Once you’ve decided to book a Private Boat Charter with 5 Star Marine your mind naturally wonders what should you bring to the boat to ensure you have a wonderful day?
5 Star Marine – TAT SHA Plus Approved
5 Star Marine pride themselves on continuously striving to remain an industry leader in all areas; and they were in fact one of the first private boat companies in Phuket to be awarded the TAT SHA Certification in 2020, followed by the TAT SHA Plus Certification in 2021.
As the Phuket Sandbox officially reopened to international guests on July 1st, 2021, this means that international travelers can be assured of their safety with 5 Star Marine’s speedboat tours. The Tourism Authority of Thailand awarded 5 Star Marine with this certification, as a tourism-related business on the island; and the Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration Plus Certificate is now proudly held by the company.
The TAT SHA Plus symbol shows customers that the business has been certified as adhering to all public health measures set up for Covid-19 safety. Although it only requires 70% of employees to have been fully vaccinated as part of the “Phuket Must Win” vaccination rollout – 5 Star Marine have gone over and above with 100% of employees having been fully vaccinated.
This private speedboat tour company has taken extensive measures to ensure that its speedboats, staff, crew, policies, and procedures are industry-leading. Not only have they been accredited by the Thai Government by proving they competently following ‘Covid-19 Safe Guidelines and Principles’, but they have also gone the extra mile so that you can rest assured of all aspects of health and safety during this unprecedented time.
5 Star Marine is proud to be one of the first TAT SHA Plus certified tourism services and looks forward to welcoming more domestic and international travelers onboard for once-in-a-lifetime experiences on their private speedboats in 2021.
Private Charter FAQs
Our boats are all 2 engine speedboats. You can view a video walkthrough in the video below. Before you do, here are a few quick FAQs about our boat:
Do we have a toilet on the boat?
- Yes, our boats are all equipped with onboard marine toilets.
Do we have a Bluetooth Speaker on the boat?
- Yes, our boats are all equipped with onboard Bluetooth sound systems.
Do we have an icebox/cooler or esky onboard?
- Yes, we do fill it with water, soft drinks, and ice. You can add to it as you like.
You can watch a walkthrough of our boats and their facilities here:
- Please take a photo of your data page of your passport and save it on your phone, please bring this with you on the day, it is required for your tour insurance.
- Towels (we provide cool face towels, to cool off with, but these are not Beach Towels or used for Drying Off. All hotels on the island provide Beach Towels Or Tour Towels, please request from your hotel.)
- Sunscreen
- Cash – National Park Fees need to be paid in cash. Also some restaurants and outlets on the island require cash. Please bring in Thai Baht. There is no currency exchange available on our pier and the rate on the island is very low.
- Drinks (we provide soft drinks and water, but you are welcome to bring your own alcohol onboard at no additional charge)
- Snacks (fresh fruits will be served)
Lunch – If you wish to stop for lunch then our experienced team can help you decide where would suit your requirements and desired itinerary. Our guides know a number of great restaurants on each tour program and can recommend for you. Alternatively we can organize a beach picnic for your tour; we have a selection of western and Thai sharing dishes to select from. See our menu here.
National Park Fees – Most of our tours do not include National Park Fees. You will need to bring Thai Baht to pay this fee to the Park Rangers on the day. They do not accept card or international currency.
The national park fee is not included in your quoted price. Payment for the national park fee can be made at our office before departure.
Here is a good blog post that outlines the different national parks and there associated costs: National Park Fees – How Much Are They?
You can watch the video here:
The tour timing is flexible. Your guide onboard will help to adjust the timing to suit you on the day. The maximum time onboard is 8 hours. As a guide most of our guests are onboard between 5hrs and 8hrs.
The return time to the pier is flexible, your guide onboard will help to set this with you on the day. As a guide, most of our tours return to the pier between 3pm and Sunset.
We recommend coming to the pier minimum 30 minutes before departure. This will give you time to discuss your day luxury tour requirements with your guide to ensure you get the most out of your day.
Yes, we include private minibus transfers from your hotel / villa / residence to the pier for your private speedboat (unless specifically requested otherwise).
As your boat hire with us is private, timing on your tour is flexible. If you are an early riser and wish to get out early, we can accommodate that. If you prefer a leisurely breakfast and to get out later we can do that as well.
Our Guide Team recommend to avoid the crowds a pick up from your hotel at either 06:30 AM or 09:30 AM. This allows us to design your tour program to miss the group tours.
Please note that some of our tours will have specific timing recommended.
For example our Bioluminescence and Phi Phi and James Bond combined tour have different recommended times.
This will be detailed in your confirmation email.
Our pier is in Boat Lagoon, you can find our location on Google Maps here.
73, 20, Tambon Ko Kaeo, Amphoe Mueang Phuket, Chang Wat Phuket 83000, Thailand
If you are transferring to the pier on your own, please show this to your driver:
73,20, ตําบลเกาะแก้ว, อําเภอเมืองภูเก็ต, วัดภูเก็ต 83000, ประเทศไทย
You will get only a ‘suggested’ itinerary, and this is why; when you arrive at the pier we will talk through the day plan, and make suggestions (because there are variables outside of our control like the sea, wind condition, and tide, etc.) Our concept is a joint idea between you and your guide on the day, for the best experience.
For example, if the tide is high on your Phi Phi private luxury tour date, we suggest you go to Phi Phi Ley first (explore Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, go snorkeling near Viking cave), and then in the afternoon head over to Phi Phi Don. However, for a low-tide morning and high-tide afternoon; the itinerary would need to reverse to see Maya Bay at its most beautiful.
This is why the itinerary is suggested, not set in stone. We allow you to add in more snorkeling stops if you please, and take your time; there are no set schedules of rushing for the next stop as you might experience on group tours.
The answer is simple, it is however long you want it to be. As it is a private boat, essentially the boat is yours, and your captain, guide, and crew on the day are there to give you the ultimate day out so they will take into account your requirements and help guide you.
The cost of lunch will vary depending on what you order. You can expect the cost to be similar to a Phuket Restaurant. A good guide is to budget between 100 THB And 700 THB per dish.
We hope to have great weather for your tour. As a private speedboat operator we spend a lot of time studying weather patterns. In the event we predict poor weather for your tour, we would inform you on the morning of your tour. You can then choose to cancel or re-schedule your tour (if available).
Your booking confirmation will include an option to pay a 30% deposit. The deposit is not compulsory. If you prefer you can make payment in full on the day of the tour. Please see our Payment Methods here.
We accept various payment methods for your convenience, including Mastercard, AMEX, Visa, Paypal, bank transfer, or cash. PLEASE NOTE:
- If you choose to pay via Mastercard or Visa please note we charge a processing fee of 5%.
- If you choose to pay via Paypal please note we charge a processing fee of 5%.
- If you choose to pay via American Express Card there is a 5% processing fee.
- If you choose to pay via International Bank Transfer please transfer 7 days before your tour to ensure the funds are received in time.
- If you plan to pay by foreign currency please note that our in-office rate will not be as good as a licensed money exchange. It is best to convert your currency into Thai Baht before paying us.
At 5 Star Marine, we ensure that our customers remain our top priority. Therefore, we offer a flexible cancellation policy; so, if you need to cancel your tour, we will honour all cancellations made 24 hours prior to departure with honest, 100% refunds.
While tipping is not compulsary our team would love a tip if you believe the service was worthy of a tip. When asked what we recommended we would suggest 1,000 THB as a good tip.
The Australian Consulate-General in Phuket (also covering Krabi, Phang Nga and Surat Thani) may be able to assist you if you face issues while travelling.
Visit their website for information about the types of services available to you. The latest travel advice for Thailand can be found on the Smartraveller website.
‘Captain’s Choice’ – A Maximum Flexibility Private Tour
Captain’s Choice is 5 Star Marine’s unique luxury boat tour experience, offering you the perfect combination of maximum convenience plus flexibility. It brings together a new collection of inspired day sea tours tailored to your personal expectations; with an element of surprise thrown in to ensure your day is exactly what you would have wished for.
So, all you have to do is book your VIP boat experience then, simply turn up on the day for your adventure. That’s literally all you need to do! No worrying about where to stop for lunch, what to do first, which order to sightsee or snorkel, where is best for the sea conditions that day – you can leave the hard decisions to our expert Captains and concentrate on enjoying your trip to the deserted paradise islands around Phuket.
Our experienced team of Tour Managers and Captains will ensure you have the perfect day out on the water, and fulfill your expectations to leave you with special lasting memories of your VIP tour with us. We are also TAT SHA Plus approved, so you know that you and your booking are in safe hands.
For the ultimate travel experience, you can trust 5 Star Marine’s ‘Captain’s Choice’ to bring you itineraries that are only available to small and private booking groups and not offered with any other boat tour company.
We have already taken a number of international bookings, so don’t delay and book your ‘Captain’s Choice’ luxury day out now, to enjoy the bespoke selection of untouched paradise locations on offer.
Contact 5 Star Marine on Facebook to book.
46800 Meals Distributed In The Last 14 Days
As Covid continues to restrict the local Phuket economy our team here at 5 Star Marine, lead by Shaun Stenning continues to dig deep and help the community. The third wave of Covid created more devastation than any other wave has.
This means that our team has had to step up and deliver more life bags and meals than ever before. Take a quick look at the last 14 days in review:
Paradise in Phi Phi
Phi Phi is infamous in the Phuket region, with one of its iconic islands featuring in the 2000 movie, “The Beach” with Leonardo DiCaprio.
A Phi Phi private tour with 5 Star Marine offers crystal clear tropical waters with stunning coral reefs to produce fantastic snorkeling, abound with marine life. Plus, the spectacular and well-known Maya Bay is a must-stop spot for some snaps. Move onto a quiet picnic spot on the white sand of Monkey Beach, and experience the stunning Pileh Lagoon for a truly memorable day out. Pileh Lagoon is the perfect spot to cool down and take a dip in the turquoise waters whilst admiring the cove-like canyon which literally cuts into Phi Phi Leh.
Star Marine ensures that you discover the area in the best possible conditions, with the least number of tourists, and also get to discover hidden coves and caves that you will not experience on group tours.
Your day in the paradise that we refer to as Phi Phi could look something like this:
- Photos at Maya Bay
- Swimming at Pileh Lagoon
- Stopping at Monkey Beach
- Picnic lunch at Loh Lana Bay Beach
- Snorkelling at Nui Beach
New Offices, Same 5 Star Service
We are excited to announce that we have been keeping ourselves busy in the last few days by taking a giant (out of water) leap and moving into our brand-new office space. This has been a natural progression for us, as we continue to expand our business to meet new domestic and international market demands.
Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 situation, we are not able to do our grand opening just yet and invite you all to see our new space; however, with our tours now resuming, and international bookings coming in, plus our valued customers coming into our offices it is important you all know where we are now located.
Don’t worry, we are still based in Boat Lagoon, Phuket; and to make things easy we have remained on the same side of the pier, just a little further down (about 150 meters) in our new two-story glass office.
We are just settling into our new space, and as we all know things take a little time to get just right, but we hope to welcome you for the grand opening as soon as we are able to.
Please follow the Google Maps link below to meet us for your tour, or feel free to drop by if you fancy saying hello and seeing the team!
Closure Notice
IMPORTANT NOTICE: As of today (Sunday 18th April) 5 Star Marine are pausing all tours for 14 days, in line with the brand-new Government requirement announcement. In summary, these new guidelines outline that:
1. Restricted Activities – underwater pursuits are prohibited, including snorkeling/diving;
2. Restricted Areas – Phuket is a ‘red zone’ which means our speedboats cannot access Phi Phi and Krabi areas, etc.
To make these newest requirements as seamless as possible for all our customers, please get in touch and we will honor all cancellations (no matter how far in advance) with honest, 100% refunds. Please rest assured we are doing everything possible to keep everyone safe, and the Government provincial team will be cleaning our pier, boats, and office, plus all staff members are receiving the PCR Covid-19 test.
Throughout this challenging time, we will continue to maintain and support our staff and community donation programs – We understand that the community needs us now. . . more than ever.
