Nigel: Before we took the boat over to Phi Phi we stayed a night in a port town called Krabi. There isn't a great deal of things to do over there, but we thought we would stock up on the essentials as they would be a lot dearer when we got over to the island. Phi Phi was hit quite severely during the tsunami back in 2004, but there is little remembrance of the fact except for the newly built watch tower, evacuation centres and the memorial. After the disaster the Government decided that they would put a limit on the amount of hotels, restaurants and shops that would be built, thus meaning they could turn the island back into a ecotourism island.Due to the popularity of the island and an abundance of money it wasn't long before the isalnd was back to pre tsunami status. The main part of the island is situated on the West side and is on accessible by boat. There are no roads but all the paths have been paved. When we arrived we were greeted by a representative of the guest house we were staying in. Luckily he had a trolley for our luggage as we had about a 15 minute walk in the extreme heat. There are two main beaches that is separated by a small strip on land. We decided to catch some rays on the opposite beach to the one where all the main boats arrive. The beach was very busy but we decided to go to the far end where it was a lot quieter but still as nice. When your on the beach you are surrounded by karst mountains and magnificent scenery. The sea water is the clearest water that we have ever seen and it was that clear I even managed to get in and swim post jelly fish attack.

Alison: Phi Phi is the most beautiful beach resort that I have seen so far. It is heavenly. The downside of the beauty is that it is so popular that the accommodation prices are sky high by Thai standards. For our first night we managed to find a relatively cheap place but it still cost twice what we normally pay.One night in this place was more than enough though because the noise was absolutely horrendous. We set out early the next day to find something better and managed to bag ourselves a much nicer place at almost the same price. The new place was quite unusual because it is set amongst pretty gardens and the garden theme continues in to the room. The bathroom was my favourite bit because it had actual soil borders with plants and trees growing in there. The worms and centipedes were a bit off putting though!!

Apart from lying on the beach, there are a few walks and activities you can do on Phi Phi. The main attraction is to go to Maya Bay which is where the Leonardo DiCaprio movie 'The Beach' was filmed. We were really interested to go and see it but having spoken to a few people, we were told that it is really disappointing because it is so busy and has been spoilt by the crowds. The high cost of hiring a boat to get there was the final nail in the coffin for that idea!! Instead, we decided to do some walking and see some of the sights. We first went to the highest point on the island which is quite a tough walk but gave an amazing view of the two beaches and the bay. After this we walked to the next beach which is called Long Beach. Most people get a boat but it only took us about 30mins though you do have to walk through some jungle and across large rocks. The beach there is ok. More quiet but the sea is quite rough so I wouldn't particularly recommend staying there. We really enjoyed Phi Phi and I can definitely see us going back therein the future for a luxurious holiday :-)