Thinking of Thailand but is there any other country with great beaches. Thanks.

Bali Indonesia - absolutely!

My wife and I have been in search for the ultimate beach since 1992. We've been to many destinations in the Pacific, the Carribean, Asia, etc. But none compare to Boracay Island in the Philippines. Strictly speaking from a beach perspective... it's 7 kilometers of pure white sand beach as soft and fine as sugar. It's so soft the sand never gets hot. Not to mention the ultra crystal clear blue waters surrounding the island. 50 meters out from the beach, the water is still at your waist. Ofcourse, there are other perks... friendly english speaking locals, fab restaurants and bars galore, water sports to your heart's content, the affordable philippine currency, and killer fresh fruit shakes 'til you drop.

Jay, are talking about Philippines where they kidnapped and kill tourists?

Jim, do not be paranoid. In this case, I think the US is the most dangerous place to travel to. How many travelers were killed on 9/11?

That's what we thought based on watching the news from CNN and all the travel advisories we get from the Embassy. Until we actually went there. Turns out that the media had glamorized a situation occuring in 1 small island in the far far far south of the archipelago. We did not know that the Philippines has over 7,000 islands. Boracay was ultra far from the so-called action. Anyway, we were 10 friends from school who went (from the US, Brazil, Germany, Israel, Sweden, France, and Australia). Truth of the matter is... what was suppose to be a few days turned out to be an extended trip. Just absolutely gorgeous!!! It literally is... PARADISE!!!

Oh... by the way... we heard that the landmine situation in Cambodia was absolutely ruthless as well. But that's not going to stop us from our trip to Angkor Wat next month. Will tell you all about it when we get back.

I have to agree about Boracay, it really is beautiful and very safe. You have to have common sense about travel. The Philippines is a quite large nation. They are only having troubles in a few of the islands that are much more south. It's the same in Indonesia. Bali is basically Hindu and very safe - compared to Timor. I think Vietnam is also a beautiful country, they have great beaches and Halong Bay is a great destination. You can hire a car for the whole day really cheap compared to the U.S.

I was in Boracay as well in 1999 for New Years. I went with my daughter and her girlfriend and we did not once feel unsafe and had a wonderful time. There is every price of hotel. We stayed in a fairly cheap hotel and I can't remember the name of it and it was very adequate. There was the odd gheko outside the building but it didn't bother you.