Kruvit Raft (Ban Laem Hin)

Overview

Kruvit Raft, also known as Ban Laem Hin, is one of the more memorable MICHELIN Selected restaurants in the Phuket area simply because of how you get there, a five minute boat ride across open water to reach a floating restaurant near Ko Maphrao, just off the east coast near Old Town. The journey is genuinely part of the appeal, panoramic views, a gentle sea breeze, and the anticipation of fresh seafood served in a setting unlike almost anywhere else on the island. This is a seafood focused restaurant built for a relaxed, scenic meal rather than a quick bite grabbed on the go, and that combination of an unusual setting and genuinely fresh seafood earned it its MICHELIN Selected status. Sitting at a moderate, mid range price point given its seafood focus, it is particularly well suited to groups looking for a shared, memorable dining experience rather than a fast, functional meal.

What to Order

Seafood is unsurprisingly the entire focus at Kruvit Raft, given its floating location surrounded by the waters near Ko Maphrao. Expect the kind of just caught freshness that comes naturally from a restaurant built directly around its access to the sea, prepared in a straightforward, shared style well suited to groups eating together. The communal, relaxed format of dining here lends itself to ordering a range of seafood dishes for the table rather than individual plates, letting a group sample a broader spread of what the kitchen has available on a given day. Given the emphasis on freshness over elaborate technique, dishes tend to let the seafood itself take centre stage, supported by classic Thai seasoning and preparation rather than heavily reworked international styling. It is a meal built around the produce and the setting together, rather than one or the other alone.

Atmosphere & Setting

The atmosphere at Kruvit Raft is defined entirely by its floating structure, seating built to make the most of open water views, a light sea breeze, and the sense of distance from the more built up parts of Phuket. It is a genuinely scenic setting, offering panoramic views as standard rather than as a premium upgrade, and it suits a slower, more leisurely meal rather than a rushed lunch stop. The restaurant is explicitly group friendly, with a layout suited to larger shared seafood meals rather than intimate two person dining. Seating is limited to what comfortably fits on the floating structure itself, which naturally caps capacity and keeps the atmosphere from feeling overcrowded even during busier periods. It is one of the more distinctive dining environments on this part of the island, trading resort polish for a genuinely unusual, memorable setting.

Location & Getting There

Kruvit Raft is located near Ko Maphrao, reached via a five minute boat ride from the mainland near Ko Kaeo, in the greater Mueang Phuket, Old Town area. This makes access genuinely different from almost any other restaurant covered here, since a boat transfer is a required part of getting to the table rather than an optional scenic add on. Visitors should plan for the logistics involved, arranging transport to the boat departure point, allowing time for the crossing, and confirming the boat schedule in advance given that seating and transfer capacity are both limited. It is not a spontaneous, walk in kind of stop, and should be built into a day's plans with some lead time rather than treated as a casual detour.

Good to Know

Kruvit Raft sits at a moderate, mid range price point given its seafood focus and unusual floating setting. Worth planning ahead for, given the boat transfer involved and the fact that seating is limited to what fits comfortably on the floating structure itself. Calling ahead to confirm the boat transfer schedule is a sensible step before making the trip out to Ko Maphrao, since transport logistics are central to actually reaching the restaurant. Amenities include card payment, a bar, and vegetarian options, and it is particularly well suited to groups thanks to its shared, communal seafood dining style. For travellers wanting a genuinely different Phuket dining experience beyond the usual beach resort or Old Town options, Kruvit Raft's combination of scenery and fresh seafood is hard to match.