Sunset Bay Resort

A miraculous and spectacular view. Service was warm and welcoming, albeit after a long, strenuous trek through the jungle. My advice: don’t let the hot, slippery, cluttered, and unpleasant walk be your first impression of this incredibly unique resort! The room gives the impression of being old and dusty. The floors creak and groan when you walk on them (not good for me because my girlfriend is a light sleeper and I love midnight snacks from the fridge). There’s also no AC, just two decrepit, string tied fans on the wall. Don’t expect any relief from the heat outside. Fortunately, the view outside is priceless and incredible to wake up to. The walk becomes less stressful, and by the end of our stay we were able to navigate it with relative ease. Coupled in with a cheap price and a nature/creature-filled environment, I’d recommend this resort again in a heartbeat.

Phi Phi Don being famous for beach parties, we chose this resort away from town and from the crowds for its tranquillity (so we thought), because we read that it’s only a 20-30 minutes’ walk through the jungle or a 15-20 minutes’ walk through the beach and there was going to be a free transfer by longtail boat from/to Loh Dalum bay (NOT Tonsai pier!) at check-in and check-out anyway, so no need to worry about the luggage… As requested, I let the manager know our arrival time by ferry from Phuket 1 day in advance. We were asked to wait “in front of the Mc Donald’s, for pick-up by longtail boat”. They even sent us a picture of the captain who was going to wait for us there. Our ferry from Phuket arrived shortly after 1 pm. After having paid the environmental fee, we went straight to the meeting point, where we were met by the manager. While we were waiting for some more guests, the captain went looking for a luggage cart, because there were 7 guests in total. When he came back, we set off through the crowds and the heat, but not to Loh Dalum bay to take the longtail boat as promised, although there were no big waves, there was no wind and the tide was high: on foot, we went right through the busy town centre and were met by some more male staff members to help carry the travel bags up the hill, behind the big resorts and through the jungle. Even without having to carry our bags, it was hard to keep up with them. After this 30-40 minutes’ trekking (one can hardly call this a ‘walk’), exhausted and sweating like hell, we finally arrived at the resort by the sea where we were welcomed by one of the girls offering us a small bottle of water and the bill for our 5 nights’ stay to be settled in cash right away. When I asked her about the free longtail boat transfer, she replied that the boat was ‘broken’ (although it was just lying there and there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it); the manager on the other hand served up a wild story about the captain being arrested by the police and the boat confiscated and that she had to bail him out, whereas I think that there were just too many guests to fit into the small boat with their luggage. Anyhow, the boys carried our bags to our bungalow, some more steps up in the forest. All staff members except the manager are from Myanmar and understand (let alone speak) very little English, too little to work in the hospitality business. We didn’t find the staff genuinely friendly: instead of greeting you and smiling, they give you the impression they are afraid that you are going to ask or say something when you look at them. The views from bungalows and balconies on Loh Dalum bay are wonderful, that’s a fact. But there is no sandy beach down by the sea; only rocks and big stones and it’s impossible to swim there because the water is not deep enough. There are quite few monkey families living close to the resort, which makes it almost impossible to leave doors or windows open even when you are in the bungalow, because they are not afraid to sneak in and to run away with your belongings. There are 2 fans in the bungalow, but with everything closed, that is not enough against the heat even if you leave them on all night long: A/C in the room would be more useful than the small fridge, which is not really necessary I think. There is an attached bathroom with a toilet and a sink, but the shower (with lukewarm water, although not powerful enough) is outside, in the open air. On 3 different occasions, there was a cockroach in the mug I use to brush my teeth. Bungalows are only being cleaned (and towels replaced) on request. There are also quite a lot of mosquitoes around and they sting even during the day. Insect repellent is mandatory at all times, especially as the mosquito net above the bed is so small that it is impossible to close it without laundry pegs; also the net has holes in it. There is WiFi at the resort, but it’s very slow. Continental breakfast was included, but every day the same: juice from a box, instant coffee or tea, a slice of watermelon, omelette, 2 slices of toast, butter and jam. For Asian breakfast you need to pay extra. Apart from that, the menu of the restaurant (which closes at 8 pm, even on New Year’s eve) is very limited: fried rice, noodles and a few snacks. So if you want some decent dinner, you’ll have to do the 30’ trekking to town and back every day (no boat service!), in the heat and in the dark, because the so-called shortcut through the ‘beach’ is only accessible at low tide, twice/24 hrs (around 6 am and around 6 pm) and the ‘walk’ involves crossing a disgusting and smelly area where the town ‘river’ (in fact, an open sewerage) drains into the sea; we did that once and I almost got stuck in the stinky mud at one stage. The resort is simply too far away from town. And yet not far enough, because the blaring music and bass rhythms of the beach parties on Loh Dalum beach, starting just after sunset every single night and ending at around 2 am, will prevent you from having a good night’s rest. On January 1st, one day before we were supposed to check-out, we got a farewell message: “We hope you enjoyed your stay with us. It will be a pleasure to have you with us again. Thank you very much and have a good trip”. Very strange; I wonder if they even understand their own automated messages. The next day around 10 am, while we were still enjoying the views at the restaurant after breakfast, the manager asked me if we had packed everything in our travel bags, because her staff would bring the bags down to put them in the longtail boat that was going to take us back to town. I said we did. Officially, check-out time is 11 am and there was still some of our electronic equipment charging in the bungalow. However, without telling us, the staff had already taken out our things and had started cleaning the bungalow 1 hour before. With his boat, the captain took us to the other side of the bay, without saying one word, although our ferry back to Phuket was only at 3 pm… All in all, a rather disappointing experience and, compared to our other accommodations on this trip, relatively overpriced for what it was.

25 minute hike through rubbish strewn, broken and some places unlit paths. No boat pick up from pier despite weather being fine. Two options when finally arriving to the resort is to either take the dirt path and chance getting through without monkeys stealing your bags or walking across the dark rocky beach and avoiding broken bottles and rusty metal. It was such a long walk that at one point I thought we were being taken into the jungle to be robbed. if you're booking this hoping for a quiet retreat away from the party, know that you will be kept up by the bass from the beach until 2am and then woken through the night from a coconut hitting the roof. The place itself is kind of what you expect from a rustic beach hut. curtains that don't fit the windows, windows that don't fit the frame, gaps where windows or netting probably should be and a mosquito net to make up for the above. I'd recommend the resort tidy as much of their beach and walkway as they are allowed so i feel a sense of relief returning back and not dread. having rubbish everywhere really shouldn't be as commonly accepted as it is. also the Ibiza bar that has music blasting out all day and night, try and come together as an island and complain to get it brought down to an acceptable level. every hotel on the island has noise complaints and it's just from this one bar. Nice view though

Friendly and helpful staff. Walk back to the resort late at night full of potential slip hazards. However amazing experience to be situated right next to the beach whilst surrounded by nature. Basic but everything you need. Also breakfast with that view is incredible.

A priceless view of the sea. The wait staff is warm, friendly and always helpful. However, their English is very limited, unfortunately. The bungalows are clean and sufficiently equipped (fans, mosquito net, small fridge). A good upgrade would be an air conditioner and a more comfortable mattress, since the mattresses they have now are quite hard. Unfortunately the shower (outside) did not get warm and stayed cold. We had one cockroach and the staff does not clean the bungalow during your stay. The ‘road’ / path towards the resort is not good, to put it mildly. From the center it takes about 20 minutes, goes up and down, is uneven, rocky, dirty and not illuminated everywhere. Making the resort quite difficult to reach. When conditions permit, there is a boat service between the pier and the resort. In the evening and at night you hear the noise of the beach bars till about 02:30h. In addition, monkeys pelt the house with some kind of kernels in the evening and at night (making showering during this time a challenge). Otherwise only recommended and an interesting experience.

What an amazing place! Wonderful view from the bungalow, very private and clean. The staff are really kind, helpful and lovely people ❤️ Be ready to hear the party from the town during the night - it didn't bother us but you have been warned:)

The resort is great over all. You will wakeup to the best view there is. Rooms made in nice theme. Totally worth it. Plus they have kayak for rent as well Some cons: - Resort is 15 min walk over the mountain. So if you can going to make too many trips like i did to the town on the same day. It's going to be some workout - Clubs on the town's beach are facing this resort so you can hear music even with windows closedown

Overall good experience because the view and wildlife were simply amazing. The price is not so cheap, so I would expect better facilities in hotel standard rather than a guesthouse. An AC in the room could have changed the experience completely!! I enjoyed the walks to the town but after a few times it's very exhausting. If the staff would have let us know that there is a boat taxi option we would have used it. The staff hardly speaks English so it's difficult to ask for things. Everyone is very kind and helping, you can rent kayaks and borrow snorkels.

Many positives about this place but also some negative. The staff as super friendly and the view in the room was gorgeous! Everyone we have met staying here have been lovely and you can rent kayaks to explore the nearby bays. They also provide free breakfast for all guests but this is only very basic two eggs, two toast and a small sausage.||Things to note are that the rooms are extremely tired. Our floor boards were slightly breaking, the drain on the bathroom had a horrible smell and the water runs brown out of the tap at first so I’m presuming it comes from a stream? The light switches were impossible to work out and the doors all had sliding locks and were stiff and difficult to use. We also never got our room done up once. We stayed for 4 nights with no bed or towel change at all and I can’t say the room was super clean.||The location is indeed beautiful but it is a real walk away from the centre. Bare in mind there are no cars or motorbikes and between you and getting home on a boiling hot day is a good 20 minute hike. If I were to stay in Koh Phi Phi again I would definitely choose somewhere a bit more modified and a bit closer to the centre. Maybe somewhere with WIFI too! ||Overall the beautiful location really made it for us. The quietness away from the noise of the main beach was a plus but the rooms were tired and the walk to and from the centre was really tough, especially in the daytime.

Beautiful, clean and cheap bungalows directly at the beach with a lovely terrace where you can enjoy the sunset! The owner and staff are very friendly even though communication is not always that easy due to language barriers. You can reach the resort within a 20 min walk from the city center or use the free long tail boat shuttle. As written before by some guests, the music and bass from a close bar is sometimes annoying if you want a good sleep and the bungalows do not have AC! Nevertheless, highly recommended!