Phi Phi Holiday Resort — a family beach resort on Laem Tong Beach, Koh Phi Phi on the quiet side, right on the sand
If you want to do Koh Phi Phi as a family but without the all-night party noise of Tonsai village — Phi Phi Holiday Resort (formerly Holiday Inn Resort Phi Phi Island) sits on a completely different corner of the island. It's right on Laem Tong Beach, at the north-eastern tip of Koh Phi Phi Don, one of the quietest white-sand stretches on the island. It's a 4-star family resort with 162 rooms and 4 swimming pools, including 2 infinity pools and a kids' pool, a Kids Club and a PADI dive centre. It's accessible by boat only, from approx. ฿3,000/night, and scores 8.2 — a quiet-side pick for people who really are here to unwind.
What sets Phi Phi Holiday Resort apart from most places to stay on Koh Phi Phi is its location on Laem Tong Beach, at the far north-eastern tip of Koh Phi Phi Don — the opposite side of the island from Tonsai village and Loh Dalum, the party zone that stays loud all night. Laem Tong is one of the quietest and cleanest white-sand beaches on the island, with clear water, and from here you can catch both sunrise and sunset. If you remember it under its old name, Holiday Inn Resort Phi Phi Island — it's the same place, just recently rebranded to its current name. Real reviews have ranked it the top hotel on Laem Tong for years.
Getting here is something you need to understand before booking, because on Koh Phi Phi there are no cars and no roads for them to drive on. The ferry from Phuket or Krabi docks at Tonsai Pier, which is on the opposite side from the resort — and you can't walk from there to Laem Tong. You have to take a longtail boat or speedboat on from there, around 30 minutes (a longtail is roughly 1,500 baht). The easier option is to ask the resort to arrange a speedboat to pick you up straight from Phuket or Krabi and drop you off in front of the beach. Plan your boat and your luggage carefully, because stepping on and off a boat at the beach is the only way in.
In exchange for the distance, what you get is quiet and plenty of space. The resort has 162 rooms spread across 3 wings — Garden Wing (bungalows in the garden and by the beach), Coral Wing (sea-view studios), and Sunset Wing (villas with pools up on the hillside, where the Andaman views are most open and the setting most private). The grounds are big enough that the resort runs a golf-buggy shuttle between wings — handy when your room is a way from the lobby or the beach.
"We came to Laem Tong to escape the party noise on the Tonsai side — and it delivered exactly that. The nights are very quiet, you wake up to white sand right outside your room, and the kids can jump straight into the water."
The heart of the place for families is the 4 swimming pools, including 2 infinity pools whose edges seem to run straight into the horizon, plus a separate kids' pool where the little ones can splash safely. There's a Kids Club to keep children busy. The water off Laem Tong is clear and great for swimming and snorkelling over the reef right by the beach, and the resort has its own PADI dive centre if you want to learn or head out on a dive trip. In other words, you can happily spend the whole day inside the resort without needing to take a boat anywhere.
For food, there are restaurants both beachside and up on the hillside, so you can pick your setting. Breakfast is a buffet that most reviews praise as well laid-out and varied. But be ready on price — because everything on the island has to come in by boat, food and drinks at the resort are fairly expensive. On the Laem Tong side there are no village restaurants to walk out to, the way there are on the Tonsai side, so if you're staying several days, budget for eating at the resort.
Service overall gets praised in reviews as warm and attentive, with staff helpful about boats and trips. The facilities are complete for an island resort — spa, gym, boutique shop, and Thai cooking classes. That said, some reviews note the service can be inconsistent in places, and the cleanliness of the breakfast on certain days — such as flies or food left uncovered — which is worth knowing about honestly.
There are real trade-offs to weigh before booking. First, many rooms, especially the older garden-wing bungalows, look dated and are seen by many as overpriced for their condition, with some awaiting renovation — if you can choose, ask clearly about the wing and room type. Second, during the day the beachfront can get busy and noisy with boats and the tractors that haul supplies, and some rooms look out onto the back-of-house or a construction area. Third, there are reports that the air conditioning in some rooms isn't cold enough — you can flag it to the resort at check-in.
In short, Phi Phi Holiday Resort suits families or couples coming to Koh Phi Phi to relax on a genuinely quiet beach, not to party. If you can accept the extra boat transfer to get here and budget for island food prices, what you get in return is the white sand and clear water of Laem Tong, infinity pools and a calm the Tonsai side can't offer. But if you want to walk into the village, eat cheaply, and be in the middle of the island's buzz — a place over on the Loh Dalum or Tonsai side will fit you better.
"Food on the island costs more than we expected and the older bungalows are a bit tired — but the beach views and the infinity pool in the evening were worth the trip, and the kids swam all day."
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Quiet Laem Tong Beach, white sand and clear water, far from the Tonsai party scene
- ✓ 4 pools including 2 seaside infinity pools, a kids' pool and a Kids Club
- ✓ Warm, attentive staff, with a golf-buggy shuttle around the resort
- ✓ Good breakfast spread, plus a PADI dive centre, spa and on-site cooking classes
- ! Older bungalows look dated and many find them overpriced for their condition
- ! Boat access only — you have to take a longtail/speedboat on from Tonsai
- ! Food and drinks on the island are expensive
- ✓ Quiet Laem Tong location, good for a relaxed family stay
- ✓ Infinity pools with lovely sea views, kids can swim all day
- ✓ Sunset Wing villas up on the hillside with open, private Andaman views
- ✓ Spacious grounds with a golf-buggy shuttle
- ! The beachfront gets noisy with boats and supply tractors during the day
- ! Service can be inconsistent in places, some rooms' AC isn't cold enough
- ! Getting on and off the island is a hassle and comes with boat costs
- 💡If you want to walk into the village, eat cheaply, and be in the middle of the buzz — Laem Tong is the quiet side with no restaurants to walk out to → consider a place on the Loh Dalum/Tonsai side instead.
- 💡If you expect a brand-new, luxurious room for what you pay — many garden-wing bungalows are older and seen as overpriced for their condition → choose the Coral/Sunset Wing, or ask clearly about the room type before booking.
- 💡If you don't want the hassle of boats — this is boat-access only, with a longtail/speedboat transfer on from Tonsai → for an easier arrival, ask the resort to arrange a direct speedboat pickup, or pick a place by Tonsai Pier.