The Similan island trip was nothing short of amazing - The Similan island trip was nothing short of amazing. The transfer is by air conditioned mini bus, taking you to the Sea Star HQ where you are given a buffet of hot and cold breakfast with drinks. We chose the 2 storey catamaran option which gave loads of room with all seats were shaded and comfy. Lovely calm snorkelling spots with lots of fish. You have plenty of time on each island and a lovely set seafood lunch served with unlimited chicken and vegetables. When we arrived back at the Sea Star HQ there was another buffet selection offered of rice, noodles, fried chicken etc while having the opportunity to have a toilet break and change out of swimsuit before the transfer home. Everything has been considered to improve the experience with extra touches such as additional snacks, free flowing soft drinks, use of snorkelling equipment, floats for less confident swimmers and a guide in the water with you to help spot fish (and we were lucky enough to see a turtle too)! You can also hire a go pro for the day where you can take the SD card home with you. The organisation was exceptional and the staff are extremely friendly and helpful. Be warned it is an early pick up and possibly a long transfer depending where you stay (we stayed in Ratsada so the transfer was around 1.5 hours there and 2 hours back) so in total took around 14 hours but it was a jam packed day where no time was wasted and an amazing experience from start to finish. I would highly recommend Sea Star and the Similan Island tour.

Amazing Similan Tour by Seastar Andaman - Very well organized tour and dedicated team. Boat trip takes about 90 minutes to the snorkeling sites and can be a choppy ride. Tour operator prepared motion sickness pill to those who require. Not advisable for heavy breakfast prior to the boat ride. Otherwise food , drinks and gears for snorkeling are we’ll provided.

Fantastic experience - fantastic excursion. They pick you up from the hotel at dawn. Once you arrive at the boarding point they offer you breakfast. Then we set off to visit 3 different islands. You stop twice to snorkel and if you are lucky (I was) you see giant turtles. Then we stop for lunch (which isn't much). After lunch we stop to sunbathe on the sand that looks like powder. Around 2 in the afternoon we set off for the return journey. Once you arrive at the port they offer you biscuits, ice cream and coffee. tea and juices. All for 104 euros per person.

Do not be put off by an overcast day! - The weather on the day of this trip was overcast and we very nearly cancelled having been concerned we would not get a great experience in the sea without the sunshine. We decided to go anyway as it was too late for a refund and we were so pleased we did. Do not be put off if you do not get to visit on a sunny day, we were pleasantly surprised by the visibility and abundance of tropical fish of all sizes and species during this trip. The staff, especially our guide 'Bo' were very professional, friendly and helpful. Food was plentiful and the entire trip was so well organised and efficiently run it was truly a worthwhile investment for an amazing experience which we shall remember for a long time.

We had a really good time during the tour - The islands are beautiful and have spectacular views and corals. Our guide and all the crew on board were really cordial. We are vegetarians and they were sweet enough to take food seperately for us everywhere. I would highly recommend this tour to everyone! The water is crystal clear and the snorkeling experience is just wonderful!!

Perfect day - We were a bit skeptical because of various statements because of the many tourists but it has kept within limits. We were the second speedboat on the island and when we left again the Chinese arrived. There was always something to eat and the tour guide was a sensation. Thank you for this unforgettable day.

Nice day trip - Luckily we were there very early. As we made our way back, it was swarming with Asian tourists. Unfortunately neither Nemo nor turtles seen. Excursion is really nothing for the sick (boat). But it was worth it

Similan islands day trip review - We managed to get this trip for 2000 Baht from a tour agent in Patong (end of April 2022). The actual tour itself was only approx 4-5 hours and most of the time was taken in travelling. A minivan came to collect us at 6:30am and proceeded to collect other customers from Patong and then Phuket city so we got to the pier at 8:30am, we then had breakfast and a safety briefing and left at after 9am. The speedboat of ride to the Similan islands was another 1 hour 30 minutes so we got to spend actual time in 4 of the 9 islands for 4.5 hours from 10:30 to 3pm. We left at 3pm, got to the pier for 5pm and then it took the minivan over 2 hours to get us home whilst dropping off customers in different locations around Phuket. We reached our hotel after 7pm. I believe this rough itinerary is the same for all tour companies and most tour companies follow the same route. The staff were lovely, bit awkward with the staff coming around with a tips bucket and pushing it in front of you towards the end of the trip. The breakfast and lunch had good variety but basic for the amount the tours actually cost. You get to do two snorkelling trips 30 mins each and spend about 2 hours in total on two different beaches. The first snorkelling spot we went to had great coral, the second dead coral. Hope this is helpful!

less snorkeling spots, than provided in the description - two nice snorkeling spots and also visiting the nationalparks on the island. However, I expected more, as the tour description stated min. 4 snorkeling spots...

Overall the islands are beautiful but use another provider - The islands are beautiful and is a must visit, but I would use another tour provider. We felt mislead by the tour provider, we were told it was an hour journey on a speedboat, but it was 2 hours. You cannot see out of the boat, and remain inside at all times, so the journey is spent looking at the floor. At one point the boat driver spotted a whale but as we were not allowed to stand up when driving none of us could see it. They didn’t stop for us to try and see. We were confused when the team handed out anti sickness pills before boarding the boat, but the lack of windows and viewing soon made us realise why passengers often feel unwell. Overall time spent in the water was 1.5 hours and we had an hour on the beach. So from 8am - 5:30pm you have 2.5 hours of free time. The food was also very disappointing, rice and chicken in a plastic lunchbox. Overall the 3 stars are for the islands themselves but I would recommend anyone to go with another provider.