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| Phi Phi Island, The Beach Resort Photo: @conciergecouple |
To get to Phi Phi island, we took a mini bus and then a ferry from Phuket. Once we arrived we found the offices of Maya Bay Tours, the only company that does overnight trips to Maya Bay. They store your luggage for you, which is amazing. Because of this, we did not have to pay for our hotel for the first night or a locker for our things. We transferred a small number of clothing items and toiletries into a duffle bag and wandered the island for a while until it was time to depart for our excursion. The island has no roads and therefore no cars. It has a true tropical island feel.
At about 2:30 p.m. we took our duffle to the pier to board the boat that would be taking us to the island. We were a little nervous about who we would be spending the night with and the boat ride over (we heard it was a little rough). I ran to the closest restaurant for 2 double rum and diets to ease my nerves. We sipped them as we met our crew and some of the other adventurous people who would be coming along too. The passengers were from all over the world: father and daughter from the Netherlands, a mom and son from London, friends from Spain, and couples from many other locations.
The ride over gave us a chance to talk to one another and share travelling stories (my favourite part about meeting other travellers). The boat ride over was extremely rough. The boat literally jumped up and down the whole way over. The waves were large and the ocean a deep, and dark blue. I had to sit in one spot and stare out into the horizon or I was going to get very sick. If you get sick on boats at all, this is not the trip for you.
We stopped on our way to Maya Bay to snorkel and kayak. Beautiful scenery, but even there in the cove the waves moved up and down making me feel very sick again. We got back on the boat and headed for the island. As we were pulling in, other day trippers were on their way out. The island looked beautiful, but we came in a back way, so we would just have to wait for that breathtaking view a little longer. Our boat could not pull all the way in due to low tide so we had to climb and tackle a very rocky journey with our bags. Again, also not for those who have a hard time walking.
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| Photo: @conciergecouple |
We walked a sand path, through palm trees, and the sounds of birds. What a unique feeling. We put our things down in the open air hut we would be staying in. There are no walls....just wooden "bunks" with cushions. We are given time to walk to the opening of the bay to take pictures as the sun goes down. The tide is low, you can walk on rocks and make your way out further into the bay. We asked the people we met to take photos of us and we did the same for them. As the sun sets, the crew brought us Thailand's token cocktail, rum and coke with red bull.
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| Maya Bay Beach Photo: @conciergecouple |
As the night started to fall and we were enjoying the magical beauty of the place, the crew called us for dinner. A sweet little Thai lady had made us chicken curry on rice with spicy mixed vegetable. There was plenty to go around and plenty more drinks to wash it down. The crew got us all sitting on blankets and we played some drinking games. As a late night snack, they made chicken wings. If you are willing, this is the time when you can try chicken feet if you wish to try them.
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| Photo: @conciergecouple |
When its completely dark, the tide comes in and the crew takes us to swim. At this time of night you can see the glowing plankton. This is unique and exciting in itself, but when you are out in the water of the bay and you look up with limestone rocks reaching towards the sky and stars twinkling above you it is very cool.
Soon, its time to go to sleep. We brush our teeth with bottled water, and we must warn you that there is no washroom on the island. We were forced to get creative when nature hit. There is the option to sleep on the beach. Richard and I were the only ones to take up this offer. Normally I would be afraid of bugs, snakes, spiders, etc. but truly the hut was not any safer. We figured we should embrace the experience. We were given a small blanket and tiny pillows. With the tide in, the waves were crashing. Really crashing. I love the sound of water and waves, to be honest we sometimes fall asleep to a waves nature soundtrack back at home. But these waves were not calming, they sounded like they were going to roll all the way up the beach and take us into the deep blue. We managed to sleep a few hours, but what can you expect on an island when you are used to world class hotels.
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| Photo: @conciergecouple |
In the morning we hiked back to the boat. The crew cooked breakfast (eggs, toast, etc.) on the boat and some of us went for a last dip. The sun was shining on the now turquoise water and the neon fish were zipping back and forth. We headed back to Phi Phi island a little tired, yet amazed at how lucky we were to have that experience. How many people in the world will get to say they slept over on Maya Bay?
We highly recommend this excursion. It is one of the most unique experiences we have had during out travels. It is the perfect combination of relaxation, discovery, and adventure.
What to pack for the overnight trip:
- 2 swimsuits (wear one and bring another)- toothpaste and toothbrush
-pyjamas
-sunscreen
-camera
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