Where the boats go
Where the boats go
Six island groups within a day of Phuket, each with the private boats that sail there, the facts that matter and an honest comparison with a seat on a shared boat.
Phang Nga Bay & James Bond Island
Limestone towers in a still emerald sea, caves you enter by canoe, a fishing village on stilts. The bay is calm all year and best before the day boats arrive.
Phi Phi & Maya Bay
The postcard islands, fifty minutes east by speedboat: Maya Bay, Pileh lagoon, Viking Cave and Bamboo Island's white sandbar. Worth doing privately, early, before forty boats arrive.
Racha islands
The clearest water within an hour of Phuket. Racha Yai's turquoise bays for snorkelling and a beach lunch, Racha Noi's deeper reef for the fish, and the drop-offs between them for the fishing boats.
Coral Island (Koh Hey)
Fifteen minutes from Chalong: a shallow reef, two beaches, a beach club, and the sunset behind Promthep Cape on the way home. The island for a half day, small children, and the first swim of a holiday.
Khai islands
Three islets twenty minutes from the east-coast marinas: white sand, a reef in waist-deep water, fish at your feet. The gentlest first snorkel for a child, and an easy half day.
Maiton island
A private island fifteen minutes east of Phuket with a long white beach, a giant clam reef, a view point over the Andaman and dolphins on the crossing. Landing is limited, so the beach is never full.
Tell us the place and the date. One concierge plans the boat, the car and the table.
Plan the day