Thailand Without Air Conditioning?!
 

Just to give you an idea of what I am accustomed to, I live in Portland, OR and I sleep with my window open in the winter because I sleep best when it is cool.

We don't have air con. in our house but it rarely gets above 100 F. here and humidity is relatively low (except when it is raining :-))

I realize that it is very hot and humid in Thailand.

I just read about a great little place about an hour north of Chiang Mai called Chiang Dao. They have nice little bungalows but only with a ceiling fan. Is that sufficient enough in February or will it be misery.

How about Southern Thailand? Is a ceiling fan adequate enough to keep us cool or would it be misery on Ko Samui or the Trang Islands?

Thanks!

In mid feb north of chiang mai you should be fine without airconditioning. But that is the only area where you can do without. In southern thailand you must have a/c.

I've once been to a small village in Chiang Dao in late December and it was very cold at night though the days got very very hot too. I was literally freezing in my sleeping bag at night and nearing sun-stroke in the day while out in the fields (it was a volunteer stint) However, I'm not sure how different it would be in Feb.

You wont need air conditioning in February up in the north.

However, you will probably find air conditioning useful at the beaches.

i of course disagree...i can't ever imagine being without a/c any place in thailand at any time during the year!!

i was in chiang mai a few years ago in febuary and the electricity went out in our hotel for 2-3 days and i thought we might die...we lived but it was not pleasant...
i'm guessing that someone from the NW coast would find it very difficult...do you like putting on sticky clothes, even when they are clean?? i think not...

go for the a/c...you are on vacation...

I find those cealing fans useless if not worse they just pump the heat slowly back at you..

----
how long are you planning on staying there?
how much will this place cost you per night? in rural areas like that 2 bucks more can upgrade you a lot...

I live by air conditioning but if you are north of CM (especially if you're high up) you won't need it at night or in the morning and during the day you won't be there.However, if you are going at the end of Feb. which is the beginning of the hot season it may be different.

Bob,

The place I want to stay doesn't have the option of air conditioning. it is a place called Chiang Dao Nest and it is very appealing to me because of the location and the fact that it is an ecologically friendly place.

It sounds like I will be ok without ac since I will be further north than CM.

I am going to go for it and I will report back when I return.

Thanks everyone!

yep. I guess the less electricity you use the less of a FOOTPRINT you leave on the ecology...

I watched trippin on MTV yesterday and remembered that big word.. Who says MTV rots the mind.

if it gets too hot you can buy a small fan for aout $5 and help us non ecologicly fraindly folk destroy mama earth.. but you could giver back too the human side by donating that fan to a sckool or somtthing after you finish using it. .

i hope you love it....i also hope you luck out with one of the frequent snow storms to hit that area at that time of year....that will keep you cool...hahaha

When I was in Chiangmai it was in the month of December/January and folks kept talking about the ,"COOL" north. Well, BULL! It was as hot as ---- and I'm used to hot. I live in L.A.County and don't have air conditioning in my house. I moved out of one place, in Chiangmai, that had air conditioning, but a wall unit that was timed to come on and click off at certain times....so the cool air would come on...then it would click off and I'd roast/sweat for a good 20 minutes until it came on again...VERY annoying. I moved out of that place and moved into a hotel with consistant air conditioning. THEN I could FINALLY get some sleep at night and not wake up in the morning looking and acting like a sleep-deprived ZOMBIE ! Happy Travels!

Eurotraveler- I have lived in Portland and now I live in Houston and I can tell you- you are in for quite a surprise with Thailand's weather. If you have not been in the hot humid climates- take the advice of these veteran Fodorites that have lived half their lives in Thailand- get the AC!

Well I have been in the Caribbean without air con. and I lived in Philadelphia for 4 years without air con. but it sounds like Thailand may be more of a beast humidity wise.

The place I was checking out is a mini bungalow resort and air is not an option. Due to everyone's advise I think I will look for a different place altogether.

Thanks for the info!

you cannot compare the weather in thailand to any place in north america and its enviorns....it is hot and humid 24 hours per day throughout the year...

don't ruin your vacation without a/c...its hard to pass up great places but unless you are unaffected by humidity, i would have air..

We are again living thru an "ugly" NYC summer with the triple Hs - hot, hazy and humid. I've lived thru the same in the Caribbean, in Florida and elsewhere. Not until we arrived in SEAsia did I know what "ugly" was in reality.

Without a/c we never would have made it past the first two days, if that. When you see your guide and locals with sweat pouring off their faces, down their arms - and know they'd pay a fortune to just sleep on the floor of your a/c room - you know how unbearable it is.

So, for an extra $5-$10/nt you can get a/c and be good to yourself and nice to everyone you meet along the way.

Which is why King and I is so absurd. I mean I remember seeing the movie when I was 10 and thinking Anna and the Brits were smart to have the thais dress in satan and hoop skirts and in wool suits! Now I realize how absurd it was for the westerners not to realize that the thais were dressing in an appropriate manner for the climate. It's the westerners who should have adjusted their wardrobes -- not the Thais! And this BEFORE a/c existed!

“…it is hot and humid 24 hours per day throughout the year...”

I’m sorry that is just plain wrong! Bangkok and the south might be perceived as being hot throughout the year – although in December the Thais will be wearing their woollies, even in Bangkok.

But here in Chiang Mai, from November to February inclusive night time temperatures average 13 – 14 degrees and often drop to 10 or less. In the hills, temperatures can drop to below freezing. Having lower temperatures is not so much a question of being North of Chiang Mai, but of being higher than Chiang Mai.

While you won’t experience the tongue in cheek snowstorms referred to above, you may experience hail storms with very large hailstones – quite capable of denting a car. The accompanying temperature drop can be quite dramatic.

We are, of course, in the hot season at the moment and I have just checked my minimum/maximum thermometer and I see that the maximum yesterday was 31 degrees and the minimum last night 24 degrees. Many people would find a fan sufficient at 24 degrees; in fact out bedroom air conditioner is set at 25 degrees.

Gloria, you are quite right of course with the absurdity of western dress for tropical climes, but it now seems to be generally accepted. Possibly only the Philippines have got it right by at least getting rid of the jacket.

both times i have been to CM were in jan and feb....it was very hot both times--different years....we needed the a/c all of the time....i have read how you use sweaters, etc. at this time of year and duvets, but i have not been able to believe it based on my personal experiences....

i have seen thai people in heavy clothes and complaining about the cold when i thought it was sweltering....

its all what you are used to....anyone from portland, OR will find thailand hot all the time...imo

I’m sorry I cannot believe that many people would find temperatures around 14 degrees unbearably hot. I have lived in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand and so I have experienced a range of average temperatures. I shiver in New Zealand a six degrees, but I have also shivered in Thailand at 9 degrees.

Incidentally to this, I was in The Pub tonight and a number of people were remarking on how chilly last night was and how they turned off their air conditioners. We didn’t, because it had turned itself into a fan once the temperature dropped below 25.

Agree with Tangata that 25 c, especially in the shade or out of the sun, is cool for me too! I guess it depend on the size of the individual too - meaning the more fat or blubber you have the more you tend to get hot easily.

Last January in Chiang Mai the temperature was perfect, IMO, for the whole month. The only reason that I would use the A/C in the bedroom was that I don't want to open the window because of the sound, insects, odors etc.