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Islands in the sun: Exploring Phuket and Krabi's ultimate beach getaways
Summary
From karst limestone cliffs to sun-kissed islands, Krabi and Koh Phi Phi in south-east Thailand continue to be among the best beach vacation destinations in the world
What are the prerequisites for an island paradise? Mild weather, gentle waves, a temperate sea, plenty of sun, white beaches, coconuts. Well, sometimes, all you need to say instead is Phi Phi. Submerged up to my head in the gently lapping waves of the blue-green lagoon off Phi Phi Don’s Long Beach, I looked out longingly across the bay. There, some 7km out to sea, rose the spiny mass of the world’s most famous “Paradise Island"—Koh Phi Phi Leh.
I’m not a beach holiday kind of guy. At least, that’s what I like to tell myself. Labouring up a Himalayan ridge in total whiteout conditions is more my jam (again, as I’d like to tell myself). But self-delusion aside, five months on from my Thailand vacation, often when I close my eyes, I see Phi Phi Leh.
It is, of course, the island par excellence, the true star of the 2000 Leonardo DiCaprio film The Beach, a collection of towering vegetation-clad limestone karst ridges, rising from the choppy waters of the Andaman Sea, sheltering lagoons and bays so stunning as to be almost unreal. I was 19 when The Beach came out, and despite its prescient dissection of the dark underbelly of influencer culture, the alluring silhouette of Phi Phi Leh is one that had stayed with me, a teenage daydream of “paradise".
My partner and I were in Thailand in end-May, a time that is the shoulder season between the dry weather of peak tourism and the deluge of the monsoon months. As it turned out, it was a great time to visit because there was sunshine aplenty with markedly fewer tourists and, therefore, cheaper rates—if only one is ready to face the occasional squally storm. As it turns out, these too were quite spectacular.
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I could never understand why tourists, especially Indian ones, try to “do" all of Thailand in one trip. It is practically impossible to wrap your brain around the sheer diversity of the country because north Thailand could not be more different than south, and the joys of the Gulf of Thailand are very different from the Andaman Sea. We were visiting a very small (and very popular) part of south-east Thailand around Krabi and Phuket, island hopping all over the Phang Nga Bay in the Andaman Sea. In hindsight, we could have probably spent the entire 10 days in just Phuket, or just Krabi, or kicking back in Phi Phi.
Beaches with a view
I may have traded going on a Himalayan trek to soaking in the Andaman Sea, but it’s fascinating to know that the continental collision that caused the Himalayan range to thrust up also helped create the limestone karst cliffs of Thailand. When the Indian plate pressed up against the Eurasian plate some 55 million years ago, the embrace of the two plates rotated the Thai landmass to the east by about 90 degrees.
The resulting tectonic activity raised up underwater limestone ridges above the surface, giving rise to these mountains. Millions more years of erosion led to the formation of these stupendous pillars, and when the sea encroached at the end of the last Ice Age, the wonderful islands around Krabi were born.
This corner of Thailand is tailor-made for drone shots, and that’s exactly what you’ll get when you click on the hundreds of You Tube travel guides to this area. And no wonder—the juxtaposition of towering limestone karsts, hundreds of tiny islands, bays and lagoons makes it one of the most picturesque places in the world.
Our first stop was Krabi, and we were staying at Grant Centara Resort & Villas, planted inside a little forest flowing down from a towering limestone ridge, cutting us off from the main town of Ao Nang. Getting as far away from people was our MO, and the thought of our own private beach, which could only be reached by longtail boat from Ao Nang, really tickled our fancy.
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Did I say you could spend a week just in Krabi? Well, you could even spend that time only on Pai Plong, alternating between the sea and the pool, sipping cocktails on the beach and looking out at the karst tower rising up from the sea, and storms moving in and out over distant Phuket.
But there were so many other islands to explore, and the best way to do so would be to sign up for the four-islands tour, and so we did. Just out to sea from the Krabi mainland is a mini archipelago of four coral islands, called the Mu Koh Poda archipelago—with white sand beaches, excellent snorkelling, and some of the most spectacular karst landscape that you could hope to see.
You can take shared longtail boats to see the islands, or you could take shared speedboats. The choice is a matter of either going for practicality or aesthetics. Setting off from either Ao Nang’s Noppharat Thara pier or from the Ao Nam Mao pier further east, and leisurely sailing to the islands on a longtail boat is a wonderful way to soak in the picturesqueness of the area, an astounding combination of the azure sea set off against the fantastical limestone hills and karst pillars of Ao Nang and Railay beaches.
Taking the speedboat, though, means reaching the islands faster, and getting to spend more time exploring them. The Thai word for “island" is koh, and the two main islands—also the biggest—in this shallow coral bay are Koh Poda and Koh Kai, with the two tiny islands of Koh Thap and Koh Mor sandwiched in between. There are about a half-a-dozen or so islands scattered around them, but those are basically dramatic, heavily forested limestone pinnacles rising straight up from the sea.
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Our first stop was Koh Kai, the southernmost of the four, colloquially called Chicken Rock. Why? “It’s not because the island has lots of chickens. In fact, it has none," our guide announced. As we sailed closer, the reason became clear: a ridiculous karst tower on the southern edge of the island that could, when seen in profile, look much like the neck and head of a chicken.
It was a sunny day but there had been a short storm in the morning, and another was clearly on its way. It was best to make the most of the clear weather because the beach itself was gorgeous. Fine white coral sands gently sloped down into a shallow sea, glowing an alternate emerald and white. It’s possible to swim to your heart’s content here, the water being quite shallow but just to be safe, national park authorities had demarcated swimming zones, and we joined a small group of diverse tourists in jumping in.
Further to the north, we could see the two smaller islands, together with the larger bulk of Krabi’s spectacular sea face further in the background, like the back of mammoth sleeping stegosaurus. When the tide is low, a slender sandbar emerges from the sea, one you can walk over to reach Koh Thap.
Right then, the tide was sufficiently high that it would be a dodgy thing to attempt, even if the water would be only waist high, so we got back into the boat to sail to Koh Thap. Ten minutes later we were there dropping anchor and leaping out on to another sandbar, this one still above the waves, connecting Koh Thap and Koh Mor.
As my partner went into the sea on the other side of the sandbar, an impossibly blue pool lit up by the underwater green of submerged reefs, the storm rolled into view. The eastern horizon was covered with an inexorably advancing, black shelf of clouds, flickering with lightning. Scary as it seemed, it enhanced the sheer majesty of the scene. The white of the sandbar now contrasted against the blue-black sea, the green of the corals and the roiling black shelf in the background.
Living in a city, you often forget that you are on a unique planet spinning through space. Sights of such major weather systems on open sea is just the ticket to raise adrenaline levels. It was still some way ahead though—the only way I could tell was that the boat guys looked least worried—so we walked across the sandbar to Koh Thap.
This led to another first in my life, walking on a piece of land where waves come in from both sides, gently coming together on our feet. I was reminded of writer Robert MacFarlane’s description of walking the British offshore path of Broomway—a path that exists in low tide—in his essay Silt in Granta, “What do you call a path that is no path? A riddle? A sequence of compass bearings? A death trap?" In Thai, you’d call it Thale Waek—the three sandbars that sometimes connect the three islands. A liminal place, a landscape of the mind.
The storm was nearly upon us, sending out gale-force gusts of winds and peals of thunder. It was time to get back on the boat and jet off to Koh Poda for some beers at an inland restaurant while the storm dumped gallons of rain outside.
The magic bay
A few days later, we were on a longtail boat, leaving Phi Phi Don at dawn in order to beat the day crowds at Phi Phi Leh. As the white strip of Long Beach—where we were staying—dwindled behind us, our boat bounced on, skating over the choppy waters, and the giant cliffs of Phi Phi Leh loomed ever closer. I thought back to the scene in The Beach, where the three intrepid backpackers swim across a wide bay to get to the forbidden island.
In the movie, the island was home to both a new age hippie commune as well as an illegal marijuana plantation ran by a Thai gang. In reality, Phi Phi Leh is only home to day-tripping tourists and scuba-diving crews exploring the coral reefs around Phi Phi Leh and some other rocky islands dotting the area.
Our first stop was one of the two bays of the island—Phi Leh Bay. We floated under scraggy limestone cliffs eroded into fantastical shapes, while under us fringing coral reefs flashed by. One of the characteristic forms of limestone islands is how the action of seawater undercuts the base of the pinnacles, and we sailed under such overhangs of living rocks, ducking our heads in places to avoid hanging outcrops. Then we turned a corner and passed into shade…and into a wonderland straight out of some Arthur Conan Doyle novel of the land that time forgot.
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A wide channel of sea opened up, headed inland, flanked by towering, bare limestone ridges with mossy green swards of trees growing further up, and more densely in the folds. Soon, we reached the shallow head of the bay, a cul de sac where the surrounding ridge came together to block it off. There was no beach at the head of the narrow bay, but the water here is shallow and gentle enough that you could swim and snorkel with great ease. Across the green ridge, lay our true destination, the other bay: Maya Bay.
Maya Bay, which is technically a cove, and its beach was the true star of The Beach: a pristine crescent of white sand at the bottom of a natural amphitheatre of limestone cliffs. In the film, the mythical beach was CGI treated to appear like a large, closed in lagoon. In reality, the cove is open to the sea.
Boats aren’t allowed to enter through the old north-west opening, however. Years of The Beach-inspired frenzy and a decade-and-a-half of long-tail boats disgorging millions of tourists directly on the beach left the marine environment of Maya Bay severely degraded.
The beach sediment was ploughed up by sheer use, the water was filled with garbage, fringing reefs destroyed and small blacktip shark numbers—which once used to breed in the cove—decimated. There was reportedly a high amount of sunscreen chemicals in the water.
In 2018, the beach was closed off indefinitely in a bid to end this overtourism. The cove’s recovery was aided by the covid-19 pandemic and consequent lack of in-bound tourism. When it reopened for tourism in January 2022, there were rules in place, put in by the Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park.
Coming out of Phi Leh Bay, our boat rounded the bulk of the island to the south-east and entered a broad cove, where the new dock stands. It was a bit hairy stepping out from a bobbing boat straight on to the dock, but the friendly park rangers were only too happy to help. These days, visits to Maya Bay are highly regulated with only 375 people allowed on to the island at a time. You also have to pay the park fee, Thai baht 400 (around ₹1,000) per head at a desk at the dock.
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We were still ahead of the day’s tourist rush, and I liked this new way of getting to the cove, a five-minute walk through a forest, on an upraised wooden walking ramp, that builds up to the excitement of rounding a corner, getting to the spot where the forest clears out and the spectacle that is Maya Bay comes into view. I recreated first the slack-jawed awe of DiCaprio’s character and then his triumphant whoop. I may not have swum here, but this was certainly the moment of a lifetime.
I had never walked on sand this soft or this white. The early morning sun was yet to clear the ring of cliffs, so while the beach lay in soft shadow, further out, the cove’s waters glowed a pristine green. This was further offset by the alternating white and green of the farthest edge of the limestone cliffs and the blue of the sea further back.
It’s impossible really to put into words the exhilaration of that moment, the silence, the gentle lapping sound of the tiny waves. A little out in the shallow cove, I could see small black shapes gliding about in the waters—the fabled blacktip sharks.
We walked up and down the beach several times, past the encroaching fronds of the forest and under the overhanging limestone arches at the farthest end, just to take it all in. As per the new rules, one cannot go into the water beyond thigh deep, and certainly not swim. It’s fine really, thigh-deep is just perfect for the island paradise photos, and stupidly grinning selfies.
THE INFORMATION
Where To Stay
Phuket: Way less crowded than popular beaches like Patong and Bang Tao further north, Kata Beach has plenty of character, and the Andaman Cannacia, perched on a hill overlooking the beach and the Andaman Sea is a great way to enjoy it. Try and get the Canna Deluxe Seaview rooms. Andaman Cannacia Resort & Spa, Kata Beach; from THB 2,086 plus taxes per night, including breakfast, for two; phuket-cannacia.com
Krabi:The Centara Grand, with its own beach, feels like something out of The White Lotus, without all the tragedy of course. The only way in or out is by longtail boat or the resort’s speedboat, but you can also hike the steep-but-fun Monkey Trail through a forested cliff face to reach the main town of Ao Nang. Fantastic food, especially at the resort’s Japanese restaurant, and views to die for.Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas, Pai Plong Beach; from THB 5,513 plus taxes per night, including breakfast, for two; centarahotelsresorts.com
Phi Phi Don: The larger of the Phi Phi islands, Phi Phi Don, is the only place you can stay, and again there are plenty of hotels and resorts on plenty of beaches to choose from. But if you’re looking for the best Phi Phi experience, with fantastic views of Phi Phi Leh to boot, stay at this resort on Long Beach. The beachfront villas, which literally open out onto the mangrove-flecked Long Beach, should be your pick. Fantastic Thai massage by the beach is the icing on this particular cake. Paradise Resort Phi Phi, Long Beach; from THB 1,595/night plus taxes, including breakfast, for two; paradiseresort.co.th
What To See & Do
Phuket: There’s no end to the possibilities in Phuket, from the sublime to the seedy. Staying as we were in Kata Beach, I would totally recommend the night markets here, for excellent local cuisine. The beach itself is a great place to spend your days, either on a sun lounger or getting battered by the rough waves of the Andaman Sea. Local outfits also give surfing and diving lessons.
I would specially recommend Darin Massage and Beauty Salon for the brilliant Thai massages. And the sea food at the Kata on Fire restaurant. Definitely take the day-long tour of Phang Nga Bay. A great way to experience this geological marvel of hundreds of karst islands dotting the bay—including the famous “James Bond Island" of Kao Phing Kan and the floating village of Koh Panyi—is with BJ Canoeing, from THB1,800 per person. Another must-see is the Big Buddha temple and monastery, as much for the giant statue itself, as also for breathtaking views of Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga Bay.
Krabi: Krabi is a vibe, one that is best enjoyed being out on a beach, on an island, or diving into the sea. If you have two-three days, I would definitely recommend going for the four-island trip to the mini archipelago of Koh Poda, Koh Kai, Koh Thap and Koh Mor. Usually this trip also takes in a sunset dinner on Railay Beach along with some after dark snorkelling to sea glowing underwater plankton.
However, the spectacular karst limestone landscape of Railay deserves its own dedicated day. You can take shared longtail boats early in the morning from Ao Nang, for a ten-minute sail to Railay. Spend the day exploring the Railay East and West Beaches, try your hand at some rock climbing, visit the sacred cave of Phra Nang and just chill. If you truly want to enjoy Railay, book a hotel for the night and stay on. Be sure to be done by 6pm so you can catch a boat back. Shared long tail boats cost THB 100 per person one way.
Phi Phi: Daily ferries ply from Ao Nang’s Noppharat Thara Pier and Phuket’s Rassada Pier to Phi Phi Don’s Tonsai Pier. Rides typically takes two hours and costs between THB 450-1,252 per person depending on the destination. If you’re looking for a quiet stay, with great views of Koh Phi Phi Leh, then head over to Long Beach, a 5-minute and THB 100 per person longtail boat ride away.
Frankly, apart from exploring Phi Phi Leh or Bamboo Island, there isn’t much else you should be doing here, other than hitting the beach whenever you can and just generally being lazy.If you have a few days in hand and are feeling like a walk, hike up to Phi Phi Don’s several high lookout spots for excellent views of the islands.
There are several agents in Tonsai Pier with whom you can book a private longtail boat tour of Phi Phi Leh. The half-day ones start from THB 500 per head. Go to Phi Phi Leh around dawn to have the island mostly to yourself. If you’re looking for an interesting experience, you can book a sunset or an overnight boat tour of Phi Phi Leh with Maya Bay Tours (mayabaytours.com) from THB 3,500 per person.
