What's The Weather Like In Ko Samui In August
Temperature
August, just like all the other months in Ko Samui, is a hot month. Average temperatures during the month are around 27°C with daily average highs of 29°C and average low temperatures of 25°C, which all are exactly the same as July. With 60% of its days classified as warm and 40% as hot, August is the fourth-warmest month of the year.
The average highs and lows don't change much in the course of the month; they're perfectly constant. On some days, especially around noon, the temperature tends to be a bit too hot. At these times, holiday-makers can take a long relaxing dip in the sea, which has an average temperature of 28°C throughout August.
Sea Temperature
This comfortably warm sea temperature is the same from April through September.
Rain
As August falls in the middle of the wetter half of the hot season, it receives its fair share of rainfall. The total amount of precipitation in August is 100mm, 20mm less than July and the same as June. The number of rainy days has increased, though, compared with the previous months. August has ten days of rainfall. The chance of precipitation on any given day throughout the month is virtually constant. The average chance is 51%.
Historically August 5 has the least chance of rainfall with 50% and August 13 the most with 53%, but these differences are extremely small. There are three types of precipitation in August: light rain, moderate rain and thunderstorms. Light rain is the most common type, occurring on 48% of those ten rainy days.
Thunderstorms come in second with a 35% chance on a rainy day; and moderate rain occurs on 16% of the days of rainfall. August has four fog days, one day more than July and two days more than the absolute minimum of two days in September.
Humidity
The average humidity in August is 80%, a percentage that rises a couple of digits in the course of the month.
As rainfall and cloud cover are related, the amount of cloud cover doesn't change much either in the course of the month. It stays very high all throughout August, averaging 87%, which it has been since June and will stay until November,
Sunshine Hours
Cloud cover, of course, also greatly influences the amount of sunshine. August only has six hours of sunshine per day, a number it shares with the months between and including May and November, which incidentally is also the wetter half of the year. On average it is sunny for about half of a typical August day.
These August days are essentially equally as long. August 1 is the longest day of the month with 12.32 hours of daylight, while August 31 is the shortest day of the month with 12.18 daylight hours, a small decrease of fourteen minutes in the course of the month.
Ko Samui Hotels In August
W Retreat
One of the best accommodations in Maenam is W Retreat. This superb five-star resort is located on the beachfront and has 75 all-private pool villas, bearing names like Jungle Oasis, Ocean Front Haven and Ocean View Escape. All villas are provided with extreme high-end amenities, such as DVD and CD players, two TVs, climate control, sunbeds, private pool, a work desk and an outdoor rain shower. There are so many other facilities, it's almost unbelievable: a fitness centre, library, tennis court, numerous beach and water activities, a spa, six restaurants and bars and so on.
Melati Beach Resort & Spa
A short distance away, in Bophut, lies the equally as impressive five-star Melati Beach Resort & Spa. Located on an almost-private beach at Thongson Bay on the north coast, the resort has a great view of Ko Phangan. The 77 villas and suites have TVs, sunbathing decks, mini-bar and much more. As you can expect from a five-star resort, amenities aren't few. There are two pools, a wellness centre, gymnasium, a meeting room, large library and a butler service. There are four restaurants, but you can also arrange to have a chef cook a personal dinner in your villa or to have a private candle-lit dinner on the beach.
Ko Samui Beaches For August
Beach Of Nathon
The beach of Nathon Town consists of white sands and shallow waters. The water is free of rock and corals, just like its neighbour Lipa Noi, making it an ideal place to go swimming with children. However, Nathon Town is not a tourist town, as it mainly serves as a business and administrative centre. This is where you should go if you need to call overseas, talk to a bank or visit the main post office. There is accommodation to be found though, which tends to be cheap, but most visitors are people on day trips.
The one highlight in Nathon Town is the middle road that is lined with old Chinese shop houses, selling a wide range of random things, including lots of gold. If you want to buy souvenirs, it would be good to know that they are a lot cheaper in Nathon than anywhere else on the island. There is not much of organised entertainment going on; what draws people to Nathon is its peaceful atmosphere and surroundings of coconut plantations and scenic coastal roads.
Nathon Town is also home to the main port on the island. This is where many ferries to Ko Tao and Ko Phangan world-famous for its Full Moon Parties leave.
Bars And Restaurants
Big John's Seafood Restaurant
A renowned restaurant in Lipa Noi, a few kilometres from Nathon Town, is Big John's Seafood Restaurant. One of their services, besides food, is a pick-up service for anyone who is staying within a ten-kilometre radius. The restaurant is located right on the beach and is definitely one of the best places for sunset dining on Ko Samui. Families could also go there for lunch and let the kids play on the beach, in the shallow waters or at the restaurant's playground.
On the menu are pretty much all seafood dishes you can think of, including lobster, sea bass, king prawn, red snapper, oysters and blue crabs.
John's Garden Restaurant & Bar
Another place named after a guy named John is John's Garden Restaurant & Bar. This one is located in Lamai. It lies off the ring road and is set in traditional Thai house in the middle of a landscaped garden. There you can choose between al fresco dining and dining under a wooden sala. The menu includes all traditional Thai dishes, but also international favorites, such as steak and pasta.
Things To Do In Ko Samui In August
Mummy Monk of Wat Khunaram
Definitely one of the most unusual sights on the island is the Mummy Monk of Wat Khunaram. Wat Khunaram is one of the most extraordinary temples in Ko Samui, mostly because of the mummified monk that is displayed there. The monk's name was Luong Pordaeng and he died in 1973 while meditating.
It was his wish to be displayed in a glass case after his death and that is exactly where he has been ever since. Even more than thirty years later, the body shows remarkably few signs of decay. For most westerners it is shocking and uncomfortable to see a dead body like this, but for Thai people it is a way of reflecting on life and death. They regard the body to be there to be worshipped and consider death as an opportunity to be reborn in a better life.
Luong Pordaeng became a monk when has was 20 years old and became a spiritual leader and great teacher. He was renowned for his meditation skills, which include slow breathing techniques. It is said that his low intake of food and oxygen slowed down his metabolism and caused his body to preserve this well in the scorching Thai heat. His eyes have dried out though, which is why the body wears sunglasses now.
Aside from the mummy monk, Wat Khunaram is a typical Buddhist temple, a place where locals go to pray and gather. You can take a look around and, of course, buy souvenirs and Buddhist artefacts.
Sky Fox Cable Ride
A suggested activity if you want some more action is the Sky Fox Cable Ride. This is not something for people who have fear of heights though, as it involves sliding from tree top to tree top. The Sky Fox has seven separate stations, each of different height and scariness. Speeding from platform to platform on a cable is as close as you will ever get to flying and offers an ultimate sense of freedom.
The first station is the easiest and allows people who are afraid to go back down. Most people, however, get extremely excited and can't wait to fly to the next station. It is one of those things that get better the more you do it. As you fly from station to station, you will feel your confidence grow. The Sky Fox Cable Ride can be done by people of all ages, from eight years old to seniors.
The ride was developed and built by a professional team that travels around the world building canopy rides. Safety is always the number one priority and you are clipped to a safety valve at all times, and there is always an operator in front of and behind your group. This is an ideal activity to do if you've had enough of the beach for a day.
