Hello!

My fiance and I are planning our honeymoon to Thailand next July and we have read some conflicting information on the weather in the islands at that time. Ideally we would like to be on the west side as it looks a bit more sublime tropical, but have read that it is monsoon season. Is this true and if so, does it really rain all day or what is the reality?

We want to have a luxe honemoon and see the beauty of the Thai Islands. We are planning on going big and staying at the amazing resorts and living the life. Any feedback would be much appreciated!

Take a look at www.weatherbase.com Phuket is listed, and use Surat Thani as the indicator for Koh Samui.

As you can see the Phuket/Krabi/PhiPhi/etc side is rainy at that time of the year. Monsoons tend to be hard rain for a while, then sun. But it can be stormy and rain most of the day. Are you the kind of people who do things rain or shine or would you feel your honeymoon would be spoiled by a few rainy days? Also, consider that the seas will be rough during the monsoons, the beaches will be red-flagged (so you'll be swimming the the pool) and the water will be too roiled up for snorkeling. Some of the well-regarded activities (e,g,. John Gray's Sea Canoes) may not run on some days during July because the seas are too rough. On the other hand, you might be lucky and get lots of sun and relatively calm seas.

Where else will you be going in Thailand? You'll want some time in Bangkok, but is there any place else you'd like to visit? How much time do you have on the ground in Asia?

Thank you so much for the info Kathie!

We are planning on doing about four nights in Bangkok, 2 nights in Chang Mai, and then 5 nights in the islands.

The island part of our vacatation will be at the end, so I would be dissapointed if it was rainy. We are really looking at that time for serious r and r.

It seems like we will end up on the east side. Right now, I am leaning towards the Bo Phut Resort on the north side of Koh Samui. Do you/anybody know of another island we should consider that has the luxe resorts as well?

take a look at the pansea on samui as well...same area

take a look at the jw marriott in phuket

but best of all take a look at the amari vogue near krabi....i just had dinner at this new place and it is quite fabulous...i was there in mid to late june...no rain at all on the west coast---well maybe one or two quick showers--1-2 hours or less

I agree with Bob, that there are nice places, nice beaches on the Phuket side, but the issue is rain. It sounds like Bob was lucky. And who knows, you might be lucky too. And, as a Seattleite, I never let rain interfere with my enjoyment of a place. But if rain would spoil your good time, July is rainier than June.

We loved staying on Bophut beach - and the Bophut Resort looked lovely. For a honeymoon, check out Sala Samui as well. We got married at Rocky Resort which was wonderful for an intimate wedding but is not in a built up area. All of these are on Samui.
BB

My personal experience is that July is not so bad as some are painting here.

Take a look at the link below for a Phuket weather blog from a local resident.

http://phuket-weather.blogspot.com/

The monsoon months does not mean constant rain or even daily rain fall but if you're planning on a honeymoon and you only have a few days allocated then there's a good chance that it could rain everyday you're here. You could luck out and have no rain and only get bright sunshine but the odds are that you'll experience some sort of rain. If you happen to come during some type of a storm then it could rain heavily and ruin your trip.

Basically it's a gamble and you'll have much better odds during the drier month but the hotels will be more expensive and the beaches will be more crowded.