Holidays To Thailand In The Green Season
With the world in the grip of a credit crunch that doesn’t seem to be letting up for a while many people are putting off the luxury items, like their holidays. If you look at Thailand as your annual break, like me and my family, you will know that it’s not cheap to get out there and stay for 14 nights in the high season, but there are ways to avoid losing your holidays to Thailand totally.
Unlike the UK many, if not all, hotels in Thailand reduce their rates throughout the year. The period between mid December and the first week in January is the peak season when room rates can double and almost treble in price. You may also find that you’re expected to stump up for a Christmas or New Year gala dinner if your holidays to Thailand coincide with this time of year. In contrast though, if you were to visit the same hotel during the ‘Green Season’ you would be shocked at the discounts that are offered during this period.
What is the green season?
This is the time of year during which Thailand receives most of its rainfall. Traditionally the Songkran water festival is the celebration to start this rainy season but in reality the rains don’t come for a few weeks more. When they do arrive the surrounding landscape becomes very lush and green as the plants and trees begin to grow after the long dry period. It’s the greener of these plants that have given this period it nickname, the ‘Green Season’.
When is the green season?
In general the green season occurs during the UK’s summer time but each region of Thailand will have its own set time for the green season. The majority of holiday destinations in Thailand will reduce their prices between 1st May and the 1st November but there are some exceptions to this.
Koh Samui for example does not share the same weather patterns to Phuket and as such don’t have the same rainy season. The low (green) season on Koh Samui is mid September to mid December, but in Phuket the low season is between the end of May and the end of October.
What will the weather in Thailand be like during the green season?
Depending on where you chose for your holidays to Thailand you will most like see some rain during the green season but how much rain will depend on your location and when you are there. Not so long ago I can remember the dry season lasting well into May and June but those arriving for their holidays in Thailand during November to Ao Nang, Krabi, caught the end of the rainy season. You should always remember that you are dealing with the weather and it is often unpredictable.
How much can I save during the green season?
I’m not getting into the price of flights to Thailand from the UK or which airline is best. If you choose to arrive in Thailand during the green season you will most probably save some money on the cost of your flights. Finding cheap hotels in Thailand during the green season is really easy for most locations but you should know that the savings will not be great from hotels in Bangkok. I will provide the cost of a double room for the 3 seasons that most holiday destinations share, the low, high and peak season.
In Phuket the Deevana Patong Resort & Spa Phuket will cost 2085 baht in the low season 3108 baht in the high season 4274 baht in the peak season.
In Bangkok the Majestic Grande Hotel Bangkok will cost you 3700 baht in the low season and 3800 baht in the high season. Although not a great saving there is also no increase for the peak season. So if you plan to be on holiday in Thailand around the Christmas and New Year time you should consider being in Bangkok around this time. Be warned however it does get busy and rooms book out fast.
In Chaing Mai the Imperial Mae Ping Hotel cost 2200 baht in the low season and 2900 baht in the high season but during the peak season the cost goes up to a whopping 9000 baht! Obviously this includes the compulsory gala dinner dances but from the few I’ve been to you are best to try and organise your own entertainment. I feel I should add another warning here and say that if you do decide to organise your own celebrations while on holiday to Thailand don’t expect too much to be available when you get there. For families it may be best to stick with the hotel organised entertainment, this will save a lot of trouble for you.
The hotels I’ve listed here are for illustrative purposes and if you search around the internet you may find different prices offered. If you look on the right side of this page you should see a search function that allows you to look for all hotels for your holiday to Thailand.
So just to recap! The green season is the wet season and varies across Thailand but in general it’s around the same time as the summer in UK. If you time things right you can save a lot of cash on your hotel booking. Other services will also be reduced during the green season such as tours, car rentals, internal flights etc. If there is no reduction you could always ask for a discount! Everyone is looking for customers during this quite period so why not plan your holidays to Thailand around the green season and save yourself some cash.
Thailand’s Olympic Achievments 2008
As the 2008 Beijing Olympics ended Thailand was the nation with the most medals from the S.E. Asian region with four medals. The two golds came courtesy of veteran boxer Jongjohor Somnit (who lost out in the 2004 Athen Olympics) and woman weightlifter P. Jaroenrattanatarakoon. The Siler medals were won by Buttree Puedpong, who was a happy loser in the women’s taekwondo under-49kg category and Manus Boonjumnong who failed to defend the gold he won in Athens four years ago.
Although only half the amount of medals won 4 years ago in Athens Thailand is still the strongest S.E. Asian country. The other four countries in the region won at least a medal each except for the Filipinos who went home with no medals at all.
This brings Thailand’s total Olympic medal count to 21, 7 Gold, 4 Silver and 19 Bronze. This boost them above Indonesia in the number of gold medals won, who have only 6, but it still leaves them trailing second to Indonesia in overall medals who have 25.
I’m sure none of this matters to the winners of the Gold medals though who each receive a 15Million Baht bonus for their achievements when they return home. Well Done Thailand!
Scuba Diving Holiday in Thailand
If you’re looking for a scuba diving holiday in Thailand one of the most popular options is what I like to call the ‘Andaman Safari‘. This isn’t a light hearted type of holiday and would not be of much interest to non-divers. It normally takes 14 days in total (or it should in my opinion) and would include 6 days and nights on a Thailand liveaboard to the Similans at the heart of the holiday.
You would have the opportunity to do 22 dives in the Similan Marine National Park and beyond but as I said above this is a heavy schedule and not suitable to non-divers. If you have never been on a Liveaboard then maybe 4 dives a day for 5 days wouldn’t be the ideal time to start. Thailand dive centres in Phuket and Kho Lak offer many different types and durations of liveaboard to the Similans, Richeliu Rock and Burma Banks and if it’s your first time I would suggest a shorter trip maybe 3days - 2nights.
If you are a committed diver however and looking for a scuba diving holiday in Thailand have a look at my suggested itinerary:
- Day 1 Depart your home
- Day 2 Arrive Phuket and transfer to your hotel
- Day 3 Take this day to rest and see a little of Phuket sights.
- Day 4 Board your liveaboard, usually in the evening, and travel to the Similans over night
- Day 5 to Day 9 There will be four dives in total offered per day.
- Day 10 After your two early morning dives you will return to your Phuket hotel.
- Day 11 Rest Day
- Day 12 Rest Day
- Day 13 Fly Home
- Day 14 Arrive home
The positive side to this type of holiday in Thailand is that you get to see the best dive sites the country has to offer. The negative side is that you would miss out on all the culture and sites around Thailand, it really depends what you want from a holiday! If you’re like me and many other divers who travel to Thailand often then you can have the best of both worlds. On one trip you can do the liveaboard and on your next trip stick with dayboat diving. The advantage of doing it this way is that you get all the dive sites. Liveaboards don’t often visit the same sites the day boats do.
Scuba diving holidays in Thailand are just as varied as the country itself and after only one visit you should try and get back to somewhere different the next time to dive something new!