Brian and I took the kids to Phi Phi Relax Beach Resort.  I’d heard about this spot over three years ago before our first trip to Thailand.

Back then you could reserve a bungalow on the beach for $30!  It’s double now, but still, it’s pretty cheap compared to a hotel room in Maui.  If the travel bug is buzzing around you, and you are looking for a wonderful place to take your kids, bookmark this page for when you are ready!

Welcome to Phi Phi Relax Beach Resort! 

The BEST Family vacation spot in Southern Thailand! 

Fast forward a few years, and we’ve returned several times. Watch Blaze’s review to get a kid’s perspective on this magical place!

How Do You Get to Phi Phi Relax Beach Resort?

You take a two hour ferry from Krabi or Phuket to Koh Phi Phi (an island that was hit pretty hard by the Tsunami and has since rebuilt itself into amazing vacation spot).  After you arrive in Koh Phi Phi, you get in a long tail boat with your backpacks and go another thirty minutes to the East side of the island.

Where you eventually come to this lone, private beach that a handful of bungalows share.

If you want to R-E-L-A-X, this is the best place.  Most people are only there a few days and wish they’d stayed longer.  I’d say a 5 day stay is perfect.  You’ve got one restaurant to eat from.  This fact kept us unsure of whether or not to go, but let me tell you, the food ROCKS!  Huge menu, open aired, and so laid back—you won’t be disappointed.

When we were there, there were Italian kids, French kids, Swedish kids—all speaking three languages.  Pascaline and Blaze were the only Americans.  At one point, they realized that all the other kids were talking English for their benefit.  Blaze decided he wants to learn a few more languages because English doesn’t seem to be enough now.

While you relax on the beach, the kids run around combing the beach and chasing the monkeys.  It’s this wonderful, safe atmosphere that serves up the most amazing sunsets.  And if you’d like, you can sign up for a hour Thai massage on the beach which costs $8-$10 dollars.

If you need to get away from your home base, you can rent a long tail boat for the day and check out Bamboo Beach.  This is part of a neighboring island that is one of my favorite white sand beaches in Southern Thailand.  The kids can snorkel away (or just sit on the beach with their snorkel on and pretend to be snorkeling.  :))

The town of Koh Phi Phi is only a 30 minute hike away.  But yes, the hike goes through the jungle.  You may remember my blog post about encountering a BIG monkey or ape when me and the kids got lost on our way back from town—hiking over this ridge.  (click on the pink words to see more photos of this wonderful place!)

It was a scary moment but well worth the visit, not to mention the great stories the kids now have to tell to all their friends at home.  🙂

Check out Phi Phi Relax Beach’s website.  Depending on the season of year, prices per bungalow go up or down.  And if they are available, it is so worth the extra dollars to reserve the Ocean/Beach front bungalows!

Oh wait!   I almost forgot.  When the tide comes in, you can put the kids on an air mattress with snorkels and masks and float out to the edge of the reef where the BEST snorkeling exists.  We are talking hundreds and hundreds of different types of fish from Nemo’s family to Blue Spotted Manta Rays.

And if you go, you’ll have to email me and let me know!

xoxo,

Me Ra

p.s.  Don’t miss Oprah today!  Oprah’s Special Episode for Nate Berkus with a couple peak-a-boo spotlights of Mamabloo and our portrait work featured!