Going to Bali in June/July... where else should we go?
 

Hello dear fodorites! You have been of wonderful help to me in the past (especially Kathy, Gpanda, and rkkhmk to name a few) and I thought I'd ask for your help once again when I found myself stumped on what to do to help my brother celebrate finishing his Ph.D. He is in his early 30's and I am in my mid 30's - we will be joined by friends in the same age group, and we are all very physically active. I want to take my brother to see the best of asia now as I doubt he would plan a trip like this ever again (mostly due to financial constraints).
With your help, I took a fabulous trip to Thailand about 5 years ago. From reading your posts, I am now looking to go to Bali, but I loved Thailand so much I wanted to show it to my brother as well. I thought about stopping through Thailand on the way to Bali, but just read that the weather will be terrible during that time - raining and that the beaches will NOT be the place to go.
We will have 2 weeks - the last week in June and the first week in July. I thought we would spend a week in Bali and another week somewhere else.
Were would you go if you were me? We'll have a reasonable budget (would like to keep total expenses under 5 k if possible), but can't go "all out"....

Thank you!!!!!!!

The rain is not really a big deal in SE Asia at that time of year. While there are occasional downpours, it's really not that bad. Weather on the east side of Thailand is better than in resort areas on the west side such as Phuket. Ko Samui, for example should be good - we were there in July several years ago and saw nothing but sunny days. We experienced a couple of heavy rains in Bangkok on that trip but most of the time it was clear. Singapore is also close by but it is not a beach destination.

As Craig points out, the weather in the Phuket/Krabi area will be wet, but Koh Samui should have lovely weather. So if Thailand is calling you back, go!

Bali is also a wonderful destination and very different from Thailand. It is Hindu rather than Buddhist. The attraction of Bali is the culture. The beaches are ok, but not spectacular like Thai beaches.

If you opt for Thailand, you might consider a side trip to Angkor Wat or Luang Prabang.

If you opt for Bali, make a stop in central Java to see Borobudor and take a few days in Singapore.

I am with Kathie on the cultural recommendations!
The temples of Angkor are a great option.
So are the temples of Borobudur/Prambanan in Central Java. They make for a wonderful trip from Bali as well (start by taking the ferry from Bali to the east tip of Java, stay at the Ijen resort and hike the Ijen crater -- amazing!).
Another option, is Burma, where you could visit the spectacular site of Pagan.
Have a great trip!

I like the combination of East Thailand + Angkor OR Bali + Java. For adventure travel you might also take a look at Sulawesi -- Tanah Toraja (Central) and Manado (North).

What kind of activities do you like: general trekking, hiking or something specific like scuba or rafting?

You can cover a lot of activities in Bali and I'm sure you'll be able to fill up a week to ten days.

I think you could expand on the idea mentioned above and go from (or to) East Java to Bali by ferry. In East Java you could do Mt. Bromo as well as Ijen.

So my suggestion would be to start in Central Java -- Borobudur and Yogyakarta -- then fly to Surabaya. From Surabaya cover Bromo and Ijen, then continue on by ferry to North Bali. Then the Ubud area, ending at on of the Southern beaches like Seminyak.

me...its bali and georgetown penang with a couple of days in singapore.... fly into and out of singapore...

or fly to bkk for a few days and then take thai air or air asia directly to bali... bkk is fine at that time... just get a nice hotel with a really good pool...

look at alam shanti at ubud, bali for some of your time... we also like the pan pacific on the west coast for a couple of days....

hire putu in bali and tong in bkk and mr lee in penang to take you around

Such wonderful, insightful replies - thank you! I did Angkor when I was in Thailand 5 years ago and loved it. Central Java is something I hadn't even considered but looks fascinating.
Bali (for me) is an absolute must... so that's one thing we will absolutely do. My big debate is if it's better to expose my brother to Thailand (would BKK be enough? We'll have June 23-July 7 for our entire trip) or would Singapore/Java in combination with Bali give a balanced feel of SE Asia for someone who has never been and may never go again. We like cultural activities, hiking, good food, and max 1-2 days on the beach. When I went to to Phuket years ago I did the Hong kayaking trip - I loved it and wanted to share that experience but it seems that just wouldn't work in July. I will certainly contact the recommended guides, the ones you recommended in the past made such a difference.

While Bangkok is my favorite city in the world, if Bali is a must, I'd opt for Bali/Java/Singapore. It makes sense to minimize travel time, and those three are a greaet combination.

Thank you, Kathie. That's what I needed. :)

And thanks so much to everyone else for your help!!!

www.balispirit.com

www.komaneka.com

I never get tired of Bali might relax there lots of variety

Sanur for beach North Coast great diving Ubud amazing

apiritual place... Do some Java or Singapore to/from

but not as relaxing for me.

Less is more with spiritual travel for me...

Thanks, I'll look into every suggestion! Have decided to Bali/Java with Singapore. Thanks for the hotel recommendations and the suggestion about the ferry - will incorporate them. Now the research truly begins!