guided tours for this). Dive schools take snorkelers on their dive boats, but expect to see only a hint of the underwater marvel visible to scuba divers. The snorkeling off Bamboo and Mosqito Islands is quite good although the reefs are a long way below you at high tide.

* Scuba diving - there are many dive shops, and some very good dive locations. Prices are regulated, so expect to pay the same everywhere. Shops on the island do a few different trips. The typical trip offered is a two tank local dive within the Phi Phi Marine park which will run about 2200 Baht. They also do 2 -3 tank trips to the King Cruiser wreck with your follow up dives at both Shark Point and Anemone Reef, this trip usually runs between 3200 -3900 depending on the number of dives you do. No diving trip to Phi Phi would be complete if you didn't head down to Hin Daeng. Hin Daeng has some of the stepest drops in Thailand (60m+) as well as being the place you are most likely to see Manta Rays and Whale Sharks. This trip usually runs around 4500.

* Party - There are a few good place to go out and dance while in Phi Phi. Tiger Bar, Carlitos and Apache Bar all have their own distinct flavour and as they are all with in only a few minutes of each other its not uncommon to find yourself having a drink at each of them through out the night.

* Rock Climbing - there are opportunities for rock climbing on Ko Phi Phi, and a few climbing shops to rent equipment, find a guide or take basic lessons. (Spider Monkey can be recommended). While not as famous as Rai Leh beach, nor with as many routes, the climbing is on similar limestone cliffs, and similarly beautiful. The climbing here also tends to be less crowded than at Rai leh. There are about four walls that are used with some frequency.