What a Year!
We know that uncertainty remains at unprecedented levels globally, but we wanted to take a moment to look back on all the positive experiences from the last year, to realize how far we have come – and wow what a year it has been for us.
We took time to regroup and focus on reprioritizing our efforts in the last 12 months, and this meant rolling up our sleeves and getting busy. We re-evaluated in order to understand where new opportunities could open up for us and where they made sense. We continued supporting the vulnerable communities and the people around us via our charity efforts. We focused on the upside wherever we could see or create one. We wanted to look at where we could add value to our community and what we should be doing during this time.
All in all, we are feeling positive about the future and wanted to share our top positive moments from the last year with you:
1. Adding To Our Fleet
Let’s start with our speedboat fleet, which has doubled in size; we now have a total of 12 Private VIP Speedboats which offer day and multi-night tours out of Phuket and Krabi. We introduced our first VIP Luxury Cruiser, which is a proud extension to our current speedboat fleet and offers a truly unique experience on the water.
2. New Premises
To accommodate our growing fleet size, the domestic market support, and prepare for the return of international tourists, we moved piers and into a new office at Boat Lagoon, Phuket. Our new glass-fronted office is a more welcoming environment for all our loyal VIP customers and future private tours.
3. Once In A Lifetime Experiences
We are humbled and know how lucky our crew, staff, and guests have been in the last year. We had the opportunity to experience Phuket and the Islands like NEVER before. Deserted beaches, empty turquoise lagoons and even being some of the first people to climb the new 3600 Krabi Viewpoint. We made unforgettable memories and feel blessed to have these with us forever.
4. New Tour Options
We introduced overnight and multi-day tours to our Phuket and Krabi markets. This included supplying private guests with island hotel return transfers, and adding new day trip locations such as Koh Ngai, Koh Mook, and Koh Kradan. We also had some exciting and memorable multi-night tours to paradise locations such as Koh Lipe, where our guests experienced manta rays and turtles amongst other stunning marine life.
5. Our Charity Efforts Kept Going
We financed, packed, and delivered over 190,000 Life Bags to support the local, vulnerable communities; not only in Phuket but in the hard-to-reach surrounding islands where help was so greatly needed. Our teams of staff and volunteers have worked tirelessly ordering, packing, managing logistics, and delivering these food-based Life Bags for over 15 months now. Often exhausted from the sheer scale of efforts, our teams have stood strong and kept these efforts going each and every week – We want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has been involved in this critical effort.
Here’s to more positive times ahead in 2021 and beyond.
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
Limited VIP Trips Re-Starting on 1st June 2021
During the last few weeks, our private boat tours have been put on hold to help keep Phuket safe. During this time, we have been able to concentrate on our charity efforts as well as finding safe and responsible ways to get our VIP guests back out on the water. Our piers, boats, and office have all been thoroughly cleaned by Government provincial teams, plus staff members have been PCR Covid-19 tested – and we are happy to report that all of our fantastic team are officially Covid-19 free.
Therefore, from 1st June 2021, we are looking forward to welcoming back our existing VIP guests as we will be re-opening with a range of limited private trips. Please note that all guests will be required to complete a short Declaration Form prior to being accepted on board, and also must comply with all Provincial announcements. These precautions and regulations will enable us to re-open our operations on a smaller scale to keep staff and guests safe.
Re-opening at this point is important to give our staff the opportunity to work again and keep motivated during these difficult times. We also want to give you the chance to explore some exciting destinations whilst the seas are still calm, and the islands are blissfully quiet and beautiful.
From 1st June 2021 we are able to offer private small group tours to the following destinations:
- Raya Islands
- Khai Islands
- Mai Ton Island
- Coral Island
If you would like to book a trip to the aforementioned areas, please get in contact to book and fill in our Declaration Form.
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.
Bon Appetit!
With so many stunning locations on offer with our range of private speedboat tours, you might just want to just sit back, relax and enjoy all the experience has to offer – and not worry about what to pack for lunch, or if restaurants will be open or not.
With this in mind, 5 Star Marine has ensured that all guests can leave the lunch preparations and logistics behind; and instead, enjoy our new expanded range of super convenient and tempting day trip menus.
The new menu features some firm favorite set lunches, as well as the newly added Thai-sharing buffet menu. We cater to vegetarians and meat-eaters alike with a selection of set and buffet lunches on offer.
Here’s a glimpse of some of our menu highlights to get your mouth watering:
- Chicken & cheese sandwich served with crisps
- NEW Thai sharing buffet menu, (a few dishes you can select from including the Green Chicken or Massaman Chicken Curry, Tom Yum, Vegetable Fried Rice, Fried Fish with Sweet Chili Sauce, etc.)
- The Thai-sharing buffet menu is also available as a vegetarian option
For added convenience, all lunch orders are delivered to our pier in Boat Lagoon ready for your boat trip. So, all you have to decide is where to enjoy these delicious options; perhaps on a deserted beach, hidden lagoon, or even at a stunning viewpoint. The team will ensure you can sit back and enjoy your lunch in comfort.
Please click here for the full menu – and remember to order at least 48 hours before your trip by messaging Shaun on 093 720 6221
Bon Appetite!
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.
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.
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.
