How hot it was and how far…Phi Phi Islands
It must be about ten years ago that I last visited the Phi Phi Islands, within sailing distance of the resort of Ao Nang near Krabi. Because my girlfriend's son Rayziya was going to do an internship for three months in an extremely luxurious hotel near Krabi, a visit to the islands was obvious.
Finding a suitable stay in Ao Nang for three nights via booking.com was quite a task. Even mid-February, most (affordable) options were already sold out. Staying in the luxurious Pulay Bay, Raysiya's son's field of work, was out of the question, given the rack rate of over 23.000 baht per night. A price of over 17.000 was achievable via booking.com, but this too exceeded the budget.
Sawaddee Resort in Ao Nang seemed like a good option, for 1500 baht per night per bungalow, payable on departure. Because we were way behind schedule en route from Hua Hin via Ranong, we called the resort to say that we would be a little late. That was no problem. That only arose upon arrival, because all bungalows were occupied. This is Thailand….
We were taken to a large hotel for one night and told that we only had to pay 1500 baht, instead of the normal 2000 baht. The next day we could move into our reserved bungalows, including breakfast. In fact, that was not allowed to have a name, because breakfast consisted of two eggs, two sandwiches and a cup of tea or instant coffee. But hey, a child's hand is soon filled.
In the seaside resort of Ao Nang it was clearly still high season; you could walk over their heads. A visit to the Phi Phi Islands was high on Raysiya's wish list. We booked the 4 Islands Tour at an office on the boulevard of Ao Nang. According to the lady behind the desk, this was an excellent choice, for 1000 baht per person and Lizzy, who is almost 4 years old, free. She called the shipping company, but unfortunately, the speedboat was full (it is possible that she was just pretending). Another option cost 1100 baht, but the quality of the trip was also a lot better.
We found out the next morning. Almost an hour after the agreed time we were picked up with a pickup and taken to a place where hundreds of others were waiting. Then trudging through the sand for quite a while until we came to our 'ship', an oversized speedboat with three 250 hp Honda outboards. How many tame sheep are in such a craft?
Officially 57, but after counting the staff came to 63. Herrings in a barrel have more room, I can assure you.
On two islands we were allowed to disembark on a busy beach, while on Phi Phi Don we were offered a quick lunch, as well as the on-board refreshments included in the price. So nothing can be said about that. Phi Phi Don was rebuilt from the ground up after the tsunami. Lovers of souvenir shops, ice cream parlors and youthful backpackers will certainly get their money's worth here, but for a romantic paradise they have to look elsewhere.
Then we were allowed to snorkel a little off the coast, but more than some dead coral and some small fish are not to be found here. On the way back it went again at over 50 kilometers per hour to Ao Nang Beach. The female boat owner went around with a tip box, in which everyone had to donate at least 100 baht per person. The passenger who had been puking all the way on board was glad to have solid ground under his feet again. It was far and incredibly hot when the boat was stationary.
The moral: as a tourist you are a walking cash register. Next time we will take the regular ferry and visit the islands at our leisure.