Help with Phuket trip & Phi Phi!!!
 

Hello everyone!

Let me first start out by saying these messages boards, and the people who post on them, have helped me out so much in the past .. so thank you, in advance, for any advice you can dole out!

My boyfriend and I are visiting Phuket in mid-February .. we got a great deal with a travel company. We are staying on Kamala beach and would LOVE to take either a day trip to Phi Phi island or an overnight stay.

First off, what is the best way to get to Phi Phi island? How much should the travel cost? Also, where can you recommend a good, clean and reliable play to stay overnight?

One other question .. I have visited Bali, where the people at the time preferred us using the dollar. In Phuket, should I even bring an US currency???

THANK YOU!!!

Bridget

Bridget, I always advise against day trips to Phi Phi. Yes, you will get to see a fair bit of the islands this way, but probably everywhere you go will be quite crowded. Far better to stay at least two or three nights and do things at your own pace.
This little group of islands is really very special and is worthy of more than a day trip.
There are public ferries running to and from Phi Phi. Cost is around 600 baht, and journey time from Phuket is between two and three hours, depending on various factors. Our preferred transfer method is by speedboat which is considerably more expensive but takes only around 45 mins.
With regard to where to stay....tell us if you want party time and action or do want chill-out time. Also a rough idea of hotel budget.
Our favourite area is Laem Tong Bay where there is a choice of four hotels fitting various budgets. This is a quieter part of Phi Phi Don, as is most of the east coast from Long Beach upwards. With a little more info of your hotel requirements, I can make some specific recommendations.
We always use local currency, but are from U.K. so I can't say if U.S. dollar is accepted widely, though I suspect it is not, other than in major resorts.

I agree that it is best to go overnight if you can. But if not, a friend went on the Simba Sea Tours trip to phi phi (i think the owners are Geoff and Jenny?) and raved about it. v small group
BB

The 45 minute speed boat would be my choice over the ferry, but my wife hated the bumpy ride and would never do it again.

Use the local currency.

If you were using US$ in Bali, you were marking yourselves as naive tourists and were likely overpaying substantially for everything.

Hi Bridget,

I presume that you have accomodation paid for for your entire Thailand trip hence the hesitation for staying overnight at Phi-Phi? Dont worry, just treat it as storage for the bulk of your luggage, pack a light overnight bag and go to Phi-Phi. You absolutely must stay at least one night there to get anything from it. That will allow you to watch the sunset from viewpoint and take an early longtail out to Maya bay to beat the crowds. These two experiences will always rate in my top half dozen best mommemts of all my Thai travels.
If you do the day trip you will barely have time to walk up to the viewpoint and it will be in the hottest and least spectacular time of the day and your trip to Maya bay will be a cattle-call shared with thousands of other day-trippers.
There are plenty of other reasons to stay overnight and if you are youngish or like me, young at heart, you will enjoy the unique beachfront nightlife at Tonsai.
You can get something reasonably cheap (1000baht) for the night if you are happy to rough it, remember you wont spend much time in your room....JUST DO IT.