Weather in Koh Samet
The seasonal weather conditions on Koh Samet are similar to most of the other regions in Thailand. The tiny island is subject to the yearly monsoon, which in general is the severest between June and September.
The period between December and February enjoys the less wet and coolest climate. While in general the rainy season isn’t the most ideal time visiting Thailand, Samet is one of the less rainy destinations in the “Land of Smiles”.
In fact, visiting Samet during this time is probably the most enjoyable as you can appreciate the beach areas all the more as you’ll have much more space to wander around. Rainfall usually only lasts a short time while there is still plenty of sunshine.
Should you get bored after a couple of days of lazy sunbathing, Koh Samet is a great water sports destination. The island offers mind-boggling underwater adventures, fantastic snorkelling, windsurfing, boating and fishing.
The ocean plays an important role in Koh Samet’s cuisine. Nearly each restaurant’s menu features a variety of seafood dishes as well as other popular Thai food and international meals. Best time to visit Koh Samet
As with all tourist centres in Thailand the most popular season is from December to April when visitors come to escape the Northern winters. During this time accommodation is more expensive and crowded.
December is the busiest and pre-booking is advised. By April it’s too hot to be perfect. However, it’s equally nice throughout the rest of the year when the vegetation is more lush.
Since the island is rather small it doesn’t attract rain as much as hilly Koh Chang. It could be sunny all day with showers in the later afternoon, or possibly cloudy for days, but the island is much more pleasant at this off-peak time.
In 1981 Koh Samet achieved the status as a National Park, though you wouldn’t think so when you see how poorly controlled development has polluted parts of the island, but it remains popular due to its proximity to Bangkok.
Therefore it gets failry busy most weekends and booked out on long weekends. Small that it is, it’s noted for some modest nightlife scene on the island but if you’re not there on the weekend expect nothing more lively than several chilled-out beach bars along Ao Pai and Hat Sai Kaew, which particularly during the weekends offer great partying.
You should not visit Samet Island if you are looking for nightlife common in tourist hot spots like Phuket and Pattaya!