The beautiful laid back confines of Ko Phi Phi in southern Thailand are a perfect escape for anybody seeking a hedonistic paradise. The islands of Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh retain their traditional escapism; there are no cars or busy roads, so take a short tranquil walk or a local longtail boat from one perfect beach to the next.
Phi Phi Don is the largest and only populated island. The local people give visitors an exceptionally warm welcome, accommodation is cheap and plentiful, and the nightlife is incredible with revellers partying from dusk till dawn at exhilarating beach parties and lively bars.
Phi Phi Leh is an uninhabitated island that has become immensely popular in the last decade. Ever since the film ‘The Beach’ was filmed at Maya Baya on the island, a steady flow of tourists has descended on this exotic Utopia. The incredibly clear sea is home to a huge variety of tropical fish, with one of the world’s most abundant coral reef systems, and the locations and sights are both plentiful and astounding.
Getting to Koh Phi Phi is easy as ferry services make return trips twice daily from Phuket and Krabi. There is a huge range of PADI courses for beginners and experienced divers; other water based activities such as snorkelling, waterskiing, cruising, and fishing are also well catered for. The tsunami in 2004 resulted in massive loss of life and caused irreparable damage, but the local people were resilient and determined to rebuild, and the response has exceeded all expectations almost six years on.
Charter boats and tours to Phang Nga Bay, James Bond Island, Koh Yao Noi, and Maya Bay run daily and all are well worth exploring. Long tail taxi boats can also be hired for as little as €30-€40 per day, and are ideal for groups who wish to explore uninterrupted, with more freedom, and without time constraints.
We were eager to avoid the hoards of people on the chartered boats and decided to get a long tail taxi boat after we met some likeminded Dubs and Canadians in a bar on the island. Our intentions of congregating early the following morning were a little ambitious as we partied away into the small hours, but we eventually made it out by about 11am and what a day it turned out to be.
We hired snorkelling gear and set off in great anticipation, the sun was glistening, spectacular limestone cliff faces jut out of the crystal clear emerald lagoon and seem to stretch into eternity. I nudged one of my accomplices who was feeling the effects of the previous night and we both agreed that this was the best hangover cure known to man.
We eventually settled on a snorkelling site and the schools of illuminating tropical fish that we encountered were truly awe-inspiring. A friend of mine decided to throw some breadcrumbs next to one of the Dublin girls, and seconds later much to our bemusement, she was surrounded by what seemed like hundreds of Nemo lookalikes.
Next we sailed onto Maya Bay which has gained a cult following since the film ‘The Beach’ was filmed there in 1999. Maya Bay is a stunningly beautiful place which is surrounded by steep 100 metre limestone cliffs. By being almost separated from the sea, the emerald waters are similar to that of a giant swimming pool, giving it an exotic secludedness and the turquoise waters sit effortlessly in front of 200 metres of powdery white sand. We were the only people on the island when we docked and at the time it felt like our own little private paradise.
We later stopped momentarily at Monkey Island which as the name implies is home to a herd of Macaque monkeys. The monkeys come down regularly to the beach from the surrounding cliffs, and surprisingly they are not daunted by humans, and can be fed fruit by passing tourists. As the tide was out we threw some apples over the rocks that separated us from them and watched as they chased and harried each other excitedly.
As the most glowing of sunsets was being created we sailed off to get a nice calm vantage point. A huge cruise liner sailed up adjacent to us momentarily. “Only one thing is missing,” a Canadian accomplice commented as he directed our driver over to the side of the much bigger vessel. One of the driver’s comrades took some drink orders and disappeared up a ladder onto the ship, re-emerging moments later with a collection of ice cold beers.
We toasted the perfect end to a sensational day in true Irish fashion and soaked up the marvellous picturesque scenes in front of us.
