samui magazine

A few upmarket hotels, but many more smaller, cheaper bungalows

Accommodation on the two Phi Phi Islands is limited to the larger of the pair, the northern Phi Phi Don. It’s more rugged sister, a couple of kilometres to the south, has no man-made structures on it whatever, save a rickety boat landing leading to the mouth of the huge and famous cave there. There is virtually no flat land on this island on which to build.

A large part of Phi Phi Don also comprises vertical rock walls, ensuring that large sections of this will also retain their untouched beauty forever. Phi Phi’s accommodation is concentrated in the narrow isthmus separating two beautiful bays seen in so many classic photos of these islands, while a few bungalow resorts are scattered on small beaches up the east coast.

The more up-market resorts here usually live on pre-booked guests, while most of the smaller establishments, particularly those along the twin bays, rely on daily walk-ins. Backpacking tourists disembark from ferry boats from Phuket and Krabi several times a day at the main Ton Sai jetty, and are besieged by young men proffering brochures, rooms and boats to other parts of the islands.

The largest number of cheap rooms is found on the string of beaches facing Ton Sai bay that stretches to the east of the main jetty. Those who want to look and choose their room should walk along these beaches. To get there turn right when disembarking at the jetty, walk through the small village of shops and restaurants, following the trail along the beach. There is no motorised transport on the Phi Phi Islands at all, and those who wish to go further up the island to one of the scattered resorts there will need to rent a longtail boat. They are always waiting when the ferries arrive.

To the left of the Ton Sai jetty there are also some nice bungalows on the far side of the big Phi Phi Islands Cabana, tucked in neatly below the high cliff face.

Upmarket Resorts

The best resort at Ton Sai is definitely the Phi Phi Island Cabana. It has the prime location in all of Phi Phi, sitting right in the middle of the coconut-covered peninsula, facing the beaches on both sides. This has by far the largest swimming pool in Phi Phi, in idyllic conditions.
The Phi Phi Princess, on the back beach, is a good bungalow resort. One really quiet get-away on the east coast, the Pee Pee Island Village, has a whole beach to itself, and virtually no outsiders can get here. At the top end of the island the Holiday Inn Phi Phi (formerly Phi Phi Palm Beach, and often still called that) offers particularly attractive bungalows set in beautiful coconut garden, and one of the four swimming pools in these islands.