Racha And Coral Island One Day Trip + Sunset By Luxury Catamaran From Phuket

This was amazing value for money! It was a lovely relaxed day spent out at sea and visiting some beautiful islands along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I booked this trip due to 197 reviews on Tripadvisor, most of which were positive, and many of which I fear were faked. The Racha and Coral Island area off the east coast of Phuket are in one of the most beautiful parts of the world. But this trip was anything but luxury. And when you go thru the labyrinth of contractors and subcontractors it’s easy to see why. The companies or entities involved were: OH-HOO Travel, Honeymoon Catamaran Tours to name two that sit under or somewhere relative to Luxury Catamaran. First problem- the pick up. We were told we had to be ready for pickup by 0640. The pick up was more or less on time. The drive not long, but I was charged an extra pick up fee. It was in the fine print so I swallowed it. We then waited for well over 2 hrs at Honeymoon for other people to arrive. We then had another transfer to the pier. A wait there for 30min. We were finally on the boat by shortly before 10am. Second problem- the boat. It’s NOT the one in the photo. It was an old boat that had seen much better days. The toilet was inoperable. The seating limited, the life jackets deficient AND it’s advertised as max 30 pax. There were 45 on our boat plus crew of 6. The boat was overloaded and over crowded. Most seemed to be a Chinese tour group. Third problem- the provided snorkeling equipment was nearly all faulty. I know people don’t look after stuff, but most of the fixes were minor and this was a minor problem. Fourth problem- this old boat only had one speed- SLOW. Maybe it was for passenger comfort. It did get us there and back and had we left by the advertised time we would have been back at the dock earlier. It was about 7-8pm before we got back to the dock and then had to wait for the ridiculous system to get off the main pier. I have 2 stars because the tour people on the boat did try. But they were generally less than the normal Thai pleasant. And who can blame them with the hand they had been dealt? This was a bulk-package-el cheapo experience. There was NOTHING luxury about it.

On Apr 26, 2024 I was doing Racha and Coral Island by a "luxury" catamaran where I'd also see the sunset later in the day (I put luxury in quotations because it wasn’t compared to the other catamarans I saw that day. Some of them were two levels, had tons of pillows, and even some had water slides, our was just a catamaran).  Our first stop was Racha Island. Here we did snorkeling in a very limited area before getting onto the island itself, which we needed a longtail boat for. The scenery was nothing special, so no photos there, but the day only got worse after that. When I returned to the pier at the time they said to get back on the boat, it was gone. Yes, they did leave me behind. Luckily, I had bought a Thai SIM card so I was able to contact the tour company and tell them what happened, it took over half an hour before the boat returned for me. Now, instead of them apologizing, the tour guide literally told me to swim to the boat, which was like 100m away. I had my phone with me, so I said no. They then got a longtail boat to take me to the boat, but before I even stepped off it, he was telling me I had to pay 40THB to the driver, which is like $2. That’s nothing, but the principle was. They left me, then expected me to pay, so I told them no, you pay. The tour guide then started yelling at me to pay and even said he wouldn't let me on the boat if I didn't, so I told him no again. This time he literally grabbed my arm. When I told him to let me go he did, but only to go to the water cooler and literally, throw a bottle at me and then punch me. Naturally, I defended myself. For the record, I’m fine, but after I made sure he had stopped, I went to the front of the boat to steer clear of him.  The rest of the group was stunned at what had happened, and while the tour guide came to the front and apologized to the group for the inconvenience, he said nothing to me. I basically ignored him for the rest of the day.  In general, the whole tour was pretty boring, so I wouldn't recommend it. Plus, by the end of the day, not once did the guide ever come to apologize. The boat photographer, on the other hand, was very friendly and apologized on his behalf, but that doesn't do it for me. This was the worst tour I had ever been on in all the countries I have visited, and because of that, I'll be sure to do a review and let everyone know.  I will note though, that the James Bond and the Racha tour are run by the same company. The tour company itself is good, but I guess there's just a bad apple in the bunch. Hopefully he doesn't work in customer service again. I work in customer service and I don't care if you're having a bad day or not, you punch a customer and you're fired on the spot. Simple as that. The day after I saw the bruising the guide had left on my face around my eye and I'll be happy to provide the damage he did to the tour company. Update: I told the company about the incident and they just left me open on WhatsApp, I want a full refund for this tour.

It began not so good. Where picked up one hour to late. After that we where dropped of at a little shop where you get instructions. There we heard that we get only snorkel set and no flippers. Had to rent them extra for 300 bath each person. Also there where no softdrinks on board. The ad said softdrinks included. But okay after that everything was good. The crew was nice so was Racha Island and Coral Island. Both beautiful. Only if you like Snorkling it is not the trip I would recommend. But if you want to see beautiful Islands it is great because the surrounding is top. Also stopt for fishing which was nice.. So for the crew, catamaran and islands I give 5 stars but for the drinks and snorkeling equipment and Snorkling it self and also the late pick up 3 stars. Next time I would rent a private boat with skipper because you can choose yourself how long to stay on an island. Now it was one our each island. More traveling then relaxing this way.

Disappointing day with regard to beach at Racha Island. Beach was low quality with no facilities but there was a taxi @ 150 thb pp for our party of ten so 1500 thb £38 GBP to travel a half mile across the Island to a much better beach with good facilities, so why not land ashore at that beach. Snorkelling was at a poor quality site and although mask and snorkel were available fins had to be hired at extra cost. A small shoal of local small fish were attracted to just below boat with bait but seabed was pretty baron, sand and occasional small rocks but little if any wildlife. and we were only allowed about 10-15 minutes in the water anyway. On the positive side the food was very good and plentiful with ample soft drinks and fruit later in the afternoon was very good. . As the the crew referred to us as 'foreigners' on board (British) although a party of ten out of 37, the rest seemingly being Thai or Chinese we were made to feel like 2nd class citizens being last for everything. Crew not very helpful when my wife suffered a knee injury due to a high step down from one level deck to the lower deck (We are both 75 yrs old and in good health and fitness but could have done with a little assistance negotiating that step. Overall have had much better experiences in the Caribbean on similar trips and this trip is not something I would recommend to others

Was expecting a SAILING trip on a beautiful catamaran.....instead got noisy engines all the way.......never raised a sail......the tour was packed with Chinese people and the crew were only interested in them and the money they wanted to spend.....a photographer was employed on the trip and he spent most of the day taking photos of a "beautiful" Chinese couple.......we were taken to 2 tourist trap islands......ok beautiful sand and clear blue sea but a lot of other boats there doing same trip. Plus point being picked up at hotel on time very early in the morning....plus point lost on return when organised chaos set in .......lunch provided on boat was ok but no choice......if you didnt like it then too bad.....they did provide fruit and cold soft drinks/water throughout the day...........there are a lot of companies selling similar trips throughout the islands around Phuket......too many.......marine life is virtually non existent now so if you are a keen snorkeller be prepared for a nothing day

The trip was absolutely amazing. The staff were perfect. The meal was a lunch buffet and it was delicious. We highly recommend them.

Overall not good value for your money. Suggest taking another tour and spending a little more money. Very Small Boat: The boat was surprisingly small for the number of people sailing and keep in mind you spend most of the trip sailing in between stops. At the start of the trip you are on the water for 1.5 to 2 hours wondering why it is taking so long and why you didn’t opt for a speed boat tour instead. It was tough to see the speed boats whiz by on the way to our destination. It wouldn’t have been so bad if the boat were bigger and offered more space and sun protection. To paint the picture we were all squished on the front part of the catamaran and many people were touching. The Stops: The stops are very touristy… 1. racha 2. Coral Beach 3. Fishing Low Budget: So don’t be fooled by “luxury catamaran”. There was no luxury to be found but at the same time you get what you pay for. I also think many of positive reviews were written by the staff. Money Trap: At each stop you have to spend money. At the first stop, we had to spend money to use the bathrooms which was crazy, then we had to spend money to rent an umbrella. Since lunch was so small we also spent money on food and drink at each stop. The boat only provides water and mango juice, nothing else. No Guide: I see reviews referencing a guide but aside from telling us to get on or off the boat there really wasn’t a tour component to this.. Overall would have wanted a different tour with a bigger boat that made different stops and perhaps included alcohol and more options.

1-Andaman Sea islands are generally beautiful for sand and clear water 2-I have taken many day boat excursions 3-bring your own towel, flippers and possibly water shoes, as they do not supply towels, rent fins and suggestively sell water shoes w pictures of gross foot injuries (water shoes not needed imo, but footwear is essential for burning hot floating docks!) 4- both island stops were at busy touristy locations w floating docks, and nothing included. The stop at Coral Island for over two hours is at a Beach Club that charges for chairs on beach and lots more. Both beaches were not any better than beaches on Phuket and imo snorkeling is better at Nai Harn Found beach stops were a bit long and the boat ride had no special features, besides being on a boat for hours. 5- lunch was mediocre and limited. Only water and lychee juice/drink included. They charge extra for soda. Felt the trip is designed to have you spend more $ at every stop. Felt like it was far longer and boring than needed, with no special features. Final points are: 1-I would not recommend this trip. 2-would recommend other islands/boats more, including Phi Phi islands and “Luxury cruise to James Bond Island” for better locations, service and included features.

Was a good tour, different stops at nice locations. It was 60+ people so a bit crowded and food should be improved for sure

The listing neglects to mention you need cash or Thai pay for any extra items (e.g kayaks, chairs on front line of beach). Food and English speaking is sub par. This is far from luxury. We were on a boat with 60 ppl. I would not recommend this to westerners. This is operated by Phuket Honeymoon tours.

I joined this catamaran cruise to Racha and Coral Island from Phuket. It is a full day tour and you are served lunch and refreshments throughout the day. You can snorkel from the boat and the comfort and service is top notch. A special thank you to our guide, Yaya.

Wow. What a fantastic trip it was. Very enjoyable experience. Great team great beaches. Defo will recommend to go if never done that yet

Half of this tour was amazing. The other half, meh. Thus the four stars. We were picked up at our hotel right on time and transported about twenty minutes in a van to the tour company headquarters where we received a briefing on our day. Then we loaded back into vans for a short trip to the marina. The vans were all filled to capacity and despite Thailand having very strict mask protocols everywhere, one of the participants did not wear his mask in the van. The boat was very nice and well-appointed. A large part of the reason we selected this tour was that it was on a catamaran and that definitely added to the experience. The tour company provides a free photographer who took dozens of photos for some of the families. If you want a free family photo shoot, this is the tour for you. The first island we visited, Racha Island, was one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to. The water was possibly the clearest I have ever seen. We spent most of our time there snorkeling and saw so many amazing fish. We snorkeled both from the beach then again off the boat. The guide said that in normal times the beach would be solid packed with people, but when we were there it was not crowded at all (due to Covid). The second island, Coral Island, felt like a bad tourist trap, and I wasn't sure why we visited it. There was nothing to recommend it other than a bar and several hokey tourist activities for an additional cost. The sand was nice but the water was murky and there was no sea life at all to see. We spent most of the time collecting shells with our daughter. Final activity was watching the sunset while fishing. Sunset was nice and our daughter enjoyed the fishing even though we didn't catch anything. Food was fine but not necessarily to be recommended. The guide made reference to being able to buy beer on the boat, but I was never able to see where they were selling it and did not see any other passengers drinking -- not a big deal just to note. Overall, a good day on a nice boat. If we'd found somewhere more interesting for the second stop, it would be five stars for sure.

Great value for money, I would highly recommend this tour for everyone... The service is impeccable!

Fantastic relaxing day on a nice catamaran with only 2 stops… exactly what I needed to stay relaxed and enjoy amazing white sand beaches and a beautiful sunset from the sea… only thing that could be improved is lunch… but value for money is really good!

The catamaran is very large, and the service provided by the main unit is also very considerate. The only thing is that the weather was not good that day

Guided tours are very good in the day and are willing to play with children to recommend lazy cat travel, paying attention to the travel experience.

Spent most of the day on the boat. Snorkeling at Racha was great, super clear water. The rest of the day was pretty sad. Make sure to go on a good weather day and maybe you can enjoy the sunset. “Fishing” is also a joke, you let a line down for ~15 minutes and that’s it.

The first destination, Racha, is a paradisiacal location. The beach is amazing, and the waters are incredibly clean and transparent. Really an idyllic location. The second beach, Coral beach, welcomes us with the green sea, also with nice views and sea, but not so impacting as the first one. The additional activities like snorkeling and fishing are funny, and the sunset is always a great catch. The food was good, and all the staff was extremely happy, friendly and professional.

We took this tour to Racha and Coral islands, the driver came to pick us on time and took us to the pier were we boarded the boat, the boat was nice and clean and the staff were very friendly and helpful and our guide was Milkky. The bonus is that there was a professional photographer who took photos all the trip and he was very good and the company provided this for free with no extra charge. The food was just ok , my suggestion is to increase the snorkeling time more and if the guide ciuld infirm us more sbiut the history and geography of the place I would given 5 Also for us I think we should have took only one island as we were very tired by the time we reached Coral island. I will take tours with this company again.

Really enjoyed the type of catamaran...slowly gliding over the water. The tour group wasn't too big. Felt safe and comfortable the whole time. Many, many thanks

I’m a solo traveler and enjoyed this tour, even though it was conducted by a honeymoon tour operator. I would go again! The tour is exactly as described. One piece of advice: bring a portable Charger for your phone as you’ll want to take a lot of pictures and videos of the natural beauty!

The scenery is beautiful and the service staff is very good. The sea is crystal clear. The boat is very comfortable

Not cooperative!!! we couldn't make it because of an emergency and they didn't refund any of the amount.

Guide is super knowledgeable and English is super. Helpful tour team. He leads to doing snorkeling the first time. Great experience. I love it every bit.

The tour guide was humorous, the captain and the crew were very friendly and professional, the boat was spacious and comfortable, the photographer was kind and friendly, very recommended ^^

I had an amazing time! The staff was super friendly, fun and energetic. It was truly a perfect day! 10/10 would recommend.

All the staff on the boat are nice, kind, and attentive, the food is delicious, the boat is clean and comfortable. The only drawback is that our hotel is relatively far away, because it is free to pick up and pick up other passengers, we drive about 2 hours, feel very difficult.

The boat was very clean and the staff very professional. The tour guides were very friendly and helpful. The catamaran is clean and well-maintained.

We were well guided. Fun experience! Everything went smoothly despite the rain. Everyone was very friendly. The staff was very helpful and energetic.

My experience was just so so ... the review was too good, that turns out not as I expected ... too crowded ... but nice blue beach & not bad to visit if you haven’t been

Safety was emphasized throughout our island hopping trip, from when on board the clean catamaran to snorkeling. Always ensuring we have enough to eat, drink, and her explanations were clear. Highly recommended to be part of this island hopping experience. I love Phuket!

Because the speedboat ride before felt quite bumpy, I thought it might not be suitable for this trip with elderly people and children, so I specifically chose a slower catamaran. Unexpectedly, because the boat was slow, most of the time was spent on the boat. It took three hours to get to Racha Island. Although it was slow, we were rocking for three hours, and in the end, the elderly person still got seasick and vomited in the last hour. The actual time spent on Racha Island was only one hour, and the small beach near the pier was quite rudimentary. If you pay extra to take a vehicle to the big beach on the island, the time becomes even tighter, making it almost impossible to go swimming and snorkeling. Instead, the happiest moment was snorkeling for 20 minutes while staying on the boat next to Coral Island during lunch, but it was only 20 minutes... Then we continued on a half-hour boat ride to Coral Island, and we only stayed for an hour before leaving. During the return trip, we made a brief stop for half an hour, ostensibly to let everyone go fishing and watch the sunset (about 15 minutes spent dealing with tangled fishing lines), and then we docked back at the pier. I really do not recommend it.

What review can I write for a paid and unused service? Organized the trip days before departure. They ask me two weeks later (I was already on my way) if I can change the day from 31 January to 1 February a few days before the excursion, they were fully booked (I wonder why they make me book anyway...) I accept, even if I'm notified late and I had to plan with the rest of the holiday. Two days earlier on January 30 I received an email saying that everything was confirmed for February 1, that they would pick me up at the hotel.... It comes on February 1st... I waited an hour for someone who never arrived. I contacted all the numbers I had through the confirmation email. Nobody spoke English. I asked for help from a guy at reception who kindly conversed with the girl on the phone in Thai.... The tour had been canceled I don't know how you don't know when and nobody warned me about the fact, neither an email nor a message. Horrendous organization, unavailable staff... never again I very much hope they get a full refund and learn to speak English if they want to deal with international audiences.

Bad organization catamaran small and dilapidated, overcrowded and dirty very long wait even for the return discouragement

Tour war OK, leider ist Raja Island total überfüllt und kaum Schatten! Coral Island ist wesentlich besser. Die Crew gibt sich sehr viel Mühe und versucht allen gerecht zu werden. Allerdings würde ich das nächste mal vor Ort individuell buchen.

Ein Wunderschönes Erlebnis! Unbedingt zu empfehlen! Danke Jane und dem gesamten Team !!! Beeindruckende Stopps viel Spaß und leckeres Essen bis hin zum Angeln und auch da noch Erfolgreich und bei einem beeindruckenden Sonnenuntergang nach Phuket zurückgekommen!! Wunderbar! 6 vom 5 Sternen!!

It was a very nice tour. Great organization. In the present time we were almost alone, so you can enjoy the beautiful beaches. Food was also delicious. Thank you very much for the lovely day.