For our last day in Thailand, we ventured to the beautiful Phi Phi islands – noted by some travel reviews as some of the best beaches in the world.  We braved the front of our boat as we rocked up and down on the waves for an hour en route to the islands in the middle of the Andaman Sea.  (Bt it was mild compared to a boat trip last year in the Adriatic off the shores of Croatia)

We went first to Phi Phi Don, the largest of the islands and the only one with hotels and restaurants.  Our 1st stop was a quick view of Monkey Beach- where yes – there were a ton of little monkeys playing on the rocks above the beach- and a few even jumped in to chase after Ritz Crackers!

Then it was off to snorkeling- Bee had his 1st true experience of tropical snorkeling (and Jay is now a pro)…saw a ton a very brightly colored fish (beautiful parrot fish, Moorish Idol, powderblue surgeonfish, clown fish anemone, indo pacific surgeon) and some awesome looking giant clams that close  up when you touch them.  Snorkeled for close to 45 minutes

The boat passed by a cave  with very old viking paintings and a cave where bird’s nests are harvested – as the Chinese believe in them as natural medicine.  Then it was off to an area in Phi Phi Ley simply know as “the lagoon” or Pileh Cove.  It was an awesome cove surrounded by shear limestone cliffs.  We all took turns jumping in off the back of the boat and having a great swim.

Our next stop, Maya Beach on Phi Phi Ley- is a perfect little stretch of sand again in a cove surrounded by stunning cliffs- made famous by the DiCaprio flick- “The Beaches”…maybe a little too famous though – as crowds were intense..boat traffic alone was crazy as tour boats took turns unloading their passengers and then pulling back out to sea…It was indeed a stunning view.   We also took a nice walk to the back of the island to see another beautiful view of Loh Samah Bay. We got lucky as only 3 days after our trip, Maya Beach was shut down to tourists to allow for the coral to recover- estimated to be closed for at least 3 months.

Next stop was lunch back on Phi Phi Don- and an amazing beach called Long beach. After a Thai buffet lunch(with curries & excellent chicken dishes and fresh fruit)..we chilled on the beach and got in a swim.

Our final stop was Bamboo Island a gorgeous large beach overlooking the rest of the Phi Phi islands.   It was only a very short walk to more amazing snorkeling- could even see schools of Sergeant Majors by just looking down at your feet (the yellow and black striped ones)!

Then back to Phukett for a late night flight to Singapore. Luckily we had Vesak day to recover (Buddha’s birthday)  and celebrated by watching “Solo: A Star Wars Story”  Our critics Jay and Bee gave it two thumbs up!

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