Krabi Travel Answers

Hi, I'm in Phuket at the moment. I will try to get some information for you tomorrow.

thank you very much! :)

From what I have read in the Bangkok Post and Phuket Gazette it seems as though there are heavy rains across the south the Thailand for this weekend. Flash floods in Phuket have caused 6 deaths! Regards John

SORRY - there have not been 6 deaths, there have been 2 plus 4 people injured. Regards John

The 2 people that were killed in Phuket's deaths can be partly attributed to the rain, however, from what I heard, it was a landslide from a freshly cut-away hill where they were doing some construction. Safety procedures are not great here. I have checked the next week's weather forecast for Krabi and it is for showers/thunderstorms. However, it is not really Krabi that is affected by the rain like some of the southern areas such as Hat Yai or Nakhon Si Thamarat. I will try to find out more.

Actually, I should add that today is a perfect, clear, sunny day in Phuket.

thank you for the information, guess i have to work on some backup plans.

From the Bangkok Post today: Powerful floods slam resort island At least 11 dead as storms lash South By Post reporters Thatched buildings collapse into a path of water that flowed into the sea at Chaweng Noi beach on Samui island, off Surat Thani, folowing a flash flood. — Sarot Meksophawannakul Chaweng Noi beach on Samui Island is full of rubbish in the aftermath of the flood and heavy rain. Workers' makeshift living quarters are left in a mess after the flash flood. Tourists wait for a return flight at Samui airport after their tours were cancelled. Power poles and signboard collapse along Lamai beach road on Samui. — Photos by Sarot Meksophawannakul Powerful floods have slammed the resort island of Ko Samui, with hundreds of beachside shops and restaurants under a strong current of water yesterday as heavy rainfall continued to cripple southern provinces. At least 11 people have been killed so far and nearly 4,000 villagers saw their homes inundated in Nakhon Si Thammarat and Prachuap Khiri Khan. The cost of the damage in the two provinces was more than 350 million baht, officials said. There was no damage assessment on Samui island, in Surat Thani, and other areas hit by the floods. The rain forced around 1,500 tourists to stay overnight at Samui airport on Friday, waiting for flights by Bangkok Airways - the only airline operating on the island - which resumed services yesterday. Surat Thani Governor Wichit Wichaisan told soldiers to help villagers and shop owners engulfed by the water, but the rescue team could not help them take their assets out because of a lack of flat-bottomed boats. "The flood should be the most severe and destructive in 40 years," said hotel owner Wiratch Phongshababnapha, who blamed insufficient waterways for causing the high flood levels. A seaside road at Chaweng beach was under water a metre deep. Up to 200 shops, restaurants, and convenience stores in the busy business area were badly damaged as powerful water flows broke windows and inundated homes. Parts of hotels, nearby houses, and a bridge at Lamai beach were also destroyed by the strong current, and electricity poles were felled. Around 1,000 tourists on the island were forced to stay indoors. "Villagers got help from hotels for the past two days and I'm coordinating for the [state] help with more food, as it's difficult to know how long the heavy rainfall will last," said Ko Samui district chief Theerayuth Aiemtrakul. In the neighbouring island of Ko Phangan, rainfall caused a rock to fall onto a road leading to Haad Rin beach. The Meteorology Department yesterday said the rainstorm was moving westwards to the Andaman Sea, but there would still be heavy rainfall for days ahead in at least seven southern provinces, including Samui island. On the mainland, many districts in Songkhla, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Trang, Satun, and Narathiwat were swamped by floods. In Narathiwat, villagers braced themselves for severe floods which had already inundated 45 roads in six districts, completely cutting off transport to some villages. One villager was washed away by the strong current yesterday. The flood awakened residents in Chumphon's Lamae and Lang Suan districts to the adverse impact of tourism. Resort construction blocked water flow to the sea, causing high levels of water in their neighbourhoods. Local officials even needed to destroy part of a seaside road which blocked the water flow, to open the way for the water. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who visited people in flooded areas in Songkhla and Phatthalung, asked villagers living by canals and rivers to sacrifice their land to allow the government to expand waterways to help drain the flood. Regards John

I have just spoken to several people, including a guy who sails around to Krabi and everything is fine. The report John is referring to is not relevant to Krabi. Further information can be found at several sites including the Krabi Post. Please don't worry, you will be fine.

Sorry if I have mislead anybody. I was working on the basis Krabi and Phuket are not too far apart. Regards John

Could anyone tell me what is the weather in Krabi now?We´re going to Krabi-Railay at 10th this month and have seen forecasts, it doesn´t seem good.Thanks.

I will send an email to a resort owner in Krabi for you now. As soon as I know anything I'll post a reply. I am sure that although there has been quite a bit of rain in the past week, it will be fine. It's beautifully clear and sunny in Phuket today.

thank you very much,Tina. Generally, is any difference between the weather in Phuket and Krabi?

Actually the weather can vary quite a bit. It can be raining on one side of Phuket and not on the other. I have already sent the email.

we have just returned (early)from Krabi, after over a week of little sun, lots of rain we were dissapointed to say the least. We normally go to Goa this time of year where clouds don't exist!

This just in from Krabi; The weather in Krabi at the moment is a little cloudly with occasional rain for the 6-8th of Dec. according to the weather forecast. The rain is much less than that in Phuket and Phangna. Yesterday, we had good sunshine.

thank you very much, Tina. After Krabi, we´re going to spend 3-4 days in Phuket. If you are in phuket, could you recommend us where to stay? We ´re thinking of Kata Beach, Karon or Patong? Thank you for your reply.

If you are thinking of staying in Patong check out my favourite hotel which is Patong Bay Garden Resort. Their web site is http://www.patongbaygarden.com/ and there is some more info on my travel pages. Regards John

I have only stayed at one resort other than the Boat Lagoon Marina where we are now, and that was at Baan Yin Dee at Patong, so I'm probably not much help, but I have plenty of friends who can recommend places. Let me know what you're looking for and I'll ask around. Actually I met the owners of the Kata Resort Group last night. I haven't seen any of their resorts, but I told one of the guys that I would like to come by and see them so I can post the information on my pages. We are supposed to be catching up within the next few days for dinner and to arrange a guided tour, if that's any help. I don't know what your budget is or what they can do for you, if you're interested, I will try to get you a deal.