Phuket in rainy season (May)

[ilovejackreacher]

Just wondering if anyone has been to Phuket around May or at any other month during the rainy season and if so what it was like? We've been invited to an event there and are just tossing up whether or not to go. We will have a 5 year old and a 2 year old so the thought of being cooped up indoors for much of the time does not hold much appeal.

From what we've discovered May is very much the low season and while we wouldn't mind a big shower or two every day, the thought of it pouring for days on end is giving us the fear!

I have been at the beginning of July (also low season) and we had one day where it rained all day, but usually it was sunny in the morning and overcast in the afternoon.

I suggest that you check out the Trip Advisor Phuket forum. Destination Experts and other posters there can answer any questions.

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowForum-g293920-i5037-Phuket.html

According to this page on the forum, April and May are the hottest months of the year, so it is not just rain to bear in mind with young children.

www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g293915-s208/Thailand:Weather.And.When.To.Go.html

The monsoon season officially begins in June, but in recent years has been beginning earlier, in April or May as World climates change.

Having been there april / may I would say it's dodgy! We were ok as we had no kids then so were able to read / shop / eat out / drink around the showers but it is not somewhere I would consider taking small children. The humidity is very high and the sun is so strong.

The flight length and time difference / jet lag are other issues you would need to consider.

Unless it is something that is once in a lifetime, I wouldn't bother. We lived in Thailand and visited Phuket probably once a twice a month for four years.
When it is raining, there is very little to do. Our DD was 2.6 when we first moved there. Unless we could take her to the beach, I used to spend the morning or afternoon inside with her watching DVDs or reading books while DH went scuba diving.
I think it has been developed a bit more now and there's a cinema and a mall there. But, as I said, unless it is a wedding of a relative or something important, I wouldn't bother.