is perched on a bluff overlooking the island's
southeastern shore, is reached by a twenty-
minute ferry crossing from the coast. The trip
can take as little as an hour from Seattle.
This is a serene, close-to-nature place. Be-
sides gray whales, it's possible to see eagles,
great blue herons, dolphins and otters. Lan-
gley is small and quiet, fast-food-free and filled
with art boutiques, an an -ay of bookstores,
even a small theater. ($160 to $185 a night,
suites for $225; call 206-221-3033 for informa-
tion and reservations.)
Ko Phi Phi little more than twenty
years ago Phuket, an island on the Andaman
Sea off the southern coast of Thailand, was an
undiscovered jewel. Then, quite suddenly, it
became popular with Europeans, and full-scale
resorts of every stripe – some of them stacked,
400-room high-rises-- began sprouting up on
Phuket's sugar-white sands. Those fleeing
Phuket's new commercialism have recently
discovered Ko Phi Phi, two tiny Pacific idylls
just thirty miles offshore Phuket.
It takes about an hour and a half to reach
the Phi Phi islands (pronounced pee-pee) on
an express boat from Phuket and costs about
750 baht, or about $30 U.S. The main island
is named Phi Phi Don, the second is Phi Phi
Ley. Don is shaped like a butterfly, its two hilly
land portions linked by a wide sandbar with
two bays on either side. This sandbar is lined
with a modest assortment of shops, restau-
rants and several accommodations. The is-
land is tranquil; there are no vehicles, no bars
or discos. In the evening visitors can stroll
along the sandbar on a pedestrian walkway
and survey the day's catch.
Phi Phi Ley is even quieter. The island has
no facilities, bungalows or inhabitants. Phi Phi
Ley must be explored by boat. Viking Cave is
a vast cavern of limestone pillars covered with
drawings of ships made several centuries ago.
The P.P. International Resort is positioned
on the north cape of Laem Tong on Don. It is
an isolated retreat with standard doubles and
larger deluxe rooms in bungalows with sea
views. All rooms are air-conditioned— im-
portant in this torrid corner of the world
and have small refrigerators and, as the Thai
are proud to note, color TV. The terraced
restaurant offers splendid views of the sea.
The fish, of course, is absolutely fresh. Come
here and honeymoon before Ko Phi Phi, the
Phuket of yesterday, becomes the Phuket
of today. (Rooms cost between $80 and $120
per night. For reservations call the hotel's
Phuket office, 011-66-076-214-297. Remem-
ber, Thailand is eleven hours ahead.) fl
Anne Bennett Swingle is a contributing editor to Style.
tSe 9 :
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February 11-14th
FORMAL FASHION SHOW
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BRIDES •
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1993
• 61