Speed Boat To James Bond's Island... (Thailand-Tours)

Member Name: mythdata

Product:	Thailand-Tours
Date:	26/01/09 (310 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stunning scenery & Sandy shores with Crystal clear waters....

Disadvantages: I had to come home....:O(

INTRODUCTION

I have many fond memories of Thailand and here I am going to review one of the many tours that I encountered during my trip last year. This was a very inexpensive trip that I would not hesitate in repeating when I return to Phuket at the end of the year.

THE PHI PHI ISLANDS TOUR

This was a speed boat and snorkeling tour around Thailand's famous islands Koh Phi Phi Don and the Phi Phi Ley, What appealed to me was the fact that these islands were where the movies The Beach and James Bonds Man with the golden gun was filmed.

Each of these islands are made up of fine sandy beaches and coves that are somehow kept pristine by massive limestone rocks which surround the islands, making this an ideal location of divers, snorkelers and climbers.

Anyway for the actual tour we were collected from our hotel in Phuket and transferred to the boating pier just outside of Phuket town, here took the speedboat to the Phi Phi islands.

Traveling to the islands in the boat took roughly forty to forty five minutes which sounds like a long time, but I personally found this went far too quickly as some of the scenery was breath taking and I could have stayed there forever.

As we were passing places of interest the English speaking tour guide slowed the boat down so we could take photographs and he told us all about the islands in great detail, but the main area of interest was Maya bay as this is where the movies were filmed and the guide was very enthusiastic about this as he thought it was what us brits wanted to know more about, I would have personally liked to know more about the Viking caves but this was a place that was just skipped over.

The first islands we visited were the mosquito and bamboo islands as these were on the way to Phi Phi Don main island, we didn't stop at either of the first two islands but they were very picturesque and I managed to get some stunning pictures or the limestone rock formations and the wildlife.

The first stop we got was on the main island Koh Phi Phi Don, here we got a light lunch of fresh fruits and bread which was all included in the price. Here we spent an hour of so snorkeling in the crystal clear waters which was great as it was something didn't expect to do, but all of the snorkel equipment was provides so I thought I would give it a go.

After lunch we then took the speedboat to the most famous island of all Phi Phi Ley, This is home to Maya bay which I had heard so much about all day I was dreading it as some of the others on the tour were getting on my nerves with the James bond one liners, I just assumed they would get worst when we actually got there.

I was mistaken this was the highlight of the day for me, It was a secluded cove that is not noticeable until you get to it through a small opening in the huge limestone rocks that stand hundreds of meters above the sea level. Once inside the cove you are greeted with a pure white sandy beach that lines the whole of the cove in an arc shape and the bluest turquoise waters I have only seen on postcards.

The remainder of the day was spent at Maya bay, we could continue to snorkel in the cove or relax on the beach. I lounged on the beach and soaked up the sun before taking a stroll around the area.

At the end of the day we were transported back to the boat lagoon marina which only took thirty minutes to get to on the way back, then we were taken back to our hotel by a mini bus.

TIMES AND PRICES

This trip cost 3100 Thai baht which was equal to 65.00 pounds, some may think this is expensive but transfers to and from your hotel, lunch, drinks and snorkel equipment was included. So I feel that this was very reasonable for a day that I will never forget in a hurry.

I booked this through the hotel we were staying in on Patong beach, but you can go to various boating marinas located around the island to get the same or very similar tours.

For this trip we had to be collected at 8am from our hotel and we returned at 6pm, so it was a very long day that was both relaxing and tiring at the same time.

If ever you go on the trip I would recommend you take a change of clothing, swimsuit, towels, beach shoes, water shoes and your camera.

MY OPINION

This is a trip that I will remember for the rest of my life, when I return to Thailand later this year I will be doing a similar trip but this time I am going to stay on Phi Phi Ley island for a few days so I can do a little bit of diving as well as soak up the stunning surroundings.

This is a tour that can be taken by anyone as you can just relax on the boat or the beach, but if you want a bit more excitement you can jump off the boat and swim or snorkel.

If you are ever in the Phuket area of Thailand then this is something that I would highly recommend, I promise you will not be disappointed.

Summary: A day trip of a lifetime,Recommended to anyone visting Thailand...