Where should we go? We’re a couple in our late 20s. We have about 10 days, a budget of $4000AUD all inclusive and a desire to relax and have some fun. We’ve considered Thailand, Vietnam, Bali and Hawaii.

I’ve looked at places like Thailand, etc. They offer such fantastic value for money, but the climate at that time of year is very wet.
Maldives is apparently changing from wet to dry monsoon during October and November - and I’m not sure what that means! Will that be wet?
How is South Africa as a tourist destination?
I’m from the UK and my fiancee from Japan.
Thanks.

i pay $ for a good contact. i need honest , reliable suppliers.

Finding an inexpensive beach house in Phuket this time of year isn’t going to be easy, it is high season Jan.-Feb., and Phuket is having one of it’s best years for tourism in awhile. You might want to book a room for a few days and look around when you get there, otherwise try the classifieds or the many real estate companies who advertise in the Phuket Gazette, Craigslist Thailand or one of many websites like this one:http://www.phuket-rentals.com/
I know a few friends that spend a lot of time down there, and they usually find weekly or monthly rates at an inexpensive hotel there, but finding a cheap rental right on the beach isn’t going to be easy, have fun.

just a weekend getaway, in thailand or malaysia since i heard there’re some very beautiful beaches, some which not many people have heard of! any ideas or experiences to share?

My husband and I will have 2 weeks vacation (April 1-14) and we need help trying to find a place where to go. We want a beach place that is romantic yet we can go party at night time. We are 25 and 29 years old. I have reviewed canary islands, Ibiza, Spain, Portugal, Santorini (Greece) but it won’t be as warm on those places. I really liked Thailand and the full moon party but as I’ve read that it can be very wild… We want to stay out of trouble, we want just a perfect vacation, that offers a romantic paradise and a nice nightlife for a couple. Any suggestions?

My choice will be as below:
1/ Bali
It is comparatively bigger with wider extent of land and thus more activities to do, e.g. trekking. Shopping is also better. Food is good. There are a number of beaches along the coastline.
2/ Phuket
Food is best among all, I find. I don’t like Patong such packed beaches but there are quieter beaches like Karon and other more remote ones. Still cheap comparing to other 3 places
3/ Boracay
NIce beaches, people and food is so so. Walking to the small villages and talk to kids is fun
4/ Langkawi
extremely touristy, sea condition and sea creatures variety is the least beautiful among all.
My ranking is also based on my scuba diving experience in these areas. Langkawi is the least intersting place.

Please share any helpful info if you’ve done this…thanks

I will be travelling to Thailand in Feb and want a nice romantic place to take my girlfriend. Not too quiet or too busy. We stayed in really nice bungalowson the beach last year on the East coast so something similar would be great.
Cheers

I am planning a day in Phuket. The questions are:
- what is the closest elephant Safari to Patong Beach?
- we would like to ride an elephant. Would it be enough to spend there only 2-3 hours? Or is it a long lasted safari trip, and we need to reserve a whole day for it?
We want to combine 3-4 attractions at the same day:
1. elephants riding (2-3 hours)
2. shooting rang (2 hours)
3. Wat Chalong (1,5 hour)
4. Phuket Downtown (3-4 hours)
5. go back to Patong beach.
Would it be possible to do so?
thanks!

Pls be more specific eg where in Thailand, price range, how many persons etc. in order to help.

I’m heading to SE ASIA in July with a friend and we’d like to start our trip easy by relaxing at a beach, staying somewhere safe yet fun which attracts tourists but not too touristy where the prices are sky rocket. I know you can rent beach bungalos cheap but I’ve heard that you get a much better deal organising that once you arrive. Is there any good sights for backpackers on a budget? we are flying into Bangkok and don’t want to be stranded.

For party animals it is Patong. For a nicer beach definitely Karon.

details below:
-preferably below or up to usd200 per night
-inclusive of breakfast
-privacy is a must
-quiet & secluded but not too far from the shopping streets
-the beach is clean or being cleaned all the time due to tourists’ mess..like soda cans, plastics, leftover food etc..
-beach front means when you step out of your room, it’s really there and not an “exodus” if you get my meaning
-hotel has it’s own private beach area
-big pool
-amenities and room are really clean
-room service, hotel restaurants and bar are open 24/7 as i am a lone traveler most of the time.
-and last but not the least, when i booked, the hotel front desk won’t give me a headache of saying, “i have to wait as my room is not available at the moment or worst, put me in a more expensive room”. (no cheating of hotel mgt)
thank you very much and your feedback is highly appreciated.
pls don’t give me websites as i do search but what i want is a more personalized recommendations.

nightlife - and plenty of girls–what city is best ?-in the philippines-and thailand–also thinking of brazil to–name a hotel and city—–

nightlife - and plenty of girls–what city is best ?-in the philippines-and thailand–also thinking of brazil to–name a hotel and city—–

I like Japan, assuming you want girls.

I’m traveling to thailand for 2 weeks in February for my 30th with my boyfriend and want to know the best places so see and must see’s. I am thinking 3 nights in bangkok then the other 12 nights touring the beach resorts.

Will be there 5 days. Too expensive for us to fly somewhere else out of Bangkok.

Hi, for a 10-day holiday, I guess you will have to decide what you would like to do. I can offer 2 options based on your arrival airport.
Option 1 - arrival in Bangkok
Bangkok has quite a few things you can do. For instance:
Visit to the ancient city of Ayutthaya. See the former capital of Thailand. This site is a on the international heritage list. This is a one day visit.
City and river tour. Travel to see the sights in the city, and followed with a tour to see the city from the river point of view. This will be a day.
Grand Palace and Vinminek Mansion tour. Visit the former residence of the Thai Kings and the house of King Rama 5 which has been converted into a museum. One day affair.
Shopping in Bangkok will last a couple of days. The Grand Sale starts in Jun and last till july. With massive discounts country wide, you can expect to find bargains. With some big malls around, you will need quite a bit of time. There is MBK Centre, a popular tourist destination. Siam Paragon is new with and indoor marine aquaruim. The aquarium will last half day to view. There is Chatuchak weekend market on weekends only. Place is so huge, you need more than a day just to cover the many stalls selling anything under the sun. Plenty of bargains to be found. Equivalent at night is the Suan Luum Night Bazaar. Takes you an evening to cover. There is Silom Night Market, Sukhumvit Night Market, Khao San Night Market to visit too.
Another place not to miss is the Pratunam Wholesale Centre, with hundreds of shops selling clothes at wholesale price. The more you buy, the cheaper it gets. Many traders come here to stock up, and quite a few are overseas buyers.
A quick calculation, easily 3 days to try these, and there are more malls, like Central Chidlom, E Emporium, Queen Sirikit Convention Centre, Central World Plaza, Siam Square etc. With the sales, even the locals are shopping.
Theme parks to visit, Thailand Cultural Centre to see traditional Thai dances, ancient city of Muang Boran, Dusit Zoo, Safari World, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Water World etc.
So you can spend 10 days just in one city.
Option 2 - Chiangmai arrival
Chiangmai is about 700km north-west of Bangkok. This place has cooler clime and is favoured by those who cannot stand the heat in the Bangkok. Having a more undulating terrain, there are nice mountain resorts to relax in.
The Mae sa Valley Resort is known for it surrounding. Set in the valley up the hills, you are greeted by morning mist each day. Nearby is a botanic garden to visit. Nearby are local tradesman village and culturalcentre. You can learn some Thai handicraft and even Thai food cooking. Will have to check with the centre for the type of courses available.
Staying here will be easily 3-4 days realxation.
Next will be the main city of Chiangmai. With shopping centre and night markets, you will spend a fair bit of time shopping at both day and night.
Go for a Kantoke dinner and Thai Cultural Show at the Cultural Centre. The cuisine is typical nothern Thai Lanna style. And the dances are of the different hilltribes in northern Thailand.
Visits in the town is the Doi Suthep Hilltop temple. The Royal Family do visit this place if they are in the vicinity. There are national parks and garden at Phuping palace just further up the road from this temple.
Outlying areas, there is the National Elephant Centre, where besides showing you elephants at work and play, you can also go for an overnight elephant trek, or take up elephant riding course. All offered at the centre.
There are snake farm, bee farm, to visit. Spa resorts are also found in the area. Limestone caves too.
All in, this is the place to just relax.

you can rent in Thailand for as long as you like. cost will not be cheap for a house on the beach. however i need to correct the person who answer before me. land usually can not be owned by foreigners so they arrange a 30 year lease of the land with the option to another 30 years. you can own the house but usually not the land. Condo’s are the expection but that’s another long answer.

The reasonable / local rate, not the here comes another mug tourist rate!
Cheers,
CC

if you want to go there, your best bet would be to contact a travel agent from there.. just type in “travel agents in phi phi island” or “travel agents in thailand” another thing to do would be to go to a yahoo chatroom from thailand and ask someone there who is from that area…

I have been to Thailand and would like to try a new country. I am worried about the rainy season that some countries are said to have at that time. I would really like an excellent hotel and a beach with some good entertainment/shopping. Please help me! There are just too many choices out there!!! My main interests at this point are Philippines/Malaysia/Indonesia and Cambodia. I will have about ten days for this vacation. Thanks for your help!

You can fly from Pattaya’s U-Thaphao Airport to Phuket, Bangkok Airways has a daily flight between the two cities. It is on the expensive side, fares start around 3,700 baht each way. It isn’t much further to drive to Suvarnabhumi (BKK) and fly from there, you can fly round-trip on Air Asia for less than the one-way fare from Pattaya. If you don’t mind spending more money, Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways also fly that route and IMO are much better airlines. Or as Bob said, you can take a bus.