Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [588]
Tours
Ever since Leo smoked a spliff in Alex Garland’s The Beach, Phi-Phi Leh ( Click here) has become a pilgrimage site for backpackers around the world. Any travel agency on Phi-Phi Don can arrange your half-day, full-day or sunset trip. Tours to Ko Mai Phi (Bamboo Island), Monkey Bay and the beach at Wang Long are also popular choices. Figure between 500B to 800B.
We highly recommend the unique tours offered by Adventure Club ( Click here).
Sleeping
If you are coming to Phi-Phi in peak season, you must book a room in advance. You’ll often see travellers arrive on the morning boat and leave on the afternoon boat when they fail to find a place to crash (sleeping on the beach is strictly prohibited). Swarms of touts flock to the docking ferries – if you’re going to follow them to a resort, make sure you arm yourself with a couple of hotel names so you don’t end up in a dive. Posters at the pier list the island’s accommodation with prices attached – a handy tool if you want to make a go of it on your own.
TONSAI VILLAGE
The flat, hourglass-shaped land between Ao Ton Sai and Ao Lo Dalam is crowded with loads of lodging options.
Rock Backpacker (0 7561 2402; therockbackpacker@hotmail.com; dm/r 350/800B) Solo penny-pinchers will like it here. The funky restaurant, on a boat dry-docked on the hillside, is conducive to mingling. The 16-bed dorm room is a real rarity on Ko Phi-Phi, and digs are clean, if rather cramped. Rock Backpacker is inland, but close to Ao Lo Dalam.
Tropical Garden Bungalows (08 9729 1436; r from 800B; ) If you don’t mind walking 10 minutes to eat, drink or sunbathe, then you’ll love Tropical Garden. At the far end of the main path from Ao Ton Sai, it feels pretty isolated in its fragment of flourishing hillside jungle. The great cabins are frontier-style log affairs and there’s even a lofty pool, surrounded by flora, halfway up the hill.
White (0 7560 1300; www.whitephiphi.com; r 1600-1900B; ) Geared towards the ‘flashpacker’ crowd, the White has two locations in Tonsai Village with squeaky clean rooms – everything’s white (duh).
Phi Phi Casita (0 7560 1214; www.phiphi-hotel.com; bungalows 2000-3000B; ) A step back from Ao Lo Dalam beach, this place looks like a classy fishermen’s village, with tiny wooden bungalows hovering over weathered planks and flower-planted mud flats. There’s not much privacy but the stylish infinity pool and proximity to the beach are major draws.
Phi Phi Banyan Villa (0 7561 1233; www.phiphi-hotel.com; r 2500-2800B; ) These comfy quarters have all the mod cons and some have a balcony overlooking a garden-lined path. There’s a seaside restaurant and the hotel’s namesake, a large gnarled banyan tree, sits out front.
Phi Phi Palm Tree (0 7561 1233; www.phiphi-hotel.com; r 3100-5400B; ) In Tonsai Village, Palm Tree uses the inland location well by organising its accommodation around a tranquil interior courtyard and inviting swimming pool. The rooms are lavish and mix mod cons with one-of-a-kind paintings by one of Thailand’s best-known classical painters.
Also recommended:
Chenut (08 1894 1026; bungalows from 1000B) Friendly, family-run spot with woodsy timber-framed bungalows.
Phi Phi Hotel (0 7561 1233; www.phiphi-hotel.com; r from 1700B; ) Guests love this hotel, which has amazing views and all the amenities of a posh resort.
HAT HIN KHOM
Between Hat Yao and Tonsai Village, this quieter patch of sand is a great choice if you want to be near the action but also value a quiet night’s sleep.
Viking Resort (0 7581 9399; tak_blobk@hotmail.com; bungalows 800-2000B; ) Viking Resort has oodles of tiki-chic charm on a great beach for swimming and tanning.
Andaman Beach Resort (0 7562 1427; www.andamanbeachresort.com; bungalows 1650-4350B; ) A U-shape of pistachio-toned huts sits around a large spartan lawn. The best asset is the small amoeba-shaped pool with great views of Phi-Phi Leh.
HAT YAO
Hat Yao (Long Beach) is a short