Getting away from the party scene on Ko Phi Phi Don isn’t hard. The East side of the island as well as Long Beach on the far east side of the southern bay are two great spots to really feel like you are getting away from it all. Whether you choose to walk or hire a longtail boat taxi to get there is up to you. 🙂
The one good thing about having chosen to stay at Phutawan (technically Phi Phi Hill Bungalows) was the close proximity to the viewpoint. We were only a short uphill hike to a rather stunning view of the two bays of Ko Phi Phi. The signs to get up there were fairly reasonable and noticeable. However the signs on how to get to the beaches of Rantee, Moo Dee or Ao Toh Ko on the east side of the island from the viewpoint was another story!! To be fair, we were warned in advance (thanks again to a post on Travelfish) that the signs would be sketchy at best!
Other than the signage issue, the hike downhill wasn’t terrible. The jungle was very thick at times, mosquitos hovered around every pore on our bodies and took to nibbling on us the second we stopped or paused, and at some points it took a little bit of clever maneuvering to continue on, but overall wasn’t bad. On the other side, the beautiful beaches and quiet greeted us! Granted, compared to the Lo Dalam, the beaches weren’t as spectacular but they were still beautiful in their own way.
We spent the afternoon snorkeling, having lunch, reading books and of course drinking beers. Earlier in the day we had the best of intentions to actually hike back up the hill to the viewpoint and then back down to our bungalow again… But of course after a few beers and the fact that the sun was starting to set a little (the other excuse we used to not hike back up, lol!) we opted to take a taxi boat back:)
We made it to Long Beach a couple of days later. What a difference in vibe that beach was!! The party scene was transformed into a chilled and relaxed family-type vibe! No doubt this part of town was where the money stayed as well, as the bungalows and other resorts here were quite impressive! It was only about a 15-20 minute (very easy) walk from the main town area, but the energy was completely different!! We found a little alcove on the beach with stunning white sands and lots of easy snorkeling. There was also a restaurant and outdoor massage area for the ultimate in relaxation! As we did with all the other beaches we’d been to, our afternoon was whisked away with reading, tanning, snorkeling and…. you guessed it! Drinking beers! 🙂
Ramblintraveler 