Tucked inside Soho Pool Club at Boat Lagoon Marina, Simpro Academy doesn’t look like most people’s idea of a simulator centre. There’s no arcade row of coin-operated machines. Instead, there are four dedicated rigs: three racing simulators, two running triple-screen setups and one built around VR, plus a single flight simulator, all running the kind of hardware used for actual skill training rather than a few minutes of novelty.
The racing rigs run on a Simucube direct-drive wheelbase, Simtrecs load-cell pedals, a Simagic sequential gear shifter and GSI racing wheels, all mounted on genuine Sparco and Recaro seats. Guests can run iRacing or Rally, along with Automobilista 2, Assetto Corsa Competizione and a handful of other sims, on tracks and cars picked to suit whatever level someone’s at. The flight simulator is built around Microsoft Flight Simulator, with a Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog, a Moza flight stick and an F5 simulation seat, letting guests fly anything from a small general-aviation aircraft up to a commercial jet, with VR available for a full cockpit view.
Simpro Academy was founded on the same instinct that shaped Simba Sea Trips and Soho Pool Club: Paul Chappell spent 23 years as a professional airline captain before turning his attention to running businesses on the ground instead of in the air, and that background is a large part of why the flight side exists at all.
"Flying a simulator is part of how professional pilots actually train," Paul said. "We wanted Phuket’s tourists and locals to be able to try something close to that for themselves."
A standard session runs around 90 minutes and costs ฿1,300 per person, starting with a pre-session briefing on the controls and safety basics before guests move into hands-on time behind the wheel or the flight controls. No prior experience is required for either the flight simulator or the racing rigs, and optional one-on-one coaching is available for an added fee for anyone who wants to work on racing lines, braking points or flight manoeuvres specifically rather than just have a go.
Simpro also runs group and corporate bookings on top of walk-in sessions. It recently hosted a private corporate event for the insurance firm bolttech at Aquella Golf & Country Club, north of Phuket, setting up its racing simulators off-site for a team-building afternoon, which points to a side of the business built around private and group events as much as individual visitors.
Being built into Soho’s own site cuts both ways. Guests can order food and drinks from Soho Pool Club without leaving a session, and the pool and wellness side are a short walk away for anyone who wants to cool off afterwards. It also means Simpro sees a natural crossover with Soho’s own regulars and with Simba’s tour guests, who pass through the same marina base most mornings.
Simpro Academy is open daily from 9 am to 9 pm, and bookings can be made in advance through the website or by phone. Cancellations and rescheduling require at least 24 hours’ notice. The academy is located at 23 Boat Lagoon Marina, Soho Pool Club, Moo 2, Koh Kaeo, Ampur Mueang, Phuket 83000. Bookings and enquiries: +66 62 962 2822 or info@simproacademyphuket.com.
Set in a working marina rather than a shopping mall, Simpro’s pitch is straightforward: a cockpit or a race seat that behaves like the real thing, run by people who know the difference, with a pool and a kitchen a few steps away for instant relaxation once the session ends.