You have mis-identified it, Robert. There are two islands in the Phi Phi
group. Here is a link to a map that correctly identifies Maya Bay, which is
not on Phi Phi Don but on Phi Phi Lei! My guess is that you were either
guided
by a boat operator too lazy to take you to the real thing, or by some of the
previously mentioned drunken backpackers :-)

http://phi-phi.com/maps/index.htm

> I've just looked at a map to confirm whether the bay that I thought was
> Maya Bay was in fact Maya Bay - the large bay directly on the other
> side of the narrow stretch of land from Tongsai Bay.

Wrong island!

> My map doesn't give a name for the bay to the north, but my
> recollection is that this is Maya Bay.

Nope!

> When I was there in 1991, two
> bars had opened outdoor tables on the northern side, overlooking this
> bay.  I don't know whether there are still there now - as I said, one
> visit to Phi Phi was quite enough for me

Coz you (apparently) never saw the other Phi Phi island. I agree, I wouldn't
piss on Phi
Phi Don if it was on fire. Phi Phi Lei is a whole other story. To begin
with, Maya Bay is only accessible from the water, unless you are a very,
very skilled mountain climber. That's why I did a double take when you
started talking about hotels, restaurants and brothels!

> At any rate, the main point I trying to make was that descriptions or
> accounts which imply that this island was a pristine paradise before
> 20th Century Fox came are, in my view, more than misleading.  Whatever
> its nominal status as a "national park", Koh Phi Phi Don, sadly, was
> already a dump.

Well, we now know that, while the point may be worth making about Phi Phi
Don, it is definitely not relevant in this case. I assure you that Phi Phi
Lei is a haven of natural beauty (although sadly, thanks to Leonardo and
friends, no longer pristine, see
http://www.uq.edu.au/~pggredde/beach/index.html).

Phi Phi Don has never been a national park.

Bjorn