A Bucketful of Fun on Phi Phi

Jane McLellan

Last Updated 19th September 2011

Due to its natural beauty, the island of Ko Phi Phi in Thailand has become a very popular place with travellers and therefore is quite developed. I have visited the island twice, once before the Tsunami and then again in 2009 and it’s still stunning. The island is home to infinite white sandy beaches, clear turquoise sea, limestone cliffs and lush jungle. Maya Bay is a major attraction on the island since the film ‘The Beach’ was filmed there. It’s a stunningly beautiful bay sheltered by huge cliffs on three sides and is also a great place to snorkel and scuba dive.

I had a lot of fun on Phi Phi and hired a kayak while I was there to explore the limestone cliffs and caves. The coastline is beautiful, but underwater is pretty special too and visibility is amazing. I did a couple of dives here and was lucky enough to swim alongside turtles and leopard sharks. My mates and I did a snorkelling daytrip on a boat, which dropped us off at various sites around the island. I was surrounded by shoals of colourful fish – it was like I was swimming in a tropical fish tank!

I will never forget the sunset at a place called Viewpoint. After a short but steep hike up a hill I reached the top and was rewarded with some truly breathtaking views of the ocean, jungle and beaches. The sunset itself was spectacular!

The nightlife in Phi Phi is lively and fun and I checked out lots of great bars. It was here that I experienced my first Thai bucket – a popular drink among travellers. It consists of cola, Red Bull and Thai Whiskey (which is actually a type of Rum), served in a sand bucket with half a dozen straws to share it with your mates. It’s strong, tastes gorgeous but it should come with a warning because it’s extremely alcoholic! I’ll never forget (or maybe I should say I’ll never remember?!) my first ever bucket experience!