Phuket Sail Tours : Phang Ngan Bay Speedboat Tour Review

Phuket Sail tour

In case you do not know,Phuket is an island surrounded by many little islands and enclaves . That means a trip to Phuket would not be complete until you experience island hopping.

Choosing an island hopping tour is easier said than done, especially when you have kids on tow. There are horror reviews on many island hopping tours that promises overcrowding, harrowing boat rides and hoards of tourist. Thankfully there are a few stand out tours that differ from the masses.

One of them is Phuket Sail Tours.

Happy faces from Phuket Sail tour

Our island hopping experience almost did not materialize. We booked the tour only 2 weeks before our intended dates and was told that it may be full. Thankfully ,they managed to find another boat and thus we embarked on one of the most memorable trips we had for a while.

Let's sail with me.

The tour we selected is the Phang Ngan Bay Speedboat tour. Upon arrival at Phuket Sail Tour , we were greeted by Captian Mark, the Australian founder of Phuket Sail Tour. On first impression, we thought we met Robinson Crusoe.

A jolly man with obvious passion for the sea, he introduced us to the day's itinery. We were told that Captian Mark would occasionally led a tour, but for the day, he is leaving it to one of his trusted lieutenant to lead.

Who is this dude?

Our tour of the day is the Phang Ngan Bay Speedboat tour. Base on the recommendations by Tripadvisor , this tour would be a less bumpy ride and thus suitable for the younger ones.

The tour began at 745 am. However the hotel pick up from Kamala beach was about an hour earlier. With about 20 people on the speedboat including the crew, it was a comfy ride with loads of space !

Island hopping

Phanak Island

Phanak Island

The first stop was Phanak Island where we walk through a long cave with knee high water and one metre tall ceilings at certain parts.

Walking through a cave

The reward, a hidden lagoon on the other land.

Mangrove trees

A spot of untouched paradise filled with mangrove trees and mudskippers.

If you ever get to travel there, look out for the uniquely shaped dolphin rock.

Dolphin Rock

We were lucky enough to spot wild monkeys there. Do note not to feed them as they can get aggressive.

Meanwhile Big C found some shells to start a collection.

Shell collection

It was a great start to the trip. We never knew such places exist and it sets the tone and expectation for the rest of the tour.

Our boat

We had a light snack on boat comprising of satay and fruits. Chilled can drinks are also provided on board and its complimentary.

The satays were exceptionally divine.

Satay

Hong Island

Hong Island

The next stop is Hong Island for our canoeing stop.

This 30 minutes trip take us through the caves of Hong Island.

Canoeing through caves

Don't worry about canoeing, there will be a guide to canoe for you.

Look out for this giant fish rock!

Fish rock

The sight of the open sea through the caves is simply beautiful!

View

James Bond Island

James Bond Island

Our next 'stop' was James Bond Island. Unlike most tours, we did not stop on the island. Given what we could see from the boat, the island is swamped with tourist on the beach. We reckon a stop there would probably take away precious time to explore the rest of the islands, thus had no issue with the itinerary.

Kao Kee-Un Ancient Painting

Ancient painting

En route to Kho Panyi fishing village, we made a stop to view some ancient paintings that are said to be 1500 years old.

Can you spot a dolphin, monkey, dancing lady and more?

Kho Panyi Fishing Village

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It's lunchtime and we made our way to Kho Panyi Village. This is the village famed for producing a champion football team that practise football on a floating platform! 

The village had since upgraded and they have an inland mini soccer pitch now.

Lunch was at the Koh Panyee Village Resturant. We were told that there ar I've 20 restaurants on the floating village.

Traditional Thai food was served. There was sufficient servings of mass an curry, stir fired vegetable , crabs and even french fries for kids amongst others.

The restaurant chosen was a standalone located at one corner of the village. While we were dining there, we were the only 'tourists' , thus it was a quiet and relaxing lunch.

It was only when we took the speedboat out of the island where we spotted rows of restaurants , boats and huge crowds of people on the other end. We were glad to dine at the restaurant chosen for us as it certainly added a more personalised and noncommercial touch to our tour. In fact for most of the stops for this tour, we were mostly alone and hardly see other travelers save for the stop at Hong Island for canoeing.

Krabi Island

Lagoon

After lunch, we made out way to Krabi Island for a dip in one of the beach lagoon.

Snorkels were provided for us to snorkel. The beach itself was shared with another tour group. There were less than 40 pax on the beach, making it a very relaxing spot to chill for us.

Bird's Nest cave

Bird's nest cave

After about an hour spend in the beach, it is time to head back home. Along the way we pass by a birds nest cave as well as bamboo platforms for Sea Gypsies to rest. We stop at an untouched Hong lagoon to take in the beautiful sights before making our way back to Phuket

Hong island

Overall the trip was awesome. It was packed with places to see , new experiences to savour and activities to enjoy. Best of all, it was relaxing and un-rush. Compared to what we read on the web on other similar commercial tour, Phuket Sail Tours provided excellent service and an outstanding itinerary.

The boys even caught a bike back from the pier to the office. Talk about a personal and unique experience. If you are planning a trip to Phuket and plan to island hop, we think Phuket Sail Tours will not disappoint.

Check out their website for more options and do book early!

Ps : This is not a sponsored review. But the experience was too good not to share!

Phuket Sail tour