Phuket Boat Lagoon Private Boat Charter Office

During this Covid 19 Season, the 5 Star Marine team has been well supported by the local and domestic markets booking private boats and excursions. Combine this with our Donation program that has seen over 100,000 meals donated by the team we thought it was time to move to a location more central to the areas that we operate from.

During November our team started the cleaning, set up, and operations of a new office for our Private Boat Charters at Phuket Boat Lagoon. Considering the location of Phuket Boat Lagoon, we thought it was strategic as it allowed easy and quick access to our office from all over Phuket.

Whether you are coming from Rawai, Patong, Laguna, or beyond Phuket Boat Lagoon is a centralized location. So when you board for your next tour with 5 Star Marine you will be checked in and prepared for your tour at our newly opened office for our Private Boat Charters.

A huge shoutout to our Administrative and Operations team for setting up the office and making it comfortable for our clients and staff. We welcome you to come to the office at any time for a chat.

Lucus 3 Private Boat Charter Phuket

Here at 5 Star Marine, we have taken the opportunity during Covid to expand our product offerings and also expand our assets.  In the last week, we have been lucky enough to launch our 3rd boat, Lucus 3, into the water and have it out on Charter.

Lucus 3 is similar to our Lucus 1 boat, a very stable boat and capable of doing all trips in all conditions safely.  Lucus 3 is 39.9 feet with a back deck extension ideal for relaxing, fishing, and diving.

With 2 250 HP Yamaha engines powering the boat we are able to cruise to each destination at speed while also maintaining safety.  The crew of Lucus 3 have been working hard to prepare the boat for charter.

The boat comes with an inbuilt Cool Box, Bluetooth Sound System, VIP Matting, and all the fixtures and fittings of Lucus 1 and Lucus 2.  If you are looking for a safe, reliable, and cost-effective Private Boat Charter in Phuket then Lucus 3 is a great addition to the 5 Star Marine team.

What’s Left To Explore? Some Ideas for The Upcoming Christmas Break!

With travel looking like it will still be restricted in the upcoming Christmas break some of us are looking at what we can do to keep our kids entertained and maybe explore something that we have not seen before.

The good news is that in the December / January period we are past the Wet Season and into our Dry Season which means flat seas, clear water, sunny skies, and the opening of all of the national parks around the Phuket area.

As an owner of a Phuket Private Boat Charter company, my recommendations are a little biased but they are based on firsthand experience.

Multi-Day Island Hopping Trip

Over the last past few weeks, we have done trips like this.  Where we pack onto the boat and head off exploring.  Booking accommodation last minute, jumping from island to island, and just living a free life on the sea.

The first trip we did was a 3 Day 2 Night trip that took us to Phi Phi, Krabi, Yao Yai, and beyond.  We had some adventurous customers on board so we went snorkeling, swimming, lagoon hopping, and even went and snorkeled with some reef sharks.

The second trip we did was a 3 Day 2 Night trip that took us to Koh Haa, Koh Rok, Koh Lipe, and Koh Lanta.  A truly stunning trip with some of the most amazing snorkeling that you have ever seen.  If you really want to find the untouched paradises this is the trip for you and it’s suitable for people of all ages.

Koh Haa / Koh Rok / Koh Lipe

Out past, Phi Phi is these 3 paradise islands.  Koh Haa is a beautiful spot for snorkeling where you have a high chance of seeing turtles and other amazing marine life.  The coral reefs are alive with color and marine life.  Do yourself a favor and while the international borders are restricted take a break out to Koh Haa.

Koh Rok is just 35 minutes past Koh Haa and again has the most amazing reef.  You will see heaps of Clown Fish and other amazing varieties.  What we love about Koh Rok is the colorful reef as well as the clear water.

Koh Lipe is a bit of a ride from Phuket, so take a few days to stay over while out there and explore things like 8 Mile Rock and the Black Beach.  See Whale Sharks and more at locations like this.  Truly an idealistic paradise.

Similan Islands / Surin Islands

With the change of season islands like Similan Island and Surin Island open up as possible destinations and are great places for relaxation, snorkeling, and exploration.  Similan is a set of islands and Surin is just a beautiful untouched paradise.

Here are just a few ideas to get you started on what you could be doing this Christmas holiday.  If you would like some custom recommendations just contact us and let us know what you’d like to experience and we will tailor something for you.x

Raya Island, A Special Place In The 5 Star Heart

 

Raya Island also is known as Racha Island or King Island has a special place in the heart of the team here at 5 Star Marine.  You see, the first place that we ever visited on our first ever boat, Lucus 1, was Raya Island.

Raya Island is a favorite location of Shaun and Lisa the Co-Owners at 5 Star Marine.  Prior to owning 5 Star Marine, they would often take short Staycation breaks to the Rayaburi Resort which is located on Raya Island.

When Lucus 1 was coming out of the factory and due to go to water it just happened to be Lisa’s birthday and as a celebration for both the boat and Lisa’s birthday, the very first trip on Lucus 1 was to Raya Island.

Some snorkeling, beach time, and lunch at the Rayaburi Resort were all enjoyed, and then off to Mai Ton where they were lucky enough to see Dolphins.  It was such a wonderful day for the 5 Star team, Lisa, Shaun, and their friends.

This is why Raya Island Private Speedboat Tours have a special spot in the hearts of the 5 Star Marine team here in Phuket.

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

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.