Hi!

We are in the midst of booking our 4 week trip to Asia for our honeymoon. We will spend most of our time in Thailand. I have heard mixed comments on Phuket. Some say it could rain a lot in July and others tell me that Phuket is not suitable for a honeymoon. Please help as our other option is Ko Lanta. What would be better and where to stay in each? We are looking for a luxury hotel but not one that charges $500 per night. We don't have time for both as we want enough time in Tokyo and Hong Kong as well at the end of our trip.

Thank you so much!!

my comment is that phuket would be suitable for a honeymoon....i don't know why someone would say it is not...

pick your hotel carefully however...i would stay there a max of one week however...there is a lot to do as well...variety of activities....

the jw marriott is particuarily nice, albeit remote

If you do head to lanta then check out the Pimalai on Lanta. We vistied here but did not stay in October 2005. it was stunning. There are lots of options for you at the price you have quoted.

Have you considered Koh Samui Koh Phnagan or Koh Tao. These are all islands close to each other in the gulf which in July is in its high season with nice weather.

In terms of Lanta and Phuket in July you may find there will be beaches that you can not swim in due to under lows because of weather. it would be a shame to not be able to swim in ocean as the water in divine in Thailand.

Hope I have not confused you any further. If you decide to go the Samui way there appears to be lots of top notch resorts that would fit the bill for you.

Hope it all works out. Congrats on wedding.

Hello - many congratulations! The weather issue will affect Ko Lanta as well as Phuket. Having said that, you can get some good bargains in the hotels on that coast as it is low season due to the risk of rain. We loved the Pimalai in Ko Lanta. However, if you do not want to take the risk with the weather, take a look at the islands Maisymoo has mentioned and also Ko Chang.

Just to add to what Bella and maisymoo have said, July 'is' heavy rainy time of year both Phuket and Koh lanta, plus side though is very low hotel rates, although you 'could' be lucky and get lots of sunny days, perhaps just a few short showers of rain you could also get heavy prolonged rain so you do take that risk, and it's a toss up between getting low rates with the chances of lots of rain.
For sunshine during July you really need to look at the Gulf area islands, Koh Samui if you want a lively Phuket style island, Koh Chang for somewhere more Koh Lanta style ( i.e much quieter than Phuket or Samui and more relaxing but forget nightlife and large scale shopping ).

I can't understand why Phuket in good weather times would not be suitable, it's a lively fun island with great resorts, lots of restaurants, shopping and entertainment, however, for July it really is the weather you need to think about.
Someone else was just asking about August to I checked the 'stats and to give you a rough idea for July:

Phuket/Koh Lanta : 10.4
Samui/Koh Tao : 5.7
Koh Chang ( approx area ): 4.6
North Gulf area: 3.5

So quite a difference.

I think if you can tell us all more about how you would like to enjoy your time it can help give more precise ideas.
e.g Daytime: lazing by the pool, trip to another beach or island, spa and massage, tours, treks, adventure trips
Evenings: relaxing at your resort, or heading to lots of restaurants, shopping, nightlife.

If you want a lively place with lots to do in the evenings Phuket and Samui are the busiest, choice though depends time of year.

If you want quiet relaxation Koh lanta/krabi or Koh Chang etc, again, time of year dictates if weather is important.

Just to put some perspective on the rates difference by season, JW Marriott July on Phuket USD 160, December could be USD 450 + ! le meridien resort Phuket July USD 98, December USD 250-300, Kata Thani Phuket Junior Suite July USD 110, January USD 320.

The difference is substantial.

I have just seen you have quite a lot of time available, considoring the rates you could always go for 4 or 5 days Phuket and chance it, stay at a nice place, JW for quiet or perhaps Mom tri's, Kata Thani, Meridien, and if it rains just enjoy a nice spa massage or go shopping, in the evenings plenty of indorr restaurants, go see a show like Fantasea or Phuket Simon, then you could also have time to spend perhaps on Koh Chang to relax on the beach. certainly if it 'does' rain there is plenty to do on Phuket but mixing that with quiet beach time means that even if you do get Phuket rain you still have some sunshine time.
Worth noting that if you though about Koh Lanta the difference is you can fly into Phuket regardless of weather in most cases but Koh lanta is a flight to krabi, couple of hours by road and then a boat trip ( I did Koh lanta some years back and halfway across the heavens opened and a terrible storm ), so considor that short but however existant boat trip to/from Koh Lanta. Also flights into Phuket are far more than to krabi.

I think Bob would agree 160 for the JW Phuket is good value!

Thank you so much for all your replies and congratulations.
Since we are going to Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Tokyo and Hong Kong I wanted to relax and enjoy the beach and resort life (ie. massages) in Ko Samui and the other island we decide to go. That is not to say that we wouldn't want to some entertainment. I am very concerned about the weather as I love the beach and think that I would be very disappointed if it rained during my stay in Phuket.
That said, maybe Ko Chang is a better option as we are already planning to go to Ko Samui. Can you please tell me a little more about Ko Chang and where to stay there and where to fly into there or would you suggest we go to Ko Phnagan or Ko Tao? I am still really unsure as to my itinerary and we are booking the flights on Monday! Thanks so much!!

I love Ko Tao - and it reduces your travelling time if you are already staying on Ko Samui already. You can travel there in a couple of hours by catamaran.

However, you are not going to get v luxurious hotels there as it is more low key. There are more upmarket places than there were previously but they are not going to be as luxurious as the hotels in Samui - the infrastructure just simply isn't there on Ko Tao.

However, it is beautiful and relaxed there. We are getting married on Samui next summer and during our honeymoon after we are staying on Ko Tao as we loved it when we went there as backpackers. Here are a list of the places that were recommended to us:

Ko Tao:
Sensi Paradise
Ko Tao Resort (this is where we are staying - it is on a nice beach, has beachfront accommodation, a/c and a swimming pool - the latter two are important to us because we will be with our 2 year old)
Coral Grande Resort
Thipwimarn
Charm Churee
(NB - there are two new places that are marketing themselves as boutique/luxurious but there have had v mixed reviews on Tripadvisor so do read these. They look lovely though - anankhira and khirana villas)

From Ko Tao, you have great opportunties to dive and snorkel. The beaches are very pretty with white sand and the nightlife consists mainly of low key beach bars and local restaurants. It could provide the perfect compliment to Ko Samui.

As regards Ko Pha Ngan - you could visit the beaches here as a daytrip from Ko Samui or include a stay as part of an island hop between Ko Samui and Ko Tao.

Consider staying on Thong Nai Pan Noi beach (I think this is the most beautiful beach on the island although of course that is subject to debate!):
Panviman Resort (up on the cliff above the beach, beautiful location, more luxurious resort)
Baan Panburi Village (the more expensive bungalows are now air conditioned, v well reviewed and recommended by friends of ours, no swimming pool)
Santhya Resort & Spa - new and not opening until April, more luxurious and expensive

I happened across a couple of reviews of this resort on Koh Tao. it looks fabulous and the reviews were both 5 out of 5. Jamahkiri resort and spa. Looks just a bit different to other accomodtions on KohTao. It was about 5900 a night including breakie in July as this is their high season. It looked to be in walking distance of other resorts etc for a bit of variety for food.

sorry that is 5900 baht a night not dollars. We have decided for our trip to island hop to Samui. Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. They are all within a couple of hours of one another. it would save you yet another flight, airport trip etc if you did this as you are doing a fair bit of flying. That being said it is your choice. I wonder if anyone can tell you what Koh Chang can offer you over these other islands. having never been to any of them can't answer this one. Good luck

Maisy - have just read a couple of reviews on tripadvisor and looked at the website. It looks lovely - but alas not suitable for my two year old

Are you going to stay there?

Also - Shark Bay (which is the beach in the bay below) is imho the best beach on Ko Tao.

Hello - I just came across another new resort called Tusita Resort which is located in Chumphon. Chumphon is located on the Gulf of Thailand side and on the mainland, but is actually closer (slightly) to koh Tao than Samui. This is the first upscale resort to open in Chumphon. I've heard the beaches in Chumphon are also very nice and also quiet. You might want to check it out:

http://tusitaresort.com/

Looks interesting and I'm hoping to get a room here in June.

Still counting the pennies to see if we can stretch it. Wanted to also stay at Santhiya on Koh Phangan might have to be one of the other for us I think. Or niether and maybe just lunch or dinner there for a nosy.