Thon Sai Beach - the main beach of Phi Phi Don

Ton Sai Beach is the first thing you will encounter on Phi Phi Don Island. This is the southern edge of the isthmus of the island, on which the only local settlement is located - Phi Phi Town. Ao Tonsai is different from Lo Dalama (opposite side of the isthmus) in that the central part of the bay here has a decent depth.

That is why two piers were built on Tonsai, where all boats and boats with tourists arrive. Tonsai Beach on Phi Phi Don has a dual purpose - the central and left parts are teeming with boats and are a technical beach, but on the right you can already find a real beach resort with clean sea, sand and other attributes..

The content of the article

Beach description

The front beach of Phi Phi Dona, half technical, half resort. I would divide Tonsai Beach into two parts that are visually very striking, both in reality and on Google maps, from a bird's eye view..

On the right edge of Tonsai, the total length of the sandy strip is approximately 1200 meters, of which only 300 meters can be called a real beach on the far right edge. It is shallow here, but you can swim and there are almost no boats.

Near the pier and to the left of it, to the very cape in the center of Ao Tonsai, there is a continuous port with a cloud of longtails along the coast. And boatmen are not at all concerned with nature, so most of Tonsai is a long line of ropes on which boats dangle and rubbish is everywhere..

The left edge of Tonsai was also adapted for a beach holiday, but I did not like it there - sand with a bunch of impurities, a wall of boats in front of my eyes, a wall of a rocky coast and hotel fences behind my back. For swimming in the sea, paddling pools are fenced off with floats on a rope. However, after the cape, a quite suitable beach begins with a fairly wide strip of sand and almost no boats..

There are ropes on the right half of Ao Tonsai, as well as boats with boats, but in much smaller numbers. In general, this edge of the isthmus is surprisingly poorly developed, and large empty spaces, hiking trails, old buildings and bungalows a la «thatched hut».

Compared to the left half, which is bursting with shops and tourist services, the right side of Tonsai looks wild, uninhabited and uncomfortable in places. Although for the lover to be out of touch with civilization, it will be ideal here, despite the slightly inadequate price tag for these very thatched huts. It is clean, quiet, fine light yellow sand with an admixture of pebbles and shells.

Entering the water, depth and waves

The left part of Tonsai, which is behind the cape, has a slight slope and is highly prone to low tides, like all the other beaches of the island. Closer to the rocks on the right side of the beach.

The coast on the entire isthmus rises only a few meters above sea level and has a minimum slope that remains under water. Closer to the center, the sea gains depth faster, and under the rocks - the widest part of the shallow bottom.

So waves with a strong breeze happen only in the center, and they are felt weaker at the edges. During the storm season, of course, the waves will be everywhere and strong, so the coast is reinforced in places with concrete structures, which almost do not spoil the appearance of Ao Tonsai..

During low tide, the beach changes dramatically, and the sea moves away from the coast by 50-150 meters.

Sun beds and shade

The width of the beach is not the same along its entire length. If you look at the tide, then the rocks have no more than 20 meters of sand, and closer to the center, the width is generally reduced to zero. Hence the situation with sun loungers - there are no rental points on the no-man's land, and opposite the rare resorts, sun loungers stand behind a symbolic, but still a fence. Sometimes you come across two or three sun loungers near bars or massage salons.

The shade along the coast is not the thickest, but still something deciduous grows in places. Although I would not particularly count on natural sources of shade - there are more people and the beach is quite open, and at low tide it becomes many times wider, and you can't run to the sea.

Beach photo

Ton Sai beach left side

Ton Sai beach left side

Ton Sai beach right side

Ton Sai beach right side

Infrastructure

The first line of Ao Tonsai Beach, from the pier and to the right to the end, is occupied by establishments for tourists: bars, restaurants, massage sala and resorts. There is the largest medical institution by local standards. Surprisingly, during the entire walking trip, I never saw a single Thai shop, not to mention chain mini-markets. That is - some kind of wilderness, a sleeping area in Thai, everything you need is in Phi Phi Town.

But to be honest, walking in the heat from the very edge of Tonsai to Phi Phi Town is not the most pleasant pastime. So when checking in on the right edge of the beach, always grab a drink before returning to your bungalow..

But from the Tonsai pier to the end of the left edge of the Tonsai beach, all the offers of the local tourist infrastructure are open to you. Phi Phi Town starts just from the exit from the pier and continues deep into the isthmus. And to the left, along the coast, there is a high-traffic hiking trail - here people walk towards the Viking and Long Beach.

From the side of the sea, the path is limited only by a curb, and on the opposite side there are travel agencies, cafes, pharmacies and other pavilions with tourist services. It is not possible to go down to the beach here everywhere, and there is no particular desire..

Houses and hotels on the beach

On the right half there are about six large hotels, although really «large hotel» you can only name the complex of buildings Phi Phi Island Cabana Hotel. It is built on the narrowest part of the isthmus and from this hotel there is access to two beaches of the island at once: Tonsai and Lo Dalam. In the center of the right half of Tonsai there are Phi Phi Sand Sea View Resort and PP Nice Beach Resort, and already under the very rocks - Phi Phi Cliff Beach Resort, which is considered the most worthy in this part of Phi Phi Don.

Unfortunately, almost all hotels and resorts on the island suffer from the quality of service and not the most reverent attitude towards the maintenance of the housing stock. Using the link below, you will be taken to a general list of hotels in Phi Phi Don, but you click on the icon with a map and there you will already decide on accommodation options on Tonsai Beach. The island is so small that Roomguru doesn't even try to divide hotels by beaches..

Hotels near Phi Phi>

Be sure to check for discounts or specials on the excellent Roomguru service. He will quickly and easily show you discounts in all existing booking systems. In Asia, for example, there are a lot of offers on Agoda.com, which are much more profitable than in the same hotels in the Booking.com system..

For the lazy, here are the direct links to the hotels listed above:

How to find the beach

Finding the beach is very simple - you need to get off the Ao Tonsai pier and you will find yourself in the center of Phi Phi Town. If you stand facing the pier, then on the right you will have a path towards the beautiful Tonsai, and to the left - towards the Tonsai technical beach.

At first, the path will be implicit - it is too noisy, crowded and from all sides they call you and sell you something. After 50 meters, you will escape from the tourist hell and then follow the tiled path. She is there alone, along the entire coast.

Beach Map

Map of Phi Phi Town and Tonsai, Lo Dalum and Hin Khom beaches

Map of Phi Phi Town and Tonsai, Lo Dalum and Hin Khom beaches:

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