Day Trip to the Phi Phi Islands

Asia
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For our second Phuket day, we went on a boat trip to the Phi Phi Islands!

Early - even for me!

Wow, we woke up early. Thankfully, we only had to put on our swim suits and ensure our sunscreen was in the bag! However, it was early - even for me! Somehow, we stumbled around and found our way to the front desk to await our private transfer. 

The Awkward Hello

As expected, early mornings do not mean people are perky and happy especially whilst on holiday. This was the scenario at the Royal Phuket Marina where we met our boat crew. Thankfully, on Simba 3, there were only 9 passengers compared to the 14 on our sister boat. We made our awkward introductions while most tried to chug their coffee. Somehow, we ended up lucky!

Because of the early start, it meant we had one of the best sunsets we have experienced! We were on the water for less than 15 minutes and the sunset was incredibly better than anything we had seen on the trip! Now, we were really glad that we woke up before dawn!

  • Sunrise
  • Sunrise
  • Sunrise
  • Sunrise
  • Sunrise
  • Sunrise
  • Sunrise
  • Sunrise
  • Sunrise
  • Sunrise

Bamboo Island

Unknown to us, this tour and the islands themselves are world famous because of one movie starring Leo DiCaprio - The Beach. Unfortunately for us, we had never seen the movie let alone heard of the movie! However, we do know a pretty beach once we see it!

  • Bamboo Island
  • Bamboo Island
  • Bamboo Island

While I presume this island has a lot of Bamboo (and confirmed by our guide), we only stayed on the beach. We walked along the beach whilst our boat crew prepared our breakfast. Similar to the reviews, we were the only folks on the beach! We loved it! We ate our light breakfast of banana bread, fruits, and coffee on the beach while we enjoyed the rising sun and empty beach. Our guide said about 6,000 people would come to the islands today and we were the first 9 on this beach! 

  • Selfie
  • Breakfast

First Snorkel

For our first snorkel, we went to an island about 5 minutes from Bamboo Island. Although we were not the first visitors, the area was really peaceful and I could easily see how it could become a classic “city pool” situation where there are too many people for the amount of space! Perks of waking up at 4am I suppose! 

  • Cruising
  • Cruising
  • Cruising
  • Cruising
  • Cruising

The snorkel was exceptionally lovely. We could see lots of nemo-ish fish that also kept nibbling us! For the most part, we just swam around until we got bored. Surprisingly, there were a few folks on board that didn’t know how to swim, yet signed up for this tour that stops just to swim compared to the other boats that just take you to the sights and sounds. Regardless, it did not stop us from being the last people in the water to take advantage of the clear water and lots of sealife!

  • Snorkel spot #1
  • Snorkel spot #1
  • Snorkel spot #1
  • Snorkel spot #1
  • Snorkel spot #1
  • Snorkel spot #1
  • Snorkel spot #1
  • Snorkel spot #1
  • Snorkel spot #1
  • Snorkel spot #1

Pit Stop

One of the famous attractions of this tour is “Monkey Island” where as one can surmise, monkeys live! As we quickly learned, monkeys also enjoy a nice lie in after a long hard day of posing for pictures, drinking free booze, and eating their free bananas. Yes, some idiot tourists give them a beer or two… We couldn’t find any monkeys so we went off for our second snorkel of the day.

We went back to the famous Monkey Island later on that day and we actually saw a few! They did not have any beer for us, but they did want some food!

  • Monkey Island
  • Monkey Island

Snorkel or Scuba

Rather than a random island, we went to a popular scuba spot for our second snorkel. Unfortunately, I do not remember the name of this island - only that it is one of the best scuba spots because of the clear water. This was confirmed by several scuba boats!

Our guide was correct that this water was exceptionally clear and blue! Similar to the first spot, we were one of the first people in the water and immediately swam looking for sealife. Boy, did we find loads of fish and even a baby shark! The sealife was pretty good at this spot! The water was awfully busy due to the barrage of boats coming and going, but MF and I enjoyed just being in the water! 

  • Snorkel #2
  • Snorkel #2
  • Snorkel #2
  • Snorkel #2
  • Snorkel #2

Emerald Crown - Pileh Lagoon

Another highlight was a secret bay surrounded on three sides by the large mountains. We entered through a narrow passage and gazed at the surreal beauty. Although we were not the first boats, we still had amazing views of this magical lagoon. We could see caves in the rocky hills as we parked our boat, but we were more interested in the views and the swimming - obviously! One of the best features is the calm waters as all boats entering or leaving have to maintain a slower speed so it is one giant swimming pool!

  • Emerald Isle
  • Emerald Isle
  • Emerald Isle
  • Emerald Isle
  • Emerald Isle
  • Emerald Isle
  • Emerald Isle
  • Emerald Isle
  • Emerald Isle
  • Emerald Isle
  • Emerald Isle
  • Emerald Isle
  • Emerald Isle
  • Emerald Isle

For “The Beach” fans, this was not probably a favorite spot since I don’t think anything was filmed here. For us, it was great because we were one of the only people in the water around us. In my opinion, the lagoon had a better view from the water than the boat!

Maya Bay

One of the world’s most popular beaches that no one can actually step on - Maya Bay - was our next stop. Although we couldn’t approach or stand on it, we were able to take pictures! We really did not get the big deal, but everyone else seemed to be thrilled… I suppose we should have watched “The Beach” before this day trip!

  • The Beach
  • The Beach
  • The Beach
  • The Beach
  • The Beach
  • The Beach

Private Island - Koh Rang Yai

Because we had been up and at it since 4am, we were quite hungry and ready for lunch! Our boat departed the Phi Phi Islands and headed to a smaller, private island of Koh Rang Yai for lunch. When they said it was private, it meant that we were going to a private hotel resort rather than their own private island. 

  • Private Island
  • Private Island
  • Private Island

When we hopped off a boat, it was extremely peaceful and quiet! We walked onto the shore and placed our towels on front row beach chairs while we went to get something to eat. It seemed like paradise - no wonder why it was called a private island! For lunch, we had a tasty serving of pad thai and three curries! For buffet food, it was really good!

After lunch, we enjoyed the serene tranquility of our own private island. MF was napping, I strolled the empty beach, and went swimming. Then, the “storm” came…

  • Without People
  • More people
  • White Walker
  • Boats Boats

Whilst relaxing in our beach chairs, we saw another tour boat arrive. Then another. And another. Before long, there were between 8-10 boats of 30 people each approaching our island. Suddenly, our tiny beach was surrounded by the 250-300+ tourists! Moreover, most were Russian / European who had funny thin white hoodies on to prevent from the sun. In summary, there were 300 tourists in wet white hoodies wandering in our paradise… Our mood was ruined! Thankfully, we left shortly after they arrived!

  • Boat Selfie
  • Driving the boat!
  • I am on a boat!
  • Bye bye Phi Phi

Tour Company Review

Overall, Simba is one of the best tour companies in Thailand and provided one of the best tours in the world for us. Everything was absolutely great! Our favorite things about the company include:

  • Loads of free food, including fruit and sweets!
  • Entertaining guide
  • Happy to take pictures
  • Kept their promise on being the first boat out there

For the extra cost, I would happily go on another Simba tour as they beat the crowds to some amazing places and keep you entertained along the way!

Happy Place

Because of our sunrise tour, we were back at the hotel by 3pm. It was fantastic! Rather than nap indoors, we went to the pool and we each took our own little cat nap! The late afternoon sun combined with the great happy hour prices (60B for a beer!!) made for a great afternoon!

The Search

Because our bodies were on a 4am timetable, we were ready for dinner well before 7pm. Thus, we researched other great food in the area and found a tasty sounding burger joint down the road. 

As we walked through the NaiHarn village, we had the “great” opportunity to walk on the side of the road and experience roadway madness! It was crazy, yet sort of exciting. Then, once we arrived at the burger place, it was closed… It was the ultimate fail! Because our usual place was closed on Sundays, we had to opt for plan C - the Naiharn Garden and Grill. 

  • Dinner
  • Dinner
  • Dinner

Not So Local

At the Naiharn Garden and Grill, it felt fancy compared to our Thai Lagoon the previous evening. Firstly, the restaurant had air conditioning!! That was strange! While we enjoyed the AC, we were not a huge fan of the food… We both had the chicken fried rice as it was one of the few cheap items on the menu. It did fill us up, but left us wishing the local Thai spot was open! Perhaps it was the early bird special meant to please the old folks!

The Beach

Because we were on the beach, it was fitting that we finally watched The Beach that evening. We finally understood why people went to these beautiful movie locations. However, we didn’t really see why it was a popular movie… 

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