SOUTHERN THAILAND

Jake and I had never stayed at a resort before so we decided to splurge a little at the end of our trip and stay three nights at a beach resort of sorts in Phi Phi. It was a great decision - it’s so beautiful, and we needed some relaxation after the last week bouncing around northern Thailand!

Phi Phi Islands

We made it to Phi Phi!! It took half a day to get out here (2hr-turned-3hr ferry ride because we left late then took a long boat to the resort) but worth it! We were greeted by a musical ensemble and pineapple smoothies 🍹🎻 which was so lovely! We immediately fell in love with the Phi Phi Islands and couldn’t wait to eat great food and explore the islands by boat. Oh, and relax at one of the two gorgeous pools (with poolside bars!).

After check-in, we grabbed a quick lunch, settled into our awesome bamboo hut and explored the grounds a bit. The place is pretty big and they have such prime ocean front property with wonderfully friendly staff. The rest of the day was chill with some pool time and dinner.

Day 2: Phi Phi Island Speed Boat Tour

Today we’re embarking on a full-day snorkel tour of the islands! After breakfast, we started the day with a quick snorkel mask and fin fitting then off to the boat to embark on our full-day tour! First stop, Viking Cave where endangered bird eggs are forbidden by locals after years of stealing for food and soups. Next stop, Pileh Lagoon for a quick dip - it was so salty we could float almost effortlessly. Then we were off to Loh Samah to snorkel for an hour. We saw tons of angel fish, parrot fish, trigger fish and sea cucumbers plus some cool coral. Next stop, Maya Bay (made famous by the 1999 movie, The Beach, with DiCaprio) to do some more snorkeling!

Then off to Wang Long Lagoon and Monkey Beach, where we got up close to two baby monkeys! The last snorkel, Lana Bay, did not disappoint featuring a lion fish (very cool looking but invasive!) Last stop, Bamboo island, where we spent an hour chilling on the beautiful beach before a quick ride back to the resort. After an action-packed day, we went back into vacation mode - lounge, happy hour, lounge, dinner, 

Day 3: Relax and Recharge

Slept in and ate a big buffet breakfast before embarking on our hike up to the Tonsai viewpoint. It was a tough steep hike in the heat (4 miles round trip), but we made it and were not disappointed! After the trek, we relaxed at the pool with lunch and our mango smoothie/coconut drink for a couple hours. Then took a break from the sun to clean up and head over to the marine center to learn some cool facts about clownfish, sharks, and the islands. As a storm was rolling in on our end of the island, we took a sunset walk to Lana Bay (opposite side of the island) and walked through town and the fisherman village. Celebrating our last night in Phi Phi with happy hour, tapas and dinner, we reminisced the amazing two weeks we’ve spent so far in Thailand and prepped for our early departure to Krabi!

Day 4: Off to Krabi

We woke up early to catch the sunset, but there wasn’t much of one bc it was so cloudy. After packing up, we ate a quick breakfast and long boated over to Tonsai Pier for our ferry to Ao Nang, one of the beach towns of Krabi. It was a 1.5 hour ferry then off to our Airbnb to check in! Very cute little place where you can see the mountains and enough outside of town to get some peace and quiet away from the beach bar noise.

We settled in a bit, packed a day bag and set out for downtown Ao Nang to explore and eat lunch. We bought a few souvenirs along the way at the markets and jumped in the ocean during low tide. Since we had heard great things about Railay Beach, we decided to spend the rest of the cloudy afternoon there. We bought boat taxi tickets and were on our way in no time! The town of Railay is SO cute and walkable (kinda wish we were staying there instead!). We walked all over, seeing both sides of Railay - East and West (which was superior) AND visited Diamond Cave, which was so impressive. While walking around, we saw MONKEYS everywhere! They were climbing along the power lines, running along roofs, swinging in the trees, walking down the sidewalk; they were everywhere. We even saw one eating a chocolate bar! Which is not good because people are not supposed to feed the monkeys at all (makes them more aggressive around humans and confuses them with food). We kept a safe distance.

We got a quick drink and a sushi(!) roll from a Thai chef who spent 16 years in Sweden making sushi before returning a year ago. While we enjoyed our last bites, we chatted with our new chef friend about Thailand’s history, weather, and current challenges. Then we caught a boat taxi back to Ao Nang and watched the sunset on the boardwalk by the beach, which was absolutely stunning! It was our first real sunset here in Thailand, and it did not disappoint. Quick dinner then back to the Airbnb. Another day for the books!

Day 5: Scootin’ and Chasing Sunsets

Woke up and had a lovely breakfast overlooking the mountains at the Airbnb. We rented a scooter for the day and set off for Tiger Temple (about a 40 min drive), where we climbed up 1200 steps - literally!! I about died, but then I remembered frisbee pre-season is upon us and I gotta start training! Meanwhile Jake crushed those steps no problem, like the beast he is. We rewarded ourselves with a mango smoothie immediately following the trek back down!

Then we drove through Krabi on our way back to Ao Nang for lunch. We hit up the corner street stand where they have noodle dishes made to order and Thai pancakes! We ordered two bowls of pad see ew and a big banana pancake (basically a crepe) for $6, and it was probably the best meal we’ve eaten the last two weeks!

After lunch, we scootered back to the Airbnb, hopped in the pool, and relaxed before being picked up for our kayak outing. We drove out to Tha Lane bay and kayaked for two hours and watched the sunset over the island mountains. Since it was low tide, we were able to kayak into the mountain ravine. On the outing, we saw a cobra swimming in the water, sea eagle flying overhead, monkeys digging for crabs, a weird walking fish, and lots of hermit crabs. We returned the kayaks and drove to the next pier where they had prepared a seafood feast for us, including grilled shrimp, squid, fish, chicken, and veggies! Needless to say, today was our best food day and maybe the most active!