Published on Jan, 2024
ALP did a great job managing a very busy list of locations. You will be exhausted after this tour, you definitely get your money's worth.
It included snorkeling, lunch, observing the monkey's on the beach (NOTE: that you do not disembark from the vessel onto the beach with the monkeys - this is part of ALPs business requirements for your safety and I was happy not to be one of the tourist attempting to get a selfie with a pack of monkeys then being ended up being chased - they are wild animals!!), lunch is buffet style and since we are vegetarians, they went out of their way to make us vegetarian dishes, and the trip included a visit to Maya Beach.
Maya Beach, although amazing, is crawling with people. You may get that an amazing shot if you are patient enough, but the crowds definitely take away the experience of this place. Especially once you get ready to leave the location and you have to wait for others in your group that may not be as punctual as they should. The waiting area is fortunately a shaded grove. I'm curious if Alex Garland and Leonardo DiCaprio knew the extent of the following to get to this beach when the movie was created. Note - that for those that have actually read the novel, Maya Beach isn't actually the beach in the novel, but it was the one from the movie. Doesn't matter, just know you will not be alone, ever, on this beach. You will see a new level of SELF-indulgence at this location from the tourists. Even though the guards are there to prohibit people going into the water farther than their knees, people still do. Anyways, ALP did a fantastic job managing the crowds at the dock and picking us up afterwards.
The lagoon after Maya Beach is amazing, ALP did a fantastic job moving in and out of the lagoon. Again, there are a lot of people as this is THE trip to take from Phuket.
The snorkeling is amazing around Phi Phi. So many fish and colorful clams. You do not feel rushed when you are in the water. The location with a beach was really nice; recommend going along the swimming area boundary to see the larger fish, plus less people in this area. The reef section is in the middle of the swimming area to see the reef fishes.
As this is THE trip from Phuket; I recommend using ALP! They are professional, kind, and a great crew.
