Phuket yacht charter: prices, routes and seasons – Alexandr Kovalev of Horizon Cruises Phuket

Alexandr Kovalev, co-owner of Horizon Cruises Phuket, details what a private yacht rental in Phuket costs in the 2026-27 season, how to choose the boat and the departure point, and what to ask before paying a deposit for a crewed charter.

Alexandr Kovalev, co-owner, Horizon Cruises Phuket

Horizon Cruises Phuket is a private yacht charter company based in Chalong, Phuket, Thailand. Over 12 years it has run around 2,400 charters in the Andaman Sea, and guests rate it 5.0 on Google.

Its three yachts are all over 24m: Technema 89 Say Yes and Ferretti Yachts 80 Sofia depart from Chalong Pier, Beluga 88 from Ao Po Grand Marina. The catalogue adds around 80 boats, from speedboats and catamarans to larger motor yachts and superyachts.

Following is an interview with Alexandr Kovalev, co-owner of Horizon Cruises Phuket. 

TwelvE years on one island 

How did Horizon Cruises Phuket begin?

We started in Phuket with one boat: a Silverton 45 Convertible, an American sportfishing yacht. She took our first charters, and the company grew from there – through returning guests, personal recommendations and the experience of every trip.

Technema 89 (Say Yes)

The principle has not changed. The person who answers a guest’s message should know the boats physically, know the crews by name and be able to say why one itinerary makes more sense than another. That local knowledge is a large part of what guests are booking.

What difference does it make that you run yachts yourselves?

On the day of a charter, it is the difference between a decision and a phone call. On our three yachts we work directly with the crews and prepare the boat ourselves, so if the weather shifts or guests want to change the route, the decision is made on board, immediately. On a partner boat we make that call on the guest’s behalf – one step shorter than booking through a platform in another time zone, but still a step.

Running yachts every day also changes how you look at every other boat. When you deal with engines, generators, antifouling and crews yourself, you learn to look past the photographs and see quickly which yachts are genuinely maintained.

Choosing the boat

Speedboat, catamaran or motor yacht: how should guests choose?

Start with the day you want. A speedboat is the cheapest private boat and the fastest way to distant islands, from THB21,000 a day for four guests, but it is an active day: no saloon, limited shade and in a chop a light hull at speed rides hard. 

Technema 89 (Say Yes)

A sailing catamaran is the cheapest way to take a large group to sea – some carry 35 or 40 guests from THB26,000 for a low-season morning – and the day revolves around one or two anchorages rather than a route. 

A power catamaran adds speed to the same wide, stable platform, from THB39,115 a day, and the faster ones reach Racha Yai and Phi Phi as full days. Motoryachts give the widest choice: from 42-139ft, for six to 50 guests, from THB33,900 a day.

The rule I give guests is simple: catamarans win at anchor; monohulls win in a seaway. If the day is about swimming, lunch and a quiet bay, take a catamaran; if it is about covering distance in comfort, take a motoryacht. And choose the boat for the whole itinerary, not for how it looks in a photograph of a quiet bay.

Can you give an example?

A birthday party for 30 guests: Technema 89 Say Yes takes up to 30 on a day charter and has three decks, so the group spreads across the aft deck, the saloon and the flybridge instead of sitting in one space. 

Technema 89 (Say Yes)

Then the question is what matters most to them. If it is swimming, lunch and being together, a shorter itinerary out of Chalong leaves more of the day for the celebration. If it is particular islands, we talk about passage times and the length of charter that makes them comfortable.

Change one detail and the answer changes. The same yacht sleeps eight, not 30, so an overnight request is a different conversation about a different boat. We settle the format of the trip first and choose the yacht second. 

Phuket yacht charter prices

How much does a private yacht charter in Phuket cost?

In the 2026-27 season, a private boat with crew starts from THB21,000 a day, and a superyacht can cost 20 times that. Every price is for the whole boat, in Thai baht – not a seat on a shared excursion.

Compare like for like: a named boat, a stated route, the same duration and the same number of guests. Yachts of a similar size can differ by two or three times. 

A 27m yacht such as our Technema 89 Say Yes starts at THB140,000 for an eight-hour high-season day trip to Coral Island and Promthep Cape, outside the peak dates. The Princess 78 Maritimus in our catalogue starts at THB320,000, and a 102ft Astondoa at THB440,000.

Technema 89 (Say Yes)

That rate covers 12 guests, and each additional guest is THB 2,000 up to the licensed 30, so a full boat of 30 comes to THB176,000, so under THB6,000 per person. On a large yacht, guest numbers work in your favour.

What moves the price?

Four things: season, route, guest numbers and duration. The route matters because fuel does, so a distant island is priced differently from a day in a nearby bay. Guest numbers matter on the yachts that include 10 or 12 people in the base rate and charge per person above it. Duration matters less than people expect: a half day costs less than a full day, but not half as much, because crewing and provisioning a boat do not halve.

Season is the largest. Across the roughly 40 yachts in our catalogue that publish seasonal rates, the high season from November to April is typically about 10 per cent above the low season, and the peak over Christmas and New Year about another 10 per cent above that; on some yachts each step reaches about 30 per cent. 

Each yacht sets its own peak dates. They start between December 15-22 and end between January 5-20. Some boats do not sell half days or sunset cruises during that period.

What is included in a crewed charter?

With us: the captain and crew, fuel for the agreed route, passenger insurance, drinking water and soft drinks, snorkelling gear and towels. Lunch is included on full days on most boats and generally not on half days, and 7 per cent VAT is included on some boats and added on others, so the quotation should say which.

Beluga 88

National park fees are always separate and paid in cash on the day: THB300 per person for Ao Phang Nga, nothing at Coral Island or the Racha islands, and on Phi Phi the Maya Bay fee only when the boat lands there. 

Paid water toys, a private chef, decorations and crew gratuities are extra as well. Ask for one written quotation with the total for your group, the planned route and the exclusions before you pay a deposit. 

Routes and departure points

Which departure point should guests choose?

The one closest to the route. Phuket has no single harbour for charters. Boats in our catalogue leave from Chalong Pier, Ao Po Grand Marina, Royal Phuket Marina and Boat Lagoon. 

For Phang Nga Bay, Ao Po Grand Marina on the northeast coast is the natural start. Hong Island is about 13km away, Koh Yao about 16km and James Bond Island about 20km, against roughly 53km from Chalong to James Bond Island. Coral Island, the Racha islands and Phi Phi are natural days out of Chalong on the south coast.

Beluga 88

It’s not about ‘which yacht’ but about ‘which yacht, which departure point, which route’. A company that works with real boats answers it immediately, because it knows where each one is berthed.

How much travelling should guests expect?

Coral Island is the shortest island day out of Chalong, which is why it works as a four-hour half day or an unhurried eight hours. Racha Yai makes a half day of four-five hours, and both Racha islands a full eight to nine. Phi Phi is about an hour-and-a-half each way on a fast catamaran. A classic 27m motoryacht cruising at 11 knots takes longer, so it becomes a nine-hour day with an earlier start.

That is a trade, and we explain it before booking. Time in transit in exchange for shade, a saloon and several deck areas. A good itinerary leaves enough time at the islands instead of spending the day moving between them. 

Groups, overnights and celebrations

How many guests can a yacht take?

As many as its licence allows, and the number can depend on the route. A 42ft power catamaran licensed for 20 guests on most routes may be licensed for only 15 on the Phi Phi crossing. That is a licensing and comfort limit, not a suggestion. A group of 18 heading for Phi Phi needs a different boat, and an honest operator says so before taking a deposit.

Beluga 88

Day capacity and overnight capacity are different things. A yacht that takes 30 guests by day sleeps eight, and the deck layout matters as much as the number. Two boats with the same permitted capacity can feel completely different once everyone is aboard.

What does an overnight or a week onboard cost?

On the larger yachts in our catalogue, two days with one night run from THB360,000-770,000 in the high season, and a full week on a 26m motoryacht from about THB1.5 million in the low season to about THB1.9 million in the high. 

It is the way to see Phang Nga Bay and Krabi without returning to the pier every evening. It should be planned around the yacht and the group, rather than treated as a day charter with extra hours added.

What about birthdays, proposals and corporate days?

Choose the boat around the occasion. A company group of 10-50 guests needs licensed capacity first and deck space second. A birthday leans on deck space, music and water toys. 

A proposal or an anniversary suits a two-hour sunset cruise in the bays near the marina, where most of the time is spent at slow speed or at anchor. A DJ, decorations, photography and video are arranged separately, so they belong in the quotation from the start. 

Four questions before a deposit

What should a guest ask before paying a deposit?

Four questions. They take five minutes on WhatsApp and decide how the day goes, and they work on us as well as on anyone else.

Ferretti Yachts 80 (Sofia)

Which boat, exactly? Ask for the name of the yacht, not a category. ‘A 60-foot luxury yacht’ is a promise. A named yacht is a boat with a page, a licence, current photographs and a berth. If the answer is a category, the boat has not been chosen yet – and the one at the pier may not be the one in the photograph.

Who is behind the boat, and who answers on the day? Ask which company holds the licence. In Thailand, a charter operator has a TAT licence number, and it should be easy to find. Ask who your contact is once you are on the water. A good answer is a name and a number that picks up at 7.00am, not an inbox in another time zone. With us that contact is in Phuket, around the clock, and the same office that took your booking is the one that speaks to the captain.

How much in total, and what is not in it? One figure in Thai baht for the whole boat, and the exclusions written out: national park fees, lunch on a half day, alcohol, transfers, water toys, VAT. A ‘from’ price without that list is not a price. Fuel for the route and passenger insurance belong inside the figure, not on a bill at the pier.

Where does it leave from, and what does the day look like? The marina decides how much of the day you spend in transit. Phang Nga Bay from Ao Po Grand Marina, Coral Island, Racha and Phi Phi from Chalong. Ask for the departure time, the stops and the time back: a good day has more hours at anchor than under way.

Ferretti Yachts 80 (Sofia)

A company that works with real boats answers all four quickly and precisely. And ask to see the boat. With us, any yacht in the catalogue can be viewed in person, free of charge, before a deposit, and a viewing at the marina takes about half-an-hour.

Seasons

When is the best time to rent a yacht in Phuket?

November to April is the classic season, with the calmest water and the most reliable forecasts. From May to October, the green season, there are noticeably fewer visitors. The Similan Islands national park closes for the monsoon every year, roughly from mid-May to mid-October, so a Similans itinerary must sit inside that window. 

Phang Nga Bay is sheltered by hundreds of islands and works all year, which makes it the most reliable choice in the green season. 

Superyachts in Southeast Asia

Is Phuket a superyacht destination?

Southeast Asia is becoming one of the most interesting regions for superyacht charter, especially Phuket and the islands around it, and Singapore. The region also hosts major events such as the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, which draws huge numbers of visitors. 

Ferretti Yachts 80 (Sofia)

Phuket itself is one of the best bases in Asia for the dry season. The distances are short, Phang Nga Bay offers flat water among dramatic limestone, and the island’s marinas take large yachts. 

Crew and service

What ultimately makes a charter memorable?

The crew. The captain reads the weather and finds the right bay at the right hour; the deck team makes boarding and the whole day look effortless; the hostess notices what guests need before they ask. The yacht provides the setting. The people looking after it make the day.

Horizon Cruises Phuket is a private yacht charter company in Chalong, Phuket, Thailand, operated by Marine Cruise Andaman Co., Ltd. It arranges private crewed day charters, overnight stays and multi-day itineraries, with support in English, Russian and Thai. TAT licence 34/02188.

info@horizoncruisesphuket.com
horizoncruisesphuket.com