The Phi Phi Islands are located in Thailand, between the large island of Phuket and the western Andaman Sea coast of the mainland. Kho Phi Phi Don ("Kho" (Thai : เกาะ) meaning "island" in the Thai language) is the largest island of the group, and is the only island with permanent inhabitants, although the beaches of the second largest island, Kho Phi Phi are visited by many people as well. There are no accomodation facilities on this island, but it is just a short boat ride from Kho Phi Phi Don. The rest of the islands in the group, including Bida Nok, Bida Noi, and Bamboo Island, are not much more than large limestone rocks out of the sea.
Koh Phi Phi Leh was the backdrop for the 2000 movie The Beach. Phi Phi Leh also houses the 'Viking Cave', from which there is a thriving bird's nest soup industry. There was criticism during filming of the 'The Beach' that the permission granted to the film company to physically alter the environment inside Phi Phi Islands National Park was illegal. The controversy cooled down however, when it was discovered that the producers had done such as a decent job of restoring the place that it finally looked better than it had done before.
Following the release of The Beach, tourism on Phi Phi Don increased dramatically, and with it the populaation of the island. Many buildings were constructed without planning permission.
Koh Phi Phi was devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, when nearly all of the island's infrastructure was wiped out. Redevelopment has, however, been swift, and services like electricity, water, Internet access and ATMs are up and running again, but waste handing has been slower to come back online. (http://en.wikipedia.org/)
