May 2004

Koh Phi Phi

by Martina Priadka

Koh means Island in Thai and Phi Phi is the name of it. Once a remote destination for backpackers, it has lost its wilderness beach luxury. But it remains an amazing place for a holiday when you have a set amount of vacation days and are flying all the way from the middle of a continent to the other side of the world.

Koh Phi Phi is located south of Phuket, Thailand by about two hours give or take, depending on the mode of transportation you choose. You have several options based on your budget for that. For the jetsetter, you can literally jet on your private plane from Phuket Airport to Phi Phi in about 45 minutes for approximately $200US per person. For those of you who already spent most of your budget on the airfare to Thailand, you can take the two hour taxi($30US) and for about one fifth of the private jet, you can take your own speed boat from the ferry pier. For the rest of you who are budget conscious or prefer the backpacking lifestyle you can take a ferry from the pier along with about 100 other travelers for about $5US. This ride is truly the slow boat, however and requires enjoying a three-hour ride in the Andaman Sea. Could be worse things to do! If that is your mode of transport, however, I would recommend spending a day or two in Phuket to wear off the jet-lag before heading out for even more travel time.

Once there, you see the gorgeous blue sea and jutting rock faces of the nearby islands that have been made famous by James Bond as well as other films with the word Beach in the title. As a matter of fact you can visit that particular beach if you are so inclined.

The atmosphere is relaxed and exciting as only island life can be. The long tail boats cast exotic silhouettes on the bay and are your transportation from one beach to the other for the most part as there are no cars allowed on this little island. Your accommodation choices are endless and will set you back under $20US a night. They come in all levels from resort style to great little bungalows in the trees overlooking the water. Your only decisions for this are which beach do you want to be on and do you want to be near or away from the party noise.

Once you have settled in, you have the rest of your trip to explore the beaches, bars and restaurants. There are western restaurants on the island but the best food is the local Thai or seafood places. When ordering cocktails, keep in mind that you are on a tropical island. This is the land of beer and fruit drinks. Save the martinis for the next skini party kids!

If it is the ocean that brought you this far then you won’t be disappointed as you will find some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in the world in this area. The best thing to do is sign up with a dive shop for a day trip. They will take you to a couple of different islands to scuba or snorkel and stop for lunch in a stunning location where you can swim and relax. Most of the dive shops charge the same prices so just shop around for the people that make you feel the most comfortable. Highly recommended by theskini.com is Barakuda Dive Shop, www.barakuda.com They have educated and safe guides who will help you find all the little creatures under the sea such as octopus, leopard sharks, sea horses and of course, barracuda!

If you like to dive or snorkel you could do that every day and relax in the amazing beach atmosphere at night. If you are not up for that much adventure then head to the beach for sunshine all day and parties all night. Either way, you will not be disappointed and you will leave with one of the best beach experiences of your lifetime!

...Now That's Theskini!::permalink


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