AKgirl

We (DH, myself and DD almost 7) are planning a trip to Singapore. Originally I thought we'd just do Singapore and Club Med Bintan. Then I started reading about folks doing Singapore and Borneo. Then I saw mention of Singapore and Bali. Now I'm confused.

I think we want to spend roughly a week (say 6 days in Singapore) so we have about 2 weeks to play with. We travel in the upper moderate and lower luxury level (so would not look for locations with bunk beds and cold communal showers or $800/nt places). I love wildlife and amateur photography. Seeing the orangatans has been something I've wanted to do. We all love the beach!!! We really enjoy snorkeling and some of the spots around Indonesia/Malaysia look great but it seems hard to find info on the web about specific lodges/resorts and programs. Ithink Indonesia or Malaysia would probably fir the bill better than Bali but open to Bali suggestions (would have to include Ubud if went there). I don't want to spend a king's ransom (say over $800pp)in just travel costs from SIngapore to our other destinatons.

So what do you all suggest???? I'm eager to hear about your thoughts and experiences.
Thanks.

november_moon

Last year my husband and I had a similar trip - 2 weeks total, 1 week in Singapore, 1 week someplace else yet to be determined. We considered Malaysia, Thailand, Java, and Bali - ultimately chose Bali. Once we started doing our research, Bali just seemed to capture our imaginations. I think it was a combination of natural beauty and culture that did it for us - not that the other choices didn't have those things as well, but something about Bali just clicked. Thailand was also a top choice, but was edged out by Bali.

We split our time between Ubud and Amed - Amed is a quiet coastal region in the northeast. We enjoyed it, but the beaches weren't great, which with a little kid you would probably want some good sand. I think that Sanur has that.

We got flights on Singapore Air for about US$300 each.

Hanuman

AKgirl,

Bali is part of Indonesia! I love Ubud and if you split that with a visit to Borobudur you will still have enough time left to explore other parts of Indonesia as well.

With 2 weeks to spare you could also visit Myanmar, great photo opportunity there and it will be quite an adventure(in a good way of course) for your family. There are nice beaches in Myanmar too but I've yet to visit the beaches there.

Thailand is another good option and you can use the reviews here to help you decide.

I believe you'll be travelling in March right? It will be hot in Thailand, Myanmar, Singapore but slightly cooler in Indonesia especially Bali.

Here're some family style photo of our visits to destinations in S.E. Asia that you might find interesting: http://khun-pook.smugmug.com/

Look in the Thailand(Amphawa Market, Sukhothai, Buri Ram and even the "AMEX TG" gallery for Chiang Mai), Myanmar, Luang Prabang, Hanoi and even Lijiang and Shangri La gallery. All of these destinations are within a few hours flight from Singapore.

november_moon

We were there in June, and Bali was noticably less hot and humid than Singapore - not to say that it was cool or anything, but the difference was enough to be a welcome change.

I am not sure about a visit to Myanmar though - I think that with the political situation, it might not be a good choice for family travel. I could be wrong, but of all the places in the world, it isn't one that I would choose.

foodsmarts

You won't regret going to Bali. You can get cheap flights on Garuda from Singapore and they fly several times a day, so scheduling is not difficult. You could rent a villa for a week in Ubud and then go to the coast. Bali offers so much - the culture, food, beautiful places to stay, wonderful people. Amateur photography opportunites abound - temples, people, rice terraces, jungle. Around Ubud you can take an organized nature walk through the rice paddies and there is a Bali Bird Walk which is great for seeing the local wild life. Look at the Bali Travel Forum for snorkeling suggestions. Balinese love kids, so your daughter will be
oohed and aahed over. There are many family oriented activities which you can read about on the Bali forum - many Australian families visit and they are great about posting information. You can get almost any question answered there.

Myanmar is a fabulous destination for photography if the political situation doesn't bother you. It is safe - the horrible regime in charge keeps people away. Gorgeous temples and
wonderful people. I wouldn't take a child there because there are few child oriented
activities.

There are many family oriented resorts in Malaysia and there's lots to do in places like Langkawi. We had fun once taking the train from Singapore to Mallaca and then busing
around from here to there and then to KL. From KL you can get cheap flights all
around Malaysia. Don't miss the botanical gardens in Singapore - your daughter will enjoy the space and it's a nice respite from the activity of the city.

Good luck