Overnight on Maya Bay

     Maya Bay is a beautiful secluded island off of Phi Phi Island, Thailand. Some call it Maya Beach and others Maya Bay. Richard and I spent 3 weeks visiting Indonesia and Thailand a few summers ago. We saw several areas of Thailand and made sure to plan a trip to Phi Phi island. The island is small and many people go there to dive. There are few restaurants and hotels to choose from, but we stayed at Phi Phi The Beach Resort and it had great little villas with beautiful views.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Unique Experiences

Fact: picnicking by the Eiffel Tower in Paris is mesmerizing, riding in a gondola through the canals of Venice is romantic and sipping Chianti at a vineyard in Florence is relaxing. As memorable and bucket list worthy these destinations are, they are just scratching the surface of what is out there to explore as travellers. When Richard and I spent 2 months in Southeast Asia, our preferences for travel were forever changed and our exposure to raw culture blew our minds. 

We travelled off the beaten path to a small island in the Philippines called Camiguin. There were very few accommodation choices, restaurants, and most importantly tourists. But there was enough lush scenery, breathtaking beaches and smiles from the locals to change us. We rented a villa from a local, ate daily breakfast on a deserted beach, and swam in freshwater pools with the Filipino children. We spent hours covering the perimeter of the island and in between by scooter, with the sunshine on our faces as we left each morning and the sunset/dusk at our backs on our way home. There were waterfalls so tall and beautiful, and it was only hours at that moment in time. Sometimes letting your curiosity and desire for unique experiences will bring you to a place that is far less “travelled” and much more precious. 

This past Saturdays guest post connects to the "off the beaten path" notion. TL Travel has tips for travelling in a developing country. These tips will certainly help as you venture to places of the world not over populated with tourists. 

What country would you like to explore next?

Camiguin, Philippines
Photo: @conciergecouple

Would You Rather Wednesdays!

Would you rather travel with a backpack or a suitcase through Europe/Asia?

Trust me, I see you out there. You backpackers have all of your items packed tightly and neatly into one bag…your backpack. When you get to the airport some of you don’t even check your backpack, you take it on as a carry on. Which saves you time on arrival. On arrival, you can walk from the subway, bus, or taxi stop with ease to your hotel without having to worry about the implications of a cobblestone road (Europe) on your suitcase wheels.

However, if you are someone who just knows you need more than a backpack can hold, then a suitcase may be necessary. Maybe you have crazy frizzy hair like me and you just cannot imagine travelling for almost a month without your blow dryer or straightener? Maybe you like to bring multiple shoes, outfits, and electronics?

Our choice: Richard and I haul our suitcases as well as two fully packed carry-ons wherever we travel. Yes, it can be a pain carrying them into knee deep water as you board a water taxi in Venice or Phi Phi Island, but we wouldn't have it any other way. We bring workout clothes and shoes, daytime wear, clubbing clothes, and we enjoy getting dressed up for dinners. We have so many fun and memorable pictures of us all fancy for dinner. Let’s face it: how often do you really get dressed up during your usual day to day life? So embrace it and enjoy every moment of those long and leisurely dinners. 

Venice, Italy
Photo: @conciergecouple

Travel Season

“Well what about rain season?”

“I can only travel during high season…but it is too expensive”

             Being teachers is a blessing in many ways, but a curse for those with the travel bug sometimes. Yes, we do have much time off together, which allows us not only to travel reasonably often for professionals, but also for long periods of time. However, the time we have off is often when most destinations raise their prices and/or it is rain season. So what do we do to balance this positive and negative? Stay longer to get our money’s worth and do not be deterred by “rain season”.

 The past two summers we have travelled to Asia (Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and China). It was their rain season and in total over the two trips we only had 4 rain days total. We maintain the attitude that we need to “seize the summer/winter” time that we have off. We have no regrets and I tell you, our eyes have been opened to new countries and experiences that we may not have had if we had just stuck to those destinations that are comfortable or safe.

            As it goes for costly destinations like Europe, we just opt to stay longer (often 3-4 weeks). This way our expensive flight over (Toronto-Paris), is not such a hard pill to swallow when we know we are getting plenty of time to enjoy our destination. We do a great job hopping around various parts of Europe by train or budget airlines and split our time between hotels and apartment rentals. Another bonus of extra time is….you get just enough time to sink into the lifestyle and forget all about your responsibilities at home. 

Photo: @conciergecouple