This is a post long overdue, but I finally finished putting together the vlog! The best friend (henceforth known as Banana) & I took a short trip to #Phuket mid-March because we both wanted to spend time with each other while taking a break from our hectic schedules. This is the last of two posts documenting our time on Phi Phi Island.
Getting to Phi Phi Island
We ended up only deciding to make a trip to Phi Phi Island a week before we flew to Phuket, so we got our ferry tickets online here. We departed from Rassada Pier at Phuket & arrived at Tonsai Pier on Koh Phi Phi in about 90 minutes. The two-way trip costed us about SGD40 each. Be sure to print out the e-ticket so the checking in process is much quicker, & to allow ample time to check in & find your ferry (I'd say 1 hour is more than enough). A note on luggage space: Banana & I travelled light, but I'd recommend bringing a bag that's easy to carry on. It can be difficult navigating the space in a very booked ferry. There are designated spots to put baggage though; we haven't tried it ourselves but online reviews say the staff take a while to sort out baggage.
Upon arriving at Phi Phi Island, we had to pay an arrival tax of 20 baht each. If you'd like for someone to help carry your baggage to your accommodation, there are people lined up with carts who will do that for you at a fee of about 400 baht - I'd recommend this especially if you've chosen to stay at a resort farther in & if you're carrying heavy baggage.
Phi Phi Arboreal Resort
125/148 Moo 7, Ao-nang, Muang Krabi, Ao Lo Dalam, Koh Phi Phi, Thailand, 81000.
The rooms were basically standalone huts on top of the hill; we booked a room with the sea view packaged with breakfast for a total of about SGD135. The receptionist welcomed us with an iced beverage, which tasted extra amazing because it was hot outside & we had walked for 20 minutes from the pier to get to the resort. Lovely, peaceful place to stay in, & incredibly spacious for the two of us. The view from the balcony was breathtaking. No wifi in the rooms though. The only thing we hadn't expected was the climb, which made it difficult for us to want to leave our room & go explore the island. On the bright side, we were situated near the viewpoint. (We didn't wake up early enough to go to the viewpoint, but Banana & I were very happy to just chill by the beaches.)
Phi Phi Don Chukit Thai Massage
1 หมู่ที่ 7 Ao Nang, Mueang Krabi District, Krabi 81000, Thailand.
Opening hours: 9am-10pm.
Walk along Tonsai Beach Road towards Phi Phi Don Chukit Resort and you'll walk past this massage place. Banana & I went back twice within 48 hours because we liked it so much! I got the 1-hour coconut oil massage for SGD 18, Banana got the 1-hour Thai massage (the one that hurts more) for SGD 13 and the 30-minutes foot reflexology massage for SGD 13. So comfortable I would endure the journey to Phi Phi Island just to get a massage every day when I'm there.
Walking along Tonsai Beach Road
The beaches here are so beautiful, especially during sunset. You'll get to see souvenir shops, tattoo parlours, ice cream stalls, & docks on which you can chill & watch the waves crash against the shore. Perfect for an afternoon of reading / chilling / napping by the beach.
Food around Phi Phi Island
We spent most of our days exploring the area near the Pier and the East of Tonsai beach. There were so many restaurants, bars & convenience stores within these areas; Banana & I would walk into random Thai food restaurants & we were never disappointed. The downside of having the entire island being a huge tourist attraction was that these places were often incredibly crowded during mealtimes, so Banana & I would always make it a point to beat the crowd by heading there earlier or later. While there were some cool-looking cafes, we wanted to have as much Thai food as we could before heading home so those were the types of places we dined in. Nothing fantastic in particular.
Nightlife: The Drinking Point
Ao Nang, Mueang Krabi District, Krabi 81000, Thailand
Open 24 hours.
On our second night on the island, we thought we'd check out the nightlife since we had read so much about. (For a snippet of what went down check out 01:39 - 02:00 of the video; hint: someone stole Banana's slippers.) There were several beach clubs lined up along the shore, & they were filled with tipsy tourists by 10pm. Ladies presumably working at these clubs would give out chances for free shots, so you'd either have to join in a skipping rope activity or do the limbo. The harder the activity, the more alcohol you get. Hence, the amount of drunk tourists. A lot of hip hop music, so it made for a fun environment to dance & let loose! I highly recommend experiencing this for one night, if you enjoy partying. It was really cool, until we saw people peeing in the low tide waters & decided it was time to leave.
Pardon the lack of photos I realised, only at the end of our trip, that I hadn't loaded my film roll properly throughout my time on the island so I basically never had anything I captured while there. That was 48 hours in Phi Phi Island after spending two days in Phuket! The journey home was long, but relatively smooth-sailing - a ferry ride back to Phuket, hitched a ride on a tourist bus to the airport for about 100 baht per person (that's about SG5), and got on our flight home.
While I wished we had more time on the island, I was also honestly quite excited to return to the city at that time because I had to finish a 4000-words essay & I hadn't started on it.... (I did pretty well in the end la haha but I've always thrived in extreme timed conditions so) If you're looking for a quick getaway from the city, I think Phuket/Phi Phi Island is a pretty good destination within a comfortable budget. I'm headed to Bandung in March with a few friends, & I'm pretty excited to be exploring a new city.
In other news, I'm working on some interesting projects in the next few months. I'm incredibly grateful & thrilled to be working with such amazing creatives; I've been coping with the overwhelming amount of pressure & self-imposed expectations, without neglecting my health as much as possible. Healthscare story in the beginning of 2020 coming soon!! Until then, please take care of yourself!!!! It's true you can't do anything much if the vessel you're in isn't in good condition.
xoxo,
gweishi