21 May 2025
Having been on the Simba Phang Nga Bay and Beyond trip often in past years, we decided to revisit this trip again. We were disappointed with the following:
1. The boat used was not the fast, modern cruiser used in the past. This boat in April was larger and older.
2. Food quality and variety was not as expected from the past trips. In the past, we had a substantial breakfast in the Simba office. Lunch was at the Muslim village with many courses. Desserts on the boat were lovely Thai desserts - these were missing this time with NO dessert except for an ice block. We used to have bottled water but this time, there were none, only gassy drinks.
3. Time spent - it seemed that this time, the trip was rushed so that you had time for another tour after our group.
4. Swimming used to be on an island with sandy soil and a restaurant if we wished to buy anything. We were allowed time to lie on the beach and there were good waves. This time, we were taken to a small part with no beautiful parts to lie down. Very unexciting.
5. Local guides, though friendly, were not knowledgeable and did not give us any history of places visited.
Overall, I was very disappointed and compared to past Simba cruisies, this was low value.