Hotels on Koh Phi Phi, Thailand: where to stay, bay by bay

Which part of Koh Phi Phi should you stay in?

Koh Phi Phi is small, but it is not easy to cross: the hills are steep, the paths are rough and after dark the outer beaches depend on boats. The five areas used on this site are very different.

Tonsai Village is the heart of the island: the pier, the market, the ATMs, the 7-Elevens, the clinics, the dive shops, the restaurants and most of the bars, all in lanes a few minutes' walk from each other. It suits first visits, short stays, divers and anyone who wants everything on foot. It is busy by day with day-trippers from Phuket and Krabi, and loud at night near the bars.

Loh Dalum Bay is the north side of the isthmus and the island's party beach: beach bars, nightly fire shows and music until the early hours. Hostels and beach resorts line the shore, and quieter rooms sit on the hillside at its eastern end, below the viewpoints. It suits groups and young travellers who want the nightlife on the doorstep; it does not suit light sleepers.

Laem Hin is the eastern end of Tonsai Bay, 10 to 15 minutes' walk from the pier along the beach path: resorts on the hillside and on a small beach, sea views towards Phi Phi Leh and much quieter nights, still close enough to walk into the village for dinner.

Long Beach (Hat Yao), with Viking Beach and Loh Moo Dee, is on the south coast, 20 to 45 minutes' walk from the pier or a short long-tail ride. It has the best swimming and snorkelling straight off the sand, blacktip reef sharks at Shark Point just offshore and bungalow resorts with a view of Phi Phi Leh. Evenings are quiet and depend on boats.

The North Coast takes in Laem Tong, Loh Bagao, Loh Lana, Pak Nam and Rantee: long white beaches and small coves reached by boat, with resorts that have their own restaurants and piers, the island's highest-rated properties and its only five-star hotels. There are no ATMs, and the village is a boat ride away.

Hotel, resort, hostel or guesthouse?

Of the 116 properties on this site, hotels are the largest group, followed very closely by resorts, then hostels and guesthouses, with a few apartments, inns and a lodge. On Koh Phi Phi the word "resort" covers anything from a garden of fan bungalows behind the village to a five-star beach estate, and "hotel" usually means a small building of air-conditioned rooms in the lanes of Tonsai.

As a guide for 2026: dormitory beds cost about 300 to 700 THB a night, mostly in Tonsai and on Loh Dalum, where several hostels are also bars. Guesthouses and budget rooms run from about 800 to 2,500 THB for a double. Mid-range hotels and bungalow resorts, in the village, at Laem Hin and on Long Beach, charge about 2,000 to 4,500 THB. Upper-range resorts start around 4,500 THB, and the luxury resorts of the North Coast range from about 5,000 THB in low season to well above 10,000 THB at Christmas and New Year, before the boat transfer. Everything arrives on the island by boat, so prices are higher than on the mainland for the same standard.

Two practical details matter more here than elsewhere. Luggage goes on push carts or with porters, and many properties on the slopes are reached by steps, so each listing states how far the property is from the pier and whether the last stretch is flat. And rooms near the bars of Tonsai and Loh Dalum are noisy until 01:00 or 02:00: if you sleep early, look at Laem Hin, Long Beach, the North Coast, or the lanes set back from the beaches.

How do you get to Koh Phi Phi?

Every public boat lands at Tonsai pier. The two main departure points are Phuket and Krabi, with connections from Ao Nang, Koh Lanta and, in season, the islands further south.

From Phuket, boats leave from Rassada pier, 45 to 60 minutes by road from Phuket airport and a few kilometres from Phuket Town. Large ferries take 1.5 to 2.5 hours and speedboats 45 to 90 minutes, with departures from about 08:30 to 15:00; in 2026 ferries cost roughly 500 to 800 THB and speedboats roughly 800 to 1,400 THB, after fares on the Phuket and Krabi routes rose by up to 200 THB in April 2026. The last boats back to Phuket leave Phi Phi at about 15:00 to 15:30.

From Krabi, boats leave from Klong Jilad pier near Krabi Town, a short transfer from Krabi airport: ferries take 1.5 to 2 hours (about 450 to 700 THB) and speedboats about an hour (about 650 to 1,000 THB), with morning and early-afternoon departures. Ao Nang has a morning ferry of about two hours and several speedboats of 50 to 70 minutes. From Koh Lanta the crossing takes 1 to 1.5 hours by ferry or less by speedboat, all year, for about 270 to 650 THB; island-hopping speedboats from Koh Lipe take 3.5 to 7.5 hours and run mainly from November to April. From Bangkok the quickest route is a flight to Krabi or Phuket and a boat, about five to seven hours door to door.

Some boats and resort transfers also drop passengers directly on Laem Tong beach in the north. All public boats stop by mid to late afternoon, so plan to arrive in daylight, and keep a buffer day before an international flight: crossings are cancelled when rough-sea warnings are issued, most often between May and October.

Getting around the island

On foot, first: Tonsai Village, Loh Dalum and Laem Hin are all within about 15 minutes' walk of the pier, on paved lanes and a beach path. Long-tail boats wait on Tonsai and Loh Dalum beaches and work as taxis. A long-tail to Long Beach costs about 100 to 200 THB per person, a little more at night; the alternative is a 20 to 45-minute walk on the coastal path, easier at low tide. Laem Tong is about 250 THB per person on a scheduled boat or around 1,500 THB for a private boat for up to eight people; Loh Bagao is about 600 to 1,000 THB per boat; Rantee has a scheduled boat twice a day for about 250 THB per person. Most North Coast resorts arrange the transfer from the pier themselves. Jungle trails link the viewpoints with Loh Bagao, Pak Nam, Rantee and Loh Moo Dee, but they are rough and steep and best walked in daylight, with water, and without luggage. There are no taxis, no taxi apps and no cars.

When is the best time to visit Koh Phi Phi?

Koh Phi Phi follows the Andaman pattern, the opposite of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao on the Gulf side. The dry season runs from about December to March or April, with January and February the driest months and the calmest seas; March and April are the hottest, with afternoon highs around 33 to 34 °C. The south-west monsoon arrives in May and lasts to October, bringing showers, rougher seas, poorer visibility for diving and more cancelled boats; the wettest months are usually between July and October. The sea stays warm all year, at about 28 to 30 °C.

High season and the highest prices run from November to April, peaking at Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year, when the best-located rooms sell out early. May to October is cheaper, often by a third or more, and the island is quieter, but some days are grey and some boat trips do not run. Maya Bay closes every year from 1 August to 30 September to let the reef and the sharks recover; tours still pass by Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave and Bamboo Island in those weeks.

What is there to do on Koh Phi Phi?

Maya Bay, on Phi Phi Leh, is the reason many people come: the bay of limestone cliffs made famous by the film The Beach, closed from 2018 to 2022 to recover and now open again under strict rules. Boats may not enter the bay; they moor at Loh Samah Bay on the other side, and a boardwalk leads to the beach, where visits last about an hour and swimming is not allowed. Half-day long-tail trips from Tonsai to Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave and Monkey Beach cost roughly 600 to 1,500 THB per person on a shared boat, plus the national park fee of 400 THB per adult and 200 THB per child for foreigners, paid in cash to the rangers; early-morning and sunset trips avoid the crowds from Phuket.

Snorkelling and diving come next. Shark Point, off Long Beach, is where blacktip reef sharks cruise in shallow water, best early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Dive schools in Tonsai run trips to Bida Nok and Bida Nai, Koh Haa and the King Cruiser wreck: two dives cost about 2,400 to 3,500 THB and the Open Water course about 12,000 to 14,000 THB, plus park fees. Bamboo Island, 40 to 60 minutes by long-tail from Tonsai and 15 to 30 minutes from Laem Tong, has white sand and good snorkelling under the same park ticket.

On land, the viewpoints above the village are the classic climb: about 340 steps up to Viewpoint 1 and on to Viewpoint 2, with the famous view of the two bays and the isthmus from above, for about 50 THB, plus about 20 THB for the higher Viewpoint 3. The west end of Tonsai Bay is a sport-climbing area, the Tonsai Tower, with bolted routes and guided half-day trips. Kayaks from Loh Dalum reach Monkey Beach in about 20 minutes, for about 150 to 300 THB an hour. Evenings are the fire shows on Loh Dalum from about 20:30 or 21:00, the Muay Thai ring of a bar in the village where visitors fight for a free bucket, and sunsets from Viewpoint 2, Long Beach or the west end of Tonsai Bay.

Practical facts, 2026

Bring cash. ATMs, which charge foreign cards about 220 to 350 THB per withdrawal, are only in Tonsai Village, and the pier fee, the park fee, the viewpoints and the long-tails are paid in cash; there are no ATMs at Laem Tong or on the other outer beaches. Phi Phi Hospital, at the western end of Tonsai Bay, is small and gives basic care, several private clinics in the village are open 24 hours, and serious cases are taken by speedboat to Krabi or Phuket, so travel insurance that covers evacuation and diving matters; the emergency number is 1669. Fresh water is scarce and supplies depend on boats and wells, so short showers help, and short power cuts can happen.

The 2004 tsunami hit the isthmus from both sides and destroyed most of the village; blue evacuation signs throughout the lanes point uphill to the viewpoint, the official assembly point, about 20 minutes' climb. In the national park, drones are banned, and alcohol in the sea and reef-damaging behaviour are enforced. Laundries and pharmacies are in Tonsai Village.