stockexchanger

Well husband and I were planning a trip alone to Thailand this winter, but would only have 9 days tops. Which nets us only 7 - 8 nights. But there are so many things to do and places we want to go, we are getting frustrated in the planning at our lack of time. So we are considering waiting till the summer (August) when we could get a little more than 2 full weeks, and do a family trip there. Big problem is, I know it is not the time of year to go. So the question is, is it always monsoon season? If we went at the beginning of August, is it SOMETIMES rainy, or ALWAYS rainy.....in other words, is it worth taking a chance if we can have a full additional week and be able to see more places? Is this a question of quality vs. quantity or might it be just fine in August?
By the way, we are on the east cost of the USA and and really don't mind the new SQ non stop flight but it seems like if we are going to shlep all the way over there we should have more time. Which is impossible except in August.
Thanks again for more help!

orgy7

rain, rain, rain, go away come on back another day. augest is solidly in rainly season and it does rain just about every night. and occasionaly pours durring day

Tangata

August is slap in the middle of the southwest monsoon that saturates Bangkok and the western coastline. In contrast, the east coast is comparatively dry.

The rains are not as bad in the north, but there will certainly be some. This year we had a very dry August in Chiangmai, but September is making up for that and we have had a lot of rain in the last fortnight, although we seem to be having a dry spell right now. One benefit from this is that temperatures have dropped considerably; currently they are in the high twenties.

November to February is definitely the best time to visit, but if you can have twice a long in August, it may be worth it. The Thais are experts at coping with the rain and it does tend to be concentrated overnight. If you are prepared to treat it as part of the travel experience, you will be fine.

emtravel

Tangata,
how does October usually looks like (willl be in Chiang Mai and Bangkok Oct 3-10).
I looked at weather.com and looks like
CM http://www.weather.com/outlook/trave...m=search_10day
has few days without rain,
however bkk
http://www.weather.com/outlook/trave...m=search_10day
has rain every day for the next 10 days! Hope October will be better.
When it rains, does it pours or it is drizzle? Of course I understand nothing you can predict but usually October has less rain, right?

thanks!

stockexchanger

Thanks for the response. I had a feeling, judging from the hotel price difference, that the weather was pretty definitely bad.
I don't mind rain, but constantly it gets to be a drag.
We might be better off going for less time in the winter.
Thanks for the input!!

Guenmai

I just got back from Bangkok/Singapore Aug 31st. I usually go to Bk at the end of March or Dec/Jan. But, this time I chose August and actually loved it. It was definitely less crowded than...say...Dec/Jan and much cooler than March. As for the rains I didn't get caught up in any rain at all. Two days a brief monsoon rain came down, but it stopped pretty fast and cleared up. I was inside when it came down and ...like Thais...just waited until it stopped. Personally, I plan to go to Bangkok in August from now on. The hotel prices were much lower and there were fewer crowds. Happy Travels!

stockexchanger

I do prefer to go when crowds aren't as bad....maybe it is worth it.
How about the beach areas, Phuket, Ko Samui, etc....are the monsoons just as bad? Is the water still clear or do the rains stir it up so that you don't get the same clarity for diving?
Thanks again!

Guenmai

I haven't been to the beach areas. Sorry. Happy travels!

Tangata

October signals the end of the wet season, although Bangkok still averages over 7 inches of rain in the month.

During the southwest monsoon (June to October) Koh Samui should be drier than Phuket.