The island itself (the main one where you are bound to stay) is nothing short of a complete gaijin haven. Literally, you will not find this many foreigners in one place that clearly out number the natives in just about any other place in Thailand. So the down side of that is tough luck on the cultural aspect of the area. There is pretty much no culture or traditions left for the island.
However, what it is really known for is their preservation of everything surrounding it. Next to Phi Phi island, you will find Phi Phi Lei which is another island that is uninhabited for the most part and well preserved. Additionally you will find a series of islands, beaches, and caves that are magnificently preserved and available for touring. This is one of the things I highly recommend about going to the Phi Phi islands. Book a tour. Don't do this online, since you can actually get a lower price by bargaining on location. I think I paid 250Bhat (like 7-8usd) for a half day trip through a bunch of islands, caves, and swimming/snorkeling adventures.
My trips details went as such:
We left at 2:30 on a long tail boat stopping to see and feed monkeys just at the tip of Phi Phi island. And then we toured past Viking cave, where a number of local inhabitant reside without electricity, running water, plumbing, or really any privacy. We then proceeded into a cove for swimming times. The water was crystal clear and perhaps 4-5 meters deep. I could not reach the bottom on a dive when trying. A good number of boats were there with all the occupants swimming. The men and all their manliness decided that jumping, diving, and propelling themselves off the boat bow in twisting interesting positions was a good use of time, always trying to out do one another.We spent perhaps an hour in this pool before moving to the next. The next area was another alcove nearly encircled by small direct upshooting islands but in a much larger scenario. Here we spent an hour or perhaps longer snorkeling. The gear was provided for us and away we went. The water was again extraordinarily clear and there were man fish to be seen. There were giant clam-like things bigger than my head, spots of coral and colorful fish. Out of the few places I have been snorkeling ( Key West, Langkawi, Hawaii...) I think only Hawaii topped this experience in means of beauty. For the wind down, we headed over to Maya bay. A completely natural beautiful pristine beach that is secluded and romantic...now if only all of the other tourists weren't around...On the way back, the boat drivers provided us with pineapples and water and also with the opportunity to see the sunset of the island from an ocean point of view. They held the boat in water for us to admire its beauty.
An alternate breath taking sunset can be seen from one of the view points from the top of the Phi Phi islands. A special tip on getting there: if you follow the signs you are taking the long way. And it will take you way too long to get there. Through mud and mosquitoes and too many kilometers to successfully hike in flip flops. A word to the wise though, there are stairs to the view point. They are located near the end of all the hubbub and hostels. You actually climb right past a bungalow styled hostel and right to the top, where there is a convenience store type of thing.
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