Siesta in the Sand on Ko Phi Phi

If it weren't for the breathtaking views of the beach, islands and Andaman Sea, our trip down south in Thailand might have been ruined thanks to the horrific experience of Phuket. Most of my friends who had been through Phuket in the past warned me about the tourist trap that is this dirty city, so in the hopes to avoid this, I booked our one night we had in transit at a Lonely Planet-recommended "resort" just a bit farther away from the center of activity on Kamala beach.  To make a long story short we showed up at 1am to a roach motel run by an incompetent non-english speaking staff….needless to say we made it through the night and 12 hours later were on the ferry as fast as we could to Ko Phi Phi.

Luckily, arriving at the beautiful island didn't disappoint. Ko Phi Phi is made up of two islands, Ko Phi Phi Don (which is the part that is inhabited) and Ko Phi Phi Leh (most famously known for where the movie "The Beach" was shot). If I had one complaint of the Island, it might be that it is a bit overly touristy. Before the tsunami hit, the Island was getting so built up that the government imposed restrictions once everything was destroyed in 2004 so that it wouldn't get so built up again. Unfortunately, business owners thought otherwise and it is essentially what it was like pre-tsunami…. Alas, there are still some beautiful areas a bit removed from the town that retain a paradise vibe.
For our first night we had pre-booked a bungalow a bit farther away from the town called Viking Nature Resort, near Long Beach. It was such a cool eco-resort and the private tree house bungalows were perfection. However, we decided we wanted to be a little closer to the action so, after our first night and a picture-perfect day at the beach, we packed up and rented a budget bungalow in the town center for the next two nights.

our tree house at Viking

Phi Phi Leh

Our 4 Island days were filled with lounging in the sand, a snorkel/island boat trip, more delicious thai  fresh seafood and even yoga on the beach. It was the perfect way to unwind, enjoy the beauty of the island and culminate our Thailand trip before departing for the next adventure in Vietnam...