I want to go to an island of Thailand in Novemeber - is this a good idea?
 

My sister and I (both in our late 20's) will be traveling to Thailand in late november and would like to basically lay on the beach all day, stay at a nice place with airconditioning and not pay too much! Suggestions for an island? please help! Is november a good time to go?

Have no idea from where you are traveling, but that's a long way to go to "sit on a very very HOT and HUMID beach"

we are traveling from San Franicsco. we want something exotic and hot - so i thought this was it - maybe not? we're open for suggestions - but we only have about 10 days (including travel time) to get somewhere - I would love suggestions!

you will find bangkok to be exotic, but the beach areas are much like you find the world around with a slight thai twist...

i think samui is better then

Thailand is a great destination. I think most of us on this board feel, however, that it is a very LONG way to go just to sit on a beach. If you aren't interested in the historical and cultural aspects of Thailand, then you may be better off spending your time and money going to beaches closer to home, or to a place like Thahiti where the main activity is laying on a beach.

With 10 days, you could do 3-4 in Bangkok and then the rest at a beach, or go to the northern hill areas around Chiang Mai for a few days as well. November is a bit of a tricky month as the monsoon patterns affect both sides of the Thai/Malaysia peninsula. In general, the later you go in November, the better you are. Phuket island on the west coast will have generally good weather, there will be more chance of rain the earlier in November that you go. If your can plan your trip for the very end of the month and into December, you have the best chance of good weather. December is in fact one of the best months in Phuket.

Koh Samui (an island off the east coast), is generally quite rainy in November. Again, the later you can go in the month the better. You might consider the Hua Hin area which is further north and on the Thai mainland. This is about a 3 hour drive from Bangkok. They will have some rain in November, but less than Koh Samui, and the later you can go the even less chance of rain. The beach there is not as nice as Koh Samui or Phuket, IMO, but there is a great spa hotel called Chiva Som, which might interest you. This is a world-class spa, which generally makes the list of top 10 spas in the world. A 5-star hotel on the beach with incredible food - you won't even know you are eating health food. You can take water aerobics or other fitness classes, work out in the gym or try one of dozens of face and body treatments. Truly Thai pampering! Take a look at chivasom.net

Bangkok will be hot and humid with a little rain, but that pretty much describes the weather there all the time except in the rainy season where it is wetter and hotter. Again, the later you can go in November the better. The Chiang Mai area will be a few degrees cooler than Bangkok and a shade less humid.

Take a look at weatherbase.com and worldclimate.com for historical average temperatures and rainfall in the places you are considering.

If your trip is for early November, you might also consider Bali. 10 days there would be great. October would be a better month there, but early November should be OK as well.

Have you considered Koh Samed? I've been doing a lot of research for a trip over New Year's and it looks great!

What is your budget ? Also do you want a really quiet place, a beach/island with nothing else or a place on the beach but also access to restaurants/shopping etc, I personaly would suggest not to go for 'too quiet' because although it sounds idlyllic I think you would miss enjoyment not getting out and about, having some nice evening meals, doing some shopping from street stalls etc.
Phuket weatherwise should be ok and if you choose beach wisely should be something to suit, Krabi/Railey Beach nice.
So how quiet and budget? That will help us give some ideas.

Eliza38 - If you're looking for a beach and not the culture, history, people, sightseeing in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, etc.

- why not go the The Cook Islands. A much closer trip than SEAsia, great beaches, accommodations for all budgets, nowhere as hot and humid as SEAsia. Less crowded than French Polynesia (Tahiti etc) November is a good month for travel to the Cook Islands.

Go over to the Australia & So. Pacific Board for more information.

Our budget is no more than $1,500 (including airfare - which right now is around $735). Since our budget is low - we chose Thailand (islands of Thailand) because of the low cost of the "resorts". Everywhere else in the world that we checked out, was too far, too expensive to fly to and too expensive for lodging. Yes - we would like quiet - but also would like to do a little shopping and have a nice dinner out at night. However - the main goal is relaxing on the beach. How hot and humid will it really be during the 3rd week of November?

We will leave San Francisco on 11/19, arrive in Bangkok on 11/20 and go immediately to the islands. Then we will leave on 11/27 - yes - a short trip, but that's all we can do because of time off from work.

Any suggestions?

For a twenty-something going to Thailand, I would suggest Koh Phangnan. It's an island about an hour ferry ride from Koh Samui. It's where the Full Moon Party takes place each month. From my experience, the beaches on Koh Samui aren't the greatest for just laying about. On the other hand, the main beach on Phangnan is nice and busy with travellers around your age. The beach there was far nicer than anything I found in Samui, Phuket or Krabi. Accomodations are incredibly cheap, but it is very basic. You'd be lucky to get air conditioning. One warning though, the guesthouses fill up quickly close to the date of the Full Moon Party and it's not like you can book ahead. As for weather, I was there at the end of January and the weather was perfect. I don't know much about conditions in November though.

As I noted above, Koh Samui is likely to be quite rainy in November. I would go to Phuket and Krabi area. There are lots of low-budget hotels. Get a copy of the Lonely Planet guidebook for Thailand (there may even be one for Phuket), it will have good suggestions for hotels and restaurants in the budget end. I find that their "top end" hotel recs are actually very nice and good value for money.

Average temps in Phuket in November are the low 80s F about the same in Koh Samui. I am not a judge of humidity, I would say about 80% or more, in other words, you will sweat when you walk as the air is fairly saturated with water. Not a problem when lying down on the beach, and not a problem when walking around, just take it slow, don't run a marathon and drink lots of water.

If you head to Phuket and want low cost accomodation, I would suggest Paradise Inn in Karon Beach. You won't find it in the Lonely Planet guide. We had a large room with king-sized bed, eating area with microwave, satellite TV and free breakfast at a sister guesthouse for around 1000 baht. It is still backpackers accomodation, but excellent value.

So - could I safely say that Phuket in late November is my best choice in terms of the best island to go to this time of year?