Ko Phi phi island - please help. any tips or pointers?

[pigscanfly82]

Hi,

Has anyone here been to to Ko Phi Phi?

If yes, please help:

1) Is it safe for a woman to travel alone?
2) 2 days 1 night - is that too short for a weekend trip?
3) Is there a nightlife around that island?

One last one, is Koh Samui better than the Phi phi islands? I need a place to chill out...

[golfcanuck]

Was only at Phi Phi before the tsunami and it was paradise. You have to go to Phuket and then take a boat there. The island is gorgeous and I would definitely say safe for a woman to travel alone...as with most places in Thailand. Haven't been to Samui but hear it is also awesome. It is much more developed and might have nicer lodging for you to chill at.

Have fun!

[M-T]

Hi,

Has anyone here been to to Ko Phi Phi?

If yes, please help:

1) Is it safe for a woman to travel alone?
2) 2 days 1 night - is that too short for a weekend trip?
3) Is there a nightlife around that island?

One last one, is Koh Samui better than the Phi phi islands? I need a place to chill out...

1) Yes. Very safe.

2) It's a bit short. You need to get to Phuket Town, get the ferry. It's about 4.5 to 6 hrs door to door, so you'd only get an afternoon, one night and a morning before you had to come back. You can also get there from Krabi, but never done this route. If you want to doa boat trip/ dive etc you'll need a day minimum (plus time to offgas if you dive).

3) Depends if you want a glossy bar scene or are happy with beach bars with a dancefloor, music variable (it's the latter). A lot of young backpackers looking to get drunk and laid.

Chilling out - the beaches are awesome. The island is peaceful (apart from nr the bars - choose your accomodation appropriately). Samui is more developed and has more 'things to do' in terms of sports etc and is less chilled.

[Loops]

I haven't been to Phi-Phi but I've been to Samui and wouldn't recommend it. I found it to be a bit grotty and seedy and the beaches weren't particularly great either. Go to Phi-Phi, I'm sure it is nicer.

[jpatokal]

http://wikitravel.org/en/Phi_Phi

As for Samui, it's a fairly big island and I suspect you went to the wrong part. Chaweng is grotty and seedy; Bophut just a few km up north is gorgeous.

[twototango]

YES! go to Phi Phi! I've been twice now, just before the tsunami and once this last October. THey have just had more bad luck on the island as a fire broke out I think in one of the restaurants.

However, it is wonderful!
We stayed in the Phi Phi Banyan tree hotel. Very nice.
Island is small. Safe for women (as I am and with four children - who are young but "wandered" a bit).
LOTS of night life. If you stay at the Banyan, as for a room that is not on the "road" side as it can stay noisy every night all night (there is an internet cafe and cafe showing movies on that "road" side and they seem to buzz all night). Plus further down the beach there are plenty of bars with loud music , some poi and fire dance performances. You can stay civilised or stay drunk all weekend.
As for the timing of a weekend - you can take the ferry but that takes four hours to cross. Find out through a tour group about taking a speed boat. IF you can't find this info. out, get to the ferry dock. When you are at the ferry terminal then ask around for a speed boat, they should be able to find you one if you don't already have a reservation. Don't pay too much either. You must bargain with them. Prices have really gone up in the last 2 years. We had eight people for one boat. i don't remember the conversion to Baht but I think we paid about twice the ferry price. (the ferry was maybe US$20 per person and we paid somewhere between US$300-400 for the boat for the eight of us - four adults four kids).

They do day trips to Phi Phi for snorkelling so if you have a weekend it is very nice to go. Samui is a bit crazier and should be rainier this time of year. Phi Phi would be better.
Good luck! Have fun!

[ksl]

I don't want to worry you Miss Bacon, but be advised, single lonely women are typical targets, for rapists and murderers! It's great that all these people say its safe though, that means they have never been attacked.

Never drop your guard, I was only reading yesterday how two young russian women were shot dead, in their deck chairs, with 9 bullets. Also not long ago an English girl was raped and murdered only 50 meters from here accommodation, her friend thought she had just gone for a walk and could hear her talking on the mobile phone.

Perverts and murderers don't advertise these days, just be warned, so that you are cautious, and aware. always have a pepper spray handy, if they are legal, or some other warning device, there are some on the market. Better to be safe than sorry!