Ah, Phi Phi. You grabbed my heart and I didn't want to leave. Koh Phi Phi is known for being a party town, which is true if you stay at the pier. I didn't. I took the ferry over from Krabi and a few minutes later was whisked away by a long-tail boat to a private beach for the week.
My hut was up on the hill and had a view of the sea from my deck. The best part? there was absolutely no reason to wear flip-flops here. With the beach steps away, my day consisted of snorkeling in the morning, then laying on the hammock reading and drinking mango rums in the afternoon.
The snorkeling was the best I've done up to this point. My resort was located in front of a popular snorkel spot. I've been snorkeling in the Caribbean and Mexico, but they didn't compare to what I saw 200 meters off my beach. I went out every morning around 8:00 am to swim in my private aquarium. By early afternoon, our bay was overrun with 5-6 speedboats filled with snorkelers. It was fun to watch all these snorkelers in their life vests swimming on top of each other to see the fish, knowing I could go out there when no one else was around.
I was able to break in the GoPro this trip too. I was the first time I really used it and had a blast filming and photographing all the fish and coral.
The beach was small but beautiful and the resort was only about 50% capacity since I went in low season. There are many private resorts on Phi Phi and so glad I booked my stay away from the pier. My stay was very relaxing.
The sunrises are beautiful. Some of the most beautiful sunrise/sunsets I've witnessed have been in Thailand. After my stay, I took the long-tail boat back to the pier and had an hour to kill before my ferry. I got to see the other side of Phi Phi which feels a little like Jersey Shore. If partying is your thing, then stay at the pier, I heard there's even fire shows every night. If you want peace and quiet on a secluded beach, head to one of the many private resorts available.
