Koh Phi Phi was the site of some of the worst tsunami damage in all of Thailand. Most of the accommodations there had been destroyed by the wave. Fortunately for the island it was also the site of the movie The Beach so tourists continue to flock to the island and pile into the small bay that was the site of filming. Rebuilding has occurred so rapidly it is hard to believe that the disaster happened so recently.
A short kayak off the main beach leads to a smaller beach inhabited by monkeys. You can feed them right out of your hand. There were huge coral formations and great beach parties with fire shows. The water was clear and diving was great. A girl aboard our dive boat tried a back flip off the second floor. She caught her head on the railing and fell back into the water. She remained conscious but upon evaluation on the boat she was having severe neck pains, we held her head stable watching the welt on her forehead grow and had to arrange a medical evacuation to Phuket, 3 hours away. Not a great place to potentially break ones neck.