Just wondering if it's too close to monsoon season to go to Thailand. What is monsoon season like there? I'm from Los Angeles, where it rains 3 days a year. Is it worth risking the rainy season? Thanks!
Just wondering if it's too close to monsoon season to go to Thailand. What is monsoon season like there? I'm from Los Angeles, where it rains 3 days a year. Is it worth risking the rainy season? Thanks!
Rains in the early morning for 1/2 hour.
Rains in the late afternoon for 1/2 hour.
Cloudy and sunny periods all day.
Don't go to Phuket, Samui is better (marginally).
The rains are really not a big deal at that time of year, it's mostly in late afternoon or at night. You'll probably get far more rain in HK at that time. I always go to Thailand for a few weeks of golf in the summer, it's actually cooler than HK. As to Phuket vs Samui, it's really a personal choice. Phuket is larger and has more activities to offer, however, it's easier to find a quiet little beach in Samui. Personally, I prefer Phuket though it's more expensive and Patong is a bit of a cesspool to be avoided unless you enjoy all the trappings of a tourist town.
The worst of the rain is often in September, October which is often when you get floods especially up north.
Phuket is an overpriced lawless toilet nowadays, Samui, as Virago points out, is marginally better although the infrastructure still can't cope with the heavy rains and raw sewage will still pour down the main high street after monsoon.
All adds to the " experience" I guess.
Last edited by Cwbguy; 23-03-2011 at 06:23 PM.
Any chance you can find a tuk tuk prepared to take you the shortest trip now for less than TB200? No, didn't think so, rest my case! Taxi from airport to anywhere ?? 5 times what it would cost in HK.
Plse remove your head from underwear area and see what is happening on the island nowadays, full of nasty scams re transport and beach activities.
thaivisa.com and phuketgazette.net will quickly bring you up to speed on that tourist "paradise".
For one, there are no tuk tuk which is a great thing. The taxi to/from the airport to Patong is 500Baht +- 100 which comes up to at most 150HKD for about 35km. That distance in HK would be about 250HKD. Furthermore, you can also get a shared shuttle direct to your hotel for 100Baht and there are also cheap buses to town. You can rent brand new little motorbikes for around 200Baht a day which is comparable to other places in Thailand. As to scams, they are everywhere, it's up to the traveler to be informed in order not to overpay. June being low season, there are plenty of excellent deals to be had. There's no doubt that Phuket is more expensive than the rest of Thailand and I find it's harder to find quality food at the same price you find other places in Thailand but there's really no need to misinform people. It's still an excellent place to go on holiday and some enjoy the mega malls and shopping opportunities that Phuket offers and it's still quite easy to find a quiet beach away from the hoopla.
In any case, neither Koh Samui nor Phuket are the best places to get away from it all and pay cheap prices. That ship sailed quite a while ago...
Last edited by gilleshk; 24-03-2011 at 07:55 AM.
It does not rain much that time of year in Samui but the heat can be overwhelming (35c). That's why the call it the HOT season. The rain season in Samui, unlike most parts of Thailand, is actually from about September to late November. Samui has plenty of relatively undeveloped idyllic beaches if you do a bit of research and stay away from ghastly Chaweng and Lamai.
Variations in temperature are really not that great on average. Hottest months in Thailand actually tend to be before summer and because there's more cloud cover during rainy season, it's more comfortable. Usually feels more comfortable than HK in the summer
Temperatures in Celsius. Average values:
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Max. temp 31 32 33 33 31 31 31 31 30 31 31 31
Min. temp 23 23 24 25 25 25 25 24 24 24 24 24
Water temp 26 27 27 28 28 28 28 28 28 27 27 27
Sun hours 280 258 237 231 215 162 108 138 128 176 231 290
Rain mm 38 8 12 62 186 113 143 123 210 260 302 98