Koh Phi Phi - Simply Stunning

After Railay Beach, I took a ferry to the (in)famous Phi Phi Islands. The island has a reputation for being a party island and very touristy and upon leaving the ferry, it became blatantly obvious why. All major fast food chains were immediately visible and the town was buzzing with tourists.

Anyway, on the first day, Yolanda, Naz (both whom I met in Railay) and I decided to take a hike to watch the sunset. While the view was nice, the sunset was unfortunately rather average, due to the presence of fog.

The next morning, we woke up early to explore the surroundings, with the most famous stop being Maya Bay - the island/beach from the movie 'The Beach' starring Leo DiCaprio. We were the second to fourth people on the beach, which was amazing. Maya Bay is indeed beautiful with its white sand and clear water. Parts of the beach are not visible from the ocean, as it is 'hidden' by huge limestones, which adds to its allure. I can now see why it is such a popular spot.

Next, we stopped to go snorkelling and I saw two small, but harmless, sharks in the water. Afterwards, we drove to Pileh Lagoon - and, oh my, was that water blue. Just wow, incredible! Pictures don't do it justice.

The following stop was at Monkey Bay, where we had the opportunity to feed some 'wild' monkeys. I stayed away from that - don't want to catch rabies - and instead swam in another spot where the water was incredibly blue.

The last noteworthy stop of the day was at Bamboo Island. We had a quick lunch and then explored the island. And, once again, we discovered amazing clear and blue waters. We couldn't help but take a million photos. I could have stayed here for hours on end and just looked at the water.

Once back on the main island, we were all quite exhausted. We grabbed some dinner and then watched one of the famous fire shows - they are worth the hype! Last but not least, I met up with another traveller and we went to the Raggae Bar, which has a boxing ring in the middle for brave (or drunk) tourists to fight each other (mostly Brits). It's a brilliant idea and fun to watch, even if the quality of boxing is horrendous!

On the last full day, we all took it easy. We went to a nearby hotel that has an infinity pool and pretty much stayed there the whole day to soak up the sun, do a little photoshoot and watch the sunset once more.

So, what to make of Koh Phi Phi? I actually enjoyed my time there, despite its 'mass tourism'. The island itself is nah, but the surroundings are so stunning that I find it difficult for anyone not to be amazed by its beauty.Read more