My first night in Koh Phi Phi for my 30th birthday was a bit of a fail: after briefly checking out the busy Ibiza Pool Party in the late afternoon I was too exhausted to function without a nap; unfortunately I was then too tired to get up and instead just turned off my alarm when it rang and slept through the night. These are the perils of a slightly longer trip when I do not have the pressing impetus to push through and make the most of each night!
However, it was also my birthday and an all-day boat trip the next day, so I reasoned that catching up on some sleep would not be such a bad thing. This time I had learned from my painful experience last time with deafening accommodation on the beach and was staying instead literally four minutes’ walk inland in a lovely quiet joint called Harmony House (I later recommended this place to my friend Steve, who had also hated the accommodation on the beach, and he was suitably impressed). Accommodation success!
After lunch the next day, suitably rested, I met my sizable two-speedboat-strong boat trip with Black Sails / Shipwrecked (the two companies combine during low season) at Shipwrecked Bar, where we had some included drinks. The rest of the day consisted of the usual Koh Phi Phi boat trip that includes Monkey Island and Maya Bay; but I remember spending more time floating in the picturesque Losama Bay this time than previous times.
Unfortunately for my birthday plans Koh Phi Phi had recently banned alcohol on boats – or, as it would turn out, for all boat trips bar one – so it wasn’t until late afternoon when we stopped at a ‘private island’ to hang out on the sand that we could have a few drinks and play some games. I couldn’t really complain about this day, but alas I hadn’t particularly clicked with anyone on the tour so wasn’t in as jolly mood as I could have been (and it was my birthday). Further, the promised photos were never uploaded for my day, so all I have is the couple of photos I took on my $100 ‘burner’ smartphone of when we stopped at the final beach:
That evening all the trip attendees went to an elevated bar further up the beach and had unlimited drinks that were included in our ticket, which was pretty cool; and there were a couple of nice people including a mother and daughter. But eventually I wandered down to the beach party, where I ran into a guy who had been on the pub crawl during my final night in Ao Nang (obv!).
Ultimately, I threw the dice on a boat party with strangers for my milestone birthday and didn’t entirely win, but that’s the nature of travel luck. I was also realising that Koh Phi Phi has a pretty different scene from my favourites the more-laidback Tao and Phangan: a lot younger, more ‘intense partying’ crowd and kind of weird dubstep house that plays on the beach to flashing lights. They were handing out fluoro orange, yellow and green strips of material that people were tying around their wrists and heads, and I took a green one. I didn’t realise at the time that this was meant to be a ‘traffic light’ party!
I spent the next day at the Ibiza Pool Party again (it happens three times a week nowadays), eventually befriending some Brazilian semi-professional soccer players and heading down with them to the bars on the beach. At the pool I also met a friendly German who told me that the Blanco Boat Party actually had drinks during the day, so I booked onto it for the next day. He explained that we had really been lucky with the weather for the past few days as it was the middle of rainy season.
Unfortunately, the next day WAS raining somewhat heavily and the boat trip was cancelled. Postponing to the next day was unhelpful as it was my last day, but I bought some snacks and went back to my guesthouse to watch the rain from my almost-private balcony – a not unpleasant way to spend some time relaxing.
Sure enough, the rain eased before long; and I decided to go and look at a different pool party that was only held on Fridays. It was a bit quiet but there were a few people there and I met some friendly Americans and watched the sunset from the pleasant aesthetic of an infinity pool. I ate some pretty tasty pizza on a lounger as it grew dark; and socialised with some others, including some exuberant young Australians and an expat who worked at ‘Banana Bar’ and invited me to go there later.
After getting ready I did go to Banana Bar, where I found the guy out the front soliciting customers. I was finishing a drink before going in, when I noticed a Spanish guy sitting across the street on some steps. I introduced myself to Ager and we ended up spending the rest of the evening together, meeting up with his friend who was considering what tattoo to get, and later dancing on the beach (where I picked up an orange fluoro strip of material to tie around my head and Ager tried the fire jump-rope) and in the sea.
When the bars closed at 2am, we headed to Shipwrecked Bar, the only place still open. It was helpfully playing Latin music, so Ager twirled me around the small but busy dance floor in practised salsa until the early morning.