Koh Lipe to Phuket

Bundhaya's 09:00 is the boat I'd book. It runs south to north up the Andaman coast, calling at the Trang islands, and reaches Saladan pier on Koh Lanta at 12:00. There you change to the Phuket boat, which leaves at 13:00 and lands at Rassada at 14:30. The fare is ฿2,500 through, ฿1,800 for a child, and it runs from mid-October to 20 May. The 12:00 follows the same route an hour behind, leaving Lanta at 15:30 and landing at 17:00, from 1 November to 4 May.

Tigerline's 09:00 is the quicker ride on paper, landing at about 14:00 for about ฿2,480, and its 12:30 lands at about 17:30. Satun Pakbara leaves at 10:30 and lands at about 16:00 for about ฿2,520. All of them are long, open-sea rides, so take water, sit near the back, where the boat moves least, and take something for seasickness if you need it.

Be at the check-in on Pattaya Beach half an hour before the boat. Bundhaya calls its check-in point Pier 1. The speedboats wait at floating platforms off the beach, so expect a short longtail ride out with your bags.

Rassada pier is near Phuket Town on the east coast, about 35 km from the airport, or 40 to 55 minutes by car. Add the two hours the airport wants before a flight, and the 09:00 boat, landing at 14:30, suits a flight from about 18:00. I'd leave more slack than that, because a 5.5-hour crossing runs late when the wind is up.

The simplest ticket is Tigerline's speedboat and van, which goes from Pattaya Beach to the airport door, arriving at about 15:30, for about ฿2,950. The 12:00 and 12:30 boats land at 17:00 to 17:30, too late for anything but a very late flight, so if your flight leaves before mid-evening, take the morning boat or spend your last night in Phuket.

From 21 May to mid-October no speedboat runs from Lipe to Phuket. Speedboats still leave Lipe for Pak Bara pier at 09:30, 11:30 and 13:30, about 1 hour 30, for ฿700, and they run all year. In the rainy season they often leave from the Sunrise Beach side of the island instead of Pattaya Beach, so check where your ticket says to board.

In season, van-and-bus tickets from the 09:30 boat reach Phuket's bus terminals at about 18:00 to 20:00, for about ฿1,284–1,625 on 12Go. In the low season I'd build the trip myself. Take Bundhaya's boat and van to Hat Yai airport, ฿950, leaving Lipe at 09:30 and arriving at about 13:30, then fly Bangkok Airways to Phuket, about an hour, or take a bus, about 7.5 hours for ฿440–684. Either way it's a full day, so check your Phuket hotel can take a late arrival.

Going south, Bundhaya's speedboat leaves Rassada at 08:30 from mid-October to 20 May and reaches Lipe at 13:30, with a 10:00 from November to early May. My Phuket to Koh Lipe guide has every boat, getting to Rassada from the airport, and the overland route via Hat Yai.