Paradise! - Melanie. Date of travel: Jan 2004
Koh Phi Phi is the most beautiful island I visited while in Thailand. There are no cars, only bicycles and 'boat taxis' which are longtail boats that take you round to beaches on the island that can't be reached by foot. There are plenty of bars located along the glorious stretch of beach offering cocktails, smoothies and delicious food to enjoy while watching the sun set. Food can also be found easily at side-of-the-road stalls. Because Phi Phi is set on a reef you can walk about 20 metres out into the crystal clear water and it will only be waist deep! The sea is warm and fairly salty making it very tempting to just float around on your back and soak up the sun while keeping cool. We didn't book our accommodation before we got to the island as we booked prior to arriving on other islands and ended up wasting a lot of money. We were able to find accommodation fairly easily as there are plenty of touts waiting for you when you arrive on the ferry. Scuba diving trips and day boat trips are offered down every street and at every market so there is no need to book before you get there. We took a boat trip out to Maya Bay where part of the movie 'The Beach' was filmed. It has some really excellent snorkelling, but the bay itself is full of tourist boats and they charged people to get out onto the beach. We explored the beautiful torquoise waters instead of venturing onto the beach, which doesn't seem nearly as exciting as it did in the movie. The other bays in Phi Phi Ley are gorgeous and definitely worth exploring. Monkey Beach is a MUST! I would return to Koh Phi Phi without any hesitation and I intend to do so very very soon!