I was going to take my 18 year old son to Aruba for a week in mid October when I saw a posting about Phuket Thailand. I looked up some hotels online and can't believe how cheap the hotels are. I could have a jr. suite plus airfare for about $800 less than the comparable hotel in Aruba. I've never thought of going to Thailand before. Is Phuket a good place to take an 18 year old? Is there enough nightlife to keep him happy? How is the snorkeling and diving? Is the weather really bad in October? Is the Katathani Hotel nice? It's 3AM so I can't run out and buy a guidebook right now.

I can't answer any questions about diving or trying to entertain an 18 year old on Phuket. But I can assure you that the Katathani is a lovely resort! Kata Noi beach is one of the smaller beach areas on the island. The Katathani is the major resort on that stretch of beach. There is not much activity in the direct area, but you can get a driver to take you to Patong beach for parasiling and shopping. October weather is not going to be all that great but you could luck out. The best weather on Phuket is during our US winter months.

Others will chime in here with info about diving and nightlife.

We are going to Aruba for a week in October too! 10/15-10/22.

Check the Phuket weather. I believe October is their rainiest month of ther year. That's why the deals are there. Actually, I just checked-Sept averages 16.5 inches of rain/month. October drops to 12.

We were there last week-July averages 11. We only had 1 consistent day of rain. The other days, a shower would blow in with heavy rains and be over in 15 mins.

We dive and all diving that time of year will need to be on the South or East of the island and rough seas will be the norm.

you might want to look at other thai sites for october....the other side of the country, on the other coast the weather would be better....koh samui is a place that comes to mind..

in any case, your 18 y.o. will not lack for things to do....you may have to tie him down... sex is a major industry in thailand, so have a good talk with him before you go...

you will love thailand...

if you could wait even one month before you go, into november, the weather would be better, but still not the best in phuket...

we will be glad to make suggestions about hotels etc...the hotel you mention is a very good one....also on phuket, the jw marriott is fantastic, but a bit remote

Yes Phuket is cheap in October because of the rain, as there is lots of it. Take a look at the same hotel in January and see the price difference. If he is a serious diver, October is about the middle of the monsoon season so waters have been churning for several months and the clarity for diving is not as good as the later months. Also, if you only have a week, that is a very LONG flight for that short period of time. The time difference is going to be at least 12 hours, and that will affect you in addition to the long flight which is tiring in itself. You might want at least 10 days, and then include other places on your itinerary.

Sorry, rrhkkm, but Koh Samui is going to have similar weather problems in October, unless you go in very early October and even then you are going to have rain.

Thailand is absolutely wonderful, lots to see and do, lovely people, great food, very good shopping, fascinating religion and history, probably too much night life and fun for an 18 year old (rent "The Beach" to get an idea...) but you have to go at the right time and you have to, IMO, do much more than just go to a beach because while the beaches are pretty they are not nearly as pretty as most of the beaches in the Caribbean, IMO. It would also be a shame, IMO, to go all that way and just sit on a beach and miss the entire wonderful country of Thailand not to mention SE Asia generally.

Aruba is expensive in October because that is hurricane season in most of the Caribbean, but Aruba is so far south that it is out of the hurricane belt for the most part so you are paying a premium for what is the "off" season mostly in the Carribean. Look at prices in say St John for October versus January and you see a difference as well.

October is a difficult month for beaches in Thailand. If you can wait until November, the weather on the Phuket side will be much better. Look at www.weatherbase.com

Thanks for all the advice. A little rain is one thing, a huge monsoon blowing in is another. I've been to quite a few islands in the Caribbean but my son hasn't because he wasn't even born when I went. That's why I was excited about Thailand because it would be different and Aruba won't be. But if we want fairly good weather and snorkeling, it could be a disaster to go during the rainy season. A doctor at work who's of Chinese descent suggested Hong Kong. But I never think of Hong Kong as a beach resort.

Well Hong Kong has fantastic weather in October, esp if you go in the latter half. Sunny, temps in the mid to upper 70s, virtually no rain, very low humidity. (It is 95 degrees with 95% humidty and pouring rain here in HOng KOng today as I write this so I am praying for October to come...) There is a tremendous amount of stuff to do, including kayaking, great walks and more serious hiking (more than 80% of Hong Kong is parkland), windsurfing, waterskiing, paragliding, dolphin watching and for you --incredible shopping. There are fabulous hotels, some of the best restaurants in the world, lots of bars and clubs. (The fab hotels don't come cheap, but you can eat some great food pretty inexpensively, and there are less expensive hotels as well.) The view from the Peak and the harbour from the Star Ferry are certainly one of the top ten sights in the world. Great people watching. Yes, there are beaches, but yes you are right this is not a beach resort. However, you could hire boats and go out to some very pretty beaches indeed. Not any snorkeling or diving to speak of, although people do do it, I never understand why. It is a great place for a holiday, can be combined with a trip to other places, i.e. Beijing and other places in China (but avoid the first week in October as that is a major holiday week in the PRC). But you are getting away from a beach vacation if you do that.

Will also say that about an hour by plane from here is Haianan Island the "Hawaii" of Asia. They have very pretty beaches. Don't know about the diving there, and the snorkeling is just OK in my limited experience there (one trip so far). There is a very nice Marriott and a Hyatt, look at their websites.

If you want a beach and diving vacation in October in SE Asia, then IMO you really need to go to Bali which is far south enough to be out of the monsoon. It has absolutely everything you want, albeit the breaches are maybe not as nice as Thailand (and none are as nice as the Caribbean frankly IMO). But a very, very interesting culture, lovely people, great hotels (and you can live very cheaply indeed in homestays or go up to a 5 star but not so cheaply), great restaurants, good night life in main town areas, good shopping, good snorkeling and diving along the north east coast. That would be your best bet.

The only thing that concerns me about going to Bali are the 2 terrorist attacks in recent years. I know though, that it could happen anywhere we would go.

Yes, that is right and I am sure between now and October there will be an attack somewhere else (other than Mumbai like yesterday). And I guess that young American girl who disappeared in Aruba last year has not put you off bringing your teenaged son to Aruba so....

It makes you think twice before you go, but I've been to London twice and would still go back despite the bombings last year. I did think about what happened in Aruba last year, but I live in Vegas, and we've had alot of shootings here recently so my son can be hurt being home. There are parts of the world I would like to see, and I'm going to see them in the near future because I think eventually they will be come too unsafe for Americans. But I refuse to stay locked up in my house always afraid of something.

I've looked at some other islands to go to, but I really want to see Phuket. I would be going the last week of October, returning home 10/31. Is there any chance the weather wouldn't be bad? I can't afford going during the "o"n season after Christmas, and since I live in Las Vegas now, there's not a burning need to pay high prices to escape the snow and cold.

Sorry, should be "on" season.

in october there is always the chance for the weather to be bad and quite rainy...but the later in october the less chance....it does not mean that you trip will be ruined...