Almost everything we charter is private: you take the whole yacht and set the route. The Best of Andaman is the exception — a six-day, five-night sailing voyage sold by the cabin, leaving Phuket every Sunday. This is what the trip involves, what it costs and who it suits.
What is a join-in cabin charter?
It means booking a cabin on a scheduled departure rather than a whole boat. You share the yacht, the crew and the itinerary with the other guests on board. On this voyage the yacht is Amadeus, a sailing catamaran with four double guest cabins and a crew of three: a captain, a cook/stewardess and a deckhand/engineer.
Four cabins keeps the group small, and because the dates and route are fixed, the per-person price sits well below what a private multi-day charter costs when there are only one or two of you. How cabin charter works →
Where does the route go?
It is a loop south and east of Phuket: out through Koh Maiton to Phi Phi, down to Koh Lanta and Koh Muk, offshore to Koh Rok and Koh Haa, then back through Phi Phi Leh and home by way of Racha Yai.
Day 1: Koh Maiton and Phi Phi Don
Everyone meets at Klong Bar at 10:30 on Sunday. There is a drink, introductions and a briefing while the crew loads the bags, and then the yacht heads for the bay at Koh Maiton for the first swim and a Thai buffet lunch. A slow lap of the island follows — bottlenose dolphins are sometimes seen here — before an evening wandering the village on Phi Phi Don and dinner back on board.
Day 2: The viewpoint and Koh Lanta
The Phi Phi viewpoint is worth the early alarm; the hike is not hard. After breakfast the sails go up for Koh Lanta, and anyone who wants to learn how the boat works can. The afternoon is water sports and a walk of about an hour and a half to a waterfall, and the evening is the only dinner off the boat: a beach restaurant, often with a fire show.
Day 3: The Emerald Cave and Koh Rok Nok
An early start gets the group to the Emerald Cave at Koh Muk, with its hidden beach inside. Lunch and snorkelling are at Koh Rok Nok. If the park rangers allow it, dinner is a barbecue on the sand.
Day 4: Koh Rok, Koh Haa and Phi Phi Leh
A morning climb on Koh Rok for the view, then a sail to Koh Haa, known for its snorkelling. The day finishes at Phi Phi Leh with the kayaks and paddleboards out at sunset — and, after dark, a swim in bioluminescent water.
Day 5: Maya Bay and Racha Yai
Early birds go in to see Maya Bay; the rest snorkel along the cliffs. After breakfast it is a sail across to Koh Racha Yai for more time in the water, a last sunset and the final dinner on board.
Day 6: Back to Phuket
One more swim, then every sail goes up for the run home to Chalong Bay. With the wind behind it, this is usually the best sailing of the week.
What is life on board like?
Cabins come in two types: ensuite, with a private bathroom, and non-ensuite, sharing a head and shower. Linen, bath towels and swimming towels are provided. The shared space is the saloon, the covered cockpit and the trampolines up forward, which is where most people end up at sunset.
Food is a large part of the trip. The cook prepares Thai dishes every day, with fresh fruit, seafood and snacks in between. Full board covers five breakfasts, five lunches and four dinners; the fifth evening is the night ashore on Koh Lanta, where you pay the restaurant directly.
On the water there is snorkelling gear with fins in a range of sizes, two paddleboards and two kayaks shared between the guests, and handlines for fishing; the crew trolls a line on passage. Coffee, tea and drinking water are included. Soft drinks, beer, wine and cocktails are sold on board.
How much does it cost?
Rates are per person, in euros, for the full six days. For two people sharing, a non-ensuite cabin is €1,299 each on departures from 25 October to 13 December 2026 and again in April 2027, €1,599 from 20 December to 21 February, and €1,499 from 28 February to 28 March. An ensuite cabin is €100 more per person on every date. The last departure of the season, on 3 May 2027, drops to €999 non-ensuite and €1,099 ensuite.
Travelling alone, you take a double cabin for sole use: from €1,799 in the early season, €2,599 from 20 December to 21 February and €2,499 from 28 February to the end of April, with ensuite again €100 more.
What that leaves: flights, hotels and the transfer to the meeting point; national park and entrance fees, which come to about ฿1,350 per person if every stop applies; the one restaurant dinner; and drinks from the bar — a soft drink is ฿30, a local beer ฿80, a cocktail ฿290. Every departure date and rate →
Cabin charter or private yacht?
Join in if you are one or two people, want several days at sea, and are happy with a set route and new company. Charter privately if you are a family or a group that would fill the cabins anyway, need particular dates, or want to decide each morning where to go.
It is also worth being clear about the pace. This is a sailing trip, with hikes, early starts for those who want them and passages under canvas — active rather than a floating hotel. Private overnight charters compared →
What should you know before you book?
Departures are every Sunday from 25 October 2026, and the last of the season is 3 May 2027. The group meets at Klong Bar at 10:30; the yacht is back in Chalong Bay on the sixth day, with check-out at 11:00. Getting to Phuket and to the meeting point is your own arrangement.
A few things depend on conditions. The beach barbecue needs the national park rangers’ permission, the fire show depends on the weather, and the order of stops can change with the wind. Paddleboards and kayaks are shared, two of each. Pack light: cabin storage on a sailing catamaran is limited.
Common questions
How long is the Best of Andaman cabin charter?
Six days and five nights. It leaves Phuket on a Sunday morning and returns to Chalong Bay five nights later, with check-out at 11:00.
How much does it cost per person?
From €999 per person for two sharing a non-ensuite cabin on the 3 May 2027 departure. Most departures are €1,299 to €1,699 per person for two sharing, and €1,799 to €2,699 for sole use of a double cabin.
Which islands does it visit?
Koh Maiton, Phi Phi Don, Koh Lanta, Koh Muk and the Emerald Cave, Koh Rok Nok, Koh Haa, Phi Phi Leh and Maya Bay, and Koh Racha Yai, starting and finishing in Chalong Bay, Phuket.
Can solo travellers join?
Yes. One guest can book a double cabin for sole use at the single-occupancy rate, from €1,799 for the six days on early-season departures.
What is included?
Your cabin, a crew of three, fuel and berthing, full board with five breakfasts, five lunches and four dinners, coffee, tea and drinking water, snorkelling gear, shared paddleboards and kayaks, linen and towels. National park fees, bar drinks, restaurant meals, flights and transfers are extra.
