Long Beach translates from English as “long beach”, though I couldn’t quite figure out why it’s called long. Tonsai and Lo Dalam are much longer even visually. Long Beach is located on the inhabited island – Phi Phi Don (Phi Phi Ley is considered uninhabited).
The beach is on the south of the island and is probably the closest beach to Phi Phi Town where you can have a proper swim. The only difference from other beaches, in my view, is its straightness. Long Beach is the only one without an elegant curve of the shoreline – it’s straight as an arrow. Beautiful, quiet, but a completely ordinary tourist beach without any special charm.
Beach Overview
A typical tourist beach. Long Beach extends for about 2,150 feet (650 metres), with the width of the sandy strip varying from 33 feet (10 metres) to 80 feet (25 metres) on average. The sand is soft, medium-grained, not powder-fine, but still very pleasant. When it dries, it takes on a light yellow shade, but not white.
Roughly in the centre of the beach, many boats are permanently parked, gradually packing up in the afternoon. They also stand in other parts of Long Beach, and it seems that the palisade of boats and the web of their mooring lines is a common problem for all beaches on the Phi Phi islands.
Opposite some resorts, the beach waters are cordoned off with ropes and floats, where boatmen cannot enter. It’s supposedly care for the guests, but it looks rather dreary.
Swimming
The slope of the shore in this part of Phi Phi Don is noticeably steep, so the land goes underwater at such an angle that the depth increases quickly at high tide – about 16 feet (5 metres) out it will be neck-deep.
I didn’t see this beach at low tide, but I assume that like all beaches on Phi Phi Don island, it becomes less swimmable, but not to the extent that you can’t go into the sea at all.
Due to the depth, there are waves here, so in places on Long Beach stone breakwaters have been built (there are photos at the end of the post), which slightly spoil the overall aesthetic of the beach. The bottom is clean but uneven.
Opposite P. P. Blue Sky Resort there are rocks underwater very close to the shore.
Sunbeds and Shade
Many hotels have their own sunbeds, and only for their guests – as notices on the beach state. But at some hotels, you can rent a sunbed for 100 baht.
The shore is rich in vegetation, but natural shade disappears after noon and there are literally only a couple of places on the public beach where you can hide under trees if you’re not a guest of one of the resorts.
The resorts have their own planted areas, but they don’t allow outsiders even for money. Overall, Long Beach is purely a resort spot, with a mass of beach comforts and pleasures that are mostly available to permanent guests staying here.
Beach Photos
Amenities
People who stay here deliberately prioritise beach holidays, while always having the opportunity to get to more lively parts of the island because boats run constantly. Also, I understand that some hotels have their own taxi boats.
Apart from hotels and cafes/restaurants from the resorts, there’s nothing else here. Instead of a second line, there’s forest and jungle. As far as I understood, everyone comes here along the shore. You can also go along the road through the mountainous part of the island, but the path will be longer and more athletic.
Near the beach, about 330 feet (100 metres) from the shore, is Shark Point – a reef where you can observe sharks. I don’t know how often sharks appear there, but boats bring people there regularly.
Accommodation
The entire first line of Long Beach is occupied by resorts of different price categories and star ratings. Many tourists stay at Long Beach for a long time, only occasionally venturing by boat to Phi Phi Town or on excursions around the surrounding islands. There are no private houses for rent here, as on the rest of Phi Phi Don.
Hotels, according to visitor reviews, have on average higher ratings than those on Tonsai or Lo Dalam. From the most popular and highly rated hotels on Long Beach, I would recommend paying attention to these two. The second is even more preferable because opposite it is the best section of beach with a clean bottom.
- Phi Phi The Beach Resort
- Paradise Pearl Bungalow
The link below will take you to the general list of hotels on Phi Phi Don, but you can click on the map icon and determine accommodation options on Long Beach from there.
Hotels on Long Beach Phi Phi Don β
How to Find the Beach
Walking from Phi Phi Town takes about 30 minutes, and getting there by boat takes about five minutes. If you’re staying in Phi Phi Town near Phi Phi Andaman Resort, it’s about a 20-minute walk from there.
First, you walk along the street by the shore, passing the resort, cafe, then you’ll need to walk a small stretch of beach, after which you’ll run into Arayaburi Resort, and from there a concrete path will start, which will soon turn into a jungle trail.
You’ll climb up, go down, climb over roots; along the way, you’ll come across a couple of small beaches about 30 feet (10 metres) long, then you’ll pass Viking Beach, which is called that thanks to the resort of the same name. Although calling it a resort is a bit much.
Essentially it’s a complex of bungalows, but it looks very nice and authentic, all wooden, carved figures, and their beach is also good. Only the walk there isn’t for everyday. Almost immediately after Viking Resort, you’ll reach Long Beach. The cost of a boat one way from Tong Sai pier is 100 baht.
