Long Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches on Koh Phi Phi. The beach has crystal clear turquoise water and white sand, ideal for swimming, and snorkeling. It has an excellent location close to the island’s main pier and Tonsai village, but still has a relaxing atmosphere.
In this article, we will be looking at the location of Long Beach, how to get to Long Beach, Best things to do on the beach, and best accommodations on Long Beach.
See more:
Where is Long Beach, Koh Phi Phi?
Long Beach is around 700m long beach stretched from the Viking resort area to Phi Phi The Beach Resort. It’s located east of Tonsai Pier and Tonsai village, on the south of Koh Phi Phi Don.
Long Beach is around a 5-10 minute long tail boat ride or 15-30 minutes walk from the island’s main pier and village depending on your location.
Long Beach is within easy distance to several other smaller beaches such as Viking Beach, Lovel Beach, and Loh Moo Dee Beach.
What’s on Long Beach, Koh Phi Phi?
Long Beach has white fine sand, crystal clear turquoise and shallow water with stunning views of the limestone cliffs. The shore is lined with resorts, restaurants, bars, massage parlors, minimarts, and a diving center.
Sunbeds, umbrellas, and toilets
There are sunbeds and umbrellas on the beach, most of which belong to beachfront resorts and restaurants. They are free for the guest staying at the resorts, but you can rent for 100 baht per day.
There are some shaded areas along the beach so you can just bring your own beach towel and rest under the trees if you want to avoid sunburns. You can use toilets at some resorts for 20 baht. They have signs showing direct to the toilet and the fee.
Long tail boats
Like all beaches around Koh Phi Phi, there are several long-tail boat docks along Long Beach. This creates a colorful scene for taking photos, but it can also be noisy because of the engines.
You can take a long tails boat from Long Beach to other beaches around the island such as Tonsai, Laem Tong, Nui Bay, or Loh Ba Kao. You can also rent a boat from here to other islands such as Phi Phi Leh, Bamboo island, or Mostique island.
Restaurants, bars, minimarts
There are several restaurants, bars, and minimarts along the beachfront of Long Beach. All of these are parts of the resorts, but you can drink and have meals from these places. Some nice restaurants/ bars to check out are the Phi Phi The Beach Restaurant, Let’s Sea Bar, or Paradise Cuisine Phi Phi.
The minimarts often have limited products and are more expensive than Tonsai village. You can pack your snacks and drinks from 7-Eleven for a cheaper price then bring with you to Long Beach.
Blacktip Diving School
You can easily book snorkeling and diving trips at the restaurants, bars, and resorts along Long Beach. There is a well organized and professional PADI dive center called Blacktip Diving School at one end of the beach next to Phi Phi The Beach Resort.
They offer diving courses for both beginners and experienced divers. They train in the swimming pool first then take you to several diving sites in the ocean. You will have a chance to spot black tip sharks, colorful fishes, and turtles.
Resorts
There are around 6-7 resorts along the 700-meter-long Long Beach. These resorts offer bungalows with mid-range and luxury options. I recommend staying on Long Beach if you want to stay on the beach, in a quiet area, but still easy distance to the action of Tonsai village.
Things to do in Long Beach, Koh Phi Phi
Relaxing, swimming, sunbathing, snorkeling
With white sand, and crystal clear water, Long Beach is an ideal place for relaxing, swimming, sunbathing, and snorkeling. You can bring a beach towel and use natural shade from the trees, and rent sunloungers from the beachfront restaurants.
The beach has designated swimming areas enclosed by ropes, so you can swim safely and freely without worrying about hitting the long tail boats.
You can snorkel right at the beach or rent a boat to nearby Black Tip Shark Point to see more colorful marine life. You can rent masks, life jackets, and snorkeling equipment at any beachfront resorts and restaurants. The cost is from 50-100 baht depending on resorts. Make sure to carry cash with you.
Visit Blacktip Reef Shark Point for snorkeling and diving
Blacktip Reef Shark Point is a popular snorkeling and diving sport in Koh Phi Phi, located just 200m from Long Beach. This place offers great opportunities to see lots of unique tropical fish and black tip sharks.
There are high chances to spot sharks at low tide. Be mindful of the currents and passing long-tail boats, and make sure to wear a life jacket so you are visible to boat operators.
Walk to Loh Moo Dee Beach
Loh Moo Dee Beach is a 400m long beach located on the southeastern coast of Koh Phi Phi. From one end of Long Beach at Phi Phi The Beach Resort, you can walk along the paved road then the dirt road to Loh Moo Dee. The road is a bit hilly and it takes around 10 minutes to walk between the two beaches.
Loh Moo Dee has a peaceful atmosphere with white coarse sand and crystal clear clam water. There are cool shades at one end of the beach near the rocks area. You can find a small bar in the middle of the beach where you can order drinks and use their beach chairs for free.
There might be some rubbish on the shore depending on the winds and tides, but it’s still worth visiting if you want to get away from the crowds and have the beach to yourself.
Check out Viking Beach
If you have a tranquil and relaxing experience, you must visit Viking Beach, which is a small and beautiful beach located just north of Long Beach. The beach has nice shades from trees, white fine sand, and clean water. There is a bar/ restaurant and massage parlor on the beach with bean bags on the sand.
You can swim, sunbathe, or snorkel around the beach. You can have a relaxing Thai massage with views of the ocean and the fresh sea breeze.
Explore Love Beach
Love Beach is a small beautiful beach located 400m north of Long Beach. It’s one of a few small beaches on the trail from Tonsai Beach to Long Beach. It’s a great stop for swimming, sunbathing, and snorkeling with less tourist crowds. There are good shades from the shore.
Stay at one of the many resorts along Long Beach
Long Beach, in my opinion, is one of the best areas to stay in Koh Phi Phi, especially for those who want a good combination of easy access to beautiful beaches, nightlife, and quietness.
It’s not as busy and noisy as Tonsai and Loh Dalum Beach but not as secluded as Laem Tong or Relax Bay, which is ideal for visitors seeking a location that is not too crowded and not too isolated.
Best Hotels in Long Beach, Koh Phi Phi
Phi Phi The Beach Resort
This is a very popular resort located on the southern end of Long Beach. It has beachfront and hillside bungalows with stunning sea views. Accommodations come with free transfer to and from Tonsai Pier, which is a bonus, so you don’t have to worry about taking the boats when arriving and departing.
It’s Ideal location for those enjoying a quiet area but still an easy distance to the nightlife in the main village. It’s nice well-sized rooms, an onsite restaurant, massage parlor, a dive shop, 2 swimming pools, and direct access to the beach.
Viking Nature Resort
This popular resort is next to Long Beach and an easy distance to the main town and the main pier of the island. The resort has beautiful private beaches with a peaceful atmosphere. It has an overall excellent location in a quiet corner but still close to everything.
If you love being surrounded by nature, private beaches, and a peaceful atmosphere, Viking is an excellent choice. The pier is located 10 minutes boat ride away. They offer shuttle long tail boats on arrival and departure.
HIP Seaview Resort @ Phi Phi
This is a good beachfront resort in a quiet part of Long Beach. Located on a hill, the resort offers a beautiful view of the sea. Like many other resorts in the area, they offer complimentary boats from Tonsai pier when you’re arriving and departing by speed boat from and to other islands.
Paradise Pearl Bungalows
This is a good value for money resort located in the central area of Long Beach. The resort has spacious bungalows for families, couples, and solo travelers. You can choose rooms with garden views and sea views.
They have a lovely onsite restaurant with reasonable prices and good breakfast. There is also an onsite minimart and open-air massage area on the ground of the hotel. It’s in a flat area, you can easily get around to the beach and to the room.
PP Blue Sky Resort
This is a good resort located in the middle section of Long Beach. The hotel has direct access to the beautiful crystal clear beach and provides free sunloungers, kay, paddle board, snorkel equipment for the guests. It’s close to several restaurants and you can easily walk or take short long tail boats to the main town for more services.
How to get to Long Beach, Phi Phi island?
From Tonsai Pier, Tonsai Village, and Loh Dalum Beach
Tonsai Pier is the main pier of the island. Most speed boats from other islands in the Andanman Sea arrive at Tonsai Pier. You can also take speed boats from Tonsai Pier to these islands such as Phuket, Koh Lanta, Koh Lipe, and Ao Nang/ Railay.
Tonsai Village and Loh Dalum Beach are the nightlife hubs of Koh Phi Phi, packed with restaurants, night clubs, beach bars, and all other tourist amenities. Most party goers, backpackers, and budget travelers stay in these areas of Koh Phi Phi.
You can walk or take long tail boats from Tonsai Bay, Tonsai Village, and Loh Dalum to get to Long Beach.
By longtail boats
This is the easiest and quickest way to get from Tonsai Bay to Long Beach. It’s only a 5-10 minute boat ride and the cost is around 100-200 baht. It’s more expensive at night time.
I recommend taking a long-tail boat if you’re arriving at Tonsai Pier with a big suitcase, traveling at night, or want to avoid walking in the heat and sweat. The costs of traveling by boats also add up if you use them frequently.
By walking
It’s around 1.4km from Tonsai Beach to Long Beach on the paved road, small coastal trail, and short jungle trail. It’ll take 15-30 minutes traveling from Tonsai Pier to Long Beach depending on your pace.
You can just walk along the Tonsai Beach Road on the east side of Tonsai Bay. At the end of the bay, you’ll see Phi Phi Bayview Resort, you’ll head to a small narrow coastal trail with well signed posts. At the last bit near Long Beach, there are a couple of minute jungle trails. I don’t recommend walking on this path at night as it can be unsafe.
If you want to reach Long Beach from Loh Dalum, I recommend walking for 5 minutes to the Tonsai Bay area first then book long tail boats for a cheaper price. You can book longtail boats directly from Loh Dalum but it’s a longer journey and more expensive.
From Loh Ba Kao Beach to Long Beach
Loh Ba Kao is a quiet beach located on the northeast coast of Phi Phi Don island. It’s home to the luxury SAii Phi Phi Island Village and a small, bohemian village. It’s an ideal base to stay to relax and unwind while still having easy access to some tourist amenities in its small village.
If you’re staying at Loh Ba Kao Beach, you can reach Long Beach by long walking or long tail boats. The long tail boat ride is quite expensive, around 1000-2000 baht for a private boat depending on the time of the day. The journey is around 30-45 minutes.
You can hike from Loh Ba Kao Beach, via the viewpoints, then head down to Tonsai Village for around 1 hour and then walk for 15-20 minutes to Long Beach. This will involve steep stairs and can be exhausting during the hot day.
From Relax Bay to Long Beach
Relax Bay, or Phak Nam Bay is secluded beach on the northeast coast of Phi Phi and is home to Phi Phi Relax resort. From Relax Bay, you can use long tail boats or walk to Long Beach.
The private boat ride is around 1000 baht, and the journey is around 30 minutes. If you like hiking, you can hike through the jungle, to the viewpoints 2 & 1, then walk down to Long Beach. It’s quite a challenging trail especially on a hot day.
The resort also offers scheduled boating to Tonsai village a few times a day for lower costs. You can use these boats to get to Tonsai then walk to Long Beach.
From Laem Tong to Long Beach
Laem Tong is located far north of Koh Phi Phi, offering tranquil atmosphere and white sandy beaches with clear turquoise water. Similar to Relax Bay and Loh Ba Kao, you can get from Laem Tong to Long Beach either by longtail boats or walking.
The private long tail boat is quite expensive, 1000-2000 baht per ride. The journey is around 30-45 minutes. You can also use scheduled shared shuttle boats for lower prices. It runs just a few times a day though.
If you’re an active walker or hiker, you can walk all the way from Laem Tong to Long beach. It has a couple of trails and direction depending on the tide.
If the tide is low, you can walk along Loh Dalum bay side then head to Tonsai Village and Long Beach. This is an easier trail, maybe around a 1 hour hike. If the tide is high, you can hike via viewpoint 1 & 2 which has steep stairs (more challenging trail and takes longer time).
See more:
So, there you have it, my introduction to Long Beach, one of my favorite beaches on Phi Phi island. If you stay overnight on KOh Phi Phi Don, you must visit this beach. It’s easily accessible by long tail boats and by walking from Tonsai village and Tonsai Pier.