We will be on our honeymoon in Thailand in late nov, and would like to spend sometime in the islands diving and realxing on the beach, but after reading several posts about the weather in Nov we are a little worried!!!! So what is a good island that is: quite, has good diving-snorkeling, bungalows with a door straight to the beach? As i said before I know this kind of thing has been asked SEVERAL times before so thanks for taking the time once again to help us out! Jeffrey and April

i think samui is not great in nov...maybe islands on the other side of the peninsula--krabi. phuket, phi phi...hua hin is good however, but not for snorkeling i don't think

Travelduo - For the best resort for scuba or snorkelling right of the beach with a bungalow type of resort or destination I would suggest Koh Nangyuan - http://www.nangyuan.com/

The rooms are ok and the coral life is quite abundant and vivid. There are two small islands which is connected by a sandy beach at low tide and the atmoshpere is qute nice.

Forgot to add that the weather shouldn't be a problem. The resort is serviced by a shuttle from nearby Koh Toa which in turn is serviced by fast(and safe) ferries from the mainland or Samui.

Last time I was there they didn't have A/C in the bungalows but looking at their web site they do now! I think it will be a good honeymoon spot.

As I have noted in other posts on this subject, if you are a diver, you would do better to avoid Phuket in November as the monsoon is still there, and even if you don't have rain, you will have winds and the waters are still churning from the past few months of monsoon, both of which will affect water clarity and currents. I am afraid that Koh Samui and other islands in the Gulf of Thailand/South China Sea will be the same in November. If you still really want to stay within Thailand, then islands very far north in the Gulf of Thailand/South China Sea are your best bet, as the monsoon will most likely have moved from those far northern points at that time. Consider the islands of Koh Chang or Koh Samet. The islands are basically off the coast of Cambodia. I have not been, others on this site have posted about them, run a search. I know James has posted on Koh Chang before.

I disagree with Hanuman that the Koh Tao area which is near Koh Samui, would be good in November, rainfall is pretty high in November in that part of the Gulf. The area does have very good snorkelling and diving, but IMO you should save it for when it is at its best. (I am a diver myself and lived in Singapore and Hong Kong and would always avoid the Gulf from late October through early April.)

You are going a long way and want to get good dives in. I would suggest Bali instead. The monsoon arrives there in December, but in November the water clarity will still be good. central east coast of Bali in the Candidasa/Manggis area, and further north at Menjangan Island which has excellent snorkelling and diving, probably the best in Bali. You should be able to find hotels in your range (up to $100 from previous posts). One drawback might be flights, esp if you have to fly back to the US out of Bangkok. There are not a lot of non-stop flights between Bangkok and Denpessar, Bali. Try to avoid having to change, as that will mean it will take a day to get there each way. If you can fly into Bangkok and out of Hong Kong, this may work better, as I think there are more flights between Hong Kong and Denpassar than between Bangkok and Denpassar. Check the schedules.

Overall, November is a very tricky month for any beach vacation in SE Asia. You might do better to concentrate on cities and save the beaches and diving for a better time of year (and go to Sipidan.. .but pouring rain in November)

Cicerone - the corals around Koh Chang and Samet are in pretty poor condition!

November easpecially early is a tricky time, a lot will be down to luck, Koh Tao is a greta dive area plus the islands nearby as already suggested. I think the best advice is to aim for somewhere like Koh Tao but be prepared to change plans, perhaps book just your 1st night, or better still if you are spending time in BKK first then wait until you get there, pick up the "Bangkok Post" or "Nation" and check the weather. I was in Phuket end of last week and although quite a good deal of sunshine it also poured with rain a lot too, and the waters looked 'very very' rough.
November can be glorius sunshine or cloudy and wet wherever you choose. I would say leave plans open and follow the sun!

i've been to koh lanta, andaman sea, in November, weather was fine, probably only 2 or 3 brief downpours in 2 weeks, was sometimes overcast but managed to come home with a lovely tan all the same! we didn't dive that trip, but i understand the dive season is November to April, so might just work for you. we stayed at Madame Laurens Lanta Long Beach Resort, bungalow ALMOST on the beach, had a great time.