As we enter high season in Phuket and the Andaman coast, visitor numbers increase dramatically compared to our low "summer season". Of course that's due to the weather. From November to April (on average) the weather is better than May - October. In particular, the Phuket Rainfall Averages show that December, January and February are the driest months of the year. Of course you can get plenty of good weather in the low season too, but in high season you'll get more sun. I don't promise no rain, hey, this is the tropics, but the next 6 months is the time to visit Phuket! Plenty more weather information on my Phuket Weather Blog...
Enough about the weather! I hope if you browse this blog you will find that Phuket is a wonderful place. Now, this blog is mostly about the "other" Phuket, not the main tourist beaches, tours, shops and shows. But whether you come here for the beach, a family holiday, a honeymoon, a quick trip or a erm... gentleman's holiday.. everyone has one thing in common. You need a place to stay. Phuket has it all. You can get a backpackers dorm for 200 Baht, you can rent a villa, and there are guesthouses and hotels to suit all budgets. If you care to search Google for "Phuket Hotels"... you get over a million search results. There are thousands of online hotel booking services. So how do you make a choice?! Might as well stick a pin in your screen and say "That one!"... well, I hope that Jamie's Phuket can help in making a choice!
Some people will always book direct with the hotel. Others prefer to book everything in a package through their local travel agent. But often, if you want the best rates and the best choice of hotels - an online hotel booking agent can be the best choice. Over the last few years I have experimented with several hotel sites, linking to them from this blog. The recommended Phuket Hotels section of the blog grows slowly and for each hotel there are a couple of options for online booking.
Agoda - not such a common name in Europe or North America, but in Asia Agoda is well known, being based in Singapore. The site is well designed, very easy to use, they offer rewards when you book (equivalent to a discount on a future booking), and guarantee lowest rates. Have a look!
• Agoda.com - Home Page
• Agoda - Thailand Hotels
• Agoda - Phuket Hotels
• Agoda Rewards
Agoda is also available in many languages such as German, Japanese, Russian and many more. You'll see a language picker at the top of each page.
LateStays - Part of the Asia Web Direct company that was recently bought by Wotif, LateStays specialises in last minute bookings - up to 28 days in advance. Website is very very easy to use, the discounts are often considerable, although you may want to check Agoda too - LateStays does not guarantee lowest rates, but for a late late booking, it's very very good.
• LateStays.com - Home Page
• LateStays - Thailand Hotels
• LateStays - Phuket Hotels
Have a look at these two - Agoda and LateStays. Plenty more out there if you want to look, but here on Jamie's Phuket I stick with them when it comes to hotel booking. High season is here! If you are reading, hope you can make it to Phuket soon!
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