The islands Phi Phi (also written as Pi Pi or abbreviated P.P., in Thai: หมู่ เกาะ พี พี) are found in the province of Krabi, Thailand. It is a small archipelago of four major islands in the Andaman Sea, in the south of the country, in a bay between the regions of Krabi Y Phuket.
It was one of the places in Thailand most affected by the 2004 tsunami, but the large influx of tourists caused the inhabitants to rebuild almost completely the island, to the point where eight years later there are no traces of that natural disaster and there is a complete tourist offer with excellent infrastructure.
Context
The Phi Phi archipelago is highly appreciated for its natural beauty, but much of its fame is due to the movie "The Beach" (2000), starring Leonardo DiCaprio and filmed on one of the islands, called Phi Phi Lee (or Phi Phi Lay). The only inhabited island is Phi Phi Don, where hotels are concentrated.
The area is usually affected by monsoon winds, so heavy rains are common between April and October. The best time to travel is between January and April, with warm temperatures and good weather.
While there are several resorts throughout Phi Phi Don Island, most of the accommodations are in the Tonsai area, on the strip of land between Tonsai Bay and Loh Dalum Beach.
The other two most important islands in the archipelago, north of Phi Phi Don, are the small Koh Yung or Mosquito Island (made up of 90% limestone cliffs, with a small beach on one of the sides) and Koh Pai or Bamboo Island (a small circular island without rock formations, with a single restaurant that is open twice a day and a bathroom with showers, and a camping area).
To get
The only way to get there is by sea. There are mainly ferry services from Krabi and Phuket with several daily frequencies. The vast majority of ferries dock at Tonsai Bay docks, although some also go directly to northern Phi Phi Don resorts.
Talk
Although the official language throughout the country is Thai, the vast majority of the stable population of Phi Phi speak English that is not too fluent and sometimes with a somewhat difficult pronunciation to understand. Some locals can even pronounce some phrases common in business transactions in Spanish, Italian and even Portuguese, but most are handled in English.
Although Thai is an extremely complicated language, the locals appreciate it when the tourist learns a few courtesy phrases. "Hello" is said "sawatdii", while "thank you" is "kop khun". In informal language, all sentences must be finished off with a formula that differentiates the gender: "kraap" or "kaap" is the ending when the interlocutor is male and "kaah" is used by women. Thus, men greet "sawatdii kraap" and women "sawatdii kaah".
Take a walk
Phi Phi Don is a small island, about 7 kilometers long and just 3.5 in the widest area. But the most populated area is on a narrow strip of land just over a kilometer long. This area is densely populated and there are a large number of hotels, restaurants, bars, shops, shops and tourism agencies around the pedestrianized streets (in Phi Phi Don there are no cars and the locals travel on bicycles). The entire area (between Tonsai Bay, where the piers are located, and Loh Dalum Beach) can be covered entirely on foot in just over an hour. To transfer luggage, you can request the service of small carts pulled by hotel staff.
Despite being so small, the layout of the pedestrian streets and the large number of hotels and shops make it difficult for tourists to locate themselves correctly.
Watch
In Phi Phi there is not much to see, other than lounging on the beaches, eating in the restaurants and shopping in the shops.
Do
One of the most common activities is open sea excursions for scuba diving, which can be hired at the large number of tourist agencies. There are also excursions to nearby islands (mainly to Phi Phi Lee).
To the west, on a mountain, is the viewpoint from which you can see Loh Dalum beach and the entire town from above, as well as the surrounding cliffs and rocky mountains.
The island has a busy nightlife, which makes it particularly attractive to young people looking to party on the sand.
To buy
In Phi Phi Don there are many shops where you can buy gifts and clothing, all at very convenient prices although somewhat more expensive than in Bangkok or other cities in the country. There are also some shops with electronic items, such as tablets, mobile phones and cameras. There are several 7-Eleven, the North American convenience store franchise, where you can find some western products. There are no shopping centers on the island.
To eat
The gastronomic offer is very varied, from large restaurants serving international cuisine to small Thai food outlets. Most have menus in Thai and English, with photos to help you identify the various dishes.
One of the most popular restaurants is Tonsai SeaFood, on Tonsai Bay.
To drink
Phi Phi is an attraction point for young people in search of parties, so there are a wide variety of bars that serve juices and soft drinks during the day and at night become real factories for alcoholic beverages. In many street stalls you can buy the "buckets", small buckets with bottles of white drinks to combine with juices and soft drinks, whose prices vary according to the quality of the ingredients.
The island's water is not drinkable, so it is advisable to drink bottled water. In most shops they sell liter bottles of mineral water for around 10 baht (about 30 cents).
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Sleep
There are accommodations for all budgets, as in all of Thailand, but particularly in Phi Phi it is difficult to find hotels with prices below 300 baht ($ 10) per night. Although the offer is varied and abundant, it is usual that in high season all the establishments are full, so it is advisable to book in advance.
Be careful with the offers, since many hotels do not have hot water or air conditioning. It is also not advisable to trust hotels that include the word "resort" in their name, since (despite what most Westerners may assume) this does not mean that it is a quality establishment and many have conditions of dubious quality.
- The URL is not valid A decent hotel, without any luxury but clean and with hot water and air conditioning. Very good quality / price ratio, it has free Wi-Fi. The reception does not work at night.
Security
Phi Phi is a completely safe place, as there are practically no records of muggings or robberies. It is common for people to take off their shoes to enter restaurants, shops or hotels, and there are usually several dozen sandals and footwear on the street waiting for their owners to collect them on the way out; the most normal thing is that nothing is ever missing. You can even sometimes find "closed" shops, without vendors, but with their doors open, so that it is possible to enter and look, which gives an idea of the security of the place.
Where to go next?
From Phi Phi you can easily reach Phuket (usually overrun with North American tourists) to the west, Krabi (much quieter) to the northeast and Koh Lanta to the east. But the big star of the area is Maya Beach (or Maya Bay), in Phi Phi Lee, the setting chosen to shoot the movie "The Beach". It is located about three kilometers from the Tonsai Docks and, because there are no hotels, it is a beach to visit during the day. However, little remains of the calm and desolate sands that the film will show, since it is the obligatory walk for thousands of tourists per day. Currently, Maya Bay is closed indefinitely to recover and protect its ecosystem.
The excursions usually include Monkey Island (a small strip of sand inhabited by a large number of monkeys), the Vikings Cave (a cavity in the rock overlooking the sea that cannot be accessed, the boats simply approach to photograph it), a stop in the waters of Loh Samah Bay (where you can snorkel with countless fish of all kinds), another stop at Canyon Rock (to swim in shallow and crystal clear waters) and finally Maya Beach, where there is only a bar, bathrooms and a beach full of tourists. These half-day excursions typically include a simple meal (delivered on board in a plastic container), a drink (juice and mineral water), and fares are around 300 baht ($ 10).