The world’s first floating beach club
Yona Beach Club is a floating beach club moored off the coast of Phuket. The 1,200 sqm vessel sits across three levels with a 22-metre infinity pool, four bars, a restaurant and a rooftop with 360-degree sea views. A shuttle boat runs from the pier every 20 minutes, and guests choose between a relaxed Morning Package and an adults-only Afternoon Package that runs through sunset into the night. It opened in 2021 and quickly became one of the most booked experiences in Phuket. I have been on board several times since launch, and it is still the most unusual venue on the island.
What Yona Beach Club is
The boat is a purpose-built three-floor vessel, anchored a short shuttle ride from the pier. The ground floor is the main beach club with the big pool at the centre, surrounded by sea beds, pool beds and cabanas in several sizes. The DJ booth and the main bar sit at the back of the pool, and the restaurant is also on this level. There is no beach and no sand. The whole floor is a deck around the pool, with views on all sides.
The second floor is the Sunset Terrace with its own smaller pool, sofas and sunset beds. This level is the calmest of the three, and the best place on the boat at the end of the afternoon when the light turns gold. The third floor is a rooftop bar with a full panorama of Patong Bay or Phang Nga Bay, depending on the season.
Where Yona departs from
This is the part most people get wrong. Yona moves twice a year, and the departure pier moves with it.
From mid-November to late March (the high season), the boat is moored in Patong Bay and the check-in pier is the Patong Boat Pier, a short taxi ride from the main Patong Beach strip. From late March to mid-November (the low season), the boat moves to the east coast and the check-in pier is at Royal Phuket Marina in Koh Kaew, near Phuket Town.
Always check the exact check-in location on your booking confirmation before the day. Taxi drivers will take you straight to the wrong pier if you just say “Yona”. The shuttle boat to the club itself runs every 20 minutes from the pier and the crossing takes about 10 minutes.
Morning Package or Afternoon Package
Yona now runs two very different experiences on the same boat.
The Morning Package runs from 9.30 am to 2 pm. It is the chill version: live singer instead of a DJ, calm pool, family friendly with a minimum age of 4. This is the one I recommend for couples who want the boat experience and the sea views without the party, and for anyone travelling with older kids. The energy is closer to a resort pool than a club.
The Afternoon Package runs from 2 pm to 9.30 pm and is adults only, minimum age 20. This is where Yona earns its reputation. The DJ takes over from around mid-afternoon, dancers come out, the pool fills up, and the energy builds straight through sunset into the evening. Last check-in at the pier is 5 pm. Show up after that and you lose your seat with no refund.
The two packages do not overlap. If you want both the calm lunch and the full party, you pick one and commit.
Seating: what you are actually paying for
The pricing model at Yona is not like a normal bar. You book a seat, and the seat comes with a food and drink credit you spend on board. The more expensive the seat, the higher the credit.
A basic day pass gives you access to the boat and the pool with a small credit, but no guaranteed seat. This is the cheapest way on board, and it is fine if you plan to move around and do not mind standing at the bar. For anything longer than a couple of hours, you want a proper seat.
The seating tiers on the ground floor go from Sea Bed (the cheapest reserved seat, at the edge of the deck facing the sea) to Pool Bed (beside the main pool, more action, more splashing), then Small Cabana, Medium Cabana and Maxi Cabana for groups. On the second floor, the Sunset Terrace has its own Sunset Beds, Sunset Sofas, Pool Sofas and Balcony Sofas, all quieter than the ground floor but with the same view of the sunset.
My take: for two people, a Sunset Bed on the second floor is the sweet spot. You are away from the pool chaos, the view is better, and the food and drink credit usually covers a proper meal plus cocktails. For a group of four or more, a Medium Cabana on the ground floor works out better per person and puts you right in the action.
Food and drinks on board
The menu is Asian and Mediterranean, heavy on sharing plates, sushi, pizzas and Thai classics. The pizzas are genuinely good for a boat kitchen. There is a separate signature cocktail menu on the rooftop bar, and the house DJ playlists on Spotify if you want a preview of the sound.
Outside food and drink are not allowed on board. Neither are inflatable pool toys, professional camera gear or balloons. Dress code is smart casual, so swimwear with a cover-up is fine, but tank tops and sportswear are not. This rule is enforced at the pier, not on the boat, so do not get caught out at check-in.
Events and DJ nights
Yona books international DJs most weekends during the high season. Past line-ups have included Amémé, Shimza, Carlita, Themba and Mambo Brothers, and the events calendar fills up fast from November to April. On event nights, the boat stays open late,r and the vibe shifts from beach club to proper open-air party.
If you are coming to Phuket specifically for a DJ set, check Yona’s own events page before you book a seat. Event nights are priced differently and sell out first. If you just want the beach club experience, a regular Tuesday or Thursday afternoon in the shoulder weeks gives you the same boat with more space.
Photos of Yona Beach Club
Insider Tips
Book your seat, not just a day pass. The day pass gets you on the boat but not a spot to sit. On a busy afternoon, that is a long day on your feet. The food and drink credit that comes with a seat usually covers most of what you were going to spend anyway.
Check the pier on your confirmation, not with the taxi driver. The boat moves between Patong Boat Pier and Royal Phuket Marina twice a year, and drivers often take you to whichever one is closer to your hotel rather than the right one. Take a screenshot of the pier address from your booking and show it to the driver.
If you want the sunset, the second floor wins. The Sunset Terrace on the second floor sits higher, has an open view to the west, and is far calmer than the ground floor pool. For couples, this is the better seat. For groups who want to be in the middle of the action, stay on the ground floor.
Arrive at the pier 30 minutes before your shuttle time. Check-in, welcome drink and the walk to the shuttle boat all take time. The shuttle runs every 20 minutes, so missing one costs you real time on board.
Morning Package is underrated. Most people book the afternoon by reflex. The morning session has the same boat, the same pool, the same views, proper food and a live singer instead of a DJ. For a quiet day out at sea, it is the best version.
Event nights are a different venue. If you want to relax, avoid the headline DJ nights. The boat gets packed, queues at the bar get longer, and the price goes up. Save those for when you actually came for the music.
Yona Through the Years
Yona launched in late 2021, at a time when Phuket was still slowly reopening and most beach clubs were empty. I remember watching the boat being fitted out in Boat Lagoon and wondering if anyone would pay to take a shuttle to a club at sea. That answer came quickly.
Within a year it was one of the most booked experiences on the island, and the model, a proper beach club on a permanent floating platform, was copied nowhere else in Asia. The boat itself has not changed much since then. What has changed is the scale of the operation: the two-package split between Morning and Afternoon came later, the event programme grew from local DJs to an international line-up, and the seasonal move between Patong and Royal Phuket Marina became a proper logistical operation rather than a one-off relocation.
Phuket had big beach clubs before Yona. Catch, Café Del Mar, Xana, and later Carpe Diem all set the template on Bang Tao and Kamala. What Yona added was the crossing. You do not drive up to a beach and walk in. You take a boat to a boat, and by the time you step on board, the rest of Phuket feels very far away. That short shuttle ride is the whole point.
Check Availability for Yona
Practical details
Open: Daily. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 9.30 am to 9.30 pm (Morning + Afternoon). Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from 2 pm to 9.30 pm (Afternoon only).
Morning Package: 9.30 am to 2 pm. Minimum age 4. Last check-in 12 pm.
Afternoon Package: 2 pm to 9.30 pm. Minimum age 20. Last check-in 5 pm.
High season pier (mid-November to late March): Patong Boat Pier.
Low season pier (late March to mid-November): Royal Phuket Marina.
Shuttle boat: every 20 minutes, 10-minute crossing.
Dress code: smart casual. No tank tops, no sportswear, no cut-offs.
This story was first published on January 10, 2023
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