Private yacht charter in Phuket: 19 crewed yachts with cabins for groups up to 15

The difference between a day boat and a yacht is what happens at one o'clock: on a yacht there is an air-conditioned saloon to eat in, a cabin to put a sleeping child in and a shower after the snorkelling. The 19 boats here all publish an overnight capacity — 4 to 8 guests — which is the operator's way of saying the cabins are real berths and not a sofa. For a day charter that translates into comfort rather than beds; for a two-day charter it means the same boat, the same crew and a night at anchor off Koh Yao or in Phang Nga Bay, which the overnight page covers in detail.

A motor yacht of 42 to 60 ft reaches Phi Phi in forty-five to sixty minutes from the east-coast marinas and is the boat for a group that wants three islands in a day; fuel is inside the rate, which is why the rate depends on the route and the boat's page prices Phi Phi, Racha and Phang Nga Bay separately. A power catamaran covers the same water a little slower with twice the deck and a steadier ride, and is the natural choice for a family with small children or anyone who dislikes the slap of a planing hull. A sailing catamaran is the quietest and the slowest, the right boat for Phang Nga Bay and Koh Yao from Ao Po, and usually the cheapest per metre of deck.

The yachts on this page leave from Royal Phuket Marina, Phuket Yacht Haven Marina, Ao Po Grand Marina, Boat Lagoon Marina, Chalong Pier. From Ao Po Grand Marina and Royal Phuket Marina the first karst of Phang Nga Bay is twenty minutes away and Koh Hong, Koh Yao Noi and the Naka islands make a full day with time at anchor; from the same marinas Phi Phi and Bamboo Island are the long day, an hour each way by motor yacht, with the lagoon of Phi Phi Leh in the morning before the ferries. Racha Yai, Racha Noi and Coral Island are the clear-water day for a yacht based at Chalong or Royal Phuket Marina, with no park fee and the best visibility between December and April.

The dry season from November to April is when these yachts are booked weeks ahead for the Christmas and Chinese New Year fortnights, and the peak columns in the rate tables — most operators define them as a window around 20 December to 20 January — apply; from May to October the same boats sit in their low-season column, Phang Nga Bay and Koh Yao are sheltered, and a second date held free is the sensible plan on the west-coast routes. Payment terms, the deposit and the cancellation notice are the operator's and are printed on each boat's page.