islands around koh phi phi /koh phangan

Koh Phangan is a big enough island that you can get away from the drunk party-goers and enjoy relative seclusion - just head to the opposite side of the island to Hat Rin.

However, I have heard from dozens of sources that Koh Tao is just that little but extra special and refined so you may want to head there instead.

Haven't a clue about Koh Phi Phi - am heading there soon myself so am also interested to hear what people have to say

Koh Tao and the small privately owned islands Nang Yuan (with a resort) would be an alternative.
Next to Koh Phi Phi are no islands with accommodation. But Koh Lanta and the islands off Trang/Kantang and Satun are not so far away. June is rainy season and you better find out if the ferryboats are still going.

we would like to avoid the drunk party-goers for a few days, and maybe head out to some nearby islands... or is it easier to stay in phangan and take day trips out to neighbouring islands?

Ko Pha Ngan has beaches to satisfy any type of beach-goer, from isolated seclusion (Bottle Beach, Than Sadet ...) to the well-known party beaches at Hat Rin, and everything in between. It's easy to avoid drunk party-goers (just stay away from Hat Rin) so there's not really any need to head to the neighbouring islands, although Ko Tao is worth a visit if you fancy a boat trip somewhere for a few days.

Ko Phi Phi is very touristy and much more expensive than Ko Phangan. Ko Tao is an ok place, very small and totally devoted to diving and divers. Do you dive? WHY THE F--- NOT! if you are not a diver then it might not be to your liking too much because, of course, diving is the ONLY thing everyone talks about. just like rock climbing areas or ski areas, it's what they do. Ko Phangan, like mentioned so eloquently above, would be my choice of an island to stay on and not go anywhere else until I had another holiday with more time. you can always move around on the island if you don't like where you're staying. loads of places to stay ...

The east coast of Phi PHi is as laid back as virtually any place. But for neighbouring places Ko Jum, Ko Yao Noi and many of the beaches on Lanta (in low season, just about all the beaches) are very relaxed.
Answers above have given you good advice on Phangan - lots of relaxed beaches away from Hat Rin, and many areas of nearby Tao are very low key.
I have a fair bit more info on all these places in the first link below.

Ok, thanks so much for all your advice!

we're heding over in december, and are slightly worried about wet season in the koh samui/phangan areas... will this be a major problem?

What are the other islands on the phi phi side like? namely Ko Jum, Koh Lanta, Koh Ngai, Koh Muk, Koh Rok etc? are they easily accessible? and would it be better to cut our phi phi time to visit those islands?

thanks :)

December? Phi Phi? be sure to bring an entire bank with you. December, especially after the 15th, is when prices go sky high all over 'tourist trap Thailand'. most Thais either don't know or don't care about Christmas/New Year (western style) except for the Thais that cater to western tourists. you can expect acommodation costs to double in the 'tourist traps' between Dec 15 - Jan 15. it's just the way it is every year. the places are packed with 10 day - 2 week package tourists. Samui, Phuket, Railae, Phi Phi just to name a few.

All the other islands are easily accessed in Dec particulary with the new Tigerline ferry for the Trang islands from Lanta - I have GETTING THERE details on the individual island pages in the first link below, with the exception of Rok Nok, which as far as I know is a daytrip island maybe best accessed from Lanta.
Cutting PP would save money and time, but I reckon is always worth a look if you are in the area. It has to have the most spectacular scenery, but yeah, can be way expensive and crowded in high season.