Eco-friendly SAii Phi Phi Island Village leads the way in regenerating the Thailand’s Koh Phi Phi and the surrounding area. A veritable beach resort institution that’s set up like its own little community on a private bay, the property has recently renovated, making it even more appealing to families as well as castaway-seekers with a taste for the luxe life. We spent time there sending sharks out to sea and collecting trash from the beach, and found our duties a little slice of heaven.
THE FIRST TIME I ARRIVED AT SAii Phi Phi Island Village, I went to the beach. But I didn’t go swimming. I joined the staff and other guests who volunteered to brave the late afternoon sun in collecting garbage on Loh Lana Bay, a 15-minute walk away from the resort. The work was hard but in a little over an hour we’d collected nearly 200 kilograms of recyclable plastic, mostly in the form of plastic bottles, shopping bags and abandoned fishing nets.
Just about everyone I met at the resort shared a sense of awareness and commitment to preserving the environment that they live in. That was the work started by Chao Treenawongse, the general manager who recently retired after more than 20 years at the resort, and continued by his successor, Bart Callens. On that first visit, I remember Khun Chao talking to me about the solar panels on the staff quarter roofs and how waste water was recycled to water the gardens. On my next trip, Bart led us on a dive to release bamboo sharks raised at the resort.
Breeding sharks is just one of the initiatives of the resort’s Marine Discovery Centre. A resident marine biologist is on hand to monitor programs like coral regeneration but also to explain the delicate balance of the area’s flora and fauna to guests. Guests can also go scuba diving or snorkeling to observe the work firsthand.
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S Hotels & Resortsâ Marine Discovery Centres are interactive hubs for educating guests and local residents about conservation
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The Phuket Marine Biological Center entrusts the care of bamboo shark eggs to SAii Phi Phi
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Bamboo sharks in the nursery pond, before they are released back into their natural environment
The Marine Discovery Centre also hosts local schoolchildren to educate them about the environment. One of the most popular attractions is the tanks of clownfish (yes, that’s Nemo to you and me). Interestingly, while the cute, cartoon-like fish are a good talking point for the kids, they are actually predators that cannot be released into the wild in these waters. The bamboo sharks, on the other hand, are a crucial part of the area’s balanced ecosystem.
Nearby Maya Bay, the beach made famous by the Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach and home to bamboo sharks and numerous other species of sea life, was so badly damaged by the throngs of tourists and their boats that the Thai government closed it to the public for nearly four years. Today visitors are allowed to walk to the beach but they have to use specially built walkways and a pier on the other side of Phi Phi Leh island. In theory at least, the number of visitors is limited every day. (Note: Maya Bay is closed for the whole months of August and September 2023 as part of its regeneration plan.)
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Bamboo sharks are regularly released back into the wild
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Back where it belongs
The break from tourism produced spectacular results: the water in the bay is pristine again, and coral is growing back. And when I walked along the beach, there were the bamboo sharks, swimming right in the shallow waters near my feet.
The SAii Phi Phi resort is located next to the mangrove, another key element in the local ecosystem, helping to prevent erosion and flooding, and acting as a natural filter, storing carbon and purifying pollutants in the brackish water where fresh water meets sea water. Guests can go kayaking through the mangrove with or without a guide to learn more about the role it plays in preserving nature.
So yes, SAii Phi Phi Island Village is a resort that is respectful of its environment and practices the three Rs of sustainability: recycling, reusing and reducing. But you obviously don’t want to overlook the fact that the resort is a stunning destination for fun and relaxation. For a little piece of barefoot luxury, opt for a sprawling hillside pool villa with its own terrace and infinity plunge pool that overlook the entire property. With 180º views, you’ll get sunrises over the sea and the glimmer of sunset behind the hills in the direction of Loh Lana Bay.
Staff warn you not to leave food outside or you may attract the visit of mischievous monkeys. I repeat: don’t leave your breakfast tray outside. Ask me how I know.
The resort also has a choice of restaurants and bars including the beachfront Api restaurant and the hillside Ruan Thai, inspired by a traditional Thai wooden house. The Len Forest Spa, where the treatment rooms are also replicas of little Thai houses, will leave you feeling pampered and renewed. Pick a Time Ritual for a tailor-made treatment designed to your specifications.
I’ll enjoy all the facilities when I go back, but I’ll also join the beach cleaning and the marine activities again too. I feel that it’s the least I can do to preserve this little corner of tropical paradise.
For more tips on traveling sustainably in Thailand, read our article from an expert here. To learn about an adorable eco-island you really must visit in the Gulf of Thailand, watch the video here.
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Oceanview Hillside Pool Villa
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Hillside Pool Villa
To reach SAii Phi Phi Island Village, land at Phuket International Airport and then transfer to the Royal Phuket Maria Pier where scheduled speed boat transfers take about one hour and fifteen minutes to reach the resort. An Oceanview Hillside Pool Villa starts at THB 20,428 a night.
Images courtesy of SAii Phi Phi Island Village.
