New Year and Christmas holidays are not just a few days off from work. Everyone wants to spend them somehow in a special way. It is not in vain that they say that when you celebrate the New Year, you will spend it. Of course, on the holidays themselves, from Christmas (it is celebrated worldwide on December twenty-fifth) to the Adoration of the Magi (January sixth) prices at all resorts, not only in Thailand, are off the charts. But you can extend your holidays.
Indeed, in Thailand they do not know that Christmas is celebrated in Russia on January 7th, and there is such an ephemeral concept as the old New Year. So for some people, the holiday continues. And it will be much more colorful and memorable not among the snowy Christmas trees, but palm trees languidly bending over the turquoise water of the lagoons. In this article, we will look at how it feels to travel to Phuket in January. We will talk about the climate on the largest island of Thailand in the first month of the year. We will consider the prices of tours in this period. And finally, we will study the reviews of those tourists who had the good fortune to relax in Thailand at the height of winter.
Phuket Climate
This island is located in the northern hemisphere, like our homeland. However, it is so close to the equator that the concept of winter in our view is simply not there. And the seasons there are completely different. Conventionally, a year in Thailand can be divided into three periods: “dry and comfortable”, “dry and very hot” and “wet”.
You can talk endlessly on the theme of the "rainy season." Short-term showers did not spoil the rest for many tourists. But this does not apply to the topic of our article. Since those who arrived in Phuket in January do not find the "rainy season", but a comfortable and dry period. It lasts from December to early April.
Then the evil equatorial sun with the northeastern monsoon raise the thermometer to uncomfortable (especially for the European) marks. And in the summer months the winds change, bringing with it high clouds, rain, storms and bad weather. So it turns out that the weather in Phuket in winter is hotter than in summer (reviews confirm this). Indeed, in the dry period, nothing prevents the sun from heating up the air.
January Phuket Weather
It makes no sense to keep the intrigue longer: all the winter months in equatorial latitudes are the best time to relax. The amount of precipitation noticeably decreases already in early November, and by the end of the year the sky pleases with a bottomless blue. Calm and the sea. There are absolutely no waves. This fact can upset surfers, but it will enthrall fans of snorkelling around the coral reefs.
The probability of typhoons is approaching zero. Therefore, such a huge number of Europeans are trying to escape from a slushy or very frosty winter to Thailand. Phuket in January, according to the assurances of meteorologists and tourists, is a paradise. Air temperature fluctuates between thirty-two degrees of heat during the day and twenty-four at night. The east monsoon is rainless. There are no more than thirty millimeters in the whole month (that is, a little rain can happen in one or two days).
Like the sky above your head, the Andaman Sea pleases holidaymakers . Its temperature is stable throughout January - about twenty-six degrees. There are no waves, and a light breeze blows at a speed of two to six meters per second.
Features of a beach holiday in Phuket in January
The weather on the island at the height of winter can be described as idyllic. Humidity, in contrast to the "rainy season", is normal. It’s also not too hot - not compare with April-May. The sea in shallow water warms up to thirty degrees ... And this is the catch. Solar activity in winter is very high. And you can get a burn just by swimming in the sea, reviews confirm this.
Therefore, those traveling to Phuket in January should stock up on sunscreens with a maximum SPF index. For children, it is recommended to purchase thermal insulation suits. They will protect not only from overheating, but also from injections of burning plankton, which lives in the waters of the Andaman Sea.
Cost of tours
Based on the fact that the height of winter in Thailand is the peak of the high season, prices for holidays in Phuket in January are very high. And this applies to everything: plane tickets, hotels and even products in the markets. In terms of prices, tourists may be pleased only with sales of large and small shops, which traditionally take place at the beginning of the year. Finding a hotel room, relying on chance, is almost impossible. Independent travelers save early booking - both the hotel and the seats on the plane.
The island, however, is full of so-called package tourists, especially from Russia. The cost of such a tour starts from forty-four thousand rubles for eleven nights - and this is in a hotel with three stars. Rest in the "five" will cost an average of one hundred and fifty thousand in two weeks.
What to do in Phuket in January?
Comfortable temperatures for a European make it possible to enjoy not only a beach holiday. It is completely human power to tear your body from the sunbed and go on exciting excursions. Tourists say that the main attractions of the island are its beaches: Karon, Kata. But it would be a crime, first of all against oneself, not to visit Patong.
This city is particularly famous. Walk in the evening along Bangla Road, and you will find out which one. The warm sea promotes the development of various types of water activities: snorkeling, diving, kayaking. Peerless coral reefs come very close to the coast. Traveling to Phuket in January will be incomplete if you do not see the enchanting Phang Nga Bay, James Bond Rock, Tapu Island and Khao Ping Kang. And besides, you are waiting for trips on elephants, visits to crocodile farms, monkey shows and other exotic entertainments.
Phuket in January: reviews
Of course, at the height of the season, vacation prices in Thailand cannot be called affordable. On the beaches and in places of entertainment there are a lot of tourists. The hotels are crowded. But this is the only fly in the ointment in a huge barrel of honey that Phuket represents in the midst of winter. After all, to escape from the crackling frosts into paradise idyll - is it worth the money spent? Reviews say that the climate in Thailand is such that you can be sure that not a single day of your vacation will be spoiled by weather conditions. And if you succeed, and the meeting of the Lunar New Year falls at the end of January, you will receive a colorful festival as a free bonus.