As with choosing where to stay in Phuket, choosing the best time to visit Phuket depends on personal preferences and budget.

Phuket is an all year round holiday destination but there is a "dry season" where consistently fine weather draws by far the largest number of tourists.

However, good weather is possible at any time of year and visiting Phuket during the less busy months can still provide a lovely tropical holiday but for a lot less money than going in the high season. Air fares are much lower and, with "discount-wars" occurring among the Phuket resorts, its possible to get even the most luxurious accommodation at less than half the high season price.

Which time of year is best for you to visit Phuket? The following describes some positive and negative aspects of each month along with detailed weather statistics, to help you decide.

Phuket in January (High Season)

The most popular month with tourists. Rainfall is very low with most days bringing clear blue skies and low humidity.

• Lots of sunshine likely.
• Calm seas ideal for swimming at the beach and scuba diving or launch trips.
• Nightlife has a good party atmosphere.
• Chinese New Year celebrations for 2012 (Year of the Dragon starts on the 23rd). Thai chinese usually celebrate with fireworks and colourful festival events.

• Roads in the towns are busy.
• Highest prices for travel, accommodation and shopping.
• Patong in particular can get very crowded but for those who want more peaceful surroundings there are plenty of quieter areas to stay in such as Kata and Surin or the tranquil Laguna Lakes.

Phuket in February (High Season)

Nearly as popular as January with a good chance of perfect weather. The townships will be busy as will the roads and beaches.

• Sunshine on most days with relatively low humidity.
• Calm sea conditions suited for swimming, diving and launch trips
• Busy nightlife scene.
• Chinese New Year for 2013 (Year of the Snake starts on the 10th) . Celebrations usually include impressive fireworks displays.

• Traffic in the towns can get congested.
• High prices for travel, accommodation and shopping.
• Bookings for hotels and particularly flights are best made early.

Phuket in March (High Season)

The average temperatures creep up slightly as the hottest time of year approaches with sunny days still being the norm. The high season crowds drop off a little and some hotels start offering reduced rates. A good month to consider.

• Low rainfall and mostly hot sunny days.
• Sea conditions are good for swimming, diving and launch trips.
• Plenty of nighttime entertainment and daytime shopping with slightly smaller crowds than January and February
• Accommodation prices tend to be lower than January and February with some hotels offering special discounts.

• Traffic in the towns is still quite busy.

Phuket in April (High Season Ends)

The  hottest time of year and also the month of the Songkran water festival which celebrates the start of the Thai new year and involves everyone enthusiastically dousing each other with water. For visitors who enter into the spirit of things it can be an amazingly fun experience though others, hoping for rest and relaxation, may find it a great inconvenience as its almost impossible to go outside without getting drenched if you stay in the towns.

Many people flock to Phuket specifically to join in the celebrations which means once again that early bookings for both flights and hotels are advisable. The water-throwing celebrations in Phuket usually last for seven days.

April usually produces the highest average temperatures but there is also an increased chance of rainfall especially towards the end of the month.

• Good chance of many sunny days.
• The last month of usually stable sea conditions. Visibility for diving tends to deteriorate in the following months.
• Songkran (official days are 13th - 15th) attracts many visitors. The bars in Patong do huge business during the water festival days which usually lasts for seven days.
• April hotel prices are generally lower than the high season with plenty of special deals on offer.

• The road accident rate during Songkran is high.
• Hottest time of the year.

Phuket in May (Low Season Start)

Although the average temperature drops slightly its offset by a rise in humidity. Rainfall increases dramatically making May one of the wettest times of year though decent periods of sunshine can occur between the often short showers. Fair weather is more likely in the early part of the month as the rainy season has been known to arrive "late".

A major reduction in tourist numbers marks the start of the low season. There are lots of cheap package holidays on offer and most hotels offer big discounts sometimes by more than 50%..

• The high season crowds disappear creating a more relaxing atmosphere in the towns and on the main beaches.
• Still plenty of nightlife fun though many bars are quiet.
• Even if it rains its still warm and its still possible to strike calm sunny days.

• One of the wettest months of the year.
• Overall humidity is high throughout the day and evening.
• Sea conditions deteriorate and are less suitable for launch trips or scuba diving.

Phuket in June (Low Season)

June gets regular periods of rain but usually a lot less than the wettest months of the low season.

A good chance of some dry fine periods together with the low season prices make this one of the best low season months to consider visiting Phuket.

• Cheaper flights to Thailand and much cheaper hotels.
• A good chance of sunshine.
• Crowds are gone and towns such as Patong become almost peaceful.
• Still plenty of nightlife fun but many bars are quiet. Often you will get much friendlier service as bars and restaurants try harder to encourage you to return.

• Its likely to rain on many days though usually in short-lived thunderstorms.
• Sea state can be bad for launch trips or scuba diving

Phuket in July (Low Season)

July has similar weather to June but slightly more rain on average. Luck with the weather is needed but, with sunny days still being quite common and prices for accommodation being very low, July is one of the better months in the rainy season to consider.

• Cheap flights to Thailand and plenty of discounts on Phuket hotels.
• Towns and beaches are not crowded.
• Still some fun nightlife but quiet compared to the high season. Note : some people prefer this.
• Even if it rains its still warm and its still possible to strike calm sunny days.

• Rain is quite common.
• Sea state can be bad for launch trips or scuba diving

Phuket in August (Low Season)

Along with June and July this is also a good rainy season month to consider visiting Phuket. Rainfall often comes in short intense bursts punctuated with periods of sunshine.

A fair chance of sunny weather between showers, low season prices and smaller numbers of tourists can make August a pleasant time to be there.

Air fares and accommodation prices generally reach rock bottom from August to October as airlines and hotels compete aggressively to fill inventories. Many regular visitors are prepared to take their chances with the weather in order to save sometimes more than 50% on their trip.

• Low season prices on flights with many hotel discounts available..
• Towns and beaches are uncrowded..
• Nightlife more relaxed.
• Still a good chance of sunny days.

• Quite a few periods of rain.

Phuket in September (Low Season)

Being usually the wettest month of the year with high humidity makes it hard to recommend visiting Phuket at this time. However, one benefit is that there will be very few other tourists about which often means that you get extra attention from Phuket’s business owners.

• Cheapest flights and hotel deals.
• Low numbers of other tourists can lead to more friendly service.
• Roads are relatively quiet in townships.
• Even when it rains its still warm and sunny days are still possible.
• There are still some busy nighttime venues and many bars have drinks specials to attract custom.

• Hot and humid.
• Statistically the wettest month of the year.
• Not a good time to plan launch trips or scuba diving. Tropical rainstorms can brew very quickly !

Phuket in October (Low Season Ends)

Another fairly wet month but usually a big improvement over September. Prices and tourist numbers remain very low which along with improving weather as the rainy season approaches its end make October another good month to think about visiting.

• Flights and hotels typically stay at their cheapest rates.
• Weather can start to improve especially toward the end of the month.

• Its likely to rain on many days.
• High humidity.
• Sea condition generally not good for launch trips or scuba diving.

Phuket in November (High Season Starts)

Although November is usually considered the start of the high season it should be noted that rainfall is still quite high as the rainy season tails off. For those heading there at this time of year it might be a better bet to choose the latter part of the month.

Tourist numbers start to increase as do do the rates for but with a good chance of nice weather without the overcrowding November is a good month to consider visiting.

• Although tourist numbers start to increase the towns are not crowded.
• Nightlife atmosphere improves as bars start to pick up more business. Many of the staff that left Phuket for the low months return to work.
• A good chance of sunshine especially towards the end of the month.
• Sea conditions improve and the the "unofficial" scuba diving season starts.
• Loy Krathong festival usually occurs in November (Thai calendar 12th lunar month full moon). Hundreds of hot air lanterns (khom loi) are released and can be seen floating out to sea.

• It can still rain quite a lot especially early in the month.

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Phuket in December (High Season)

The rainy season should be over by December and if rain does fall it will usually be as short and relatively light showers.

Crowds start to steadily increase as New Year’s Eve approaches but are still lower than the peak months to come. High season prices are generally in full swing though its still possible to get reduced rates at some hotels.

• Towns are busy but generally not too crowded.
• Nightlife is in full swing with a fun party atmosphere.
• Weather is usually very good with lots of sunny days
• Although a predominantly buddhist country, Thailand still celebrates Christmas at least in a commercial sense. In tourist towns all the usual decorations, traditional turkey dinners and parties are to be found.
• New Years Eve is celebrated enthusiastically around the nightlife areas with fabulous fireworks displays over Patong Beach.

• Not many discounts on flights and hotels.