Phuket August - cancel or crack on?

[Raaraaboonah]

We’ve booked flights to Phuket in August thinking that we would take the three DS (14, 12 & 8) long haul for the first time. DH and I have done a good bit of travelling pre children but didn’t really think about the weather in detail until now. Idiots I know

now we are getting into the detail of planning - some areas are closed due to the season (Similan Islands) and I’m finding all the info I should have seen before booking about the weather being pretty much a wash out in Phuket in August and the sea being too dangerous to swim in plus snorkelling shot because of rough seas.

im supersonically stressed with work and was hoping this would be a great break. Now we are considering cancelling the entire thing - it’s making me feel sick.

anyone got any advice? Suggested itinéraires to minimise the impact of the weather? alternatives that we could book at this late stage? Trying not to vom at the thought of the cancellation fees but also the challenge of finding/planning something else with not long to go.

i know this is just a sodding holiday but my anxiety is through the roof anyway with everything else that is going on and this feels like the last straw…

Are you flying direct to Phuket or via Bangkok? Could you get across to the other coast? I think when it's wet Phuket side it's dry season on Koh Samui etc.

Bangkok airways might fly pretty cheaply from Phuket to Koh Samui and you'd be there in an hour.

We were in Koh Samui in August and it was fabulous. Couple of rain showers that lasted 20 minutes - they were fierce! Other than that it was perfect.

If you can't change your Phuket flight you might get a cheap internal flight.

August isn’t the best time for Phuket, as you’ve now discovered but it depends a little what you want to do. There are lots of things to do even if it’s rainy (and often the rain is big bursts of downpours rather then constant rain) but if you really want swimming in the sea / scuba diving etc it is mostly like too dangerous.

Who have you booked the flights with? Is there a chance of amending the dates? You could look to do Phuket at a better time of the year (December for example). Are they direct flights? If you’re connecting somewhere, Could you see if you can just cancel the last leg and switch to somewhere else in Thailand / SE Asia - Koh Samui for example

crossed with PPs - that’s a good idea just adding a flight to Koh Samui on the end, probably much easier tbh!

direct to Phuket and can’t change it. We are going for three weeks which I think will be too long in one place.

We can’t cancel any of the legs without cancelling the whole thing. We could add another flight I guess but it’s all feeling very hard. So quite close to pressing the fuck it button and starting again

I live in Thailand. I've spent many summers in Phuket, and although it is rainy, it has never spoiled our trip. The rain is always interspersed with sunshine! However, the sea is very dangerous to swim in. You could always do some trips to other areas from Phuket? Phi Phi and Khao Lak are both accessible from there. Weather will be similar but the sea won't be as rough in those areas.

Yes the good weather is in the gulf of thailand- Koh Samui et al and prices reflect this - just to factor in. What are you looking at cancellation cost wise?

Cancellation fees are c£1200 but the last doesn’t factor in airport taxes which presumably we won’t get back so it will be higher. We were always going to travel about so suggestions of where to go that are doable from Phuket with a better chance of weather or activities that won’t be disrupted by the weather gratefully received

Internal flights are cheap - google flights is great for this but you will need to bag travel light to save costs.
This might give you some ideas - https://travelsbyizzy.com/3-week-south-thailand-itinerary/ you dc are teens so a bit of travel might be good.

Just to add that internal flights can be cheap if booked in advance, flights to Samui are always expensive year round.

I’d spend a couple of nights in Phuket to acclimatise and get over jet lag then get an internal flight to Koh Samui and then spend most of the three weeks there plus the marine park for snorkelling and Koh pha ngang / koh Tao for chilling… the weather that side will be perfect in August!

Thank you for your help - this is making me feel less stressed already. The link to the blog was particularly helpful as we were always planning on moving about and helps to figure out how to. Sounds like travelling east and ending up in koh Samui is a good option then potentially flying back to Phuket before heading home might work.

all other suggestions or reassurance gratefully received!

Honestly OP - flights to Phuket and then travelling around from there is absolutely perfect. Internal flights are so easy - and unless you fly to Koh Samui they are cheap. Have a look at all the blogs like the one the PP linked. Search on here as people have posted their itineraries. And also to note that some of the jungle places include transfers. So you can do a 3 night stay at Khao Sok National Park and they will pick you up from Phuket and take you to Koh Samui afterwards.

I agree with the suggestions of flying to Phuket then onwards travelling after three days or so. Koh Samui would be the obvious place but as pp say, flights can be expensive.

The upper or lower gulf coast is usually pretty ok in August - Hua Hin, Sam Roi Yot, Chumphon

How about staying for a few nights in Khao Sok National Park. We had an amazing time there. We stayed at a beautiful place by the river and did day trips plus an overnight trip to bungalows on the lake.

I’ve been there in August and spent time in Koh Tao, Khao Sok National Park, also Chiang Mai and Bangkok. There were some short showers but fine overall!

While I’m looking for this years holiday I thought I’d update on how last years went for anyone searching with a similar question.

The weather was absolutely fine. Two or three torrential rain showers over the whole three weeks - none of which impacted what we were up to.

we stayed in:
Phuket - 3 nights
Koh Lanta - 4 nights
Ao Nang - 3 nights
Khao Sok - 3 nights
Koh Samui - 7 nights

travelled about by mini van and ferries booked by a great app called 12goasia

really glad we didn’t cancel. Was an amazing trip