Phi Phi Sea and Hill

The lady who runs the place is lovely, and laundry came back within 24 hours at a very fair price. There’s also a shop next door with drinks and food that seems to stay open all the time. We passed it on our way back from the bars at 3 in the morning and it was open. Most rooms sit on the hillside above the pool, except for two by the pool itself. They’re compact, with a double bed, wardrobe and a bathroom with a decent enough shower. The aircon worked well. It’s set back from the main strip and beach, so it’s quieter than most Phi Phi stays, though still under a 10-minute walk to the bars and beach. The last bit is uphill, but you’ll likely already be sweating in the heat. The cabins are built in groups of three, and you can hear people moving around in your block at night. That was the one small downside.

The sheets were very stained, and there was other people’s hair on the mattress cover. The mattress itself was wrapped in thick plastic. Also, our room wasn’t cleaned during the stay, so neither the linen nor the toilet roll was replaced. We paid a reasonable price for Phi Phi, though, and despite those issues it was good value. At a higher price I’d have been disappointed. There were some good points too: the rooms are fairly new, water was provided in the room when we arrived and again at check-in, and they let us check in two and a half hours early. Staff were friendly at check-in, and the hotel meets guests at the pier to carry their bags, though we missed them, so keep an eye out. Our room was in a prefab building, and daylight showed through some wall joins. It didn’t bother us enough to ask for a different room, and we didn’t notice any bug issues. The hill was manageable for us, but it could be a struggle if you’re not very fit. There are steps too, unless you book one of the two pool-view rooms.

The room smelled of mold, and the toilet was broken. They let us move to another room, but that one wasn’t any better, so we ended up changing hotels. Check the older Google Maps reviews carefully, because I don’t think this place deserves such a high rating.

We found four cockroaches in the room within five minutes of getting back after being out for the day. At first glance it had seemed clean. We went straight to the manager, who was drunk, and said we wouldn’t stay there and wanted a refund. For the next half hour he was rude, called us stupid and idiots, asked where we were from as if our race had something to do with it, and threatened to call the police. He eventually refunded us and escorted us off the property. There had already been problems before that. We were told someone from the hotel would meet us at the pier and show us the way, but nobody arrived. We emailed to ask if anyone was coming and got no reply. At the hotel, the manager acknowledged the email, ignored it, and said the person who was meant to meet us was sick. We also asked how to get to Long Beach and were sent in the completely wrong direction. Must read before booking.