Hi there, I'm planning 10 days in Thailand 29 May to June 9th. I was told the weather is not so good in Phuket at this time of year and that Samui would be better.

Does anyone have any comments on the weather and any ideas where to stay on Samui. We will be staying 3 nights at the Pen in Bangkok and then thought of the Muang Kulaypan on Chaweng beach (apparently a boutique hotel) ?

Thanks for your help.

PS.: If anyone has any other beach destinations for that period in Thailand please go ahead.

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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Bungus:
Does anyone have any comments on the weather...
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If I remember reading correctly, the west side of the Thai pinninsula gets the wet weather during May, June, July where as the east side of the pinninsula gets wet weather during Nov, Dec and Jan.

Koh Samui would be the next place I would go to in southern Thailand.

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I plan to be there June 13-16 for some R&R. I thought about Phuket but I have also read that the weather should be much better in Koh Samui.

I'm trying to find a place to stay - the Le Meridien looks to be a safe bet given the name but I am looking for some other recommendations that are a bit less than the US$200 rates I'm getting for the Le Meredien.

Any help would be appreciated...thanks!

I have been to each in May, and there were short thunderstorms in each place. I would not avoid either one due to weather. More importantly, I would recommend each, although Phuket may be somewhat questionable now due to the Muslim population. I really love Samui.

There are so many places along Chaweng beach and Chaweng Noi beaches. In Phuket, we stayed at a local type hotel...??Peach Hotel that was less than a 5 minute walk to a wonderful beach at the Club Med with almost no one there.

Thanks for all your comments. Koh Samui it shall be. I have found a sort of boutique hotel on the north end of Chaweng beach called the Muang Kulaypan offering good rates, but it is a room and not a bungalow. Otherwise the choice seems endless, and visibly there is no problem with regards to availability.

Just got back from Thailand yesterday. The dry season that is just now ending has been unusually wet with rain every few days. That being said even when it is raining both Phuket and Koh Samui are acceptable destinations. The biggest issues are the waves and undertow that create dangerous conditions in Phuket May thru October and in Koh Samui from August thru December.

Another alternative is Koh Chang. Beautiful relatively undeveloped island off the coast just outside Trat. Bangkok Airways has just opened the Trat airport so Koh Chang is now a short flight instead of a 5 hour bus ride.

Another alternative is Hua Hin.

Just returned from Ko Samui...I was very disappointed with the Muang Kulaypan. Yes it is a boutique hotel but it is not a luxury hotel. I had a deluxe Inao room for $100/night. Very spartan accomodations and a beach not suitable for swimming.

After just one night, I moved to Le Royal Meredien on the other side of the island. There I had a gorgeous sala room for $150/night. Excellent service, luxurious surroundings and plenty of things to do. Numerous pools and restaurants and a good spa. It is off the beaten path so would be ideal for honeymooners or those (like me) who are looking to just get away.

It's been so long since I was in Sumui! Here is a good website http://samui.sawadee.com/hotels/index.html

I wish I was going...sigh.

I would have expected lower prices at this time of year. I bet there were less then normal amount of tourists.

How was the BKK PEN?

The room I had at the Meredien normally goes for $300/night during high season. I'd say the hotel (and the island in general) was about 10-20% full. It made for a very peaceful and affordable get away!

Work2fly,

How was the beach at the Meridien? What sort of room did you have? Do you know how far the so-called "oceanfront" rooms are from the beach?

JHO

If you are planning a trip to samui, a couple of new hotels need to be checked out. For a good beach location, the new Pansea looks wonderfull :

A new Evason Hideaway which looks great, but hte beach side of things isn't clear on the web site http://www.sixsenses.com/evason-samui/

A new Pansea on one of the best beaches in Samui, with bungalows right on the beach http://www.pansea.com/samuires.html

Let us know how they are, if you end up in one of them

Thanks

My favorite booking site is www.sawadee.com

We were very pleased with Hi Coral Cove Resort on Koh Samui - private bungalows with AC, hot showers, daily maid service, mini fridge and breakfast, for two, for $22/day in March, 2004. Not luxury, but clean, safe and locally owned. We were 59 stair steps above the beach. It really is as lovely as the photos show. Took the saeng tow (?sp) to Chaweng & Lamai, rented a motorcycle for one day, spent time snorkeling on the reef right off the beach where we stayed. The onsite restaurant was good, and we enjoyed talking to the staff.

Kate

i stayed at the muang K. about 5 yrs ago and loved it - i was paying $35 a night so for that price it was excellent - but you could also tell that it was in need of $$$ to make it a proper boutique hotel.
once you choose the hotel you want i would seearch with google a couple times as prices vary wildly and for not much effort you can save alot..

also to note that time of year you shouldn;t need to book in advance so you could choose phi phi - or another island on that side when you arrive to see what the weather is doing - after going back to phi phi and seeing it over developed so much i would only go again in super off season like may.


www.latestays.com
www.wotif.com
for late deals..

make sure you use the limo service for the Pen :D ^

Check out this where I am going for a little break from work

http://www.sawadee.com/kohtao/taocottage for few days and then

we booked the honeymoon suite at this one

http://www.thipwimarn-resort.com/index.htm

Flew Bangkok airline to Koh Samui and then took the Catamaran to Koh Tao.

Chaweng & Lamai is full of pissed up Europeans all doing it on he cheap and basically ruining the place. If you like peace, quiet, service and total chill out then try these two.

Koh Tao looks very nice. Has anyone been there?

Was there just last week for a day (only) of snorkeling. Took 1 1/2 hrs by speed boat to get there but was well worth it. The island, people and water were spectacular. Furthermore, the snorkeling could be enjoyed as the water was not filled with the same microscopic jellyfish that made the water off Chaweng Beach unswimmable.

Koh Tao is the diving factory in SE Asia. Both snorkeing and diving around Koh Tao is better than Samui. Many Samui travel agents offer day trip to Koh Tao. Another good day trip is the one going to the national park to see the mountain lake.

Koh Tao has more budget and medium priced places to stay. But if diving is the first priority, staying on Koh Tao is unavoidable becuase it takes 1.5 hr speed boat ride from Samui to Koh Tao. You don't want to do that 3 hr ride everyday if you dive.

Any info on the Amari Palm or the Princess Village? I'm looking for luxury at a rate of around $150/night. Is this possible on Samui?

Any info on the Amari Palm or the Princess Village? I'm looking for luxury at a rate of around $150/night. Is this possible on Samui?


We stayed at the Princess Village April 2004 for three nights. We loved this property, I think we were in a 2nd row bungalow, but quite honestly any bungalow at this property is perfect. Great service, nice restaurant, beautiful grounds, excellent beach and good location. Very highly recommended. Not sure about the Amari Palm, is that nearby? Maybe that is a bit of a bigger property, quite different from Princess Village.

We stayed at the Princess Village April 2004 for three nights. We loved this property, I think we were in a 2nd row bungalow, but quite honestly any bungalow at this property is perfect. Great service, nice restaurant, beautiful grounds, excellent beach and good location. Very highly recommended. Not sure about the Amari Palm, is that nearby? Maybe that is a bit of a bigger property, quite different from Princess Village.

Amari does appear to be a big resort with pool, etc. Princess does look amazing...I'll be going alone...will I be the only "non-couple" there? It does look like a good honeymoon place......

Does anyone have any experience with the Thai House Beach Resort, a relatively new hotel at Lamai Beach? You can see info about it here:

http://www.sawadee.com/samui/thaihousebeach/

or here:

http://www.thaihousebeach-resort.com/

I'll be staying in Koh Samui in early march with two friends, and this looks like an excellent option. We'd like something away from it all and relaxed during the day, with excellent and complete facilities, but with easy access to nightlife in the evenings. Thanks for any comments/recommendations.

My wife and I stayed at the Amari Resort during that same time period several years ago and loved it - very nice service, great beach area, several pools, the $5/hour massages were wonderful - really couldn't ask for much more - at the time it was very well priced as well.



Hi there, I'm planning 10 days in Thailand 29 May to June 9th. I was told the weather is not so good in Phuket at this time of year and that Samui would be better.

Does anyone have any comments on the weather and any ideas where to stay on Samui. We will be staying 3 nights at the Pen in Bangkok and then thought of the Muang Kulaypan on Chaweng beach (apparently a boutique hotel) ?

Thanks for your help.

PS.: If anyone has any other beach destinations for that period in Thailand please go ahead.

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