Should We Cancel Our Trip To Koh Samui? (18nov07)

[natalidi]

We've been planning our Koh Samui trip for almost a year now, so imagine my horror when I saw the flooding news!

It looks pretty awful, and while I am usually prepared to brave the rainy season (having been several times with no problem) I wonder whether braving it now seems like a bad idea.

Is anyone in Samui now? If so, do you realistically think we can expect to see the flooding in Chaweng beach subside by the 18^th November? Also, do you expect a return to normal or are we looking at a lot of disruption for weeks to come?

Any advice would be gratefully received, We're leaving on the 15^th, so probably have to make a decision this weekend. Thank you so much!

I'm not really sure how I am going to sleep tonight, hope everyone there is OK too!

[K60]

I recently returned from Samui, but only caught the start of the rain (about the first 8 days) and that did cause a lot of flooding, although every where was still passable. Spoke to my sister tonight and she says it is much worse than when I was there - but what can you expect, especially as November is the 'rainy' season. If you are going for the sun then maybe you should think about delaying your trip - all depends on why you are visiting and what you are looking to do during your stay.

[LaoPo]

We've been planning our Koh Samui trip for almost a year now, so imagine my horror when I saw the flooding news!

It looks pretty awful, and while I am usually prepared to brave the rainy season (having been several times with no problem) I wonder whether braving it now seems like a bad idea.

Is anyone in Samui now? If so, do you realistically think we can expect to see the flooding in Chaweng beach subside by the 18^th November? Also, do you expect a return to normal or are we looking at a lot of disruption for weeks to come?

Any advice would be gratefully received, We're leaving on the 15^th, so probably have to make a decision this weekend. Thank you so much!

I'm not really sure how I am going to sleep tonight, hope everyone there is OK too!

The weather future is difficult to predict but you can have a look here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=98300

http://www.tmd.go.th/en/region.php?RegionID=6

http://www.tmd.go.th/en/region.php?RegionID=5

Doesn't look all to good but one never knows...BUT, it's not cold at least

Good luck !

edit:

Maybe a change of plans would be your best bet; the weather conditions for the East Coast (Pattaya, maybe Koh Samet) looks better, although there is a depression* coming from the East (South China Sea):

http://www.tmd.go.th/en/region.php?RegionID=4

* pls look elsewhere on the Koh Samui forum.

LaoPo

Edited November 8, 2007 by LaoPo

[LaoPo]

Have a look here too:

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/wp200721.html

I would think your best bet for a holiday is indeed the East Coast (south of Bangkok), but I know, who am I ?

LaoPo

[sriracha john]

a PICTURE is worth a thousand words....

Samui’s downtown area and tourist destinations were awash with flood waters yesterday.

The Nation

[LaoPo]

a PICTURE is worth a thousand words....

Samui’s downtown area and tourist destinations were awash with flood waters yesterday.

The Nation

Now you really put the OP, Natalidi, out of sleep tonight SJ....

You cruel man

LaoPo

[sriracha john]

As the song goes, "Cruel to be kind"

Better she knows ahead of time instead of wasting her precious vacation time holed up in a hotel stuffing towels under the door to try to keep the carpet from getting any more soggy.

/Edit....that and more...

Downpours disrupt Samui, flights cancelled

Poor weather conditions cancelled or delayed several flights between Bangkok and Samui Island Thursday, as flooding and heavy downpours continued to wreak havoc on this otherwise tropical paradise.

Some parts of the runway at Samui Airport were reportedly flooded under heavy rain.

"At some spots, flood water is up to one metre deep and we close the road on certain portions," Samui Municipality mayor Warakorn Rattanarak said.

He said rescue workers and relevant officials needed to reach flood victims on boats only, because main local roads were impassable.

Koh Samui Tourism Association chairman Senee Puwasetthavorn described the situation as a crisis.

"The damage is beyond estimation," he said.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/11/08...al_30055378.php

Edited November 9, 2007 by sriracha john

[southwest19]

We've been planning our Koh Samui trip for almost a year now, so imagine my horror when I saw the flooding news!

It looks pretty awful, and while I am usually prepared to brave the rainy season (having been several times with no problem) I wonder whether braving it now seems like a bad idea.

Is anyone in Samui now? If so, do you realistically think we can expect to see the flooding in Chaweng beach subside by the 18^th November? Also, do you expect a return to normal or are we looking at a lot of disruption for weeks to come?

Any advice would be gratefully received, We're leaving on the 15^th, so probably have to make a decision this weekend. Thank you so much!

I'm not really sure how I am going to sleep tonight, hope everyone there is OK too!

There are still plenty of people here for this time of year remember it is the rainy season.

You are not putting youself at risk by coming here as some posts and media coverage would have you belive but you maybe incovenienced by flooded roads etc. If you are coming for sunny weather and a relaxing time on the beach then maybe you want to re-think your plans.

There has been some disruption to flights at the airport but last I heard yesterday that flights were returning to normal.

Koh Samui is open for business but if you decide to come bring a good raincoat!

[sriracha john]

An inflatible raft might be good idea, too.

As for "some disruption of flights":

Tourists stranded on Samui, flights grounded

More than 1,000 tourists were left stranded at Samui airport yesterday as torrential rain battered the resort island and other parts of the South. The bad weather grounded planes on Koh Samui and at Surat Thani airport on the mainland.

Tourists and local residents struggled to return to hotels and homes along roads submerged under deep floodwater. The Air Force was called in to help.

''We had to use our six-wheel trucks to help them. Otherwise they could not have returned to their hotels and homes on such flooded roads,'' said Flight Lieutenant Surapong Sarakul.

Samui airport was turned into a temporary shelter for stranded tourists as Bangkok Airways, which has a monopoly on all flights in and out of Samui airport, cancelled all its 72 flights yesterday because of the weather.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/09Nov2007_news02.php

Edited November 9, 2007 by sriracha john

[sbk]

Heard a plane take off last night SJ. If you aren't on the ground in Koh Samui then I suggest relying solely on news reports is to be hearing only part of the information at best.

Perhaps advice from Samui residents would be more in order

[sriracha john]

If reality differed greatly from the news reports compiled from people on the ground there, I would agree. If the mayor and the Air Force there say the above and the public disaster center there are saying the below:

At the same time, the Public Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Center have provided flat-bottom boats for people in Don Sak district to commute in inundated areas.

- ThaiNews

then it doesn't look too overly rosy for someone coming in.... but certainly I'd leave it up to the OP to make the decision. Obviously a lot is at stake for her. But in the end, simply trying to put some factuality into a situation where a poster says "some" flights were cancelled, and the paper contradictorily says "all.".... albeit you have qualified that there was one.

Edited November 9, 2007 by sriracha john

[southwest19]

Heard a plane take off last night SJ. If you aren't on the ground in Koh Samui then I suggest relying solely on news reports is to be hearing only part of the information at best.

Perhaps advice from Samui residents would be more in order

I quite agree I live in Bang Rak and planes were taking off regulary yesterday. There was disruption on Wednesday when some flights were cancelled which did result in some passengers not being able to leave.

My friend was in touch with BKK yesterday about flying standby to bangkok and was advised that they may have to wait until the evening as they had to clear the back log first but the situation was expected to return to normal.

Just underlines my point regarding over dramatic posts and media coverage.

[taxexile]

Perhaps advice from Samui residents would be more in order

but they cant get out of their houses to see because of the floods !!!

[Samui Coconut]

Heard a plane take off last night SJ. If you aren't on the ground in Koh Samui then I suggest relying solely on news reports is to be hearing only part of the information at best.

Perhaps advice from Samui residents would be more in order

4 flights left when the weather opened in the afternoon, then as of 7.30 pm more flights were leaving/coming. The last I heard

taking off was at 12.30am this morning. Most flights were delayed by 6 hours and more.

[southwest19]

Perhaps advice from Samui residents would be more in order

but they cant get out of their houses to see because of the floods !!!

There were plenty of people out and about yesterday!!!

The thread was started by an anxious tourist wanting accurate information from people on the ground so they could make an informed decision as to proceed or not with a planned holiday on Samui. I think some of these posts are at best mis-leading and totally irresponsible.

[sbk]

And being posted by people not in Samui......

I reiterate my point, if you are not on the ground in Samui then please try to keep the hyperbole to a minimum. Posting news reports is all well and good but as we all know news reports aren't always the most accurate in Thailand so perhaps it is best to hear from people who are in Samui at the moment.

[LaoPo]

It seems that flights to/from Samui are arriving/leaving today but maybe not all of them on time....

http://booking.bangkokair.com/fids/en/fids.aspx?lang=1

LaoPo

[sriracha john]

On behalf of Samui Municipality mayor Warakorn Rattanarak, Koh Samui Tourism Association chairman Senee Puwasetthavorn, the Royal Thai Air Force, and the Public Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Center, I apologize and will post no further.

[LaoPo]

I don't understand the fuzz..

We, at Thaivisa, 'receive' a new guest, the OP, and we all try to help her/him since they were planning a trip to Samui for a year.

Obviously it's a kind of shock for her/him learning about the flooding on Samui and we all try to help and advise the OP, whether on Samui or not.

It's also obvious that 'news' sells better with photos of flooded parts, rather than non-flooded ones. Even if one stays at the west coast of Samui it's hard to determine how bad the Airport, Chaweng, Lamai or Bophut looks or is effected by the flooding.

The OP was asking for travel advise, to come or not and I must say that the upcoming Tropical Depression Peipah, now over Vietnam/Cambodia, doesn't look too good for the OP's plans.

Well, whatever, at least she/he got the attention he/she needed....

LaoPo

[sbk]

Seems SJ assumed it was personal. Pity, I have no problem with posting news reports but as they are already posted in several other threads, which, it seems the OP has already read, I felt it was more in the interest of the OP to hear actual reports from people in Samui.

[britmaveric]

10days is a long time in the scheme of things. However perhaps you can arrange alternate plans elsewhere as backup???

[Chayaphum]

Travel to Samui in november?

i don't reccomend this time of year for holidays here,

just take a look of the statistic below

if you want to waste your time and money...ok,

just for holidays (1-2week's) better travel to the eastern

side of LOS (Chonburi, Pattaya, Rayong, Trat)

It's up to you to make a decision about samui this time.

If you expect nice weather, clean beaches, a lot of sun and blue sky

during your holidays......then move it to december or january.

Chayaphum

[skyblues]

I lived in Samui for a couple of years but now bangkok and just got a text off my mate who lives there and he says its the worst weather he has ever seen..but from personal experience samui can be flooded to hel_l one day but then the next day the rain will have stopped and the water starts to clear, 2 days later you wouldn't no it had been flooded...so its a take the risk or not situation!!

[TonyMontana]

We've been planning our Koh Samui trip for almost a year now, so imagine my horror when I saw the flooding news!

It looks pretty awful, and while I am usually prepared to brave the rainy season (having been several times with no problem) I wonder whether braving it now seems like a bad idea.

Is anyone in Samui now? If so, do you realistically think we can expect to see the flooding in Chaweng beach subside by the 18^th November? Also, do you expect a return to normal or are we looking at a lot of disruption for weeks to come?

Any advice would be gratefully received, We're leaving on the 15^th, so probably have to make a decision this weekend. Thank you so much!

I'm not really sure how I am going to sleep tonight, hope everyone there is OK too!

I would not discourage anyone to come to Samui.

The rain covers most of Thailand but flooding is worse on Samui.

Yesterday I was out taking a few photos of the floodings.

As far as I could see - if you live in one of the beachfront resorts north of The Wave,

then you will not be affected at all by the floodings.

No floodings, beach and beachroad are still ok, all restaurants,bars and clubs are still open for business.

Just make make sure to be on the beach and north of this point;

Edited November 9, 2007 by TonyMontana

[sriracha john]

Seems SJ assumed it was personal. Pity, I have no problem with posting news reports but as they are already posted in several other threads, which, it seems the OP has already read, I felt it was more in the interest of the OP to hear actual reports from people in Samui.

I'll break my pledge simply to say that I didn't take it personally. I just thought that the reports I quoted, specifically quoting people that one can only presume ARE there and in key positions, as being factual and not "misleading", "totally irresponsible", and "hyperbole."

If the Samui people of my quotes can not be trusted with the words in their quotes or are best described as contained in the previous sentence, then I think Samui has greater problems than I imagined.

As someone who always tries to dig to try to get to the truth on thaivisa, no matter what the issue, that's all I was attempting to do in this case. Oh well... it's not always appreciated, I can appreciate that.

[sbk]

Let me make it clear that I was not accusing SJ of posting hyperbole. I thought it was clear what post I was referring to, but perhaps not.

Anyway, if it were me and I were looking for a sunny beach holiday, I wouldn't go to Samui either. November is typically the rainiest month of the year. But, I suspect the OP was more concerned about transportation and flood damage than some rain.

Just a note, the Raja Ferry overnight bus from Bangkok arrived on time on Koh Phangan this morning so clearly the main roads in Surat are passable to at least the large buses.

[simey]

Every year it rains a lot at this time, every year we (residents) look surprised at the amount of water and watch the roads crumble. Then the rain stops, they fix the roads, and everything is normal again until next year. Remeber that a flooded road in Chaweng does not have the same huge impact it has in the UK, for example, where the following insurance claims have an effect for years. People on Samui are more resilient, there is a road opposite the traffic lights in Bhoput that must have 1.5 metres of water and some resourceful Thais with canoes parked at one end offering their services as taxis to the other end!

I've lived here for 5 years now, this year is a lot of water but it is expected to ease off over the next couple days, today it's merely light rain. Buy some cheap shorts and sandals from Tesco or Big C, and experience walking in a foot of water when it you don't have to worry about wet jeans and shoes.

[Chayaphum]

We've been planning our Koh Samui trip for almost a year now, so imagine my horror when I saw the flooding news! It looks pretty awful, and while I am usually prepared to brave the rainy season (having been several times with no problem) I wonder whether braving it now seems like a bad idea. Is anyone in Samui now? If so, do you realistically think we can expect to see the flooding in Chaweng beach subside by the 18^th November? Also, do you expect a return to normal or are we looking at a lot of disruption for weeks to come? Any advice would be gratefully received, We're leaving on the 15^th, so probably have to make a decision this weekend. Thank you so much! I'm not really sure how I am going to sleep tonight, hope everyone there is OK too!

I would not discourage anyone to come to Samui. The rain covers most of Thailand but flooding is worse on Samui. Yesterday I was out taking a few photos of the floodings. As far as I could see - if you live in one of the beachfront resorts north of The Wave, then you will not be affected at all by the floodings. No floodings, beach and beachroad are still ok, all restaurants,bars and clubs are still open for business. Just make make sure to be on the beach and north of this point - The Wave

to 'TonyMontana'

"you will not be affected at all by the floodings"

shure?

i think, every tourist (also residents) is affected from that situation what we have now.

Or dou you know somebody who like to stay in their room during holidays,

because the surrounding is very unusable.........

happy holiday

Chayaphum

[TonyMontana]

We've been planning our Koh Samui trip for almost a year now, so imagine my horror when I saw the flooding news! It looks pretty awful, and while I am usually prepared to brave the rainy season (having been several times with no problem) I wonder whether braving it now seems like a bad idea. Is anyone in Samui now? If so, do you realistically think we can expect to see the flooding in Chaweng beach subside by the 18^th November? Also, do you expect a return to normal or are we looking at a lot of disruption for weeks to come? Any advice would be gratefully received, We're leaving on the 15^th, so probably have to make a decision this weekend. Thank you so much! I'm not really sure how I am going to sleep tonight, hope everyone there is OK too!

I would not discourage anyone to come to Samui. The rain covers most of Thailand but flooding is worse on Samui. Yesterday I was out taking a few photos of the floodings. As far as I could see - if you live in one of the beachfront resorts north of The Wave, then you will not be affected at all by the floodings. No floodings, beach and beachroad are still ok, all restaurants,bars and clubs are still open for business. Just make make sure to be on the beach and north of this point - The Wave

to 'TonyMontana'

"you will not be affected at all by the floodings"

shure?

i think, every tourist (also residents) is affected from that situation what we have now.

Or dou you know somebody who like to stay in their room during holidays,

because the surrounding is very unusable.........

happy holiday

Chayaphum

Read my post again - slowly - and you might get what I actually write.

The area that I mention includes at least 30 resorts, 100+ restaurants, 100+ bars/clubs, 1000+shops etc etc.

Of course you cannot move around as freely as you normally can - but no one has to stay in their bungalow

during their holliday as you say.

Tony

[mattias33]

I live in Ban rak, and yes, as late as midnight planes where departing. Now, yesterday late evening it was only light rain. In the middle of the night it was no raining, and from 6 in the morning til 11 it was sunshine. Two days like this and most flooding is gone, except for some roads witch you can avoid as a tourist. 2 days of heavy rain right now and the flooding increase. Impossible to say if you should go here or not. I suppose its depending on what part of Samui you want to be in and what you are planning to do on your holiday. As you seem to know already, this time of the year we dont have sunshine garanties on this island, but its been discribed as a "disaster-area" and so on and if you come here a week from now you might not understand that at all. Or you might understand it. It is at a point now where if it rains more its not a funny place. If it dont rain for a few days its back to normal. So, follow weather-reports. And we keep you updated on this thread.

Update 1:

Sun has been gone for an hour (no rain) but its (the sun) coming around the corner now!! Better go out and get a quick tan!