Thailand. Tropical Island Escape

Three features assure you that you’re anchored in Phuket: luminous blue water, pink sand beaches and rolling green hills. Thailand’s premier resort basks in an average temperature of 28ºc (85ºf) – for a full 12 months each year. Lobster and fresh fish come courtesy of the local fishing fleet. Recipes are dispensed along with each purchase, so the chef can recreate a fiery Thai classic back onboard. A dozen private golf courses stud this Asian backdrop. Stage your own mini-tournament at Blue Canyon, the venue for the Johnnie Walker Classic, or ask staff to prepare a private putting green on deck. A sunset RIB safari to one of Phuket’s tiny islets – with a picnic basket of ginger prawns, lime dip and Singha beer – sums up this sun-blessed jewel.

Ao Po Grand Marina is a glorious new addition to Thailand’s luxury yachting scene. On Phuket’s northeastern tip, glide from plane to yacht in 15 minutes flat. The marina’s Quarterdeck Bar offers a final chance to socialise before sailing into the sunset. Yachts slip out of the marina into Phang Nga Bay, an emerald green lake that shelves into a deeper blue sea. At nighttime, the silence is palpable. Dine on Yam Wun Sen glass noodle salad with prawns, then awaken in Koh Phi Phi as the rising sun marks dawn.

Phang Nga Bay is the adventure-rich lagoon that links Phuket with the Andaman Sea. Every conceivable marine activity is available, from paddleboarding to an unnamed beach, to rappelling over a watery chasm. The wider bay is protected by 300m-high limestone pinnacles tufted with Jurassic jungle and precipitous palms. Crew can lead kids to the rock faces of Koh Panyee Island or along the shallow reefs where clownfish play. Grown-ups can take in the floating villages of local Muslim fisherfolk, then indulge in a 120-minute pre-dinner massage to round off the day. The curious of all ages will delight in Phang Nga’s hongs. These secret lagoons can only be reached by kayak or rowing boat.

Limestone buffs rise from the aquamarine waters of Ko Phi Phi National Park. This backdrop is film-set class. Indeed, such scenes starred in Bond epic The Man With the Golden Gun and Leonardo DiCaprio blockbuster The Beach, movies that can also be screened alfresco on deck. The main islands may be busy at lunchtime, but the archipelago’s string of teeny tiny islets – including Koh Mai Phai, Koh Yung, Bida Nai and Bida Nok – can only be reached by private yacht. These tropical treats are tailor-made for pirate treasure hunts, sea kayak circumnavigations, or inter-island swims.

Koh Lanta drips off Thailand’s Krabi Isthmus like a teardrop of white sand beach. Better still, its silky coves are surrounded by countless smaller islands offering some of the finest diving in South East Asia. Take the tender to the tiny islets of Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. Whale sharks abound, as are over 200 species of dazzling reef fish. Kayak explorers can paddle to ‘sea gypsy’ villages near the east coast mangrove lagoons or take a guided visit to the spectacular Khao Mai Kaew bat caves. Back onboard, entertainment can include performances by local shadow play actors and phleng tanyong dancers.

Azure seas and white sands are the keynote colours of Thailand’s Andaman Sea. But deep in the Had Chao Mai National Park, Koh Muk is an island symphony in emerald green. Jade-tinted shallows reflect the meadows of sea grass underneath. The island’s biggest draw is the Emerald Cave. This awe-inspiring jungle shaft is open to the tropical sky, and is reachable only by swimming through a 70m channel. Better still, after day-trippers return to the mainland, yours will be the only yacht at anchor for miles around. Crew can lead a kayak safari to the rare dugong sea cow colony that graze in Koh Muk’s translucent shallows.

The Butang Islands are nature’s gift to yachtsmen. Sheltered by the Tarutao National Marine Park, more than 50 islands lie scattered across 1,200 square kilometres of translucent sea. Private yacht is one of the only ways to access the vast majority of these tropical jewels. This protected park is home to 25% of the world’s tropical fish species. Use the RIB or chase tender as an expedition vehicle to spot them all. Crew can also lead kayak excursions to the ‘sea gypsy’ villages of Ko Lipe, the archipelago’s only inhabited island. After some recipe tips from the locals, red snapper, barracuda and kingfish can become the centrepiece of an onboard barbecue dinner.

Ko Tarutao is the Thailand of yesteryear. In Malay ‘tarutao’ means mysterious and primitive, and today the island is blessedly untouched. Pirates kept the island off-limits until the 1940s. National Park status has kept it pristine ever since. Crab-eating macaque monkeys and wild pigs roam the primary jungle that carpets the interior. The hardy may brave waterfalls and wildlife to climb the island’s 713m summit. Ten petite limestone islands – including tiny Ko Lek and Ko Ko Lo – form a ring around Ko Tarutao. Guests with a rowboat, a flag and a cool box of iced beers can claim an island for themselves. Crew can organise a round-the-island paddleboard race or map out a windsurf circuit through the island sprinkle.

Malaysia’s Langkawi archipelago tempts sailors from across the Andaman Sea. Fine wining and dining options blend with a St Tropez-style array of boutiques and bars. Ride the cable car to Langkawi’s Skybridge viewing platform. The panorama sweeps over a UNESCO rainforest Geopark down to your luxury yacht, moored in the bay below. Pedal the yacht’s mountain bikes along the Tour de Langkawi cycle race route. Away from the main island, the Langkawi archipelago offers tranquillity, exclusivity and utter privacy. There are 99 islands to choose from, of which only four are inhabited. Most are merely specks on your captain’s chart, where sea eagles soar above deserted white beaches and nodding palms.