This season saw the breath-taking Southeast Asia yacht charter destinations – Koh Samui and the Gulf of Thailand – play a host to more Superyachts than ever before. Off the radar for many years, captains of luxury yachts are now heading to Koh Samui to discover the natural wonders as well as beauty of the Gulf of Siam.
The Gulf of Thailand - a fabulous Southeast Asia yacht holiday destination
Among Superyachts visiting Koh Samui and the Gulf this season have been: 55m charter yacht Keri Lee III (ex Katharine), 51m motor yacht Double Haven; 50m superyacht Sapphire; 40m luxury yacht Amoha; and 40m Rasa yacht, to name a few.
When weather conditions are not so favorable for vessels in other parts of Thailand; from February to September the cruising season in the Gulf of Siam is actually very good. One of the visiting yachts arriving in May cruised the Gulf until end of August, continuing on to Vietnam and Cambodia. The same yacht plans to visit Singapore before continuing their journey on to Phuket in November 2014.
Though Koh Samui does not have an established Superyacht marina at this time, visiting captains found that not only were there many safe anchorages, they were easy to find by simply asking Charlie Dwyer and his team at Asia Pacific Superyachts to propose an itinerary. The agent not only directs vessels to some great anchorages, a private plane was organized for one vessel and all the logistics are handled for all vessels – such as ground handling, customs and all formalities.
Visiting vessel engineers and crews were amazed to find spare parts and logistics so readily available from the agent and all needs of visiting superyachts met, such as more than 100 tons of fuel delivered alongside.
The important area of provisioning is well taken care says a chef aboard one of the yachts, commenting the fresh fruits, vegetables and imported meats were among the best quality he had seen in years. Exotic provisions such as oysters from France, scallops from Japan, prime meat from Australia and lobsters from America are all provided as well as many special requests including a private island gourmet beach BBQ.
