PHUKET HOTELS

Phi Phi Island Thailand

A birds eye view of the scenic Phi Phi Don
Known as the ‘jewels of the Andaman Sea’, the six islands in the Ko Phi Phi group are Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Leh, Bamboo Island , Yung Island , Bida Nok and Bida Nai. The first is the only one inhabited; the rest can be visited on organised day trips from the mainland, or from Phi Phi Don itself.

Despite the island’s unceasing popularity – thanks in part to its starring role in the blockbuster movie The Beach - a visit should be a top priority on any Krabi holiday. In a province filled with amazing and dramatic scenery, Phi Phi is even more amazing and more dramatic! Picture towering green cliffs, rising up from a glittering turquoise sea, and endless white sandy bays dotted along the shore, and you begin to have some idea of what awaits you here. But even after seeing the photos, the reality never fails to blow people away.

Phi Phi Leh Island , the most beautiful of the six, is shaped like a piece from a jigsaw puzzle, with sheer walls concealing hidden lagoons, and the stunning Maya Bay - which has the Hollywood seal of approval, thanks to the film.

One of Phi Phi Ley’s many stunning bays
Bamboo and Yung Islands also boast some fantastic beaches; while Bida Nok and Nai are little more than large rocks, used mainly by divers, who say the underwater scenery here is among the most beautiful in Krabi. All around the Phi Phi Islands , marine life is abundant and snorkelling stops will be a feature of any tour. Visibility here is excellent - up to 20 metres - and the variety of coral and fish you will see is amazing.

If you wish to stay in Phi Phi to take full advantage of what the islands have to offer, this is possible in one of the many hotels and resorts on the largest island of Phi Phi Don. But it is highly sought after with limited accomodation, especially since the tsunami destroyed many hotels, and you’re advised to book well in advance. Many prefer the advice of coming for a day trip.

The Great Tsunami

Phi Phi Don probably suffered the most complete devastation of all the resort areas that fell victim to the tsunami of 2004. The thin, low-lying isthmus where most the development was, received waves from both directions, amplified by the two bays that sandwich it. The result was total ruin, nothing was left standing and the loss of life here particularly high. The tragedy aside, many considered it a blessing, because 20 years of rampant, unregulated development and sheer greed had spoilt this once pristine national park. Overcrowding and poor planning had turned some parts of the island into a shanty. Procrastination on agreeing to more sustainable development plans has limited rebuilding on the island, and although there is some accomodation and return to normality, much of the ithsmus remains undeveloped and more natural. For the day-trippers it’s a far more pleasant experience.

Travellers footage: Phi Phi Ley - Maya bay 360
While the days here may be sleepy and laidback, at night the island wakes up and goes crazy. Large beachside bars and clubs hold regular parties with DJs, fireshows and vast quantities of alcohol for their mainly young clientele.

There are also a few civilised corners of Ton Sai village, for those who prefer a quiet drink, as well as some top class European and Thai restaurants, and the ubiquitous internet café and souvenir shop.

Daytime activities, for those who are not hung over, include trips to the islands, sea-kayaking, rock climbing and, of course, diving. The majority of the dive sites in Krabi are located in or near the Phi Phi Islands and there are many dive schools that can organise trips and courses here. There are also several watersports available on the beach in Lohdalum Bay , including parasailing, banana-boat rides and pedalos.

The short hike up to the viewpoint behind Ton Sai village, which affords a breathtaking view over the twin bays of Ton Sai and Lohdalum, is also recommended but go early in the morning or at sunset to avoid the heat.

Getting to Phi Phi

Phi Phi Don is accessible by daily passenger ferries from Krabi Town , Ao Nang, Ko Lanta and Phuket. The islands lie around 45km from the mainland to the west (Phuket) and east (Krabi) and journey time is around 1.5 hours. The ferry stops at the main pier in the village of Ton Sai , where the majority of the resorts, shops and restaurants are concentrated. From here, it is possible to take a longtail boat to the more remote beaches to the north and west of the island, where there are also a few resorts.

AS the quality and price of accommodation in and around Ao Nang inevitably increases, backpacking tourists are slowly but surely moving out to Ton Sai beach, next door to Railay West.

Potential visitors should be aware, however, that Ton Sai is far more inaccessible than its neighbour - which is just how the people who stay there like it. During the monsoon months, waves can be too big to ensure a safe passage, while all year round at low tide, longtail boats must moor far from the shore, leaving passengers to wade to dry land, with their luggage, over slippery rocks and mud.

The beach itself used to be beautiful and a nice place to relax on, but heavy traffic, both foot and boats, as well as an uninterrupted line of bars and cafes along its length means the only truly quiet and sandy part of it is at the far side towards Railay - at least during high season (Nov - Apr)*. The much nicer Railay West beach can be reached over the rocks at low tide, or by the clifftop path (some clambering involved) at any time. If you don’t wish to walk you can also jump on a longtail boat for 40 baht per person.

Climbing is the main activity in Ton Sai; the other is sitting around in the numerous beach bars getting stoned or occasionally playing frisbee. There are some dive schools also present here as well as kayak rental, so you can also paddle to Railay if you feel active. The vast majority of the people who stay in Tonsai Beach are twenty-somethings, or early thirties; there are, however, an increasing number of older people and families, as the ability to book rooms opens the market to these groups.

Only two bungalow operations are located directly on the beach in Tonsai; all other accommodation is situated at least a two minute walk up the hill behind the sand. Dirt tracks criss-cross the forest, passing smart resorts, rundown bamboo shacks, more coffee huts, makeshift staff housing and noisy generators. It is possible to keep walking on this hill and come to Railay East, although it’s a gruelling trek. In parts, up on the hillside, it is actually much more pleasant than down on the beach: quiet and green, in the shadow of the cliffs.

Restaurants are plentiful in Ton Sai, though both western and Thai food are very average, apart from a couple of decent pizzerias. Coffee shops and bars can be found almost every 10 metres. A couple of minimarts sell basic provisions; high speed internet access is also available; and there is now an ATM machine. For serious shopping, a trip to Ao Nang, or Krabi Town will be needed.

Phra Nang Bay (pictured top) is on the southernmost tip of Railay and, as the best beach on the peninsular, is where most people (including daytrippers from Ao Nang and Krabi) spend their days. If you want to spend your nights here, you will have to splash out on the super-luxurious Rayavadee Resort which occupies all of the land behind the beach. Because of this, public access to Phra Nang Bay is only by boat, or by a pretty cliffside pathway located at the end of East Railay.

Apart from sunbathing and swimming, the main activity on Railay is rock-climbing, which attracts enthusiasts from all over the world. An abundance of climbing schools also exist to teach beginners. Although this is still considered to be the best place to climb, many serious climbers on a budget have moved to the next door Ton Sai beach, which offers cheap accommodation and a more bohemian lifestyle.

The atmosphere in Railay can best be described as ‘hippy chic’. The real hippy crowd that ‘discovered’ this place ten years ago have all but disappeared, leaving the pleasant legacy of a slow-paced, shoeless way of life as well as a clutch of bars and coffee-cum-book-shops run by guitar-playing, dreadlocked Thai boys. It is now a great place for trendy, young-ish couples who have a bit money to spend but don’t want to stray too far from the ethos of their student backpacker days. Older people and honeymooners are also very well catered-for.

Nightlife varies from sitting around candlelit tables on the west beach to wild parties at the east side bars. Live music is a regular proposition, mostly reggae-inspired, although return visitor Fatboy Slim did play an impromptu set for a crowd of less than a hundred people. Other celebrities spotted out and about in recent years include Colin Farrell and Mick Jagger.

There are a couple of ATM machines on the Railay peninsula. One thing to note before you arrive is that prices in general in Railay tend to be higher than the rest of Krabi, simply because it is like an island. It has to sustain extra transport costs as well as high electricity bills - there is no mains current and everything is run by individual generators (although there are plans to lay an underwater electricity supply from Ao Nam Mao - this project should be completed by early 2007) . Food is possibly another minus point: both choice and quality are fairly limited as the restaurants are cooking for a captive market.

If you are looking for a beach holiday, pure and simple, then Railay is the perfect choice of destination. Longtail boats are available to explore the islands nearby. However, if you’ve got itchy feet and want to get out and explore the rest of the Krabi region, you may find that staying in Railay makes things a little difficult. Its relative inaccessibility may also not suit others like the elderly, the disabled or anyone else that has difficulty walking or getting in and out of a longtail boat.

RAILAY is the name of a mainland peninsula just south of Ao Nang, but, as three of its sides are surrounded by the sea and it is backed by a range of spectacular limestone cliffs that cuts it off from all roads, it has the feel of a real island. Almost every square metre of habitable land has been developed, though the buildings are all low-rise, low density and, for the most part, tastefully designed.

The main attraction of Railay is that the two principal beaches are, without a doubt, the most stunning strips of sand on the Krabi coastline - perhaps even on the whole Thai mainland. We are talking world-class, picture postcard material. Long, gently curved, with white powder sand sloping down to emerald green water and framed by coconut palms against a backdrop of towering, craggy rocks. Awesome.

As Railay is so small - crossing from one side to the other takes less than 10 minutes, all accommodation can be classed as being close to the beach. Its three sides cannot all be considered equal, however.

West Railay (sometimes known as Sunset Beach) is where you will find the most of the big resorts offering high quality accommodation. Their reception areas, restaurants and most expensive rooms are situated right next to the sand, although the area they cover stretches right back almost to the east coast. The beach is beautiful, but can get a bit noisy in the day as it is also the arrival and departure point for longtail boats from Ao Nang. Evenings are blissfully quiet.

East Railay has the least attractive beach of the three. In fact, there is no actual beach as much of the water is lined with mangrove trees and seemingly continual construction work (rather than the tsunami, as some tourists seem to believe) along its length means it looks rather shabby. It is used as ‘the back door’ of Railay, the goods delivery point for all of the hotels, as well as the pier for taxi boats to and from Krabi Town and Ao Nam Mao. At low tide, the water recedes around 300m, so passengers have to wade out - with their luggage - in the slippery mud.

The bulk of accommodation is actually on this side of Railay and on the steep hill behind it. But why stay here? Well, for one, it is much cheaper. Most of the bars, tour offices and independent restaurants are also located here - but you will have to walk to get to a beach.

Phra Nang Bay (pictured top) is on the southernmost tip of Railay and, as the best beach on the peninsular, is where most people (including daytrippers from Ao Nang and Krabi) spend their days. If you want to spend your nights here, you will have to splash out on the super-luxurious Rayavadee Resort which occupies all of the land behind the beach. Because of this, public access to Phra Nang Bay is only by boat, or by a pretty cliffside pathway located at the end of East Railay.

Apart from sunbathing and swimming, the main activity on Railay is rock-climbing, which attracts enthusiasts from all over the world. An abundance of climbing schools also exist to teach beginners. Although this is still considered to be the best place to climb, many serious climbers on a budget have moved to the next door Ton Sai beach, which offers cheap accommodation and a more bohemian lifestyle.

The atmosphere in Railay can best be described as ‘hippy chic’. The real hippy crowd that ‘discovered’ this place ten years ago have all but disappeared, leaving the pleasant legacy of a slow-paced, shoeless way of life as well as a clutch of bars and coffee-cum-book-shops run by guitar-playing, dreadlocked Thai boys. It is now a great place for trendy, young-ish couples who have a bit money to spend but don’t want to stray too far from the ethos of their student backpacker days. Older people and honeymooners are also very well catered-for.

Nightlife varies from sitting around candlelit tables on the west beach to wild parties at the east side bars. Live music is a regular proposition, mostly reggae-inspired, although return visitor Fatboy Slim did play an impromptu set for a crowd of less than a hundred people. Other celebrities spotted out and about in recent years include Colin Farrell and Mick Jagger.

There are a couple of ATM machines on the Railay peninsula. One thing to note before you arrive is that prices in general in Railay tend to be higher than the rest of Krabi, simply because it is like an island. It has to sustain extra transport costs as well as high electricity bills - there is no mains current and everything is run by individual generators.. Food is possibly another minus point: both choice and quality are fairly limited as the restaurants are cooking for a captive market.

If you are looking for a beach holiday, pure and simple, then Railay is the perfect choice of destination. Longtail boats are available to explore the islands nearby. However, if you’ve got itchy feet and want to get out and explore the rest of the Krabi region, you may find that staying in Railay makes things a little difficult. Its relative inaccessibility may also not suit others like the elderly, the disabled or anyone else that has difficulty walking or getting in and out of a longtail boat.

NOPPARAT Thara is a long beach (around 5km), split into two halves by a river. The side closest to Ao Nang is the most developed as it is bordered by the main road; access to the other side is by boat only, or by a dirt track from the road to Klong Muang.

The beach is known locally as Klong Haeng or ‘dry river’, a reference to the distance the water retreats at low tide, often so far that you can walk out to the small islands in front of it! Klong Haeng is also the name of the village closest to the beach, some 700m away.

The name Nopparat Thara is that of the local National Park to which most of the beachfront land supposedly belongs; however in the last 2-3 years most of the trees have been felled and hotels and shopping plazas put up in their place. Even the National Park itself is building more bungalows to accommodate the Ao Nang ‘overspill’ and has also created a large car park and camping ground for the Thai daytrippers and school groups who come to picnic here.

All this activity now means Nopparat justifies a page of its own (although much of the information we provide about neighbouring Ao Nang also applies here).

As befits a place that has been developed higgeldy-piggedly, there is a stark range of accommodation along the recently widened beach road. There is one huge five-star complex in the style of a Thai palace (Ayodhoya Suites - still under construction); several 3-star hotels; a family resort; smart new guesthouses; and a whole host of locally-run budget bungalows, set further back from the beach, along the dirt road to the boxing stadium.

Many people who stay here catch a tuk-tuk (20B per person) to Ao Nang to eat and drink, although there are a growing number of decent restaurants and small bars along the centre of the strip near Deang Plaza, as well as around Luna Bar at the corner nearest to Ao Nang and at the far end of the beach near the river.

On the other side of the river the beach continues and it is also possible to stay here, if you are looking for real seclusion - it is only accessible by (irregular) boat - and don’t mind the sandflies which can plague sunbathers.

The main beach area is more pleasant and open than Ao Nang, especially now with the new benches, pavilions and off-road walkways along its length. It also attracts more of a mixed crowd, including at the weekend many Thai people, who like to splash about in the shallow water. In general the scene is more ‘backpacker’ than Ao Nang but also includes those of all ages who want the convenience of staying near Ao Nang (access to tours, transport etc.), without the Ao Nang crowds and prices. Nopparat certainly offers better value for money if you take proximity to a beach as the measure.