Koh Phi Phi…It Really Isn’t That Bad!
Don’t worry this isn’t another one of those top ten posts about what you can do on Koh Phi Phi. There are already 100’s if not 1000’s of them out there to find. Our favourite guide can be found here!
We are writing this post having just returned from a mini trip around southern Thailand and one of the stops included Koh Phi Phi. Before we left we both read quite a few ‘negative’ posts regarding Koh Phi Phi from established blogger’s. The majority we came across were fairly to somewhat completely negative towards Phi Phi. One blogger even called it Poo Poo island.
What we read leading up to the trip would have probably put some people off even visiting at all. Going by what had been written in some posts we was going to arrive at a sewage smelling, over crowded, over developed, littered party island. One blogger went even further and advised you not to bother going at all as your 20 years to late.
Well like most people we like to experience places for ourselves and make our own mind up, instead of someone making it up for us! Don’t get us wrong it is always good to read up on places before you go as you can learn valuable information. But from our experience one person’s paradise can be another’s idea of hell.
Upon arrival to Koh Phi Phi, we were soon lost in the narrow pedestrian alley ways surrounded by cheap clothing, questionable souvenirs and dive shops. We fell in love with the island straight away. Yes it may be over developed but that is the only truly negative thing we can say about Koh Phi Phi. You can hardly blame the Thai’s for trying to earn a living and its hardly ruined the natural beauty as much of the island is unspoilt and crowd free.
During our stay on the island we came across hardly any litter and only one bottle on the beach. Hardly the scenes we expected after reading a post telling us the island is littered with rubbish. The same post also complained about the smell of sewage, guess what?? Not a single wiff of crap in the air. As for the island being overcrowded, yes during the day the crowds descended (mainly tourist boats) but after sunset the majority of crowds left and it didn’t feel crowed at all.
If you can’t handle the crowds during the day and want to get away from it all there are plenty of walks to take through the island and also a fifteen minute walk from the main town you can find Long Beach, where you will find a handful of people sunbathing and a near enough empty beach.
As for a paradise island?? Hmmm maybe not quite. There are many more peaceful, less touristy islands to visit in Thailand and worldwide. But arriving from the crazy and somewhat seedy Patong it was a our paradise island for the 3 days we stayed there. We would and will definitely revisit Koh Phi Phi and would certainly recommend it to others.
Have you ever been to Koh Phi Phi? We would love to hear about your experiences.
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