New Year and Christmas holidays are not just a few days off from work. Everyone wants to spend them somehow in a special way. After all, it is not in vain that they say that how you celebrate the New Year, so you will spend it. Of course, for the holidays themselves, from Christmas (it is celebrated all over the world on December 25th) to the Adoration of the Magi (January 6th), prices at all resorts, not only in Thailand, go through the roof. But you can extend your holidays.
After all, in Thailand they don’t know that in Russia Christmas is celebrated on the seventh of January, 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 snow-covered trees, but near the palm trees languidly bent over the turquoise water of the lagoons. In this article, we'll take a look at what it's like 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 for tours during this period. And finally, we will study the reviews of those tourists who had the good fortune to relax in Thailand in the dead of winter.
ClimatePhuket
This island is located in the northern hemisphere, like our native borders. However, it is located so close to the equator that the concept of winter in our view is simply not there. Yes, the seasons are different. Conventionally, the year in Thailand can be divided into three periods: “dry and comfortable”, “dry and very hot” and “wet”.
You can talk endlessly about the "rainy season". For many tourists, short-term showers did not spoil their holiday. But this is not the subject of our article. Since those who came to 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 northeast monsoon raises the thermometer to uncomfortable (especially for Europeans) marks. And in the summer months, the winds change, bringing with them high clouds, rain, storms and bad weather. So it turns out that in winter in Phuket the weather is hotter than in summer (reviews confirm this). Indeed, during the dry period, nothing prevents the sun from heating the air.
The weather in Phuket in January
There is no point in keeping the intrigue longer: all the winter months in the 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. The sea also calms down. There are absolutely no waves. This circumstance may upset surfers, but it will delight fans of snorkeling around coral reefs.
The chance of typhoons is approaching zero. That's whysuch a huge number of Europeans are trying to escape from the slushy or very frosty winter to Thailand. Phuket in January, according to meteorologists and tourists, is a heavenly place. The air temperature fluctuates between thirty-two degrees Celsius during the day and twenty-four at night. The east monsoon brings no precipitation. They fall for the whole month no more than thirty millimeters (that is, in one or two days there may be a little rain).
Like the sky above, vacationers are pleased with the Andaman Sea. 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 in the dead of winter can be described as idyllic. Humidity, unlike the "rainy season", is normal. It is also not too hot yet - not to 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 burned just by swimming in the sea, the reviews confirm this.
Therefore, those who go to Phuket in January should stock up on sunscreens with a maximum SPF index. For children, it is recommended to purchase thermal insulating suits. They will protect not only from overheating, but also from the injections of burning plankton that 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 onPhuket in January is very overpriced. And this applies to everything: plane tickets, hotels and even products in the markets. In terms of prices, tourists can only be pleased with the sales of large and small stores, which traditionally take place at the beginning of the year. Finding a hotel room, relying on chance, is almost impossible. Solo travelers are saved by 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. Holidays in the "five" will cost an average of one hundred and fifty thousand for 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 quite humanly possible to tear your body off 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, especially against yourself, not to visit Patong.
This city enjoys special fame. Walk down Bangla Road in the evening and you'll know which one it is. The warm sea contributes to the development of various types of water activities: snorkeling, diving, kayaking. Peerless coral reefs come very close to the shore. A trip to Phuket in January is incomplete without seeing the enchanting Phang Nga Bay, James Bond Rock, Tapu Island and Khao Ping Kan. Andin addition, elephant rides, visits to crocodile farms, monkey shows and other exotic entertainment await you.
Phuket in January: reviews
Of course, in the high season prices for holidays in Thailand cannot be called democratic. There are a lot of tourists on the beaches and places of entertainment. The hotels are full. But this is the only fly in the ointment in the huge barrel of honey that Phuket is in the dead of winter. After all, to escape from the bitter cold to a 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're lucky and the Lunar New Year falls at the end of January, you'll get a colorful festival as a free bonus.
