Ko Samui or Phi Phi?

magicwand

For two weeks? Anyone been to both?

Tillerman08

phi phi............. without a doubt

Berty

I will be on Phi Phi next week so I can tell you more soon.

magicwand

Tillerman08 wrote: »

phi phi............. without a doubt

can i ask you why?

ThE_IVIAcIVIAIV

ko phi phi, much better i agreem samui more of a honeymoon, package place, phi phi is paradise, best place to relax i've been to, and the partying is good at night too, spent 16 days there , i couldn't leave! if you want to know anything else about it just ask. people thought i lived there i was there so long

Conrad83

ThE_IVIAcIVIAIV wrote: »

ko phi phi, much better i agreem samui more of a honeymoon, package place, phi phi is paradise, best place to relax i've been to, and the partying is good at night too, spent 16 days there , i couldn't leave! if you want to know anything else about it just ask. people thought i lived there i was there so long

Hi,

sorry to hijack! I will be heading to Thailand towards end of April and will be alone for 5 weeks till I meet up with mates so will def be hitting Phi Phi... would it be an ok place for a lone female for a few weeks? Also looking for some advice on Phuket if anyone's been, heard its not the safest place for a lone female??

Berty

Conrad try this out. Its on just outside Patong. Its great for meeting people and is run by members of the Tripadvisor.com forum and mostly its Tripadvisor members but you dont have to be a high post count user as they are happy to accept new members. Obviously you have to pay for it so anybody is therefore welcome but its only around €4 per person. Meet people there and meet up with them on other nights outside of the BBQ. Its on every Friday night except for 2 weeks time during Sonkgran. Thai new year and I am going to be there!!!! Whoop Whoop

http://www.phuket-scuba-diving.com/friday_social.htm

More info can be found on Cathy & Garys Blog

http://cathyandgarystravelpages.com/friday_night_bbq.htm

Their blog has sooooo much information.

Arcee

Conrad83 wrote: »

Hi,

sorry to hijack! I will be heading to Thailand towards end of April and will be alone for 5 weeks till I meet up with mates so will def be hitting Phi Phi... would it be an ok place for a lone female for a few weeks? Also looking for some advice on Phuket if anyone's been, heard its not the safest place for a lone female??

I'm a female who spent months travelling 5 countries in South East Asia on my own and never felt unsafe for one moment except the 2 nights I spent in Phuket. I won't ever visit there again, it's like all the worst parts of thailand (an otherwise AWESOME country) concentrated in one place. I may have just been unlucky but having a drunk guy break into my bedroom at 4am one morning left me feeling extremely vulnerable and did nothing to encourage me to stay there. The atmosphere around the place was fairly sleazy too, It just wasn't nice.... I know it's a big place and I'm sure there's more to it that Patong but I didn't stay long enough to find out!

Phi phi on the other hand is one of the greatest places I've ever been to and perfect for a lone female. Other posters have summed it up well - great nightlife and a really chilled out and friendly paradise. It's beautiful, the sea is incredible and the place has got a magnetic quality. Was supposed to stay for 2 nights - ended up staying for 6! Is more expensive than the other islands though so bring a bit of extra cash...

ThE_IVIAcIVIAIV

Conrad83 wrote: »

Hi,

sorry to hijack! I will be heading to Thailand towards end of April and will be alone for 5 weeks till I meet up with mates so will def be hitting Phi Phi... would it be an ok place for a lone female for a few weeks? Also looking for some advice on Phuket if anyone's been, heard its not the safest place for a lone female??

yeah its no problem at all for lone females, i met a good few lone females in ko phi phi, and its very safe , you should definatly go there but i wouldn't go for too long if you're on a tight budget, 15 euro a night for a room(2 beds) they rarely do single rooms, but you're best bet is to stay at the rock/tara inn hostel where its only 5 euro and its a very good place to meet people outside the dorms, everybody will be drinking and usualy a fella with a guitar or stereo so its always a good vibe before people go out for the free buckets . don't eat any fried noodle dishes on that island because many got sick from it including me , everything else is tasty though and lots of variety which is suprising considering its an island and everything needs to be imported in apart from fish! you should go camping on maya bay(where beach film was made) its a good laugh and a good spot to meet people too. Ibiza bar is the place to go to at night, always good fire shows and free buckets and dancing on the sand with 300-400 other people every night is pretty cool too, very clean safe beach, its paradise during the day . enjoy it!

and about phuket, do not bother spending anytime there! full of package tour people, not a backpacker place at all, full of girly bars and cheesy, has some nice spots but not worth it when you have phi phi and raleigh nearby, don't bother with krabi, dangerous and only a stopover city to phi phi. check out ko lanta or on the east coast go to ko tao or ko phanghnang for the full moon party, much be done! hope this is helpful

Mary_B

magicwand wrote: »

For two weeks? Anyone been to both?

Yes I have, it has been a while but Koh Phi Phi has just something about it that makes it more special to go too. The snorkelling & diving around the area is out of this world also.

It's really beautiful & it is only a short boat ride to Koh Phi Don (where the film 'The Beach' was filmed, this island too is breathtakingly beautiful.

magicwand

I allready have my return flight from bangkok to ko samui booked...the plan was to spend them 50/50 in samui and phi phi although the way people are describing phi phi here i prob should have booked bangkok to phi phi return and spent the 19 days there
Ah im sure ko samui will be good for 3 or 4 days but im thinking i will hit phi phi for the rest Sounds unreal for just chillin out which is what me and the girlfriend will be doing...

Arcee

You can't fly to Phi Phi. Closest airport is Phuket as far as I know then it's a short boat ride from there to Phi Phi...

Conrad83

Arcee wrote: »

I'm a female who spent months travelling 5 countries in South East Asia on my own and never felt unsafe for one moment except the 2 nights I spent in Phuket. I won't ever visit there again, it's like all the worst parts of thailand (an otherwise AWESOME country) concentrated in one place. I may have just been unlucky but having a drunk guy break into my bedroom at 4am one morning left me feeling extremely vulnerable and did nothing to encourage me to stay there. The atmosphere around the place was fairly sleazy too, It just wasn't nice.... I know it's a big place and I'm sure there's more to it that Patong but I didn't stay long enough to find out!

Phi phi on the other hand is one of the greatest places I've ever been to and perfect for a lone female. Other posters have summed it up well - great nightlife and a really chilled out and friendly paradise. It's beautiful, the sea is incredible and the place has got a magnetic quality. Was supposed to stay for 2 nights - ended up staying for 6! Is more expensive than the other islands though so bring a bit of extra cash...

Thanks for that, looking more and more likely that I will be giving Phuket a miss have heard nothing good about it really, the only reason I was thinking of staying there is cos I am flying into there from Kuala Lumpur so was just wondering if I would stay a few nights or head straight to Phi Phi.. and prob stay there a couple of weeks? Is there enough to keep me occupied for that period of time? I will prob then head off to Samui or another island and will then be coming back to meet mates around Phuket/Phi Phi!

Thanks for the tips guys very helpful

Conrad83

ThE_IVIAcIVIAIV wrote: »

yeah its no problem at all for lone females, i met a good few lone females in ko phi phi, and its very safe , you should definatly go there but i wouldn't go for too long if you're on a tight budget, 15 euro a night for a room(2 beds) they rarely do single rooms, but you're best bet is to stay at the rock/tara inn hostel where its only 5 euro and its a very good place to meet people outside the dorms, everybody will be drinking and usualy a fella with a guitar or stereo so its always a good vibe before people go out for the free buckets . don't eat any fried noodle dishes on that island because many got sick from it including me , everything else is tasty though and lots of variety which is suprising considering its an island and everything needs to be imported in apart from fish! you should go camping on maya bay(where beach film was made) its a good laugh and a good spot to meet people too. Ibiza bar is the place to go to at night, always good fire shows and free buckets and dancing on the sand with 300-400 other people every night is pretty cool too, very clean safe beach, its paradise during the day . enjoy it!

and about phuket, do not bother spending anytime there! full of package tour people, not a backpacker place at all, full of girly bars and cheesy, has some nice spots but not worth it when you have phi phi and raleigh nearby, don't bother with krabi, dangerous and only a stopover city to phi phi. check out ko lanta or on the east coast go to ko tao or ko phanghnang for the full moon party, much be done! hope this is helpful

Is Phi Phi one of the more expensive islands? I was thinking of staying there a couple of weeks, not on a tight budget but at the same time don't want to be spending a fortune on accomodation! That tara inn hostel sounds like a safe bet def want to be somewhere I can meet people and have a laugh

ThE_IVIAcIVIAIV

yes its one of the more expensive islands but its worth it, and if you stay at the hostel it will be grand

Berty

During my research of the Island I didnt find anything that would convince me that you could have a two week holiday there. We have only booking two nights in the Holiday Inn for that exotic island experience of seclusion.

magicwand

Berty wrote: »

During my research of the Island I didnt find anything that would convince me that you could have a two week holiday there. We have only booking two nights in the Holiday Inn for that exotic island experience of seclusion.

Is the holiday inn expensive for the 2 nights berty? I went to their website but a bit of a pain

Conrad83

ThE_IVIAcIVIAIV wrote: »

yes its one of the more expensive islands but its worth it, and if you stay at the hostel it will be grand

Would it be safe enough to wait till I arrive to Phi Phi from Phuket to book into hostel or should I pre-book before I arrive?

Conrad83

Does anybody have a link or anythin for this rock/tara inn hostel? Or where abouts is it on Phi Phi.. can't find anything about it on net

ThE_IVIAcIVIAIV

the Hostel is very easy to find as phi phi is very small, no cars or motorbikes, just walking , everything is right there for you. i reckon you should be able to get there and book in then, at worst you would have to spend 1 night in a guesthouse which wouldn't be too bad. they don't have a website but its central and its located next to a restaurant thats built around a ship. im not sure how it will be in may/june? raining season i think?

Conrad83

ThE_IVIAcIVIAIV wrote: »

the Hostel is very easy to find as phi phi is very small, no cars or motorbikes, just walking , everything is right there for you. i reckon you should be able to get there and book in then, at worst you would have to spend 1 night in a guesthouse which wouldn't be too bad. they don't have a website but its central and its located next to a restaurant thats built around a ship. im not sure how it will be in may/june? raining season i think?

That's grand so just cos I'm on my own don't want to be left stranded but as you say may be a case of staying somewhere else for a night.

I have heard mixed reports about the rainy season, heard it may only rain for an hour a day max but prob be less busy around I would imagine?

ThE_IVIAcIVIAIV

less busy but Cheaper and still alot of fun i reckon. yeah about an hour an average i think, i was in vietnam and bali in rainy season and once it rained 18 hours without stopping so you might get the odd day where you won't be able to do much, good fun in the rain in a poncho in rain 10 times heavier than irish rain. , but when i was on phi phi in february i didn't see a cloud in 16 days!

Berty

magicwand wrote: »

Is the holiday inn expensive for the 2 nights berty? I went to their website but a bit of a pain

The rooms we booked are long gone, booked out. They were, without checking again, around €176 per night for a beachfront suite on stilts. There were ocean view suites on stilts and then Garden suites on Stilts(no view).

As we were looking for the island retreat type of trip we said we would book these rooms and spend the rest of the time in the Party town of Patong.

shamrock2004

Koh Phi Phi hands down!

Arcee

Berty wrote: »

The rooms we booked are long gone, booked out. They were, without checking again, around €176 per night for a beachfront suite on stilts. There were ocean view suites on stilts and then Garden suites on Stilts(no view).

:eek::eek::eek:

That is shockingly expensive for Phi Phi...... or anywhere in Thailand!

I was there in October so it was off-season and I booked accomodation when I arrived as when you get off the boat there are people clamoring to offer you rooms so it was easy to bargain. I'd imagine in high season you are better off booking in advance because if you get to the island and everything is booked they can charge you whatever they want for the rooms that are left.

The one thing I would advise is that if you wait til you get there to book - ask them to bring you to the hotel and show you the rooms before you commit. Don't be afraid to be tough about what you want either.

I stayed in a private bungalow here http://www.phiphiviewpoint.com/ for 2 nights for around €20 a night. It had stunning views from the balcony and a pool, bar restaurant etc. The only problem was that it was up a great big hill and and a little far away from the centre of things so I moved to here http://www.andamanbeachresort.com/ after that.

I spent 4 nights at that resort located on the beach, again around €20 a night. My bungalow was about a minute walk to the pool and a minute and a half to the beach! This resort was much better located in terms of bars and stuff and was literally 3 mins walk to Hippies which was my favorite bar on the island.

This link http://phi-phi.com/maps/ will give you a good idea of the location of a lot of the accomodation on phi phi. It won't have every single place but will show you the main ones. The map below is also useful.



The ton sai bay/Laem Hin/Long beach area is the main centre of things. The map below is a micro picture of that area but it may be a bit old because not all the bars/resorts I remember seeing are on it but it's a good representation in general



Just to give you an idea of how big the place is - to walk from one side of that map to the other would take around 15 or 20 minutes

magicwand

Guys, is a week too much to spend in phi phi? ...would you be kept busy with day tours and stuff?

ThE_IVIAcIVIAIV

that hostel i was talking about is labeled as ''the rock back packer'' on that map. also that map doesn't label that along that beach opposite to the pier is full of bars and restaurants, its where the main party is at, ibiza and a few others is where the action is at, i wouldn't bother with hippies side of town . also theres a funny pub that has a thai boxing ring in it and normal drunken people go up fighting each other for free drink and then after that is the real thai boxers but its pretty fake looking tbh.

Arcee

magicwand wrote: »

Guys, is a week too much to spend in phi phi? ...would you be kept busy with day tours and stuff?

It depends on what frame of mind you're in I guess. I spent 6 days there but it was purely for relaxation and a few drinks at night. If you like scuba diving and snorkeling that will keep you busy for a few days. You can also take a day trip to maya bay, monkey island and a few other places worth seeing, plus someone else mentioned the overnight camping on maya beach. Phi Phi isn't really about "doing stuff" it's kind of the opposite in fact. The atmosphere is very relaxed.....

ThE_IVIAcIVIAIV wrote: »

that hostel i was talking about is labeled as ''the rock back packer'' on that map. also that map doesn't label that along that beach opposite to the pier is full of bars and restaurants, its where the main party is at, ibiza and a few others is where the action is at, i wouldn't bother with hippies side of town . also theres a funny pub that has a thai boxing ring in it and normal drunken people go up fighting each other for free drink and then after that is the real thai boxers but its pretty fake looking tbh.

I think the bar with the thai boxing was called Reggae bar... it's near the rock backpacker on the map.
Yeah, there's a lot going on around the pier at night... it was fairly active around Hippies though. None of the bars are on the map, but on the beach opposite carlitos there are about 4 or 5 bars in a row with fairly good music, fire shows, 2 for 1 buckets (in some places) etc. One of the bars there has like a tree house kind of thing you can sit up in and look down on the beach. I dunno, it's worth checking out if you're gonna be there for a while.....

Also not marked on the map, on the LoDaLuhm bay side there a bar called sunset or something. If you're into getting yoked off your head and hardcore dance music that seemed to be the place to go! :rolleyes: Must be on that stretch of road between dragon bar and jungle divers.

Farls

I spent 4 nights on Phi Phi last July, lovely lovely spot...most I would pay for accomodation there is 20euro a night...same as the rest of thailand!! I was also in Phuket for 4 nights...loved it.

www.wotif.com I found very good for booking places to stay as I travelled, as in upto 2 weeks ahead.

Generally I booked as I landed....feck that forward planning.

Conrad83

ThE_IVIAcIVIAIV wrote: »

that hostel i was talking about is labeled as ''the rock back packer'' on that map. also that map doesn't label that along that beach opposite to the pier is full of bars and restaurants, its where the main party is at, ibiza and a few others is where the action is at, i wouldn't bother with hippies side of town . also theres a funny pub that has a thai boxing ring in it and normal drunken people go up fighting each other for free drink and then after that is the real thai boxers but its pretty fake looking tbh.

Looking at that map "the rock back packer" looks a bit out of the way? Would it be better/safer to stay near beach being a lone female?? Now obviously I haven't been there yet so I don't know the best option.

Arcee

Conrad83 wrote: »

Looking at that map "the rock back packer" looks a bit out of the way? Would it be better/safer to stay near beach being a lone female?? Now obviously I haven't been there yet so I don't know the best option.

It really doesn't matter... nothing is far away on Phi Phi, it's really, really small - no cars, no proper roads, just pathways that people walk on. You'll be no safer on one part of the island than the other. My decision regarding where to stay was simply based on the fact that I like being near the water and the beach rather than being in the very centre of town near all the action.

Berty

Im leaving the house in 2 hours on my trip around the world, including Phi Phi. I will throw my 2 cents into the hat when I return.

ThE_IVIAcIVIAIV

Conrad83 wrote: »

Looking at that map "the rock back packer" looks a bit out of the way? Would it be better/safer to stay near beach being a lone female?? Now obviously I haven't been there yet so I don't know the best option.

its not out of the way at all, its right in the middle of where everything is . phi phi is so safe because theres always lots of people around everywhere so nothing will ever happen to you, i could walk around with a bag of money and i wouldn't get touched, never heard of anything ever happenin to anybody when i was there. obviously be a little careful , but to be honest south east asia is 10 times safer than certain areas in dublin, limerick, tipp etc

ruby18

Hey,

Hijacking again! I am in a similar situation as Conrad - had planned on travelling with a friend but she's failed her exams and isnt able to go so now I'll be travelling solo! Arriving in Bangkok in early June and staying for a month or so - hoping to travel around a bit then end up in Koh Phangnan for the July Full Moon. Any ideas on where I should go to meet other students? Never travelled alone and not worried about the safety as much as not being able to go out etc. Was planning on staging in Phi Phi for the first week so let me know how you get on Conrad!

Conrad83

ruby18 wrote: »

Hey,

Hijacking again! I am in a similar situation as Conrad - had planned on travelling with a friend but she's failed her exams and isnt able to go so now I'll be travelling solo! Arriving in Bangkok in early June and staying for a month or so - hoping to travel around a bit then end up in Koh Phangnan for the July Full Moon. Any ideas on where I should go to meet other students? Never travelled alone and not worried about the safety as much as not being able to go out etc. Was planning on staging in Phi Phi for the first week so let me know how you get on Conrad!

I will definitley let you know how I get on, I am the same as you not really worried about safety but more the meeting people and stuff. Never travelled alone before so only natural! I hear its very easy to meet people and that there are more people travelling on their own than in couples/groups! Hopefully this is the case.

ThE_IVIAcIVIAIV

ruby18 wrote: »

Hey,

Hijacking again! I am in a similar situation as Conrad - had planned on travelling with a friend but she's failed her exams and isnt able to go so now I'll be travelling solo! Arriving in Bangkok in early June and staying for a month or so - hoping to travel around a bit then end up in Koh Phangnan for the July Full Moon. Any ideas on where I should go to meet other students? Never travelled alone and not worried about the safety as much as not being able to go out etc. Was planning on staging in Phi Phi for the first week so let me know how you get on Conrad!

don't worry, i promise it will be 10 times better than you could have ever imagined and traveling alone is better, you will meet 1000's of people, just go out to some bars and have a few beers and before you know it you have a gang of new friends. in ko phi phi i hung around with 30 odd people, 8 that i had met in other places in asia, met them all randomly there! you're so lucky, enjoy your trip!