Christmas and New Year in Phuket, the booking timeline

Phuket's dry season begins in November, and the 3 weeks from mid December to mid January are the clearest, calmest and most requested of the year. Every villa on the island runs its peak rate and a longer minimum stay over these dates. Here is how to plan it.

When to book

For the best villas, Christmas and New Year are booked 9 to 12 months ahead, often by the guests who stayed the previous year. If you want a specific villa, enquire in January or February for the following December. From September onwards, choice narrows quickly; by November it is usually a question of which weeks are left rather than which villa.

Chinese New Year, 2 to 3 weeks after New Year, is the next peak, with 5-night minimums at most villas.

Minimum stays and rates

Over Christmas (from about 15 December) our villas require 7 nights, and over New Year (from about 29 December) 10 nights. Rates are roughly double the high-season rate: at Villa Cascade, for example, USD 5,500 per night over the festive weeks against USD 2,500 in November. All rates are subject to 10% service charge and 7% VAT. A 50% deposit confirms the booking and the balance is due 30 days before arrival.

The calendar on each villa page shows the nightly rate and minimum stay by date, so you can see at a glance what a 10-night New Year stay comes to.

Planning the stay

The villa team handles the festive part. Tell your villa manager in advance what you would like, and the chef will plan a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day menu, a New Year's Eve dinner on the lawn or the terrace, and anything in between. Fireworks and fire shows can be arranged at villas with a lawn, such as Villa Talaefun. For a large family gathering, Villa Sawana sleeps 14 across 7 bedrooms with a cinema and games room for the younger generation.

Flights into Phuket fill early in December, and airport transfers on 24, 25 and 31 December need to be booked with your flight details as soon as you have them. Beyond that, the island is at its best: calm seas for boat days, clear sunsets and warm evenings.

A simple checklist

1. Enquire 9 to 12 months ahead for a specific villa, or by September for a choice of dates.
2. Confirm with a 50% deposit; the balance is due 30 days before arrival.
3. Send flight details for the airport transfer as soon as they are booked.
4. Brief the villa manager on the festive dinners, celebrations and any dietary needs 2 to 3 weeks before arrival.