Next up on our trip-visit-list is Phi Phi Don’s Zeavola Koh Phi Phi, which currently is number 1 on Tripadvisor for this island. Of course you can’t visit you can’t visit Phuket (or Krabi) without taking a closer look at the world famous bounty islands Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Le.

Reaching hotels at Koh (which means island in Thai) Phi Phi is done by boat. Most of the resorts have their own so it’s a good thing to make sure you’re picked up. You can also go there by Ferry, but although it might look cheap, the Ferry won’t take you to your hotel. And because most of the hotels can only be reached by boat, you still need the ‘water taxi’ to get to your hotel. These so called ‘water taxi’s’ start at 800 Baht for a one way trip, so you might want to spend a little more for a boat that immediately brings you to your destination.

That having said, we of course are picked up by Zeavola’s boat (and manager) from Phuket. Within 40 minutes we arrive at our destination and we can tell you it has a certain charm to it when you and your luggage is picked up by a tractor in the shallow water.

We are welcomed at Zeavola’s open lobby. It has 2 places where people check in and this all goes very smoothly. We are almost instantly taken to our bungalow/cabin/hut/room or whatever you want to call it. The name is irrelevant if you ask us. It looks wonderful. We stay in the Garden Villa which has pretty much everything we need. It has the huge bed including mosquito net, a separate bathroom with a very decent shower (can be a problem in these tropical settings). The ‘living room’ is outside but because we stay right next to the beach, we don’t really spend a lot of time in this ‘room’. Fridge is also outside which is a first. Oh, and let’s not forget a small desk inside the bedroom which makes it possible to do some working (good for us).

The resort is located on a more secluded part of the island. The wonderful manager tells us the his staff basically lives on the resort. There are 4 resorts on this northern part and any person at this point of Koh Phi Phi needs a ‘water taxi’ to get there (or leave). And that’s why it won’t surprise you that most people stay there the night. After work people of the hotel play some soccer against each other or they go running which is pretty cool because as a traveler you won’t easily mingle with the.

Zeavola has a pool which we didn’t use. It’s mostly used by children that don’t really like the ocean. During our stay there weren’t any children. Zeavola isn’t really child friendly. The bigger rooms are placed on higher ground and the stairs leading to these rooms are pretty steep. Yes, it’s possible to bring your children, but you do need to sign a weaver to make sure you’re aware of the hazards.

Because there’s not much to do in the surroundings (unless you use the water taxi. Again). You’re pretty much stuck on this beautiful piece of earth. You need to be aware of this. People that are bored easily should definitely go somewhere else. Your mindset has to be right to survive a place like this. We are experienced travelers and we know what it takes (a book). We even love to be secluded from the outside world (yes, of course they have Wifi). We can spend hours and hours just lounging in the sun, swim a bit, read a book, drink a cocktail or a beer while time goes slow.

Another thing about staying in a resort like this is that you’re kinda bound to their amenities. Luckily for us Zeavola has a very good restaurant. It serves both Thai and Western food. Our first night we choose the Thai food. The first course was all different kind of small dishes like spring rolls, chicken saté and shrimps on sticks. The main courses where fish all over the place. Beautifully seasoned with Thai herbs and all. It was like heaven. The second evening we picked the western food. Again some fish but this was a little less ‘rememberful’ than the previous night. Every tourist is normally better of eating Thai food when in Thailand. Western food is of course good when you want something different, but when you go out for dinner a lot like us, chances are you’ll be experiencing Western food in Asia a bit lacking in specialness.

After all, you might want to ask yourself if Zeavola lives up to it’s Tripadvisor’s hype. If you’d ask us, we’d say it does. This place is perfect for exploring the Phi Phi islands. The resort is as sustainable as they can (filter there own drinking water) and they even have this very cool signs in the ground that gives you a little bit more informatie about the animals and plants on the island. And it’s these little things that make the difference when picking a resort while you’re on holiday. It’s the little things you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

Price range: Around €125,- a night
More information: Website Zeavola      
Tripadvisor link
Google maps
Rating: 9

This review was made possible by Singapore airlines