Karina38

Hi everybody, my family with 2 teenagers is planning to visit Asia for the first time in Huly or August. We will have about 2 weeks and would like to spend about 4 days in Singapore and then continue to another place where the weather will be nice and dry in summer. I was going back and forth between Samui and Bali and although Bali looks very beautiful the traffic problems put me off. Will it be too boring for us and kids be in Samui for 10 days, is there any other option instead of Samui or in addition? Any suggestions are welcomed. Thank you!

Kathie

Bali has much more to see and do than Koh Samui. I'd opt for two locations in Bali: a beach location and an inland location near Ubud. While you will want to be out touring, you won't want to spend all day out and about. Just alternate time you are at your hotel and time you are in the car so the traffic sone't bather you so much.

Another option would be to go to Lombok.

kja

Although I traveled as a solo female, you might find some helpful information in my trip report. It's long, but searchable.
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...a-and-bali.cfm

marmot

Bali and Ko Samui are quite different experiences -- Bali is far larger in land area and population and has a much more diverse and complex culture. If what you're looking for is a week on a tropical beach, then Samui is delightful. If you want to combine ocean with culture and other nature driven activities then Bali offers a lot of options. The weather will be good in July/August, but it will be high tourist season in both places so it's important to make arrangements in advance.

I would agree that it would be best to split your time in Bali between the beach and inland in the Ubud area, which is the epicenter for nature and culture.

For beaches, I would look at Petitenget and north to Batu Belig, Brawa and Batu Bolong. These are all big wave surfing beaches with lively beach environments that would appeal to your teens.

In Ubud you can either stay in town or in the surrounding countryside. You'll find a wide array of cultural activities like temple ceremonies, processions, dance and music performances, classes in arts and crafts and cooking, plenty of shopping. There are also lots of adventure/nature activities like hiking, biking, rafting, visiting volcanoes, caves, rain forests, waterfalls. Along the north and east coasts you can snorkel and/or SCUBA.

The southern beaches and the town center of Ubud can be trafficky but congestion is mostly situational and not constant. The key is to pick a place and stay nearby and to limit your in-car time as much as you can.

Lombok and the Gili Islands (a fast boat or short flight from Bali) are good choices for low-key beaches. I would also look at Java which is also reached from Bali by air or ferry. Central Java for the cultural center of Yogyakarta and the ancient temples of Borobudur and Prambanan. And East Java for the dramatic volcanic regions of Bromo and Ijen.

khunwilko

summer doesn't really exist in S.E. Asia, there are usually 3 seasons - cool dry, hot and rainy.
when these occur largely depends on which side if the equatior you are on.

Thailand it's approximately
Nov to Feb = Cool dry
March to June = hot
July to end of Oct = wet

there are of course eve regional variations in Thailand itself.
this is a really good interactive weather map for Thailand


https://www.travelfish.org/weather_fish.php


Samui is very developed and there will be plenty of urban and beach activities for teens.
there are also tours into the island interior.
Samui is in Surat province in the South of Thailand - on the mainland about 2.5 (150 km)hours from the Don Sak ferry is Khao Sok National Park which is RAIN FOREST but has a beautiful limestone karst lake and jungle activities on various levels.