Cruising In Paradise

The wind has changed once again, and the high season is back here in Andaman Sea.
With many new Yachts coming near shore every day, Phuket is starting to get more yacht charter traffic in the high season to be as a base for the diverse cruising ground in the area.
The islands beween Phuket, Krabi, Trang province are hidden gems that only the few blue waters sailors have encountered.

Omni Marine will guide you trough a cruise in this paradise, where the hidden coves and uninhabited island engulf you with an overwhelming feeling of relaxation.

One of the new additions to the Omni Marine Charter Yacht fleet is the Calisto, which features 136 feet of pure yachting history. Built in 1944 for the US Navy, Calisto was originally a YMS-1 class minesweeper that was transferred upon its completion to serve the Royal Navy of Great Britain. After World War II and a decade of glorious service, her voyage soon charted a new course.

In 1954, the luxury yacht was bought by Mr. Thomas Loel Guinness, the Irish tycoon and former MP, who also owned the famed La Calypso of Jacques Cousteau. Under Mr. Guinness’ dedicated supervision, Calisto was brilliantly transformed into his personal luxury yacht. Just like La Calypso, her sister vessel, Calisto was, and still is, all about old world charm and high sea exploration. She catered to the boating pleasures of the elite and well-heeled. She sailed the waters of Greece and Britain, roamed the seas off the Antibes and Sicily and all over Europe in style, often in the company of celebrities and politicians.

Now she is part of the fleet that cruise these waters. Boarding Calisto in Phuket with your cruising party takes on into realm of another dimension of cruising The Andaman sea. Cruising Phnag Nga Bay on the way out to Krabi and it’s abundance of hidden gems we stop at Kho Hong where there is large lagoon with crystal clear water deep enough to stand in.

It’s here in South Thailand you get the feeling of being one with Mother Nature. Swim in the lagoon and come onboard for a cold fruit platter with tropical fruits, and enjoy the wiev from the fly bridge while you are cruising to Phi Phi islands. The islands are considered by many to be one of the most beautiful islands in the world, with a lunch picnic stop at one of the white sandy beaches , you can truly experience Solitude.

After swimming with a abundance of corals and fish we continue the cruise with our Private luxury yacht charter onboard Calisto to a group of island in the middle of the ocean named Koh Ha.

Here we catch on one of the moorings in the sheltered bay with a small beach and a large corral reef, time for the first Dive of the Cruise.

The diving here is considered one of the top dive sites in Thailand, and the chance of spotting whale shark, manta ray is here for you to explore.

The best dive is to follow the reef around the island. When you come up form the dive it is time for a Glass of fruity crispy chardonnay and a Tapas of chicken Satya, Todmaan kung (shrimp cakes) fresh roasted cashew nuts and grilled calamari that the crew has catched while you where diving.

Time for spa on the top fly bridge, here you get treated to a massage that will take away your last thoughts of land and everyday life…Now you are cruising the Andaman Sea with Omni marine and the escape from trivial things have now started.
Time for sunset and a champagne toast with your cruising party, here you will admire the limestone cliffs of Koh Ha, and engulf in the sound from the ocean touching the beach.

Dinner is set and the conversation carries you into the night.

In the morning breakfast is served at your leisure while cruising to Another set of islands named Koh Rok, this is natural sanctuary and the beaches here white fluffy powder sand. This is one of the islands in South Thailand’s Andaman sea that has large monitor Lizards roaming around and occasionally comes around the beach to see if you left something for them to eat?
The snorkeling along the reef in Koh Rok is a fauna full of tropical Fish and Turtles, the crew will guide you along and for those of you that like jungle trekking this is the chance to explore the island. Diving at night is perfect at Koh Rok as the shallow reef is near the mooring and the Private Yacht.

Spending at least 2 days here is recommended. From Koh Rok we set our compass bearing towards south and head for the last frontier in Thailand, Koh Lipe Island this is the hoe to the Chao Lye (sea nomads). They have been roaming these waters for many hundred years and was once the brave warriors that saved the sultans of Sumatra (Indonesia).

Koh Lipe is an island that has it all pure nature with beaches and coral reef’s and prime resorts and beach bars to go and party in. This is a nice stop over to meet and great and have some fun nightlife.

Cruising back towards north we set bearing for The Trang islands where the famous emerald cave was discovered by a local fisherman during a storm Years ago. This is large opening into a cave that you can swim trough and come into one a the most magical places.
Inside the mountain is a small beach with a lagoon.
And the cliffs side surrounding the lagoon has orchids, monkeys and bird that sings trough the eco.

Our crew will guide you trough out the swim into the cave that lead to the beach, as there is no natural light, it is a fantastic experience once you see the opening and the beach. If you stay outside the cave on your private Yacht, you will see the millions of bats that come out at sunset for the dawn hunt of tropical fruits.

Cruising by Koh Ngai, you can go for a long walk along the white beach on the island, and if are lucky see one of the large hornbill Parrots that lives in this island.. As we pass the southern of Koh Lanta, we’ll stop at Pimalai resort and have lunch on the beach.

Omni Marine offers you the options of being picked up by Helicopter, or Seaplane to Transfer you to the Airport in Phuket or Krabi. Or why not just continue your cruise back to Phuket overnight with your cruising party, as omni marine’s slogan is “Pure freedom is anchoring your floating hotel of an uninhabited tropical island.” For your Private Luxury Yacht Charter please contact us.

Happy cruising from the crew of Calisto & Omni Marine.

Pure freedom is anchoring your floating hotel off an uninhabited tropical island.
Discover the world of cruising and yacht charters to find the best private luxury yacht charter cruise destinations and the places you can visit on your yacht charter vacation. Omni Marine is set to guide you through only the best possibilities for your next yacht charter.

Sail beyond the Limestone Monoliths rising from the Andaman Sea, cruise into virgin rain forests, ethereal beaches and stunning waterfalls where a secluded paradise awaits.

Thailand’s Phang Nga bay is perfect for luxury boat charters and its beauty will take your breath away.

Discover nature’s undeniable mastery and enjoy the tranquil state of mind that only chartering a private luxury yacht can offer.

A luxury boat cruise here is a dream come true.

The Phang Nga bay is located in a sheltered bay that stretches from Krabi to Phuket and Phang nga, dotted by fantastic limestone islands and deserted beaches.

Phang Nga is by far one of the world’s safest and calmest yacht charter seas.

It has perfect places to moor and anchor, and so many boutique hotels that are situated around the coast line where you can do spa treatments like at the Evasons, or in the new Ritz Carlton Reserve “Phulay Bay”. Enjoy lunch with fine wines and look out over the bay, with the private yachts floating beyond the beaches.

The variety of private yacht options for luxury charter is grand and the service aboard these yachts are only the best.

From day charters to overnight yacht charters that take you on the cruise of your life, you can visit many of the cruising destinations, learn about the local history and relax in the lavish interiors of these great private yacht charters.

And for those of you who like to cruise from the air, new helicopter tours and sea plane charters are also available.

For more information contact Bjorn at www.omnitrips.com.

As south East Asia has become the new frontier of Hideaways and Hotels with exclusive Grand Villas designed to satisfy the shakers and movers living in the fast lane of metropolis around the globe.

Omni Marine has interviewed some of the personalities, which are part of a growing movement where the need’s of the sophisticated traveler, are meet to the highest standards, and the attention to the smallest details is a science by itself.

In this is interview Omni Marine has spoken to Jared (Jay) O’Brien Food & Beverage / Business Development – Entertainment Manager of Sri panwa in Phuket.

Jay,
You are part of the team that created Sri panwa, when your team where thinking of the Hotel, where you all in agreement that the Hotel should have Villas?

The original concept of Sri Panwa was going to be a residential villa resort; the hotel was actually an afterthought. So, yes, villas were always the plan that K. Songkran Issara had in mind.

And was the interior design and décor a challenge?

Not really, we work very closely with two Thai firms. Habita for the architecture and ISM for the interior, they are both very well respected in their fields. We are happy with how the property turned out; it’s very unique for SE Asia. The most important part of the design process was the designers working directly with us (the operation team) to make sure that it looked good, but also functioned!

What are the guests expecting when they arrive?
I am not sure to be honest. Every guest has there own preconceived notion of what Sri panwa will be. It depends on how they heard about us. We just hope that every guest’s expectations are exceeded in the end.

Sri panwa is located right by the sea and you have your own pier! Has this been a big hit for your guest?

Huge. Our island, sea, sunset & sunrise views are one of the properties strong points. Not many properties have even two of these. It only made sense for us to have our own pier and we are lucky that our own land shelters our pier all year, so it is pretty much permanent unlike some on the island which have to be removed when the winds come. I would say 9 out of 10 guests take a boat trip somewhere. Whether it’s as simple as a long tail or as unique as our new Mangusta 108, they enjoy being on the sea.

You told me that some of the Villa owners also have purchased Yachts, and that many of your guests has realized the true joy of cruising around the islands here in Phuket, Phang Nga Bay, Krabi region.

Yes, this is correct. Phuket island itself is nice, but if you really want to enjoy a holiday here, you need to get out on the water. Whether its deep sea fishing with Wahoo charters, cruising Phang Nga Bay with a catamaran, being spoiled on a Mangusta 110 to the Similans or just cruising the local island of Koh Lone, Coral, Racha or Maithon. There are so many options of where to go and what to go on. Phuket is a yachtsman’s dream destination.

Do you think private luxury yacht charter is the way to see the region?
Yes, no doubt about it. It’s really the only way, I guess unless you chartered a helicopter to fly you around!

You have opened a pool club last year that is for sure really majestic with a pool and great food; this is the perfect setting for weddings and parties.

Has this been a big hit for Sri Panwa?

Yes, it’s really our centerpiece. Any property needs a ‘wow’ factor and this has definitely fit the bill It houses Baba Q dining & pool bar, Baba88 disco, Baba Hotpot cooking school, Baba Space function rooms & 7 pool suites. Its 5,000+ sq. meters of entertainment space! I would confidently say that Baba Pool club is best the island has to offer for functions, weddings, corporate retreats, etc.

Have you seen a real increase of travelers that are looking for the combination of renting a villa with friends and also like to charter boats and yachts for day cruising?

Definitely, I think that people who are staying at places like Sri Panwa or somewhere similar are into boating. It’s that lifestyle factor that comes into play when travelers are planning their holidays. What else can we do other than sunbathe, eat, etc.? There are so many options to choose from, it’s great!

When your guest charters a yacht! Do you offer a picnic basket that they bring along to savor at secret beach location?

Yes, we always send a team member and food/drink from Baba.
This way we can control the quality of what the guest is getting.

There are some horror stories of people going on luxury cruises and having to eat terrible food. So this way we keep it simple and always know our guests are getting the same standards from Sri panwa even when they are away from our resort.

Before your team built Sri Panwa, very few people knew about this side of the island.

How have you been able to get your guest to find you, do you use a pr firm?

Yes, it has been a very calculated marketing strategy to get Sri Panwa PR internationally. We started with Thailand, which has been a huge market for us and then moved into countries that had a high number of luxury travelers coming to Phuket. There is plenty of public information out there that can help a business grow.

Where does most of your guest come from, Hong Kong, Singapore, London?

They are really scattered. Like I said, Thailand is a good market for us. Sri panwa has become a kind of celebrity hangout, everyone’s been here. England, Hong Kong, Australia, Europe in general.

The most powerful means of Pr today is word of mouth, and social networks like Twitter, Facebook and more exclusive private net works like “A small world” have the means to reach out as never before.

Every day we get questions like where to go and what is the best hotel to stay in, and who do we trust and listen to?

Do you have a lot of guest trough these networks, and what do you think of these networks?

They are great, it’s the day and age for e-marketing and the social networks make reaching a large group of people easy. For example, Sri Panwa has a Face book Fan Page which allows us to keep in touch with 3,000+ people with the click of a button.

If a business can understand how to use these networks properly without people feeling like they are sending ‘spam’ they will succeed.

What is your favorite cruising destination, and what style of boats, Yachts do you like?

That’s a tough question. I love Phang Nga Bay, but on the East side of Koh Yao Noi, not up North where it is very busy. But then you have the Similans which are a jewel in their own right. I prefer motor yachts. Mangusta and Pershing are probably my favorite.

Do you get many requests for honey moon packages with a combination of a villa and cruising on a yacht?

Not really to be honest, a lot of guests tend to book their yacht adventures after coming to talk to us at the hotel.
We open their eyes a bit more to what’s out there.

Have your team embraced green ways of preserving this island and its surroundings and in what way have you done this?

Yes, of course! We reuse all rainwater that runs into our two reservoirs on site and is used for watering the 80 Rai of jungle that Sri Panwa is encompassed by.
We also grow some of our own vegetables for Baba, we use smart light systems which allow lights to be used, but not abused.

Do you think that Krabi will develop like Phuket?
I hope it will develop in neater way then Phuket. I think some things were done very right in Phuket and some very wrong. I believe if more regulations are followed when Krabi eventually develops, it has the potential to be amazing. Ritz-Carlton Phulay Bay just recently opened and I know they do their research so they must believe in it.

Do you think that your success comes from the team you have, and the way you guys work together?

I think part of the success comes from this! We all studied together and Wan Issara has done quite well in bringing in the right people at the right time.
It’s nice to have one of my best friends as my boss.

The Issara’s are some of the nicest people I have ever met. K. Songkran has really let Wan take the reins of Sri panwa and the synergies of all of us who studied and now work together really comes through to the guest.

Jay! Thank you for our thoughts, as always a real pleasure to talk to you!

For more information about Sri Panwa please check out their website.

Ps,
The personal service that guest get when they stay at Sri Panwa gives you the feeling of belonging to a family (in Paradise)
Bjorn
www.sripanwa.com

And for more details on cruising in Paradise and Yachting in the region please contact me@
Bjorn@omnitrips.com
www.omnitrips.com