Review: Seahorse Ferry 22hr cruise, from Bangkok to Koh Samui

Looking for a different way to travel across Southeast Asia? Well, this 22-hour Seahorse Ferry between Bangkok and Koh Samui may just be the answer. This overnight ferry offers a relaxing and memorable journey across the Gulf of Thailand.

Seahorse Ferry departs from Saengthong Rice Pier in Bangkok, weaving through the picturesque Chao Phraya River passing temples, markets and iconic bridges until it reaches the Gulf Of Thailand where you’ll sail on the open waters for the next 19 hours. Finally, you will pass the Kao Tao and Koh Phangan islands before arriving at your destination, Nathon Pier.

Seahorse Ferry has been one of the best travel experiences I’ve had in Asia, sure, a flight might be much faster but this one-day cruise is fun and much more relaxing than an airport, based on my time onboard it is the best way to travel between Bangkok and Koh Samui.

Tickets + Prices

You can buy tickets directly from theseahorseferry.com. The booking page requires your passport number and a Thai phone number, however, the booking page would not accept the letters of our passport so we left them out, and we didn’t have a Thai phone number so we just entered many 0’s which worked!

The cheapest ticket is for a Recliner seat (฿1,500) although I could not find a way to book this online, other options are the Capsule (฿3,500), Deluxe cabin (฿12,600), Superior cabin (฿16,200), Family (฿18,000), Balcony (฿17,550), Suite (฿19,800), Jacuzzi Exclusive (฿22,500).

If you plan to bring a vehicle you will need to purchase a separate ticket, prices are as follows; bicycle (฿180), scooter (฿900), motorcycle (฿1,350), car (฿2,250), Caravan, Trailer for Boat, Jetski or Motorcycle (฿4,050),

Pets weighing up to 10 kg are allowed on the ferry but you must book the balcony room.

Bangkok To Koh Samui Ferry Schedule

The bad news is that Seahorse only operates this Bangkok to Koh Samui ferry route in July and August. You can find the exact dates of service here.

Check-In and Boarding

The seahorse ferry pier is located on Saengthong Rice Pier, depending on where you are staying in Bangkok this should be about a 40-minute taxi journey from the city centre.

The pier is easy to find, as you approach there is a large sign with an arrow stating “Seahorse ferries”. The entrance is a huge warehouse that looks abandoned but once you get around the corner you’ll see the ferry.

The ticket states check-in starts at noon, which is 2 hours before the departure time of 2 pm. We arrived at 11:45 am, there were a few seats where you could wait. We then just had to show our tickets and passports, and we could then board the ship to collect our cabin keys at the reception desk.

Once on the ship, the reception desk gave us one set of keys, two bottles of water and two tokens for free popcorn from the restaurant. I was initially expecting long queues but overall it was a very quick process. It seemed the ferry was not fully booked, maybe at 60% capacity.

My first impression of the ship was wow, this is nice *said in that viral TikTok voice*. Everything looked brand new, along with being spacious and modern.

Facilities Onboard The Seahorse Ferry

WiFi

Upon boarding, you will be given a slip of paper with login details to access the onboard wifi. This is a complimentary 30 MB of data, the bare minimum to just about load a few web pages. If you require more data you can purchase it from your phone. Due to being on the sea, you won’t be able to access the internet from your own data plan for the majority of the journey (mine cut out 2 hours in and only returned in the last hour). I did not purchase any extra data but the onboard wifi kept dropping.

Restaurant

Located on the second deck, the sea view restaurant is spacious with plenty of seating options. With three different menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner along with a cafe boasting an extensive drinks menu, you certainly won’t go hungry on your journey between Bangkok and Samui.

– The Food

Let’s face it, onboard for 22 hours, one of the most important things to do is to suss out the food. It is worth noting that Seahorse Ferries do not allow you to take any food or drink onboard however it’s also worth mentioning that they did not check.

Honestly, the food was mostly good, a mix of Thai and Western options. Admittedly, the Thai food was not the most authentic but it tasted nice, nevertheless. For a ferry, the menu is certainly impressive, I was surprised by the variety of options from green curry, tom yum and Thai basil stir fry to pizza, carbonara, burgers and steak.

As is typical for cruises, prices are inflated compared to what you get on land. The steak was the most expensive at ฿1,190, Pizzas and burgers cost ฿420 while Rice dishes were a much more affordable option at ฿200.

The restaurant also doubles as a cafe with a good selection of coffee, tea, smoothies and juices. I have to recommend their Coconut frappe, a refreshingly icy thirst quencher that is perfect to sip on the upper deck while overlooking the ocean.

In addition to separate lunch and dinner menus, there is also a small breakfast menu. I ordered pancakes which were perfectly fluffy and delicious with a side of cream and berry compote, I would go as far as to say they were the best thing I ate on the ship. On the other hand, my boyfriend ordered an American breakfast (2 sausages, beans, 2 slices of cold ham, 1 tomato and toast) which was mostly cold and not tasty.

Rooftop Bar

The highlight of the whole cruise was the outdoor bar on the upper deck. The entrance is reminiscent of a small tiki hut with surfboards, palm leaves and a pebbled path. Beyond the entrance is a large seating area with high stools, benches, a table and a cocktail bar. We stayed here for most of the night, the playlist was excellent with early 00’s hits. The most magical part of the cruise was at sunset a musician took to the stage with a guitar, he played for 90 minutes singing covers of popular songs. He was brilliant, looking out at the Gulf Of Thailand I felt so lucky to be experiencing this.

The bar has a good drinks list, a few cocktails and the option to buy a small bottle of vodka, rum or whiskey which saves a good bit of money if you plan to stay a while.

Laptop Area

Okay, so I guess this isn’t officially called the laptop area but I am not sure how else to describe it and everyone sitting here was on their laptop. There is a small seating area on the ground floor, with tables and outlets. I sat here for a while getting some work done on the laptop, it was comfortable and quiet, if there was WiFi I likely would have stayed here much longer to pass some time.

TV Lounge

Just beside the Laptop area is the TV/Movie lounge. Here, there are two very comfortable and large semi-circle couches and chairs facing a large TV playing movies. They played The Hobbit the morning we were leaving, I didn’t watch it all but I thought it was a nice amenity to have to break up the 22 hours.

There are also two massage chairs, however, you do need to pay extra to use these.

Bathroom + Showers

The ship features separated bathrooms and shower rooms, the separation helps to keep the place clean. The showers are located just outside the entry to the capsule cabins and the bathrooms are a few metres further down the hall. Both rooms are incredibly clean.

The bathroom features Japanese toilets with all the different buttons (careful what you press, you could get a surprise!), and there is also a separate cubicle for anyone suffering from seasickness. The cubicles appear to be cleaned every few hours, the bins are always empty.

It was so nice waking up and being able to take a shower before disembarking in Koh Samui, clean spacious showers with gel, shampoo and conditioner made it even easier. There was also a hairdryer beside the sink. Unfortunately, there are no towels provided so remember to pack one if you intend to shower.

The Cabin – Sleeping Capsule

We stayed in a capsule room, which exceeded my expectations. Our small cabin was behind a lockable wooden door, in the middle were 3 large steps perfect for storing luggage, on either side of the stairs was a capsule, one on the ground and another at the top of the stairs. Initially, I thought we’d be sharing our cabin with 2 other strangers so was a nice surprise that there are only 2 capsules per cabin.

The capsules are 200 cm by 80 cm and come with a duvet, pillow, light above the bed with 2 settings, a 110-volt socket, and a curtain. The space is incredibly clean, and although small it’s very comfortable. In addition, the air-con within the capsules was great, there is a small AC above your head that flows out the bottom of the cabin. It does get a bit chilly but I like to be cold when I sleep so it suited me.

I had a great night’s rest, although I was rudely awoken by two loud kids and an even louder mother at 6 am. You can hear everything but most people whisper so it doesn’t matter. If I was to do it again I would pack some earplugs to ensure an uninterrupted sleep.

Kids Zone

Travelling with little ones? Seahorse Ferry has got you covered! A small kid zone equipped with claw machines, PlayStation, books and toys will ensure your kid is kept entertained for hours.

Disembarking

We arrived one hour earlier than scheduled at 11 am at Nathon Pier. To check out you just need to drop your keys back to reception.

Once we disembarked many taxi companies were waiting. We were staying at the southern end of Chaweng Beach, which cost ฿800 for a 40-minute journey.

Is The Bangkok To Koh Samui Ferry Worth It?

All in all, before boarding I was sceptical, no stranger to overnight transport in Southeast Asia, I assumed the beds would be uncomfortable and maybe would have a creepy crawly visitor at some stage, and I could not have been more wrong. This feels like a luxury cruise, and although the capsule cabins are compact they have everything you could need for a great night’s sleep.

If you want to arrive in Koh Samui / Bangkok refreshed after an evening unwinding on the Gulf of Thailand you will not be disappointed by Seahorse Ferry. A relaxing, romantic and fun experience to kick off your trip, it is without a doubt the best way to travel between Bangkok and Koh Samui.

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