How to Choose a Yacht Charter Company in Phuket

To choose a yacht charter company in Phuket, check nine things before you pay: TAT licence, passenger insurance, captain and crew, named boats with a licensed capacity, departure marina, what the per-boat price covers, deposit and cancellation, dated reviews and response time. Horizon Cruises Phuket, with 91 boats from ฿23,900 for 4 to 120 guests from four marinas, is held to the same list below; write to us on WhatsApp with the date and headcount.

The three types of yacht charter companies in Phuket

Search for a yacht charter in Phuket and you will meet three kinds of companies behind similar-looking websites: international booking aggregators, local brokers and owner-operators. The best choice depends less on the boat photos and more on who answers when something needs solving on the day.

International aggregators

Global platforms list hundreds of boats worldwide, Phuket included. Booking feels like a hotel site: wide choice, instant checkout. The trade-off is distance: the platform has never seen the boat, the listing may lag behind reality, and on the day of your charter you deal with a local supplier the platform subcontracted. If weather forces a change of plan, support is a ticket queue in another time zone.

Local brokers

Phuket-based agencies that know the island fleet and resell charters on boats run by other companies. A good broker adds real value: honest advice, local contacts, help in person. The variable is accountability: the broker sells the trip, but the boat, crew and standards belong to someone else, and quality can differ from listing to listing.

Owner-operators

Companies that operate at least part of the boats they sell and employ the crews. Fewer boats than an aggregator, but the company controls what it sells: maintenance, crew training, what is actually on board. When plans change, the decision-maker is the same company you booked with.

What matters when choosing a yacht charter company: the checklist

TAT licence and insurance: the two documents to ask for

A charter company in Thailand sells trips under a tour business licence from the Department of Tourism, still called the TAT licence in Phuket. Ask for the number in your first message and look for it on the company's site; Horizon Cruises Phuket holds TAT licence 34/02188, and the legal entity behind it, Marine Cruise Andaman Co., Ltd., was registered in Phuket on 7 October 2013. A brand that shows no licence number cannot show you who is responsible for the trip.

Two public registers let you check a company yourself. The licence check on the Department of Tourism website, dot.go.th, takes a licence number or a company name and shows the business behind it with its address; the DBD DataWarehouse of the Department of Business Development lists Thai companies with their registration date, directors and status. Run both on us with the licence number and company name above. The boat has a document of its own: a Marine Department licence that sets how many passengers it may carry, and that figure, not the size of the deck, is the licensed capacity a quote should name.

Insurance is the second document. Hull insurance protects the boat; what you need is passenger insurance that covers the guests. On every boat Horizon Cruises Phuket offers, passenger insurance is part of the rate. If a company cannot say whether guests are covered, treat the answer as no.

Captain and crew: every yacht charter in Phuket we offer is skippered

There is no bareboat option on the boats we offer: each one sails with a licensed captain and crew, and guests need no licence or sailing experience. That makes the crew the main variable. Ask who will be on board for your group and which languages they speak; at Horizon Cruises Phuket managers and crews work in English, Russian and Thai, and the office answers 24/7.

Two details separate a crew that knows the water from a listing. At Chalong Pier the captain handles passenger registration, so guests hand their passports to the crew on arrival. At reefs the captains of the boats we offer pick up a mooring buoy rather than dropping an anchor on coral. A company that cannot answer such questions is not the one running the boat.

Fleet size, boat age and licensed capacity: yacht, catamaran or speedboat

A bigger catalogue is only useful if every boat in it is real and current. Count named boats with a length, a licensed capacity and a departure marina, not categories and stock photos. The Horizon Cruises Phuket catalogue has six types with a separate page for each boat: motor yachts, power catamarans, sailing catamarans, speedboats, a sailing yacht and a long-tail boat, from a four-guest day boat to a superyacht with cabins for twenty-two; the table in the price section shows how many of each.

Licensed capacity is the legal limit, and it changes with the format. Leopard 51 Aurora, a power catamaran from Chalong Pier, carries 25 guests on a full day, 35 on a half day and sleeps 8 in four cabins. Ask for the figure that matches your trip; for an overnight yacht charter from Phuket, ask how many cabins the boat has, not how many people fit on the deck.

Boat age matters less than maintenance. Ask when the boat was last refitted and whether the photos are current, and ask to see it: any boat in the catalogue can be viewed before a deposit is paid.

Marina and destination: where the boat leaves from shapes the day

Phuket has four main departure points, and the destination, say Phang Nga Bay or the Phi Phi Islands, decides which one suits you; the boat, not the company, is tied to its marina. Chalong Pier in the south is the usual start for Coral Island and the Racha islands. Ao Po Grand Marina in the north-east has no tide restrictions, is the closest of the four to the airport and is the gateway to Phang Nga Bay and James Bond Island. Boat Lagoon and Royal Phuket Marina on the east coast share a tidal channel, so departure times there follow the tide. Arrive fifteen minutes before departure wherever the boat is.

Ask which marina your boat uses before you book a villa or transfers, and check the route against it: a Phang Nga Bay day from Ao Po, an island hopping day to the south from Chalong. Our guides to yacht charters from Chalong Pier and yacht charters from Ao Po Grand Marina list the boats based at each.

Price per boat: what a private yacht rental in Phuket includes

A private yacht charter in Phuket is priced per boat, not per guest: the rate covers the group up to the headcount shown on each yacht's page. Some boats include a set number of guests in the base rate and charge per extra guest; Technema 89 Say Yes, for example, includes 12 guests and adds ฿2,000 for each extra guest up to 30. Compare companies on the same boat, date and duration, and insist on one final figure in writing.

On every boat Horizon Cruises Phuket offers, the rate includes the captain and crew, passenger insurance, water and soft drinks, snorkelling gear and towels, plus fuel for the agreed route except where a yacht's page lists a fuel fee. Lunch, alcohol, water toys and the hotel transfer depend on the boat. National park fees at the Phi Phi Islands, in Ao Phang Nga and at the Similan Islands are paid in cash, per person, with children at a reduced rate, unless the yacht's page lists them in the rate; the parks revise their rates from time to time, so we confirm the current figures with your quote. The full list is on the what's included page.

Starting rates per boat at Horizon Cruises Phuket for the 2026/27 season, by type, with the number of boats and the day-guest range in each category:

Boat by boat, with every rate: yacht charter prices in Phuket.

Deposit, balance and cancellation

Most boats take a 50% deposit with the balance before departure; some boats are paid in full at booking; late cancellation is non-refundable, and the exact terms are on each yacht's page and on the terms page. Peak dates, when the terms are strictest, differ by boat and are shown on each yacht's page. Pay a deposit only against a written confirmation that names the boat, the date, the licensed capacity and what is included.

Reviews and response time

Read reviews in three dimensions: the score, the number of reviews behind it and the date of the newest ones. A perfect score from a handful of reviews and a slightly lower score from several hundred tell different stories, and neither means much without a date. Then read a few that name the boat and the captain, and check that the boat, marina and price in the review match the company's pages today. Our Google rating, the review count and the date we checked it are in the comparison of the best yacht charter companies in Phuket.

Response time is the cheapest test. Send the same three questions to three companies: the boat's name, its licensed capacity and the final price for your date. Horizon Cruises Phuket confirms the departure point, licensed capacity and weather policy in writing before you book and sends matching boats with one final price in Thai baht. A company that takes days to name the boat will not be quicker on the morning the weather turns.

Red flags

• the "final" price grows after you commit: fuel, ice or snorkelling gear appearing as extras;
• no physical address or local phone in Phuket;
• guest capacity quoted well above what boats of that size normally carry;
• full prepayment demanded to an unverifiable account;
• no clear answer on what happens in bad weather;
• a per-person price for a private boat with no boat name attached;
• no TAT licence number anywhere on the site.

Luxury yacht or superyacht in Thailand: what to ask the broker before booking

On a luxury yacht or a superyacht the checklist above still applies, and five questions deserve a written answer before any deposit. Who holds the charter contract: the company you pay, the yacht's central agent, which the owner appoints to manage its charters, or another agent further down the chain? That decides who returns the deposit if the yacht cannot sail. Is the yacht licensed to carry paying guests in Thai waters, and for how many on a day trip and overnight? How many crew sail with the guests, and is a chef among them? Is the quote the full price for the boat, or a base rate with fuel, food and drinks billed afterwards? And does the passenger insurance cover guests on the tender and the water toys as well as on board?

A broker who has been on the yacht answers all five on the first call and offers to show it before the deposit. At Horizon Cruises Phuket each luxury yacht and superyacht has its own page with its specifications, licensed capacity and a price per boat that covers the group up to the headcount shown on each yacht's page, with fuel for the agreed route except where a yacht's page lists a fuel fee. The yachts and their starting rates are on the luxury yacht charter and superyacht charter pages.

Where Horizon Cruises Phuket stands

So that you can apply the same checklist to us: Horizon Cruises Phuket has worked from Chalong, Phuket, for thirteen years and has completed around 2,400 charters. Our three yachts, Say Yes, Ferretti 80 Sofia and Beluga 88 (renovated in 2026), leave from Chalong Pier and Ao Po Grand Marina; every other boat in the catalogue is a partner boat with a separate page, its licensed capacity and its price. Prices on the site are final guest prices in Thai baht with fuel for the stated route included, or with the fuel fee shown where a yacht's page lists one; departure point, licensed capacity and weather policy are confirmed in writing before you book. The company's story and licence are on the about page; how Horizon compares with five other Phuket companies by rating, marina and published price is in the comparison article linked above.

Compare us by the criteria above: start with the motor yacht charter in Phuket page, the sailing catamaran charter page or a luxury yacht charter in Phuket, or ask any of the checklist questions on WhatsApp.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best yacht charter company in Phuket?

The one that passes the checklist for your trip: a published TAT licence, passenger insurance, a named boat with a licensed capacity, a per-boat price in writing and a reachable office in Phuket. Aggregators win on choice, brokers on local advice, owner-operators on accountability. Our comparison of six Phuket companies by format, marina, price and Google rating is in the best yacht charter companies in Phuket article.

How much does a yacht charter in Phuket cost?

Per boat, in Thai baht: the cheapest private boat is the long-tail in the table above; sailing catamarans start at ฿25,900, motor yachts at ฿33,900, power catamarans at ฿35,900 and luxury yachts of 60 to 90 feet at ฿100,000. The figure covers the boat for the group up to the headcount shown on the yacht's page, with crew and insurance, and fuel unless the page lists a fuel fee; lunch on short charters is extra, and so are park fees unless the page lists them in the rate.

Is it cheaper to book through an aggregator?

Not necessarily. Platforms add a margin on top of the local price, and headline prices often leave out items a local operator includes, such as fuel, soft drinks or the hotel transfer where the boat includes it. Compare the final all-in price per boat for the same boat and date, not the headline number.

How far in advance should I book in Phuket?

For the high season, November to April, the popular boats go early, especially larger yachts and the peak dates, which differ by boat and are shown on each yacht's page. Confirm dates as soon as your travel plans are firm: on most boats a deposit holds the date and the balance is due before departure, and some boats are paid in full at booking.

How do I verify a charter company is real?

Check four things: the TAT licence number in the licence check on the Department of Tourism website, the legal entity in the DBD DataWarehouse company register, a physical address in Phuket with a phone that answers, and a written confirmation covering the boat, its licensed capacity, inclusions and weather policy. A real company provides all of this before payment and lets you see the boat.

Do I need a licence to rent a yacht in Phuket?

Not for a skippered charter, which is the only kind Horizon Cruises Phuket offers: the licensed captain and crew come with the boat, the company holds the tourism licence and guests need no qualification. A licence is needed only for a bareboat charter, where you skipper the yacht yourself; the companies that offer bareboat weeks set the sailing experience they require.

What size yacht should I book in Phuket?

Start from the licensed capacity for your format, then leave room: a boat licensed for a large group on a half day can feel crowded with the same group over a full day. Small groups fit a speedboat or a compact motor yacht; larger groups the wide deck of a sailing catamaran or power catamaran; a luxury yacht adds cabins and a larger crew. Send us the headcount and we will send boats that match.

Should I book a day charter or an overnight yacht in Phuket?

Book a day charter for one or two destinations and a group that sleeps ashore: Coral Island, the Racha islands, Phi Phi or Phang Nga Bay each fit a full day. Book an overnight charter for the farther islands, such as the Similans in the high season, or for a quiet anchorage after the day boats have left. Only yachts with cabins take overnight trips, and the overnight rate covers the group up to the overnight headcount shown on each yacht's page.

Is a yacht better than a catamaran in Phuket?

They do different jobs. A sailing catamaran is the most stable option for families and longer island days; a power catamaran gives the same wide, stable deck with the speed of a motor boat; motor yachts run from compact day boats to large flybridge yachts with cabins for overnight trips.

Can the yacht route change on the day?

Yes. The captain decides on the day whether the sea allows the planned route, and in the low season, May to October, routes favour sheltered Phang Nga Bay. Ask what happens if the captain cancels the departure, and get the weather policy in writing; at Horizon Cruises Phuket it is confirmed before you book, and the itinerary is agreed before departure.