Phi Phi Holiday Resort – SHA Extra Plus

The beach is stunning, and being in the north of Phi Phi means you avoid the Ibiza kids around the main port, town, and strip. The staff, mostly young, were lovely, cheerful, and helpful. They never seemed to stop working or smiling, and the gardens team were amazing. The bungalow we stayed in felt old and tired. The beachfront rooms seem updated, but people walk past and can look in all day and night. There was a general feeling of neglect, especially at the rooftop sunset pool, and I gathered there had been no upkeep for over 20 years. The pool should be closed because it's so dangerous. There were too many damaged areas to list, and pictures show them. It wasn't cleaned during our three days there, with the same bandages floating around for days. I suspected they couldn't clean it because thousands of tiles were lying on the bottom. That doesn't excuse the uncleaned shower area or love cables left unsafe. This is a 3 star resort at most. Watch for golf carts flying around 24/7.

Sunset restaurant is a lovely place to be after 5pm, with an incredibly orange sunset, and the drinks and food around the beach are great. The owner of jasmine Restaurant is a cool, knowledgeable, friendly guy. I recommend taking boat trips to the scuba and rocks to see the island, and asking locals about places and secrets only they know. Keeping beaches clear of trash matters here, and people really appreciate it. It's a peaceful beach stay for couples, families, or friends. The rooms are clean and comfortable, with great views that look like they're from a movie. December to March is peak rainless summer. Sunrise at the infinity pool by the beach is fantastic, and it's easy to tan, so watch out for burning. There are lots of mosquitoes in the evening, so bring spray. Pack extra shorts because you'll swim a lot and it's very hot. Food and drink are affordable, and you can go to the island's center city for anything else you need.

The beach was the big letdown: it was quite dirty, and it didn't look like much was being done to clean it. Since that's a main reason people book this hotel, it needs better care. With a clean beach, this would be excellent. We otherwise really liked Phi Phi Holiday Resort. The property is lovely, the ocean-view bungalows are amazing and practically in the ocean, and the food was good. We also appreciated the kind gesture of offering children free food.

The hotel itself is basic but functional, in a lovely setting with beautiful water and beaches. The service, though, was a complete disaster from before we even arrived. One issue took over an hour of discussion, and despite it clearly not being our fault, they still blamed us. During the stay, housekeeping cleaned the room but didn't replace towels or paper towels, so we had to ask. Bar staff didn't seem trained for the job and couldn't make basic drinks, then served us whatever they wanted. I'm very dissatisfied. Service should be a top priority in a hotel and close to perfect, but this was nowhere near that.