Lo Lana Beach on Phi Phi is a one-resort beach consisting of bungalow-style cabins. Or rather, what remains of a once charming resort, which is now just abandoned houses overgrown with vegetation. I reckon it was damaged during the tsunami and the owners likely decided not to restore it.
And generally, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that once upon a time Lana Bay looked much nicer and well-kept. But now it’s thoroughly abandoned with piles of rubbish in the bushes. The rubbish gets cleared periodically – there are black bags for it lying on the shore, but how often the cleaning happens is hard to say. During the low season, during monsoons, I think it’s an absolute tip. I had the chance to look at photos taken in autumn, and well – the beach was simply shocking.
Beach Overview
Dreadful shallow water, sunbathing is possible, swimming – not really. Lo Lana Bay is a flat sandy square 1,500 feet × 1,500 feet (460 metres), cut off from the sea by towering cliffs on the right and left. Behind the beach begins a small plain, which after just 800 feet (250 metres) transitions into a low-lying area flooded with seawater and overgrown with mangrove trees.
The beach isn’t crowded, despite the fact that people are often brought here. Apparently word spreads quickly and tourists aren’t in a rush to see the local rubbish and rocks.
The sand on the beach is middling poor quality, yellow and soft. Near the shore with grass it’s almost clean, but closer to the sea it becomes coarser with loads of impurities in the form of stones, corals and marine debris.
Swimming
Despite the apparent shallowness, the water at Lana Beach doesn’t retreat 650 feet (200 metres) from the shore to the edge of the reef, it just becomes very shallow. The tides aren’t as pronounced at Lana. I think when the water’s high, you can actually have a proper swim here. Compared to the neighbouring Lo Ba Kao, when there’s some intermediate stage between high and low tide, at Lo Ba Kao you still need to wait for high water, but at Lana you can already splash about in the sea without a worry.
By the way, during high tide the beach looks considerably nicer, you just need to move away from where the boats park. In summary – at high tide it’s not all that bad, and if you don’t make a fuss about the rubbish and don’t get hung up on the mess – then the beach is quite swimmable.
Sunbeds and Shade
Given that the beach is effectively wild, you won’t find even broken sunbeds here. I didn’t see any rentals, and all the tourists who come here independently usually use their own bamboo mats.
There’s plenty of shade on the beach, except for the right edge, where the area has been cleared for construction and there isn’t a single tree for about 330 feet (100 metres). But all the other parts of Lana Beach offer dense vegetation and good shade.
Plus, this beach itself faces north, and throughout the day there’s always somewhere to shelter from the sun. The cliffs at the edges of the beach stand at a distance from the water and don’t provide any shade, so you can’t count on them.
Beach Photos
Amenities
Once there was the resort infrastructure here, but now there’s nothing left except a line of concrete posts marking its territory. The cabins themselves are barely visible from the beach, and no structures like a bar or restaurant remain on the shore.
There’s a small shelter for the boatmen, who make themselves at home here and park along the entire shore without restrictions, laying out their gear and fuel canisters. Next to Lo Lana beach there’s a small beach called Nui – a kind of attraction that can supposedly be reached through the jungle.
And to the east of Lo Lana is a fairly large beach with hotel infrastructure – Lo Ba Kao. Sometimes you come across recommendations online to snorkel from the shore near Lo Lana, supposedly offering quality snorkelling. But I haven’t personally checked, so I’d be happy to hear your comments.
Accommodation
Above I’ve already explained the housing situation at Lo Lana Bay Beach. Perhaps better days will come for this place, but for now it’s not the most interesting beach, without infrastructure and hotels. In principle, if you really like such places, a wild beach with abandoned buildings – then there’s a very real possibility to stay next door at Lo Ba Kao.
Via the link below, you’ll be redirected to a general list of hotels on Phi Phi Don, but click on the map icon and you’ll be able to decide on accommodation options at Lo Lana Beach.
How to Find the Beach
I don’t recommend a walking trip across the entire tropical island unless you’re a trekking enthusiast. But enthusiasts don’t need additional hints, and for the inexperienced person I recommend turning to the boatmen.
Taxi-boat on Phi Phi Don is the optimal way to get to any beach on the island, you just need to show a map and point to the beach you want. The price from Phi Phi Town to Lo Lana beach is around 400 baht.
