Ko Phi Phi Don Island Travel tips

The most popular island on the Southern Thailand tourist radar. Situated in the middle of all the locations, east of Phuket, south of Krabi, and west of Lanta, this island welcomes a lot of traffic. I chose this as my last location to visit on the Island hopping tour as research indicated this place will be noisy. However my 2 nights here were fantastic but perhaps that is because I stayed away from the chaos that makes up Tonsai Bay and Loh Dalum Bay.

Here are some useful tips when staying on this beautiful island:

**Arrival to Tonsai bay

This is the main port on the island and the ferry pier is busy. We have your large ferries on the west of the pier and a small drop zone for private speedboats or long tail transfer boats on the east of the pier. This place is very crowded with travelers trying to exit and enter via one main pier.

Large Ferries: You can arrive via the large ferries from the neighboring islands but expect large crowds on the boats. A lot of day trippers use these to arrive early in the morning and then catch another ride to Ko Phi Phi Le Island to visit Maya bay where the movie “The beach” was filmed.

Private Speedboats: The recommended way to travel in all of South Thailand. Smaller crowds and faster journey time.

If you are staying at hotels on the other end, staff from the hotel greet you at the pier and place you in a long tail boat to transfer to your selected resort.

Comparison of both the options

Transfer via Long tail Boat

**Locations for Accommodation

There are many options around Tonsai Bay and Loh Dalum Bay. It is looking great and getting away from the European winter I would be happy to settle there and just use some good ear plugs when it comes to sleeping.

Ao Ling: Northwest of Loh Dalam bay is the hidden cove of Ao Ling (Moneky Bay). Home to a colony of not so shy monkeys. Popular spot for tourists who come for picnic and photo shoots with the monkeys.

Long Beach: At the Southern point of the island had a beautiful beach and some nice hotels. We went past this area by long tail boat and it was very nice so next time I might try this location.

Rantee Bay and Pak Nam: We also traveled past these two bays and they were okay. Pak Nam stood out the prettier bay if compared.

Loh Bagao Bay: When we were travelling past this bay, the jaw dropped and we all went wow. The magnificent sight of a white sand beach with lovely turquoise water filling the bay was breath taking. Secretly hoping that this is where our hotel is because we have seen some good beaches on the way here but this was the spot.

Then slowly the boat started heading into the bay and that smile on the face was locked in. We stayed here at Outrigger Phi Phi Island . There is another hotel next to this place called Villa 360 which looks great but does not have the beach front. The beach front belongs to Outrigger. Once we checked in here it was hard to leave.

Laem Tong Beach and Hin Poo bay: Due to the Outrigger hotel being so good I did not leave to explore any further so this means another trip to this island. They do have the Twin Palms and Holiday Inn at Laem Tong beach with good reviews so worth exploring.  

**Things to do on the Island

The best choice is chilling in the pools and on the beach or take a long swimming/snorkeling sessions in the beautiful waters of the bay. Alternatively PADI courses and scuba diving is very popular here.

There is also some hiking options to a view point near Loh Bagao in the north or Tonsai Bay view point to the west. Further to the west is the Wang Long Cave. Kayaking to the caves or around the bay is an ideal option.

Daily view that is hard to escape

** Excursions from the Island

The main excursion from the Island here is to Phi Phi le. There are hundreds of boats lined up to go to Ao Maya (Maya bay) every day. Each resort has its own speedboat to take you at a fixed time. At Tonsai bay there are many operators who offer the same trip for a fraction of the price. However the main objective here is to get to the island as early as possible and pay the extra bhats to persuade the driver to depart at 7am or earlier. After 9am Maya bay fills up with tourists and remains that way till sunset.

There is also the option of Bamboo Island heading north. Thirty minutes by long tail boat to this white sand island with lovely turquoise water.

Another island up north next to Bamboo Island is Koh Yung (Mosquito Island) which has good colorful coral reefs.

There is a diving/snoreklling site called Koh Hin Klang which is 2km in front of Laem Tong Beach. It is 90 meters long and 60 meters wide and one of the best places to dive and snorkel.

**Wildlife
Mainly mosquitoes but there was the odd harmless cockroach flying in the air. Relatively calm at the resorts with bugs since they have pest control but expect to see some wilder creatures on hikes. 

**Costs on the Island

Compared to the other islands this is the most expensive island. Due to the large amounts of tourists and demand for products, a greedy markup is placed on everything. Outrigger hotel is expensive but worth it. The best breakfast we have had on all the Islands. The seafood buffet dinner at this hotel was fantastic.

Food at the hotel will cost ฿400-1000 a day. Water is quite cheap with big bottles 1.5 litres trading at ฿50. Beer is about ฿80 and cocktails can range from ฿150 to ฿400.

Accommodation prices vary from backpackers to hotels. Hotels are roughly ฿7000per night with breakfast.

**Conclusion

This is a beautiful island and a good place to chill for several days. A popular option is to stay here while visiting Phi Phi Le. There are large crowds so expectation of being alone on the beach is not possible. 

However the east side of the island is more relaxed and quiet. Take the speedboat in and out of the Island. Travel to Maya bay super early. Bring your snack supplies as shops are limited and over priced.

Try the Outrigger hotel as the service and hotel is amazing. 

Outrigger Phi Phi Hotel: Only place I arrived with dry feet thanks to the small pier

South Thailand Island Guide
Boat options for Island Transfers

Phuket Tips
Phuket Map
South Thailand 13 Useful tips
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