Orangutans and a beach?
 

Hi all, I want to go to Tanjung Puting national park this december 21st onward - i'll be on a boat for 2 nights.and then back to Panglakun bun airport to Jakarta?? and then what? I have about 4 more days and i want a lovely luxurious beach resort and a lovely calm warm ocean to spend the time in - any recommendations?

i hear sabah is rainy at this time and the bali beaches are not very swimmable it seems rough....what bout gilli islands?

thanks!

It is rainy season not only on Sabah, but also on Bali, Lombok and the Gillis. But I have often visited this area during the rainy season and have enjoyed it. It rarely rains all day.

thank you! Any resorts on Sabah? i don't dive...but looking to hang out in the waters, snorkel..relax.

Plenty of resorts on Sabah. There is a Shangdi-La not far from Kota Kinabalu that gets good reviews. We saw some resorts outside of Kuching (Sarawak) on a calm beach - sorry, I don't remember the names.

December one of the wettest months to visit Borneo. You could be lucky but with just 4 days, I wouldn't risk it. The "Tip of Borneo" in the far north of Sabah has some of th best beaches I have seen anywhere but no luxury resorts ( or at least none that we found!).

Shangri La Tanjung Aru mentioned by Kathie above is a lovely resort but the beaches around KK are not the best. I won't be any good for snorkelling at that time of year as the visibility will be awful.

For good weather and luxury resorts, I would head off to the west cost of peninsular Malaysia. Langkawi has some world class resorts (with world class prices!) The Datai and the Four Seasons immediately spring to mind.

I'm afraid the OP can't get everything they want. If snorkeling is the highest priority, then no where in that part of Indonesia and Malaysia will work. If they want luxury and a beach, then there are many places in the area that will work, despite the rain. If it was me - and it isn't - and I just wanted a beach and a nice resort, I'd opt for Bali.

If you want snorkeling, then you would need to go to Langkawi (as recommended by crellston) or to Thailand somewhere along the Andaman Sea.

yep makes sense! More than snorkeling, i just want a beautiful beach and a calm ocean to hang out in....we prefer to be in the ocean vs pool if it's warm and calm....where in Bali would you go? I will also check out Langkawai...thank you!

I'd look at Sanur and Seminyak on Bali. I'd actively avoid Kuta (full of drunk adolescents) and Nusa Dua (a sterile purpose-built tourist enclave) Be aware that Seminyak is a "Big wave" beach at some times of the year, so if calm is important, look at Sanur.

I've also spent time on Lombok, and love Qunci Villas there.

The week between Christmas and New Year's just isn't a great time for Bali. It's the height of the rainy season so you're likely to get storms and/or murky weather, though you may be lucky and get sunshine instead. Bali's weather has been totally out of synch this year.

End December is also the height of the tourist season with crowds every where. New Year's eve is either a nonstop party or an unrelenting zoo depending on your point of view. :)

You can get big swells and rough surf in December all around Bali, with storms on the west coast somewhat fiercer than the east. This is true of Lombok too, though I'm not sure about the Gili Islands. They will be crowded during this holiday week for sure, especially transport from Bali.

If you're looking for picture postcard clear azure waters and pristine white sand, I'd suggest the west coast of Thailand or peninsular Malaysia.

Personally I love Bali's beaches, especially the big wave big sky beaches in Seminyak and parts north, but I hesitate to recommend them for end December. The resorts are still luxurious and the ocean beautiful, though, and Ubud another Bali option all together.

Damai beach outside of Kuching is a nice big sandy beach, but I can't vouch for the weather or the accommodations. There used to be a Holiday Inn on Damai beach but I believe it's now under different management. I don't know that I'd consider it "luxurious."

Ah, yes, Damai was the name of the beach area outside of Kuching. But the stats show they have even more rain than Bali at that time of the year. And we looked at the Holiday Inn resort, but it was not impressive - rather tired looking, but with a beautiful beach. I don't know if it has been fixed up or not, since Marmot tells us it is under new management.

I knew you were going in December, but missed the exact dates... any chance you can change your dates, moving earlier in December or after the first of the year? It would mean that places would be less crowded and less expensive.

I've stayed at a lot of resorts in Sabah and Sarawak, including Damai Holiday Inn which was tired looking when I stayed there.

Tanjung Aru and Rasa Ria are very nice resorts with Rasa Ria having an Orangutan sanctuary there and a championship golf course if that interests you

I really don't find the beach and especially the water appealing, I have yet to see crystal blue waters instead they look murky, everyone seems to use the pool, and I 've never seen people take advantage of the water activities provided by the hotels

Geordie, I don't know when you were there, but the Orangutan "sanctuary" at Rasa Ria was closed down a couple of years ago - I don't know it has been re-opened or not, but I wouldn't go there (over concerns about how the animals are treated).

sigh, thank you all so much. I know Thailand is amazing...i've been there three times and the turquoise color of that water...the warm ocean water....unbeatable. Except by the caribbean...and maybe the maldives although that's more blue water (picky aren't I!!!) :)

Well thank you all for the feedback, i'm feeling like Sanur/Seminyak indeed will have those luxurious villas/hotels that Asia is really known for....the infinity pools facing the beach/ocean. I guess we can't really be in the ocean - high waves and me don't go together.

Else i'll maybe have to switch to another destination for now and save the Orangutan sanctuary and beach combo for a different month.

I can only this December (I"ll already be in India) so I have 8 days to play around somewhere else....and I've been dying to go to Tajung Puting but really want to end the trip with a beach vacay coz hubby is with me and he's a sucker for those.

Perhaps i'll look into the hotels around seminyak knowing that i'd be going for the views/relaxation and maybe more pool time rather than being in the ocean time. That'll also be beautiful.

thanks again!