Nickbots visit SE Asia on SK, LH, EK, TG and (last but not least!) SQ

[sqforever]

Great reporting on TG NIckbot!

btw, could that "snot" have been durian?

[nickbot]

Hmmm, the snot didn't smell like durian, but perhaps it lost its smell during explusion from the catering staff's nasal passages

Hope to be back in Trip Report writing mode soon folks, sorry again for the delay!

[nickbot]

Holiday Inn Phuket (Busakorn Wing)

When travelling to Phi Phi Island, it is difficult to coordinate one's flight (into either Phuket or Krabi) and the ferry trip, thus an overnight stay in Phuket (or Krabi) is generally necessary; we've taken both options in the past, but tend to prefer Phuket (or, more specifically, Patong) for this overnight stop. Our general pattern is to stay for one short overnighter in Patong on the way out, and then stay for a couple of days after our Phi Phi trip to enjoy ourselves in Patong, catch up on shopping etc. before heading home via Singapore. This trip was to be no exception to our tried and tested itinerary, so in this update I'd like to present to you our first stay of the trip in Patong.

As soon as we had booked our flights back in April, I set about booking hotels for our Patong and Phi Phi stays; we're fairly set in our ways over this and always opt for the Holiday Inn for both locations (more, of course, about the Holiday Inn Phi Phi later in this report). The Holiday Inn Phuket was once again to be our hotel of choice, but more specifically the Busakorn wing. Pre the tsunami in December 2004, the Busakorn wing of the hotel was absolutely streets ahead of the main wing (pretty much a completely different hotel in terms of room quality and setting), but the main wing has subsequently been renovated due to extreme tsunami damage, bringing it more up to speed with the Busakorn.

Regardless of this, we enjoy the slightly more intimate experience offered in the Busakorn wing, so opted once again for this in our booking. Sadly, our number one room choice (pool access villa rooms) were due to be renovated during our stay, so we had to settle for a pool view room. The villa rooms surround their own private pool, and (as the name suggests), the pool access villas offer French windows directly out onto a patio area and straight into the pool -a shame that these were unavailable, but there's always next time! By liaising with the General Manager, we are recognised as repeat guests, and also the hotel honours Priority Club Platinum status pretty well (we have 100% upgrade record in 5 or so stays, plus a welcome gift of a bottle of wine on each occasion). It seems to me that the IC chain, albeit in my fairly limited experience, offer far better recognition of their "elite" members in the Asia Pacific region, so for me, maintaining Platinum status is worth it just for our Thailand visits.

Upon arrival at the hotel (we took an airport limousine transfer, costing 500 THB IIRC), we were recognised by a couple of the check-in staff, and were escorted to our room. The first room the receptionist took us to was a real disappointment -we'd booked a pool view room, but were placed in a room that was outside of the hotel's courtyard (I didn't previously realise there were rooms there!), which represented a pretty major downgrade from the booked class of room. I said that we'd really rather have a pool view (as booked), and the reason given was that the only pool view rooms available were 2 x single beds, rather than 1 x king bed. I was a bit annoyed at this, seeing as the booking had been made three months previously, and a dialogue conducted with the GM and other staff regarding the booking. Anyhow, we were then offered a jacuzzi view room with two singles, which we opted to accept, seeing as this was only a short stay.

Overview of room, from balcony doors



The Bukasorn rooms all seem to follow the same layout, i.e. there is a small reception area immediately after entering through the door, then the toilet/dressing table are to the left and the shower/basin to the right. Dividing the two areas are wardrobes on either side, which can be accessed both from the main room and the shower/dressing area. The shower cubicles are excellent, enclosed in a medium sized wet room (certainly big enough for two, but maybe more if the situation warrants it!)

Dressing table and toilet



Shower wet room



Washbasin, with minibar to LHS



I particularly like the seating area of the room - a comfortable sofa big enough for two to just relax and look out over the pool. In the pool access villa rooms, it is particularly nice to just chill out on the sofa (a little bigger in that case, shall have to dig out some old pics).

Seating area, overlooking pool



View to the left, Busakorn main pool



View looking down from our window -the jacuzzi pool



View across to the villa rooms (under renovation, foreground) and HI main wing (with the array of satellite dishes)



Scarcely two minutes after I took the last photograph above, the heavens opened and we were treated to a typical Phuket storm; this couldn't dampen our spirits however, and we therefore decided to go out shopping. As drinks, snacks and staples such as sun cream are so expensive on Phi Phi, we tend to stock up in Patong and carry a reasonable amount with us. Also, as this trip was much later in the year than when we normally visit the island, we were prepared for the possibility of some pretty grotty weather and so stocked up on a few DVDs to watch on my laptop.

nickbots, braving the storm with a smile!



Upon our return to the hotel (wet doesn't even begin to describe it!), we were happy to see that a welcome bottle of wine and card from the GM had arrived...

Fruit, wine and "welcome back" card



...but also, a really nice surprise, we'd also been given a wedding anniversary cake and some candles to have a proper celebration!

Cake (delicious!) and candles



I don't specifically remember mentioning our wedding anniversary in my communications with the GM prior to our visit, but believe that it must be on our file with the hotel, as they always seem to remember! Whilst our anniversary was actually in May, our Thailand trips are normally in celebration of this (and are taken generally around anniversary time), so it was a lovely way for it to be remembered. We were able to have a big slice of cake and an even bigger glass of wine whilst watching the Phuket rain from our bedroom window, toasting another fine trip to Thailand.

I feel guilty to say this, but for our evening meal we had McDonalds! Normally we partake of some of the excellent street food in the back streets behind the Holiday Inn, but with my stomach still feeling a little tender after bombarding it with spiciness in Khon Kaen, I just fancied something plain and simple -McD's to the rescue! We then returned to the hotel for an early night, as our transfer bus to Phuket harbour was picking us up early the next morning.

After getting up bright and early, we had a quick breakfast in the poolside restaurant (sorry, no food pics on this occasion), checked out and waited for our transfer bus to pick us up.

Calm but overcast view over the Busakorn main pool



The Phuket Holiday Inn is always recommended in my book, it's reasonably priced and pretty central in Patong; it can, however, get a little busy with families, but this can normally be overcome by booking the villa rooms. Despite the hiccup over our room allocation on arrival, the staff are extremely attentive and welcoming. We shall certainly continue to return to this hotel (in fact we do,...five days later!)

[Savage25]

I remember the Busakorn wing rooms...I paid 7 baht for 7 nights in one of those a couple of years ago

[nickbot]

I remember the Busakorn wing rooms...I paid 7 baht for 7 nights in one of those a couple of years ago

Yup, heard about the 1 Baht rate Was that post-tsunami? Just wondering if the "mistake" rate was a ploy to bring business back into Patong...

[9V-JKL]

Yup, heard about the 1 Baht rate Was that post-tsunami? Just wondering if the "mistake" rate was a ploy to bring business back into Patong...

It was post-tsunami. Actually, it was 0.01 baht at time of booking but rose to 1 baht at check-in. 100 times but still, I don't think anyone complained

[YK@HKG]

It was post-tsunami. Actually, it was 0.01 baht at time of booking but rose to 1 baht at check-in. 100 times but still, I don't think anyone complained

7 Baht for 7 nights???? What a steal.....

[Nick C]

I remember the Busakorn wing rooms...I paid 7 baht for 7 nights in one of those a couple of years ago

That's a uber good deal!

[Savage25]

It was post-tsunami. Actually, it was 0.01 baht at time of booking but rose to 1 baht at check-in. 100 times but still, I don't think anyone complained

Yes! I considered contesting the increase, but thought against it. I even got something like 19000 PC points for the stay from all the bonuses.

[nickbot]

Holiday Inn Phuket (2006, Busakorn Wing Villa Room)

As promised, here are a few photographs of the pool access villa rooms, as of May 2006; I wasn't in full "trip documentary" mode at that time, so the view of the room isn't that detailed (hangs head in shame ) We're very much looking forward to the next time we're able to visit the hotel in order to sample the renovated rooms.

View out towards villa pool (note larger seating area and wooden floors, otherwise room design identical)



Smaller, more intimate pool (villa block is only 2 storeys high and the pool is inaccessible to non villa residents)



View from pool towards room and patio area



Complimentary welcome drinks



And, because I was unable to partake in Patong's street food scene on our most recent visit, a few photographs for hungry SQTalkers to salivate over!

A bit of everything,...as long as you want it on a stick!



Cheapskate nickbots evening meal by the poolside -tumblers of free red wine, sticks of satay and Kao Neow (sticky rice)



Second course -green curry (reheated under the hot tap and served in a hotel mug ) and fried pork I think, plus Nam Pla (fish sauce)

...I'm just too kind to mrs nickbot!



Finally, a view of the Busakorn reception; the room we were first offered on our most recent trip (as detailed in the last update) actually overlooked this area (i.e. behind and to the right of where the cameraman stands!

Certainly not a pool view!



Hope this mini-update is useful to anyone considering the HI Phuket

[jjpb3]

I'm glad you were able to switch rooms. The view you had was so much better! The description of the HI certainly makes it an attractive option ... well, except for the part about sometimes being "a little busy with families".

[nickbot]

Holiday Inn Phi Phi Island Part I - Ferry transfer

The Holiday Inn Resort, Phi Phi Island is a pretty special place for mrs nickbot and I, because it was there, on our first visit back in 2003, that we got engaged. At the time, we thought we'd never be able to afford to go back, but somehow you find the money for these experiences (generally courtesy of the good folk at MBNA ) -this was to be our fourth trip and we were pretty excited at the prospect of returning to the hotel. Once again, because of the weather and being a little less snap-happy, some of the photos presented are from previous trips.

In order to get to Phi Phi Island, there are generally three options; the first being a seaplane direct from HKT to Phi Phi, the second being a private speedboat and the third being one of the many ferry companies that operate services from either Krabi or Phuket. The first and second option are generally beyond our budget, but would be useful for those with limited time (as they can coordinate much better with incoming flights to HKT) -we have always opted for option 3. In the past, we've booked transfers through the Holiday Inn (at a cost of THB 3,500 per person return), but chose on this occasion to book through a local travel agent/ferry company, saving a substantial sum (THB 1,000 per person return). We were slightly concerned that the transfers might not work as smoothly, but these fears turned out to be completely unfounded -the HI use exactly the same company and minibus transfer from the hotel to Phuket town (where the ferry departs from), but choose to add THB 2,500 per person as a service charge!

I order to catch the early ferry to Phi Phi (departing Phuket at 08:30), pick up from the hotel is around 07:15 and consists of a shared minibus -of course, if you pay more, there's the option for a private transfer, but I really don't see this as being necessary. The journey to the ferry terminal takes around an hour, and you are given a sticker to wear on your shirt that identifies the boat you're travelling on and the hotel where you're staying.

Ferries at the Phuket terminal, from the deck of the Andaman Wave [2006]



The first time one takes this transfer, the utter mayhem at the ferry terminal can be a little overwhelming to be honest -it's not always obvious which of the four or so ferries you're supposed to board, and generally there's no-one on hand to help with luggage. My tip would be to pack as light as you can manage, in a soft sided bag that can stand a fair amount of battering (for this reason, my Tumi spent a nice five day break back in storage at the HI Phuket, stuffed to the gills with LH ducks, PJs and amenity kits!) Even on this occasion, the fourth time we'd taken the transfer, we were slightly apprehensive, but we have the drill pretty much down to a fine art now. Our large North Face bags can be converted into rucksacks, so I sling one onto my back and then heft the second on top of that so that it rests against the back of my neck (relatively comfortable to carry 40 kgs!) -mrs nickbot then takes care of the smaller hand luggage daysacks and troops ahead to find us a nice sunny spot for the journey! When you drop your luggage off in the ginormous pile of bags, make sure you have everything you need for the journey (water, suncream, book etc.), because there's pretty much no chance you'll be able to access the bag again until disembarkation.

Most of the ferry passengers tend to be day trippers, or on a max 2 night stay package, so we're normally a little different in staying for a week (the longest we've stayed was 10 nights). The fact that most people don't have the burden of luggage makes it a little difficult to get a good spot on the ferry (they are lighter and faster than me!), but the two-pronged attack with mrs nickbot charging ahead usually works

The ferry trip takes between 1.5 and 2 hours, and in good weather is extremely pleasant; refreshments (coffee and croissants, non snot-filled I might add) are provided free of charge, or you can buy soft drinks and snacks at pretty reasonable prices. In bad weather, however, it can be a rather miserable affair, with a large number of pax crammed into the small undercover spaces. Sadly, this trip was blighted by freezing cold wind and rain, but just for you SQTalkers, the brave (or rather stupid) nickbots stayed in the open air to capture the true essence of the ferry experience!

Uncle Garmin showing we're about halfway there (not travelling as fast as SQFG's model though!) [2006]



mrs nickbot, right about at the point where she said "you can stay up here if you want, but I'm going undercover!"



Self portrait of a very damp nickbot, taking shelter under a deckchair



I have to say, the transfer became a little like a test of endurance for me, I ended up in a huddled trance-like state, alone on the top deck of the ferry, in the pouring rain and biting wind, holding onto the belief that the weather would pass and that I would be in prime position for the best views! Stupid I know, but one can only get so wet! Luckily, I was proved correct to a point, and the weather cleared somewhat as we approached the Phi Phi Islands. First was a detour around Phi Phi Leh, the smaller of the two islands and the location of the film "The Beach".

View of Phi Phi Leh (RHS) and Phi Phi Don (LHS) from my prime position!



"The" beach, on Phi Phi Leh, about as close as the ferry gets



Slightly closer (and sunner) shot -doesn't look much like the film does it?! [2006]



I have to say, the scenery around the island is quite breathtaking and we never get tired of seeing it. Majestic cliffs with cobalt blue seas and vegetation barely clinging to almost vertical surfaces -these islands are truly spectacular and are certainly well worth a visit. Shame that they are pretty overcrowded with tourists, but I suppose that's inevitable to a degree.

Leaving Phi Phi Leh behind, onwards to Phi Phi Don [2006]



Once the ferry arrives at Ton Sai Bay (the main town on Phi Phi, aka backpacker central), those travelling onto the Holiday Inn have to transfer onto a slightly smaller ferry, because the hotel is located at the northern end of the island. Luckily, despite the confusion at this point, there are plenty of people to help with carrying heavy bags across to the other boat.

Ferry transfer time, eek!



From Ton Sai Bay, it takes about another 30 minutes to get to Laem Tong Beach (where the HI is situated), and once the boat arrives there, you're met by a Holiday Inn long tail boat, which transports you the short distance ashore to the resort.

Holiday Inn staff on hotel long tail boat [2006]



From here on in, after what can sometimes be a slightly stressful transfer, it's 100% relaxation!

[nickbot]

Holiday Inn Phi Phi Island Part II - Welcome experience and rooms

Sorry for the hiatus, amongst other things I've been thinking of how to write about my experiences at the HI Phi Phi; as I've already mentioned, the hotel is a pretty special place for us and we have a number of friends amongst the staff, with whom we keep in touch and always look forward to seeing again. Perhaps with familiarity, one ceases in some small way to appreciate an experience (whether it be an F cabin, hotel etc) on a global level and begin to nitpick on small details. This particular visit, whilst a fantastic experience in itself, was found to be a little lacking -in order to hopefully provide a balanced view of the hotel I'll once again mix in a few old and new photographs in order to highlight the changes we observed.

Picking up where I last posted, we boarded the HI longtail boat for the short trip over to the resort. Your luggage is dealt with seperately, so no worries here apart from carrying hand luggage if you so desire.

Longtail boat transfer to the hotel



Once you arrive on the beach, you walk through to the bar area for a welcome drink and to check in. Previously, we have always been greeted right there on the beach with cold fragrant towels, which always offered much needed refreshment after the potentially hot and stressful transfer -on this occasion, however, no cold towels were offered I know it's a small detail, but an extremely important one in my opinion.

Arriving on the beach



It quickly became apparent that since our last visit, there had been quite a large turnover of staff. I believe the previous GM wasn't well liked, and this caused many of the team to leave the resort -this is a great shame, as the staff are one of the hotel's greatest assets. We were to find out that staff weren't the only thing to have left, but more on that later...

Check-in at the bar was relatively quick, although it felt a little strange not really recognising any of the staff that were there to help us. Unfortunately, occupancy was very high that week, so we missed out on a Platinum upgrade to a sea front bungalow, but were pleased to be informed that our choice of bungalow 215 was reserved for us.

Reverting back to 2006, depicting check-in experience (welcome drinks and a second round of cold towels)



After check-in, a staff member usually escorts you to your bungalow, but we kindly declined this offer and made our own way there. For those staying in garden bungalows (as we did on our first visit back in 2003), one can easily get a little disorientated in trying to find your room, but soon the mental map kicks in!

According to the website, the resort has 80 bungalows, and these are divided into three categories, namely garden view, sea view and beach front. Room 215 is a sea view bungalow with a pretty good view of the sea between two sea front rooms, but some of the sea view rooms don't really have a sea view at all! There are a number of reviews of the hotel on sites such as tripadvisor that lament this fact, so do bear this in mind if planning a trip. Previously, I would always recommend 215 to people as the best sea-view bungalow, but it seems that the trees in front of the room have grown somewhat since our last visit! Consequently, I believe that 214 is now the new 215, offering a relatively unobstructed sea view!

The rooms are relatively basic, and in this respect might not suit all travellers. When I say "basic", I don't mean that in the sense of a beach hut or youth hostel, but rather that there are no TVs in the room, and the bathrooms are a little dated. There is a programme of renovation at the property, but this is moving at an extremely slow rate. That said, I have absolutely no complaints about the quality and cleanliness of the rooms.

Exterior view of bungalow 215



One thing that has become iconic to us about the hotel is the general attention to detail that the housekeeping and groundskeepers pay to the water features around the resort. The first evidence of this is in the foot washing bowl of water that it located by the steps of every bungalow...

Beautiful flowers in washing bowl



...from this build up, we were looking forward to seeing how our room had been decorated, as the staff had excelled themselves on our last visit. Whilst it's not the be-all and end-all, we were disappointed to see that the room hadn't been decorated at all...

Main bed



...in contrast, the main bed on arrival in 2006...



Okay, maybe the "Welcome" in flowers was a little over the top, but it made us feel valued as repeat customers and was an extremely touching gesture; the complete absence however of flowers throughout the room was disappointing. When I mentioned that the bathrooms are a little dated, compare the photographs below and see how the flowers can lift one's impression of the facilities:

2008 view of bathroom



2006 view I (washbasin close-up)



2006 view II (shower soap tray close-up)



I really don't want to sound like a PITA, as we're always thankful that we're priviledged enough to be able to return to this paradise island, but simple touches like this used to make the hotel feel so much more special; for a first-time visitor, this may give a poor impression of the room, whereas with a tiny extra bit of effort that impression can be lifted. One can only hope that this isn't a permanent cut back!

I'll try to be a little less of a PITA in my next post

[nickbot]

Holiday Inn Phi Phi Island Part III - Unpacking and first night

Although some double bungalows are available, the vast majority of rooms have one king sized bed and one single bed, such that a small family can share. Within the main room (directly accessible from the front door), as well as the two beds there is a small wicker sofa and a writing desk (with minibar fridge below); previously, only sea-front bungalows had cd players, but these have now been rolled out to all rooms. Walking through from the main room, there is a dressing room with wardrobe (and safe) and also tea and coffee making facilities. The bathroom then adjoins this room -all in all a small and simple layout, but perfect for a chill-out break, which is the main reason for our visits!

One thing we strangely look forward to when staying in a hotel for a reasonable length of time (5 days in this case), is completely unpacking and storing our bags away. It always feels so much nicer to have clothes hung up and stored away in drawers, so this is usually our first task! May I present a couple of "highlights" from this process...

The nickbot family's vast selection of sunscreen and insect repellant (God bless Tesco Value sunscreen at only £1 per bottle )



nickbot's portable minibar (side note for HUGE AL: wine, vodka and gin from IC HKG )



Yes, I know, the previous photograph makes me look like a cheapskate, but it's all to easy to spend a ridiculous amount of money on drinks during an extended stay, so we like to take along a small selection so that we can have a pre-dinner drink whilst getting ready in the evening On our first night, however, we were treated to a gift bottle of sparkling wine, so we were able to have a couple of glasses prior to going out for dinner.

Sweet and slightly sickly, but free and therefore moderately drinkable!



The hotel's location at the northern end of Phi Phi island offers a number of advantages, firstly it's located away from the backpacker area (and hence the nightlife,...note this is an advantage for us), but also it benefits from unobstructed westerly and easterly views, offering excellent sunset and sunrise views respectively. They capitalise on the latter by having the "Sunset Satay Bar" on top of the hill, where one can enjoy a drink and satay whilst watching the sun go down. One accesses the hilltop bar by walking through the beautifully maintained gardens and up past the staff quarters and tennis courts.

Blast from the past,...a younger mrs nickbot (actually pre-mrs) poses in front of gardens en route to the sunset bar



Unfortunately, we weren't to be rewarded with a good sunset view on our first evening, but regardless of the view it's still a wonderful place to enjoy a relaxing drink and sit down before dinner. We tend not to visit every night during our stay, but usually make a point of going up there at least for our first and last nights on the island.

First night view of the sunset



As soon as the sun goes below the horizon, the carcophony of insect noise starts up and signals that it's time for dinner! Just to prove that we do avail ourselves of (paid) hotel refreshments, may I present photographs from an evening in the bar (granted, during the happy hour BOGOF special!)

mrs nickbot enjoying a double dose of her favourite Phi Phi cocktail, "Whispers and Dreams"



nickbot (aka the mad cat man from Nottingham) enjoying Beer Chang



Many may think I'm a little strange for carrying pouches of cat food with me on my travels,...many would be fully justified in having those thoughts! I like to bring them along when we travel in Thailand in order to feed the poor scrawny cats that seem to be in relative abundance Rather than dining in the hotel restaurant that evening, we decided to walk down the beach to the sea gypsy village where there are a couple of beach restaurants -we knew that a fair number of cats lived in the village, therefore I was bearing gifts for my feline friends! Sadly, since our last visit we heard that the previous hotel management had all of the local cats destroyed as they thought it brought the tone of the place down by having the odd cat roaming around -this certainly didn't impress us, and consequently the cat food had to wait for another day!

Beach view by night, showing moored longtail boats



Whilst the hotel restaurant is very good, sometimes it's nicer to take the rather more rustic (and cheaper) option of dining on the beach; the hotel warns against this in the information folder -cynically I think it's on the grounds of protecting it's income from residents, but I also understand their interest in keeping guests protected from stomach upsets; as you know, however, nickbot is no stranger to the upset stomach, and so chooses to laugh in the face of such advice! I'm certainly not recommending against dining outside of the hotel, it's just that I'm particularly susceptible to such things,...we've always enjoyed delicious locally caught seafood in the gypsy village and wholeheartedly recommend trying these restaurants.

After dinner, we headed back to our room for an early night in order to prepare for the hard task of poolside relaxation the following day!

[nickbot]

Holiday Inn Phi Phi Island Part IV - Around the resort and the island

I awoke early on our first morning and decided to try to catch the sunrise from the beach, unfortunately this was to be thwarted once again as the conditions weren't particularly good, but I was instead treated to the spectacle of watching a bird fishing for his breakfast along the beach as I enjoyed the cool morning air.

Just the two of us on the beach, mr. bird!



Early morning view of the hotel's pool, with restaurant in the background and games/tv room to the LHS



Whilst the hotel has 80 bungalows, it still feels pretty quiet and intimate -I suppose that's helped by the fact that we tend to get up and have breakfast pretty early (before most people get up), thentake our places on the loungers beside the pool and do precious little else for the rest of the day (when most people are either on the beach or off on day trips). A wide variety of activities are offered, including scuba diving (at cost) or snorkelling/windsurfing/canoeing (free of charge), in addition one can hire a longtail boat to take you on trips around the island, or join one of the hotel's own excursions to places like Ton Sai Bay (main shopping area on Phi Phi).

To be honest, we prefer to just relax by the pool, or make our own way over to Ton Sai by foot (they will advise that this isn't possible, perhaps along the same lines as advising against eating outside the resort, as it's a pretty strenuous walk on unmarked trails). Today, however, was to be a pool day Most guests seem to spend their days on the beach -whilst the view from the beach is lovely, and the sea fabulously clear and warm, the hassle of getting sand everywhere (all stuck to you with suncream!) outweighs other benefits, so poolside is our normal option!

Unfortunately, I don't have any photographs of the breakfast offering, but it's a buffet style affair with a mix of European/US/Asian offerings typical of hotels in Asia. Always filling, and helps us get through the day (we tend to miss lunch when staying here).

Anyhow, enough of me talking, I'll let some pictures say the rest...a composite of a number of days on the island if you will (queue montage music a la Baywatch, or perhaps more hardcore training montage music from Rocky!)

Longtail boat moored outside the hotel



Spirit house on the beachfront of the hotel



A sunnier outlook towards the sea from the hotel's gardens



Looking along the beach from the bar



View from the bow of a longtail boat



View of Ton Sai Bay from the viewpoint (well worth the slightly strenuous climb!)



Looking towards the north of the island, from the sunset bar



Rewarded with a much better sunset this time



Fresh fish at the sea gypsy village after a hard day's work!



I hope those photographs capture something of the essence of Phi Phi Island as a holiday destination -it might not be everyone's ideal vacation, but it pretty much hits the spot for us!