If you’re looking for a budget-friendly way to get from Phuket to Koh Samui then it’s the bus and boat service for you. We use Lomprayah which is one of the original ferry companies to start operating in Thailand. They offer a bus & boat service with a guaranteed connection for a very good price, around £30 per person.

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO BOOK TICKETS?

The easiest way to book your ticket is via 12GO which will give you a bunch of options to choose from including flights & taxis, but it’s the bus/van + ferry combos we’re focussing on today. We always choose the quickest option as the journey can take anywhere from 6 hours to 8.5 hours and it’s always an early start, so the faster the better in our opinion.

WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING ON A BUS FOR 4+ HOURS?

We’ve travelled with Lomprayah five times since arriving in Thailand:

• Phuket – Koh Samui (bus & boat)
• Koh Samui – Koh Phangan (boat only)
• Koh Phangan – Koh Samui (boat only)
• Koh Samui – Phuket (bus & boat)
• Krabi – Koh Samui (bus & boat)

You should arrive at the relevant Lomprayah office about an hour before departure, this allows enough time for you to get checked in at the desk and get your luggage stickers and tickets. It’s an easy process, you just need to show them your booking confirmation & fill out all your info on the provided sheet including your passport number, it’s that easy. Then you just need to wait for your van or bus to arrive.

The first couple of times we travelled on a small minivan – this was when Thailand was much quieter so running the large double-decker buses with a handful of people was not an eco-friendly or cost-effective option – it wasn’t the most comfortable for the 4-hour drive but they do have a quick 20-minute pitstop halfway through to grab some food, stretch and use the toilets.

But on our most recent journey from Krabi to Koh Samui we took the big bus, managing to grab a seat on the top deck with lots of leg room, it was definitely a more comfortable journey and the three-hour drive seemed to pass in a flash – ignore the sleepy faces above, it was definitely a lot more comfortable.

HOW LONG DOES THE BOAT TAKE?

We’ve taken both ferries & speedboats, we think it depends on the number of people travelling, on the bus, there will be people travelling to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan & Koh Tao so often the smaller speedboats will only be making one drop. The ferries will make multiple drops and so can take longer to reach Koh Phangan & Koh Tao if there are a lot of people disembarking.

The travel time from Donsak Pier, Surat Thani to Nathon Pier, Koh Samui on a speedboat is around 45 minutes and it is just over an hour to Koh Phangan. Please ignore the 1 hr 17 mins of walking on Google Maps – no one is walking 20 miles across the sea.

HOW MUCH LUGGAGE CAN YOU TAKE?

We have two very heavy suitcases and two small backpacks. We are ‘slow travellers’ and so backpacks just don’t work for us, we stay in one location for a month or more and we like our comforts, so we do have a lot of luggage.

You need to be able to carry your own suitcases or backpacks from the bus to the edge of the boat, the crew will then load your bags for you, they will also unload them at the other end for you to collect. Only on one occasion did we need to lift our own cases onto the boat and down around 5 steps to the storage area, which was ok but if you need assistance there are people there to help.

IS THE BOAT COMFORTABLE?

Being on the ferry has the advantage of an onboard bar and toilets but does take a bit longer, you also have the option to sit inside so if the weather is a bit miserable is obviously a better option and likewise, if it’s a beautiful sunny day then sitting on the top deck, enjoying the scenery and sunshine is a great choice. But if the speedboat is running then do not fear, they have toilets available before you board and they also sell sandwiches, fruit & soft drinks that you can take with you.

We loved the speedboat, especially if you can get the seats at the back of the boat as there is much more room, great views & some opportunities for some shameless selfies, see below.

The only seats to avoid are the ones directly behind the captain & the boat crew as they don’t have the same legroom as the others and although the journey is only 45 minutes you can end up with cramp or worse, hardcore pins & needles. Leg stretches are important.

This was us travelling back from Koh Samui to Phuket in June – nabbed the back seats and had a great trip back, despite the miserable weather, it was pretty smooth sailing.

PROS VS CONS

PROS

• Much cheaper than flying
• No hanging around in the airport for ages
• You don’t have to pay extra for luggage – it does state that any luggage over 20kg will be charged extra an extra fee but we have never experienced this personally. They do have scales at the office when you arrive but no one has ever weighed any of the bags. You also cannot have one singular piece of luggage over 30kg in weight due to safety reasons
• You get to enjoy taking a speedboat or a ferry
• Get to enjoy all the scenery as you drive across Thailand, and on the boat of course
• You can easily get to Koh Phangan & Koh Tao, as these smaller islands do not have airports and so you’ll need to take a boat regardless

CONS

• It’s a much longer journey time
• It’s less comfortable
• If the weather is bad you could have a bumpy crossing

WHY DO YOU CHOOSE IT?

The simple answer is cost. We want to spend our money on fun experiences, great nights out and luxury dinners. To take a flight would cost an extra £100 per person each time we fly and although it doesn’t seem that much, remember we have done this journey three times already, and are likely to go back to Phuket towards the end of our time in Thailand, so the total extra cost would add up to £800 – that’s a lot of fancy dinners & fun excursions.

It works for us, I know bus & boat travel isn’t for everyone and if you’re only spending a couple of weeks in Thailand then, of course, it’s much faster to fly, but if you have a budget to stick to or just want to save some money for other fun activities, we can highly recommend using Lomprayah to travel across to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan or Koh Tao.

Remember, if you book through our 12Go link you’ll get a small discount on all bus, train and boat travel throughout Thailand and the rest of SE Asia.

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