Anyone got any good news regarding the weather!! We are flying to Phuket on Saturday and it appears that they are having terrible weather at the moment. It looks as if the holiday that i have been looking forward to since January will be a total washout!!!! I'm GUTTED!!!!!!

what's this about the weather? We are going mid jan...i thought dec/jan were peak seasons with awesome weather?

This is very unseasonal, hopefully it will clear up soon.

But its been going on for weeks!! I kept thinking the freak weather would all be over by the time we got there but ive just checked the 10 day forecast (with several different websites) and its absolutely terrible we are not going to get one sunny day i cant believe it!! I have no idea what to pack or what we will do to fill the days!! we have been so looking forward to lying by the pool and on the beach.

There is nothing any of us can do about the weather but my tip would be not to worry, it isn't going to vchange, it will still be hot and this is 'very very' strange weather to be having, I will gladly keep people up to date as I am in Thailand and also some of my staff are flying down to Phuket on Monday.
Don't worry and pack as usual, if it does unfortuately rain when there then head to a nice spa, enjoy a massage, relax, I would do on those days ( 'if' it is raining ) all the things like any shopping, spa etc, also in the evenings plenty of indoor restaurants, go see the show at Simon, enjoy the entertainments, then when the sun comes out you can relax.
Of course weather will affact enjoyment but don't worry yourself now possibly unduly.
I'll call Phuket in the morning and check the latest for you.

I meant worrying 'wont' change', just keep the smiles up.

I just looked on Phuket Gazette ( www.phuketgazette.net ) and it shows:

Sat 17th: Chance of rain
Sun: Partly cloudy
Mon: Partly cloudy
Tue: Clear
Wed: Clear
Thu: Partly cloudy

Thanks James its good to hear someone being so positive i just feel very down in the dumps today as i'm surrounded by a grumpy husband and two sulky daughters who all blame me for picking our holiday location and apparently its MY fault that its raining!!!! Anyway i'm looking forward to following your suggestions and booking some spa treatments and of course doing some serious shopping. The phuketgazette weather forecast doesn't mention rain everyday so thats a good thing! Have a great christmas James and thanks again for the info.

The trouble being ' the one ' who sorts things for a vacation sometimes means you are the one who gets blamed for the weather and even when a food dish isn't quite right! or the plane is late!
Part of the main reason I love Thailand is learning the 'Mai pen rai ' ( Doesn't matter / don't worry ), I am learning more and more that worrying or being concerned about something you have no control over is nothing more than a simple waste of time and creates nothing else except more worry and stress!
If it's sunny then fine, great and wonderful, if it's cloudy or raining simply 'do something else' like a marvelous spa treatment, go shopping, even go and see a movie, why not.

Oh...and buy an umbrella.

James we are just leaving the house now to go to the airport so the tip about the umbrella is very useful im stuffing it in the case as i type!!!!
"Mai pen rai" is now my favorite reply to all the families questions! i'm driving them insane they think i've finally lost the plot!!! (i'm beginning to think they could be right!!) If my stress levels were any higher i think you would actually see the steam coming out of my ears. Roll on the beach, the sunset and a cocktail in my hand!! Le Meridien here i come........

a few days later and the weather forecasts are still terrible, for days and days to come. With reports of floods throughout the south of Thailand, capsized speedboats off the coast of Phuket.... Greeat! so much for this being the best time of year!!

But hey, mai pen rai as James said...

yes, it's a little concerning. It seems so strange that it's monsoon like weather (by the sounds of it) during the dry season. We aren't going for another 4 wks, but this weather pattern has seemingly gone on for the past 4 wks. I am now fearing that speedboat ride to Phi Phi...please may this weather spell end soon! Brussel--are you going soon?

from 23 december to 6 January. We do the PhiPhi speedboat on 1 January and then on the 6th as we leave. If yuou haven't gone yet by then i'll post when we get back!

Am leaving Friday for Phuket myself.

Taking my last law school exam for the semester in a few hours and must say that I'm disappointed. But a massage, facial, a yummy cocktail and a great book all sound incredibly inviting after the last few weeks here.

thanks for turning it around JamesA.

have fun in phuket! Please post when back and let us know how it was and if the weather was better than anticipated!! Enjoy!!

Jacqui,
I've already posted a full report but just to let you know that the weather is nowhere near as bad as the websites say. We were in PhiPhi from 1 to 6 January and whilst it did rain every day for about 45 minutes (usually around 6am) the rest of the time it was sunny, hot and the sun beat down really quite strongly!!
Enjoy your trip!

We were told that the weather in TL has been unusually cold and rainy. CM and CR were in the 50's in mid-December. Hotel clerks laughed when we asked for a room with a heater.

In any case, we had booked Ao Nang and Koh Lanta, luckily, since the east coast, at the time, was experiencing heavy rains and flooding. Pretty scary watching the news, even though we could not understand much of the commentary.

Sounds like the heavy rains on the west coast are continuing. We had pretty heavy, but intermittent, rains in Ao Nang a week ago. Got caught in a down pour on the ferry from Koh Lanta. Don't think I've ever experienced that kind of rain, even in tropical storms in HI. About 2" in 10 minutes. The deck of the ferry was awash and I couldn't even walk on it. Then, it took 3 days in an airconditioned room for all our clothes to dry. We had soft-sided luggage which got completely soaked. If you might be exposed, make sure you have garbage bags handy to protect your luggage.

thanks brussel! You're the best for remembering me!!