5 Star Marine Helping The Local Community During Covid 19 Pandemic

If you follow us on Facebook or Instagram you’d notice that the team at 5 Star Marine are working closely with the local community to help get support to those who need it.

Over the last few weeks, we have been donating rice, water, chicken, beef, and more to communities that have been significantly affected by the Covid 19 pandemic.  To understand Phuket is a tourism town.  When our government made the decision to lock our borders almost all of the people of Phuket were out of work.

This led to a lot of people running out of money and food.  Seeing this need our team snapped into action and started organizing food and supplies for families that needed it.  Through our work, over the last few weeks, we have donated over 4000 Kilograms of Rice, over 3000 bottles of water, more than 200 Kilograms of Chicken and so much beef we lost count.

All these donations have been financed by the team behind 5 Star Marine.  We have not sought donations from our customers we have worked with our team and the team from Sutai Muay Thai to put these donations together directly.

We don’t write this to hope for praise, what we hope for is your support.

Support The Businesses That Support The Community With Your Custom!

When travel restrictions are lifted, and they will be lifted, we hope that those of you who do choose to travel to Phuket that you choose to support businesses like ours that helped out in the time of need.

Don’t get me wrong, we are not the only business helping, there are restaurants, dive shops, hotels, and more helping out.  What we hope to see is that you choose to eat at those restaurants, dive with those dive shops, stay at those hotels and go on private boats with companies that are helping.

These are the companies that are working with heart during these hard times and we should reward those companies with our custom.  Just like we plan to.  When we can we will visit these restaurants, eat there and we will repay there kindness with the thing that counts to them, customers.

Private Boat Lucus 1 Renovation And Covid19 Deep Cleaning

During the Corona Virus (Covid19) period we here at 5 Star Marine Phuket decided it would be ideal to take our Private Boat, Lucus 1 out of the water for yearly maintenance.  During this maintenance period, we did a deep clean on Lucus 1.

What Is A Deep Clean?

All fixtures and fittings from the private boat were removed.  This includes seats, roofs, masks, snorkels, life jackets, and more.  We removed everything off the boat and cleaned all of these fixtures and fittings in anti-bacterial solutions.  Once they were cleaned in the anti-bacterial solution we then cleaned them again per our normal process.

We wanted to be 100% sure that we had completely removed any risk of contamination.  Now while we say this it’s important to note that we have no record of any guests, staff, or crew contracting Covid19 and we stay regularly in contact with our guests.

In addition to cleaning the fixtures and fittings of the private boat, we also took the time to use an anti-bacterial solution to clean the boat itself.  This combined with the fact that we sanded back to our base original paint and then re-painted the boat means that Lucus 1 is one of the cleanest and newest looking Private Boats in Phuket.

 

Lucus 1 Private Boat Refurbishment Photos

private boat lucus 1 renovation and covid-19 deep cleaning
private boat lucus 1 renovation and covid-19 deep cleaning
private boat lucus 1 renovation and covid-19 deep cleaning
private boat lucus 1 renovation and covid-19 deep cleaning

We look forward to seeing you all back onboard Lucus 1 and conducting Private Boat Tours once this Covid19 period has passed.

Stay Safe and Stay Healthy.

What Are The Best Private Boat Tours For Young Children?

As a father of a 7-year-old boy, I understand what it’s like to take Children out on tour as a parent.  Lucus, my son, has been coming out on boats since he was 6 months old and I’ve found that as he gets older the kinds of tours that he can join the change.

Based on my personal experience with my son Lucus and the children we’ve had on board here is what we would recommend in terms of Private Boat Tours for young children.

 

Lucus On A Private Boat
Lucus On Board At 7 Years Old

Age 6 Months to 2 Years Old – Private Boat Tours

At this age, your child is most probably too young to really experience any of the tours so the tour selection should come down to something that you would like to see and is safe for your child as well.

Generally, this means you should consider a tour into Phang Nga Bay / James Bond Island as the water is calm, the speed of the Private Boat slower, and the chance of bumps during your ride considerably less.  Also, Phang Nga Bay tours can be done in as little as 3hrs if you wish to push through the tour between nap and feeding times.  In our experience, though you can have your child nap on our large outdoor cushions or in your pram/stroller.

A secondary location that also offers a similar level of safety and sea conditions would be Hong Krabi.  This location also offers the ability for you to snorkel whereas Phang Nga Bay does not.

 

Kids On A Private Boat Tour
Some Fun On Board Lucus 1

Age 2 Years Old – 6 Years Old – Private Boat Tours

At this age, your child needs to be kept engaged with multiple new things to see, explore, and do otherwise they may become agitated on tour.  My son from 2-4 years old, personally loved the Phang Nga Bay Private Tour, Khai Island Private Tour, Raya Island Private Tour, and Hong Krabi Tour.

As he got older, around 5-6 Years old his preference moved towards Phi Phi Island Private Tours as there was more to see and he was a confident swimmer.  Again it’s important for her to time stops frequently and use our outdoor cushions for nap time.

 

7 Years And Above – Private Boat Tours

Generally, any tour would be suitable for a child of 7 years and above.  Just check on sea conditions prior to departing as one negative experience with a child could ruin any future chances of going on a Private Tour.

 

What Is A Traditional Phi Phi Island Private Boat Tour?

Often when we are discussing with potential clients a Private Boat Charter to the Phi Phi Islands we are asked what is a traditional Phi Phi Island tour.  Our answer is generally direct and maybe a little confusing for our guests.  You see, we say we don’t have a traditional Phi Phi Island tour, every single tour we run out to Phi Phi Island is unique, customized, and tailored to the customers on the Private Boat.

As a Private Boat Charter company, we encounter a wide range of guests.  We have guests who love snorkeling, guests who want to see reef sharks, guests who want to snorkel from the boat, guests who want to snorkel from the beach, guests who want to sightsee.

Camel Rock At Phi Phi Island

Due to the wide range of guests we have and the wide range of tours they wish to experience we build a custom program for every single guest.  When building that program for a Phi Phi Island tour we consider the guest’s desires, the sea conditions, the water clarity, and the wind direction.

If the wind is coming from a certain direction it may make sea conditions more pleasant in different areas of Phi Phi Island.  So this is why every single time that we run a Private Charter Boat to Phi Phi Island we take a different course, we stop at different locations and we time the tour differently.

What Can You Expect From A Phi Phi Island Private Boat Tour?

Instead of giving an EXACT plan of what we will see and do at Phi Phi Island, we allow our guides and captains to have complete flexibility on the day.  With that said there are a few things we can guarantee you’ll have the opportunity to experience.  Those things include 2 or more wonderful snorkeling spots, 1 or more great beaches for relaxing, 1 or more spots to view the local monkeys, 1 or more beautiful lagoons, and a quiet spot for lunch.

Quiet Lunch Spot At Phi Phi Island

If you’d like to find out more about a Phi Phi Island tour, simply contact us and we’d happily discuss how we can customise a Private Boat Charter to Phi Phi Island for you.

Corona Virus And Phuket Private Boat Tours

All parts of the world are concerned about the current Corona Virus health crisis, which is fully understandable considering the quick growth of the virus and the uncertainty it is creating.

Here at 5 Star Marine Phuket, we have been taking steps to help our local staff, local suppliers, and local operators to prepare for an extended period of low to no charters.

As a tourism driver island, Phuket is feeling the effect of international flight cancellations and government-mandated travel bans. With that said the locals and us believe that this momentary dip in travel will be for the greater good.

It gives us a chance as a company to reflect on what we can do to improve our business, clean up the popular areas of Phuket and prepare better tourism management plans in the future.

For those travelers who were affected by the Corona Virus here at 5 Star Marine, we are extending a full refund as the Corona Virus was in no way something that you have or had control over. For a refund please contact us via email and we will advise you of the simple process.

We do hope though, that as things recover that you choose to come back and visit Phuket and book a Private Boat through us here at 5 Star Marine.

During this quiet time, our staff is dedicating their time to maintenance, cleaning, and stock management. While the English-speaking management and guides are volunteering to help tourists navigate visa issues as well as finding flights home.

Stay safe during this period!

With Love

Shaun, Lisa, Tony, Nut, Jin, Got, Lift, and Omar

Is It Possible To Request Beachside Or Hotel Pick Ups?

By default, any private boat tour booked with the 5 Star Marine team direct will include a transfer from your hotel across to our pier.  For those of you who are looking for something a little more VIP or Unique, we offer a Hotel and/or Beachside pick-up.

For a small additional fee, we will move our boat from our pier up to your hotel or beachside and pick you up directly.  This saves on transfer time and provides a unique and often romantic experience for you and your fellow guests.

Recently we have completed hotel pick-ups from Trisara Resort, The Surin, Panwa, Surin Beach, and Bangtao Beach to name just a few.  If you are looking for ways to customize your tour and make it unique just ask us. 

Nothing is too much for us and with our team of experienced captains and guides, we can navigate most beaches and hotel pick-ups.  All you need to do is ask!

Book Tours Before Arriving Or On Arrival To Phuket?

I often see people asking whether they should book tours before arriving in Phuket or on arrival at Phuket at the street vendors.  Whenever someone posts something like this the local community has different thoughts, ideas, and advice for the person writing the post.

After 11 years here booking tours myself, being part of a tour company, and also running a private boat marine business my advice is a little conflicted.  If you plan to do a group tour, then generally you will find it best to book once you arrive in Phuket as you can compare prices at different agents.

The only exception to that is if you wish to book one of the premium tour providers like Phuket Sail Tours or Simba Tours.  These companies generally book out well ahead of time and as such it’s best to at least reserve a spot prior to arriving.

So if you plan to book a group tour that sits in the “general” category and not in the small group or VIP tour category then I would strongly recommend to you that you should research before you arrive and then book on the ground.

We Recommend Booking Private Boats In Advance

But if you are booking with a popular tour provider in the VIP or Small Group category then I would suggest that you reserve.  Then when it comes to Private Boats you should also reserve the boat if you wish to go with a reputable private boat provider.

For example here at 5 Star Marine, we pre-sell more than 75% of our month weeks or months in advance as we are a popular and reputable provider.  If you land in and try to secure a private boat you may not get the date you want, the price you want, or even the boat you want.

If you’d like more advice feel free to contact us.

Does 5 Star Marine Do Group Tours?

We receive a lot of inquiries via Facebook, WhatsApp, and Email from Solo travelers looking to join tours with 5 Star Marine.  While we are aware that the experiences that we provide are extremely unique and memorable it’s important to understand that they are this way as no tour is the same.

We customize each tour to the customers on the boat.  If our customers love to snorkel then we go to multiple snorkeling locations.  If our customers love to relax on the beach, we go to multiple quiet and idyllic beach locations.

To do this kind of customized tour means that we are limited to just Private Tours.  This means it’s just you and your traveling companions on the boat with our crew and guide.

Now for a Solo Traveller, this can be expensive as you are not splitting the cost with other travelers or with your family.  The reality is if you compare our company, 5 Star Marine, to a typical group tour company we are more expensive.

But at a group tour company, you’ll have anywhere from 25 to 75 people on the boat.  So if you have 75 people all paying 1300 THB per person then these group tour companies are making significantly more than us as a Private Boat Tour provider.

The reason we decided to do only Private Tours is we can craft, and execute programs that suit just you and ensure 100% satisfaction 100% of the time.  This is why we receive 5 Star Trip Advisor and Facebook Ratings and people rave about what we do.

We are customizing the tour for you and ensuring that you have the most memorable time we can give you.

What Is The Difference Between A James Bond Island Private Boat Tour and A Phi Phi Island Private Boat Tour?

Generally, when we receive inquiries about private boats we are asked what is the difference between James Bond and Phi Phi Island. The immediate response out of our mouths is they are night and day tours.

The tours while taking place on the water are two completely different tours. For example, the James Bond Island Private Boat Tour takes place in lagoon-like water. There is very little clarity around the waters of James Bond (or Phang Nga as it is known locally). When you go on a James Bond Island Private Boat Tour you go to look at the wonderful limestone rocks, stalactite formations, hidden caves, lagoons, and of course the famous James Bond Island.

But when you go to Phi Phi you go see the crystal clear water, the white sandy beaches, the colorful marine life, rocky outcrops, and if you are really lucky maybe a reef shark or two. The Phi Phi Island Private Boat Tour is really about seeing what’s under the water, as well as what’s above whereas the James Bond Island Tour is about seeing what’s above the water.

Both tours are equally as beautiful, you just need to decide what kind of tour you want, do you want to go swimming, snorkeling and sitting on white sandy beaches or do you want to go sightseeing, sea canoeing and cave exploring?

If you are the adventurous type then you can do BOTH Phi Phi Island and James Bond Island at one time on a Private Boat.

What Is The Average Group Size On A Private Boat Tour In Phuket?

Often we are asked when we are out with clients what is the average group size we work with on our Private Boat. The answer is generally between 2 and 6 people. We find that generally, our clients wish to explore the islands (like Phi Phi or James Bond) at their own pace, with their own space and the freedom to choose to stay, go, or even sleepover if that’s what they want.

A true private boat like 5 Star Marine is a boat that is designed to be flexible to you, what you want and to ensure we deliver the best experience that you could possibly have on the day.

You want to stay longer on a beach with no problems, you want to snorkel 4 times no problems, you don’t want to get wet, no problems.

Customized Private Boat Tours

There is literally nothing we cant do to customize our Private Boat Tours for you and this generally appeals to couples looking for something romantic, young families worried about kids getting tired of people who have visited Phuket before and just want to avoid the crowds and visit the best destinations at the best time.

So while our main Private Boat, 5 Star Marine Lucus 1 can hold up to 35 people we generally do not run the boat full and just create a luxurious space and environment for you and your family to enjoy the entire boat.