Co Phi Phi

Co Phi Phi is magic. According to a WIN-Gallup International center survey, the happiest people live in Co Phi Phi (85%). It certainly has won many accolades for it's beauty and as each year roles by and the ferries round the headlands of Co Phi Phi Don, a new wave of visitors gap with pure delight as they catch their first glimpse of Tonsai Bay.

Co Phi Phi is not a resort town, or resort bay experience but an eclectic mix of simple and luxury hotels nestles around a bustling village where you are just as likely to enjoy some serious diving or snorkeling as you are to take on some serious nightlife partying. And if this seems all too much there are plenty of places to just sit and soak up paradise and while a way a few perfect days in the sun.

Kicking Back on Co Phi Phi Thailand.

One thing all visitors have in common is their love of the way the sand feels between their toes... sheer pleasure. The seas are a gorgeous 29 degrees all year round so you can swim as long as you wish, either to take the heat of the day off your back or play at night in the moonlight and experience that special romantic moment.

Maya Bay Co Phi Phi Thailand

Co Phi Phi is about romance for many who visit it's shores. The elegant settings, the lack of the serious world makes this an ideal place to unwind and let the moment and the rhythm of nature take you where you need to be. Phi Phi Island Village Resort And Spa, Holiday Inn Phi Phi Island, Zeavola Phi Phi Resort are the high end romantic getaways in the north of the island. Mama Beach Residence and Phi Phi Island Cabana Hotel are the main ones for Phi Phi Don Village.

Holiday Inn Phi Phi Thailand

One of my biggest loves of this special place is that there are no cars. Walk. Yes you must walk everywhere and this means take it slow or you will get too hot. So everybody including the market traders are taking it slow as this is the best way to move around. This adds to the laid back atmosphere of Phi Phi. Air conditioning is an important part of your decision making process when you book accommodation on Co Phi Phi. Those who don't need air con and can cope with the heat but for many the air con and swimming pool are essential.

Co Phi Phi revolves around the sea as nearly every piece of land turns into hill as soon as you get more than 150 meters inland. The beaches and boating trips seem to dominate the main activities and there is plenty to see.

The traditional boat of the islands is the Longtail boat which is basically a tractor engine with an extra long prop shaft that acts as a rudder as well. These used to be very noisy affairs but in the last few years mufflers and petrol engines are being used which makes for a much more pleasurable ride. The longtail is the main taxi, tour and excursion boat that gets you from bay to bay or out to Phi Phi Ley. Out in the fresh air, with the wind blowing past your face and out on the sea... there's nothing better.


For those who need a bit more that the 5-8 passenger longtail boats, the wooden converted fishing boats are a great way to tour. These boats often have a toilet and are more sea worthy but on the down side will have tours with 20 or more people on them.


Bamboo island sits to the north and has a commanding view of Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Ley in the distance, is surrounded by a huge coral garden and has a sandy beach that need a sunglasses warning on it as the sand is that bright!


Phi Phi Ley is about 97% cliff which seems impossible until you get their. The sheer faces drop straight into the deep blue sea. Wall diving is a key draw on this island. The Viking Cave is where the Bird's Nest Soup ingredients are farmed and this is Co Phi Phi 's primary industry outside tourism. The 2 beaches are a joy to be seen. Loh Samah has a tiny beach and a lovely coral reef. Maya Bay beach is where the shot the movie for Leonardo Di Caprio's classic 'The Beach'. This island has many tour boats so it is best to visit out of hours.


Co Phi Phi Don has the accommodation and here you can find everything from dormitories to 4 and 5 star resorts. The island can only sleep about 6400 tourists but there is such a diverse group of people that party nights can be quite brilliant.

Kayaking on Co Phi Phi Thailand

Co Phi Phi Hotels and Resorts are predominantly on the beach and 50% of them will have a swimming pool. Guesthouses, dormitories camping (camping not in place every year) will be inland but JJ Bungalow is in the middle of the island and it is only 180 meters and 220m from Loh Dalum beach or Tonsai Bay. Best Budget Hotels and Resorts, Best Mid Range Hotels , Best Beach Front Resorts on Phi Phi are useful links for good accommodation.

Fruit seller on on the main pier

Co Phi Phi is a collection of 6 islands, the two many Phi Phi's Bamboo island Moskito Island and the 2 rocky diving outcrops of the Bida's. The geography of the island is stunning with near vertical cliffs dominating the landscape where ever you look. The only real flat land is at the main Co Phi Phi Village by the main pier and at Loh Bagoa where the famous Phi Phi island Village Resort holds court. Co Phi Phi is reached by ferries from Phuket Krabi and Lanta Island some 45km away and for more details in getting there see the main transfer to Co Phi Phi help page.

phi-phi.com is the predominate website for detail and good research on Co Phi Phi Weather, Phi Phi Photo Galleries, Phi Phi Interactive Map.

Cliff jumping off Phi Phi Don

Co Phi Phi is also known by Koh Phi Phi or Phi Phi island or Phi Phi Thailand.
See more Aerial shots of Phi Phi here.

Phi Phi Thailand

Phi Phi Thailand commands a magical place in the hearts of all those who have travelled there. The sheer beauty of the sea and landscape of the island is enough for you to just stop and gaze, stunned. When you round the corner of Phi Phi Don, coming from Phuket or Krabi, the ferry boat rails are full of one scene every day. In some of the smaller boats you can even detect the boat leaning over fractionally with the numbers of people all on the left side, taking in the scene of Phi Phi Don or shooting off a picture for memory. It's as if Hollywood has taken the most glamorous tropical setting ever and plonked it in front your very eyes. It is truly inspiring.

Phi Phi Thailand. Phi Phi Ley

And yes it is the place where Leonardo Di Caprio made his famous movie, 'The Beach'. It was set in the jewel of Phi Phi Thailand on Maya Bay. You can see why this one Bay has the pull that it does. It is a near perfect example of that Hollywood improbable landscape that is just too pretty to ignore. I like to visit before 9.30am and after 3pm as it is alot cooler then and the tour boats from Phuket have gone back.

The Best of Phi Phi Thailand
The best place to start is with a list of all that is great on Phi Phi, the must see, top activities to do, where to go and then take a deep breath. For such a small island it has a superb selection of attractions, activities and nightlife.

If you like diving then Phi Phi has some of the regions best dive sites and dive schools. Phi Phi is at the center of things good in the dive world in Thailand. Whether you are new to the underworld experience and need to take a PADI course, or whether you have just trained and needs some beautiful yet non technical diving, or finally if you need something challenging, Phi Phi has it within 1 hour speedboat trip. In fact 85% of all the reefs are just 20 minutes from Phi Phi Don main pier so there is plenty of opportunity to dive and still get to see the rest of the island. This is why Phi Phi island is a magnet for divers and there are over 20 dive schools on the island.

The image below is of Blue View Divers that has an interesting policy of going out with the traditional longtail boats rather than the large dive boast. This has a double advantage to the diver that make it unique. Primarily you are very limited to the numbers in the dive group as the longtail boat has a maximum loading limit. The other advantage is that it can enjoy a different surface time between dives. Where as the traditional dive boat anchors off a beach, a longtail can go onto the sand so you can have a bit of an explore or a lazy moment on the sand.

Blue View Diving Phi Phi Thailand

Similarly, snorkeling in the shallow reefs of Phi Phi Don Island and Phi Phi Ley Island, some 20km of reef are tremendous fun place to explore. My favourite time on Phi Phi is snorkeling with the sharks, see image below. These black tip reef sharks are harmless to humans and yet make a thrilling morning out down on Long Beach. There is nothing like getting your heart racing than having an encounter with a 1-2meter long shark. The Black Tip Reef Shark are timid and time in the water must be spent without disturbing the sea or thrashing around for the best success.

Phi Phi Thailand. Black Tip Reef Shark

Kicking Back
Many of those who travel to Phi Phi Thailand just need the beach, a place to sit and relax. There is nothing quite like sitting in a world beauty spot, maybe with a drink and a chance to be still, take it all in and just breath. It's no suprise that people love to do nothing on their holiday as it is the way to unwind. As my heart beat lowers to my minimum, I find true relaxation.

Phi Phi Don Village
The village at Phi Phi Thailand is a mesmerizing mix of restaurants, bars, dive schools, souvenir shops all connected by pathways. There are no cars on the island so you just walk around. If there is one thing that gets you slowed down into that holiday mode, it is walking. At 30 degrees C, a brisk pace doesn't cut it. You must walk slow or you over heat.

The village is a curious mix of tourist land and the village. Thai people work on the island and they have their market center, their mosque and life goes on in parallel and yet both sides of the tourist industry walk along the same paths going to the same destinations. The walking brings everybody down to the same level and this gives a great village feel, a shared experience.

The Muslim aspect of the village does not have a large impact on the tourist experience. The Phi Phi Thailand Muslims are very tolerant and used to holiday makers. In fact 95% of the population has an income from tourism.

Phi Phi Hotels and Resort
Most Phi Phi Accommodation is right on the beach and there are still many resort offering the bungalow / cottage or villa style so loved in Europe. However in the last 5 years there have been some new low rise hotels put up that have increased the number of quality rooms on the island (namely PP Palmtree Resort & PP Andaman Legacy).

Prices are quite high on Phi Phi but you can understand that there are real additional costs in getting all your provisions from the mainland 48 km away.

Thailand Phi Phi. Phi Phi Island Village Resort

If you are choosing a place to stay on Phi Phi it is good to work out how close you want to be to the main Phi Phi Don Village. Some people hunt out the beach party scene and wouldn't be where it is inconvenient to get late night longtail boat taxis. Others need the peace and quiet of the north of the island at Laem Tong. I love Long Beach as it is close to the village so you can get a 10 minute taxi boat but far enough away so you can really get away from the village.

In the days of yore
I first arrived here in 1992 and for me, the charm of the place is that not much of the scenery has changed. (sure the village has changed and the hotels have improved). I have spoke to many of the people who travelled to Phi Phi before me and they talk of the time when the Cabana Hotel was a few grass huts on the beach. This part of Phi Phi Thailand has changed out of sight but in many ways it has become more accessible to more of the world. It is a great shame if you get to Thailand and you don't get time to see one of the truly classic island get aways in the world.

Phi Phi Thailand. The Remote Lanah Bay

The spelling of Phi Phi Thailand.
Phi Phi Thailand is sometimes referred to as Co Phi Phi, Koh Phi Phi, Phiphi, PP or Ko Phi Phi. Co Phi Phi is the latest spelling for the island and the Co part of the Phi Phi has all that modern SMS texting, twitter and facebook spelling cache that might catch on in a big way. The Co is the spelling of Koh which means island. From Koh to Co is a short step so you can see why it's happening. The jury is out on this blog on whether Co Phi Phi is cool!

See more Aerial shots of Koh Phi Phi here.