Phuket, Pattaya or Koh Samui?
The quarter closed well and you want one day at sea for the team. Choose the coast by the month and by where your group already is. Pattaya is the nearest sea to Bangkok, about 1 hour 55 from Suvarnabhumi by car (checked November 2026). Phuket gives you Phang Nga Bay and Phi Phi, the most dramatic scenery of the three. Koh Samui suits a group already on the Gulf side.
Pattaya: best for a day out from Bangkok; nearby islands; boats all year when the sea allows.
Phuket: limestone islands of Phang Nga Bay and Phi Phi; the Thai Meteorological Department's figures show the Andaman side is dry from December to March.
Koh Samui: calm bays and Ang Thong; the Gulf side is driest from February to April and wettest in November.
Phuket's Ao Po Grand Marina describes itself as the island's superyacht marina and a base for charter fleets, at the gateway to Phang Nga Bay. Our Thailand yacht charter page shows the boats on each coast. Tell us the coast and the month, and we send the boats that fit.
How many guests can one boat take?
Count heads before you pick the boat. Under the Navigation in Thai Waters Act, the Marine Department says, a boat carrying more than 12 passengers is a passenger vessel. No boat may carry more passengers than its licence states. That one rule sets the size of boat your group needs.
For 12 or fewer, our pick is a motor yacht or a sailing catamaran: room on deck, and the whole group in one conversation. Larger groups take a bigger licensed boat, or two boats that sail together and meet for lunch. We describe boats by builder and length only, such as a Princess 65, and send the real deck and cabin photos before you decide.
What a corporate yacht day costs
In Pattaya, a private boat day starts from ฿49,000 for 8 hours, for up to 16 guests, with VAT included. Catamaran and motor yacht prices depend on the boat, so we quote them on request. Phuket and Samui charters are quoted too, once we know the date, the hours and the group size.
Several things move the price: the boat's size and age, the hours, and high season against low season. Catering and drinks count, as do extras such as a DJ, a photographer or a second tender. National park fees are paid per person on the day. We tell you honestly which extras earn their cost and which do not.
A typical client or team day
Example plan (an example of what we arrange, not a fixed route): you board at the marina in the morning and sail to an island. You swim, snorkel and eat lunch on board. Then you run home for sunset, the best hour of the day. The Pattaya boat day runs for 8 hours, which leaves time for two islands and an unhurried lunch.
In Phang Nga Bay, the Tourism Authority of Thailand lists the Ao Phang Nga National Park fee at ฿300 for a foreign adult. Around Phi Phi, TAT lists ฿400 for a foreign adult. Inside the parks, boats moor only at buoys or piers and slow to 3 knots near shore and reefs.
For a client day, keep it gentle: one swim stop, a long lunch and time to talk business. For a team day, add kayaks, paddleboards and a beach game. Our Phuket yacht charter and Pattaya yacht charter pages list the routes.
Branding, catering and entertainment on board
A company day can carry your brand quietly. We arrange branded flags, towels and drinks labels, a chef who cooks lunch on board, and a DJ or acoustic musician. For Muslim guests, ask for halal food: the Central Islamic Council of Thailand authorises the halal logo, so ask to see the caterer's certificate.
A photographer on board gives you the team photo, edited and delivered in about 48 hours. A drone needs registration with NBTC and CAAT, plus permission from the park when you are inside a national park.
Rules for a company day at sea
Check the date and the rules before you sail. Alcohol sales stop on Buddhist holy days, which fall on 21 February, 20 May, 18 and 19 July and 15 October 2027 (expected). Ask whether drinks can be served on board that day before you set the date.
Every guest wears a life jacket on the tender and when the captain asks. Sunscreen with oxybenzone, octinoxate, 4-MBC or butylparaben is banned in all national parks, with fines up to ฿100,000, the Department of National Parks says. The captain makes the final weather call on the morning.
Contracts, invoices and weather terms
Companies need clean paperwork, so we keep it simple. You get one invoice from VIP Luxury Services Co., Ltd., with 7% VAT inside every price. You pay 50% with the booking and the balance 1 day before the boat day. The deposit goes to our registered company account against a written, itemised quote, never to a personal account.
If the captain cancels for weather, we set a new date while you are still in Thailand, or refund the day. The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau offers support for incentive groups of at least 30 international guests staying 2 nights or more. We help with the application. Our incentive trips guide covers the full programme.
Plan it with Tanner
Tanner plans a corporate yacht charter in Thailand as one job: boat, chef, cars and the dinner after, on one quote and one invoice. He matches the boat to your headcount and tells you honestly when a route is not worth the extra hours. Send the date, the group size and whether the day is for clients or the team.
Start with the date and the headcount. We get back to you right away. More company ideas are in our corporate events chapter.
