nicolecolin

My husband and I have been traveling to Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Costa Rica for the past 8 years. We have been uninspired lately and are looking to venture out to other parts of the world.

We are planning on going away early January for 2-3 weeks from Vancouver. Maybe visit 2-3 different places (1 being a beach to relax), as we don't want to super-busy rushed vacation where we spend more time traveling to different places than actually exploring.

We want culture, sights, friendly people, excellent food, good weather, nice beach, nice place to stay and maybe a bit of nightlife. Culture, sights, people & food are the most important. We don't like super touristy areas.

We plan on spending $5,000 - $6,000 for 2, air, hotel, food (everything).

Any suggestions for where to go next?

Kathie

Thailand is my first thought. January is a good time to visit. There are nice beaches for you, Bangkok is an amazing and exotic city with fabulous hotels, great food and wonderful, warm people.

I think you are right to choose two or three places in the amount of time you have. Think about what else you'd like to expereince: the temples at Angkor? elephant riding/bathing, etc at the Anantara at the Golden Triangle? The slow-paced small town of Luang Prabang with its lovely wats and lovely people?

You are invited to take a look at our website that shows all of these areas of SE Asia and more at www.marlandc.com

marmot

nicole, You will find a high level of "culture, sights, friendly people, excellent food, nice beach, nice place to stay and maybe a bit of nightlife" in Bali. January is the rainy season so I wouldn't count on the best weather, but the storms tend to be the shortlived, tropical variety.

Bali can be as touristy or as remote as you choose to make it. The point is that there are many choices and it's an excellent value. For culture and profound natural beauty it can't be beat.

Maybe Bali doesn't have the best beaches in Asia, but beaches are still part of the experience. They tend to be lively and active versus pristine.

One of the best selling points for Bali is that it's a relatively small place and you can move around the island and experience different environments and communities without suffering through airports.

Having said that, you could also consider combining a trip to Bali with a visit to Central Java area (an hour's flight from Bali). There you could see Borobudur, the spectacular 8th century Buddhist temple, other archeological sites and experience Javanese culture. This area is also extremely rich in the arts and crafts and full of great natural beauty.

There are lovely resorts in all price ranges through Bali and some very good ones in Java as well. The level of hospitality is incomparable.

Kathie

Marmot, Bali was my second thought, but it is rainy season, like you said. I have made a couple of visits to Bali during rainy season and it didn't dampen my spirits a bit!

The rains are intense, but brief. I remember my first visit to Bali, our first night I was awakened by a sound that reminded me of a chainsaw! I opened the door to our balcony, as that was where the noise appeared to me coming from and discovered that it was the torrential downpour that made the noise. Seattle rain doesn't sound like that!

jonbarb709

Bali without a doubt. My wife and I have been there twice in the last 3 years and think it is fantastic. Beaches, shops, prices are very reasonable and lots of stuff to see for sightseeing. No question Bali - Sanur and UBUD are two places to start with and maybe even end with.

nicolecolin

thanks so much for all your help.
I am thinking that Bali would be the best option especially for our budget. I have always wanted to go there but I thought that the weather is terrible in January. Are alot of places closed in January?

Which area would you suggest for the beach portion? We prefer to stay in 4 star accommodations. But we don't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere.

Vlad1

First of all, thanks for your suggestion about SE Asia.

From my side I would suggest you to go to Cayman Island if you are interested in snorkeling or scuba. This is amazing place for diving, may be the best. If you are not diver and looking for good beach I would suggest Puerto Rico. It has Culebra island (40 min by ferry) where is maybe the best beach in the world called Flamenco beach. There is a hotel on this beach but nothing else.
So, it is your choice.

Thanks once again.

Good luck
Vlad

Kathie

For a beach area on Bali, I prefer Sanur.

There have been a lot of posts about Bali and places to stay in the last week. Read some of the other posts about Bali and see what interests you.

marmot

nicole, as Kathie said take a look at the post titled "bali accomodations" for lots of info and ideas.

Bali is definitely not closed in January (or December for that matter). It's the tropics; it rains all year. Sometimes you get long sunny spells even in the wet season, sometimes you get a few days of storms even in the dry season, but for most people trhe weather pattern isn't a deterrent. It's just a good excuse to take a nap, have a massage or go shopping.

jenskar

Nicole -- we were just in Bali in January and didn't find the rain a problem at all -- one day of a 1 hour torrential downpour, a few nights with rain, but nothing to keep us from doing everything we wanted to do. Nothing was closed -- if anything, having fewer tourists about seemed a blessing.

As Kathie and marmot said -- there are quite a few posts lately about accomodations, various beaches etc. and what they have to offer.

The year before we went to Thailand -- Bangkok and Chiang Mai - we did not do the beach. I don't think you could go wrong with either choice and with your time frame, you could easily add Siem Reap/Angkor to a Thai trip if you have any interest in the ruins.

One thing I'll say about SE Asia -- it is absolutely magical, and extremely addictive !

kacollier

Another beach thought would be Fiji and this could be a stop over from another southeast Asian destination. We also did Bali and enjoyed it...get out to visit the rice paddies and artistic areas. For my 50th, my husband took me to Tahiti and it was absolutely wonderful but expensive. Other travelers were heading to the Cook Islands so check out what's happening there. But if you haven't been to Thailand, you can combine the culture of Bangkok/Chaing Mai and then head to some great beaches to relax. Even a side trip to Siem Reap if you have the time.

kacollier

Thinking of closer to home, we visited Trinidad & Tobago and enjoyed the people and weather although not the prettiest beaches. Have you checked out Dominica -- it looks like a beautiful island and has much going for it. Pass on Nicaragua...can't see what the hype is about since the beaches look like mud. If you haven't done Cabarete in DR and that part of the Dominican Republic coast, it is a great spot with some of the most beautiful beaches I've seen.

kacollier

Oops...final response in that I agree that Puerto Rico is great as well. Start in Old San Juan for a day or two and move on down the coast....Vieques is a great relaxing island (fly or ferry to it), Rincon is worth a stop for a few days and you can travel most of this island in 2-3 weeks. Haven't done Culebra but have sent friends to Vieques and they have loved it.