My boyfriend and I are planning to go on a vacation May 1-11, so we have less than three months to plan the perfect vacation! He and I have different ideas of what we want to do during these 10 days. He will only be happy with a beach destination, where he would like to lie on the beach all day and relax. I am a more adventurous type, and I would love to get out and see some sites and get a feel for the culture and history of our destination. We would both enjoy scuba diving and watersports of any type, and we want to stay away from any "Spring Break" crowds... any suggestions for a destination that would please us both? We love the idea of a hut on the water maybe in Tahiti or Fiji, but I fear ten days is not enough time considering the distance from NYC. Thanks for your time!

Well, you are posting on the Asia board, and the Asian beaches are farther from NYC than Tahiti and Fiji are.

If you are leaving NYC on May 1 and returning on May 11, you'll have less than 10 days on the ground in Asia. The places you might want to consider would be Bali (fly to Singapore then on to Bali) or Thai beaches (fly to Bangkok then on to probably Koh Samui).

Let us know if you want more detail on choices in Asia or whether you posted on the wrong forum.

If you want it to be in asia I would suggest Bali which should make both of you happy.

Perhaps Asia is not a good destination for 10 days, especially if that includes flying time. Sounds like you'd get bored with the hut on Tahiti or Fiji for any time longer so why not do that?

If however, you have 10 days on the ground, then Bali is your place. Let us know.

Thank you for your responses. I realize I am posting on the Asia board, but this is mainly because I want to go somewhere more "exotic" than Mexico or the Caribbean. We have been there before and we want something a little different. I would love to go anywhere else, Asia or not. Unfortunately, we only have 10 days total. We are willing to sacrifice as many days as we have to for travel. Also, we hope to fly on United, Lufthansa, Scandinavia Air, Austrian Air, British Midland, or Lot Polish Airlines (we get discounted rates on these airlines). This has become another limiting factor. We discussed flying to Tahiti and then hopping over to Bora Bora, but I haven't been able to find a route on those airlines. We could fly on another airline, but I haven't found one that fits our somewhat tight budget. I really appreciate your time and thoughtful responses.

You are right, you can't get to Taihti on any of those airlines.

In Asia, Bali would be a good option. You can get as far as Singapore on the airlines mentioned, but I believe you'd have to switch to Singapore Air to get to Denpasar, Bali. Bali is fascinationg with lots of cultural activities. The beaches are nice, but they are not the reason to go to Bali.

You could also get to Bangkok on those airlines, and it would be a short hop down to a beach area. May isn't the best month for Thai beaches. You'll have the least rain at Hua Hin (which is nice, but not a fabulous beach). WHile I love Thailand, the Thai beaches are not the place to get a feel for the culture.

The best beach areas in SE Asia are more off the beaten track (Malaysia) or have lots of rain in May.