48 Hours in Koh Phi Phi: The Two Days I Wish Had Been Four

Forty-eight hours in Koh Phi Phi sounded sufficient when my wife, Nicole, and I planned our trip through Thailand. Once we arrived, it immediately felt like a mistake.

We reached the island by ferry from Krabi in January 2024. The first thing I noticed was the absence of cars. Around the pier, people walked, rode bicycles, or moved luggage in small handcarts.

After visiting larger, busier places in Thailand, arriving somewhere where you could reach almost everything on foot gave the island a completely different rhythm.

Koh Phi Phi felt like a small beach village rather than another busy tourist destination. It was lively, but it also felt welcoming and relaxed. There were narrow pedestrian streets, small restaurants, bars, and travelers walking around in swimwear. It had that beach-town atmosphere where nobody appeared to be in much of a hurry.

Day one: Beach, pool and fire

We stayed at Ibiza House Phi Phi, on Loh Dalum Bay. We chose it because it combined the things we wanted from a short stay: a central location, a swimming pool, direct access to the beach and the possibility of joining one of its pool parties.

The pool party did not happen during the two nights we were there, which was disappointing, but I would still recommend the hotel. It was comfortable, the staff treated us well, and the location made everything easy. We could walk to the beach, the village, restaurants, and the nightlife. The area is known for its parties, but the noise did not prevent us from sleeping.

After arriving, we spent part of the afternoon on the beach and then returned to enjoy the hotel pool. I would not fill the first afternoon with attractions. Part of the pleasure of arriving in Phi Phi is slowing down and getting used to the island.

That evening, we walked through the village and returned to the beach, where the atmosphere changed completely after dark. There were bars on the sand, music and performers presenting fire shows. Some spun burning ropes and other equipment, while members of the audience were invited to take part in activities such as jumping over or passing beneath a flaming rope.

Nicole and I also had fluorescent designs painted on our bodies. Under the ultraviolet lights, the colors became incredibly bright. It was playful, inexpensive and one of those spontaneous travel experiences that photographs much better than it sounds when you try to explain it later.

That first night showed me the two personalities of Phi Phi. During the afternoon, it could feel calm and almost sleepy. At night, the same beach became a party. You could participate in everything or simply sit on the sand and watch.

Day two: The experience worth paying for

If I had only 48 hours in Phi Phi again, the one experience I would definitely spend money on would be a full-day boat tour.

We booked the Gold Day tour with Phi Phi Brazuca, an agency serving Brazilian and Portuguese-speaking travelers. Our group was mostly Brazilian, the guide spoke Portuguese and Brazilian music played on the boat. The shared language made the day feel social very quickly, even though most of us had just met.

The tour started later in the morning and continued until after sunset. That timing mattered because many boats bring visitors from Phuket and Krabi early in the day and begin leaving around midday. Our guides arranged the stops to avoid some of the busiest periods, so we never felt that the day was being controlled by crowds.

Maya Bay was the place I most wanted to see. Photographs had already made it famous, but being there was different. The cliffs form a natural frame around pale sand and clear turquoise water. There were other visitors, but it was not uncomfortably crowded when we arrived.

Swimming is restricted at Maya Bay to protect the environment, so we could only enter the water at the edge. I did not mind. The beach was beautiful enough simply to walk along, take photographs and appreciate the landscape.

My other favorite stop was Pileh Lagoon. Our speedboat entered an area enclosed by enormous limestone cliffs, with clear blue-green water beneath us. We jumped from the boat and spent time swimming and floating with foam noodles. It was a simple experience, but being in the water surrounded by those rock walls was one of the moments when the scenery felt almost unreal.

We also stopped near Viking Cave, snorkeled and visited Monkey Beach. The guides warned us to be careful with our phones and belongings because the monkeys are quick and curious. We managed to get close enough for photographs without disturbing them, but Pileh Lagoon remained far more memorable to me than the monkeys.

As the afternoon ended, we watched the sunset from the boat. Instead of rushing back to the island, we stayed at sea until darkness, when it was time for the final experience: swimming with bioluminescent plankton.

Entering dark water without being able to see what was below me was uncomfortable at first. I briefly wondered what animals might be nearby. Once I was in the water, however, that concern disappeared.

We moved our hands and arms through the sea, and tiny points of light appeared around them. The plankton was difficult to photograph, which may be why the memory remains so vivid. For a few minutes, we had to stop thinking about cameras and simply watch it happen.

One final night in the village

After returning to the hotel, we showered, changed and walked through the village again. We ate something casual and explored a few bars before finding one with a boxing ring inside.

Local fighters entered the ring for Muay Thai matches, and tourists could also volunteer to participate. We preferred to watch. It was loud, informal and very different from the beach atmosphere we had experienced only a few hours earlier.

The following morning, we spent a little more time by the hotel pool while waiting to leave the island. That was when I realized how poorly I had calculated our stay.

Two nights allowed us to see Phi Phi, but not to settle into it. If I planned the trip again, I would stay for at least three nights, preferably four days. I would add a long-tail boat trip, try an introductory scuba dive and leave more time to explore the village and relax without looking at the clock. I would probably take two days away from Phuket and give them to Phi Phi.

My biggest advice is not to experience Phi Phi only as a rushed day trip from Phuket or Krabi. The island becomes more interesting after those boats leave. Staying overnight lets you see the quiet afternoon, the fire shows on the beach, the village after dark and the sea glowing around your hands.

What made those 48 hours memorable was not how many places we managed to visit. It was how quickly the island changed from peaceful to energetic and then back again. Phi Phi can be a place to party, but it can also be somewhere to slow down, swim between limestone cliffs and feel, briefly, that life is much simpler than it was before you arrived.

Photo credit for all images: Photos courtesy of André Ribeiro.

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André Ribeiro

André Ribeiro is the founder of André On Digital, a travel connectivity website that helps international travelers compare eSIM options, coverage and mobile data plans. A Brazilian expatriate living in Europe, he writes from personal experience traveling through Europe, Asia and Latin America.