Booked a speedboat trip to the Phi Phi Islands with Sea Eagle Tour which departed not far from Ao Nang. Pickup & drop off to / from our hotel was included which was a nice touch.
The day was good (but busy) with a lot of stops, meaning limited time at each place and the feeling of being shuffled around like cattle due to there being so many people on the tour.
Stops included: Phi Leh Lagoon, Maya bay, Bamboo Island, Koh Phi Phi Don for lunch & 45 mins of free time, & 2 “stops” for photos at Viking cave & monkey bay.
The speedboat was bigger than we were expecting… meaning more people on the tour than we’d hoped for.. there was 45 people crammed onto the boat, which made things a bit uncomfortable throughout the day. For a boat this size, we think 30/35 would be much more comfortable & pleasant for those on the tour.
Our guide, Sali, however, was great & very friendly. Cold water was available throughout the day, and towards the end of the day, we were given fresh pineapple and watermelon which was a bit chaotic because the boat was going so fast & was bumpy & therefore hard to eat!
Lunch at the hotel / restaurant was good & very tasty, but very chaotic & busy due to multiple tours arriving at the same time so there were hundreds of people going crazy at the buffet.. not queuing, just cutting in front of people to get food.
Overall the day was good & it was amazing getting to visit the Phi Phi Islands - a truly once in a lifetime experience to visit Maya Bay, the filming location of “The Beach”. Swimming in Phi Leh Lahoon- some of the clearest water I’ve ever seen - will always be a great memory.