Phuket · Month comparison

January vs November

November ranks #1 overall vs January at #7. Dry season returns — good conditions at shoulder prices before the Christmas peak.

Phuket January — Patong Beach with rows of sun loungers and umbrellas in peak dry season

January

#7 of 12 months

Best match

Peak dry season — calm seas, clear skies, and the busiest beaches in Southeast Asia.

  • ↑Only 30mm of rain all month: the most reliable beach weather in the Asia Pacific
  • ↑Andaman Sea at its calmest: Phi Phi, Similan Islands, and James Bond Island all operating at full capacity
Phuket November — pristine beach and calm sea as dry season returns to the Andaman coast

November

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Dry season returns — good conditions at shoulder prices before the Christmas peak.

  • ↑Dry season beginning: rainfall drops sharply, sea conditions calm week by week from mid-month
  • ↑Prices 30–40% below the December–February peak: the best value window for quality beach time
FactorJanuaryNovember
Weather score
9
8
Value score
3
6
Crowd score
3
6
Events score
5
5
Atmosphere
7
7
Avg high temp31.5°C31.7°C
Monthly rain30mm80mm
Daily sunshine8.5hrs7hrs

January trade-offs

  • ↓High season prices: beachfront hotels at 2–3× their monsoon rates
  • ↓Patong and Kata beaches at their most crowded — sun loungers booked solid by 9am
  • ↓Short-notice booking essentially impossible; popular properties fill months in advance

November trade-offs

  • ↓Early November still variable: some rain days linger from the monsoon transition
  • ↓Sea conditions improving but not yet at the February optimum — some choppier days on the west coast
  • ↓Accommodation fills quickly from mid-November as the peak season accelerates toward Christmas
See all 12 months for Phuket →January in detail →November in detail →
Scores compare months within Phuket. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →