Погода: Пхипхи, декабрь

December opens the high season rather than sitting in the middle of it, and regulars describe a month that improves as it runs. Early on there are showers, sometimes rain most afternoons and heavy with it, though the mornings are usually fine; by late December and into January there is very little rain if any. They also make the case that a short downpour here is welcome because it takes the heat out of the day. Our row is the average of those two halves: 140mm across 14.9 days under 31.5C that reads as 36C at 85 percent humidity. Crowds run the other way - this is peak season and it is busy. The record: 23.4C nights, 9 hours of sun, a 29.2C sea and AQI 38.

Regulars are specific this island falls within the region's dry season alongside December, typically drier than nearby Koh Samui even if outcomes genuinely vary year to year - most years staying mostly dry with a good cooling breeze, though some years bring real storms, strong winds and rough seas instead. Our row backs that hot, genuinely wet read, 28.4C reading as a hot 32C, over 25.6C nights feeling 28C, with a substantial 85.1mm of rain across 7.7 days and humidity at 78 percent. Regulars are consistent nearby Phuket reads as about as good as it gets this time of year, plenty of sunshine and very little rain, a useful comparison point if conditions here turn unsettled. The sea sits at a bath-warm 28.6C. The record: 10.2 hours of sun, a 24.1 kph wind and AQI 45.

March is described on the Thai boards as one of the driest and hottest months of the year, and with April it is the peak of the Andaman season - so the weather that brings everyone here is also what fills the boats. Our row agrees on all three counts: 30.4mm of rain across 6.8 days, 29C reading as 35C at 77 percent humidity, and nights that never drop below 26.6C. The sea is 29.2C, which is warm enough to be no relief at all. The one mercy is a 22.2 kph breeze off the water. Anything strenuous - the viewpoint climb in particular - belongs to the first hours of daylight. The record: 10.8 hours of sun and AQI 48.

Forum posters describe a typical August pattern of brief but heavy showers followed by plenty of sunshine in between, with temperatures generally in the 70-90F (20-33C) range and seas that can turn extremely rough during a squall. Posters report real variability - one visitor described three glorious days followed by three rainy ones, advising to enjoy the good days and bring a good book for the rest, while another found downpours were typically over within half an hour before sunshine returned. Posters consistently note that locals actually favor June through August specifically because the weather is generally fine and popular spots stay less crowded, with lower prices than peak season as a real bonus for anyone willing to accept the rain risk.

Ko Phi Phi's forum calls February one of the driest, sunniest stretches of the year — regulars who visited in January reported blue skies and no rain, and expect February to run much the same. It's busier than the shoulder months of May and June, but regulars say it's a step down from the Christmas and New Year crush.