Sun holiday

[Glasgow_Saint]

Any destination suggestions? Been thinking about cancun in May but no so sure anymore (to commercial?)

 

Looking for 2 weeks, sun, 2 adults, all inclusive with a budget total £1,200pp

 

Ideas?

[dubai_phil]

Tunisia.

 

Safe now, trying really hard to rebuild their tourist industry, good deals and quiet.

 

Mix the stay up - do the Star Wars Desert Village thing & The Ruins

[Glasgow_Saint]

Went to Tunisia a few years back...... Was ok, not too exciting

[buctootim]

Sicily is good. Lots to see and do (getting the cable car up Mount Etna is well worth it). Stayed in Taormina. Historic centre, pretty, good beach, good food, reasonable prices. Dont know any specific all inclusive resorts but there be some.

 

Edit. If you want something exotic Sri Lanka has got it all. Amazing beaches, wildlife, temples, hill stations, Buddha's tooth. Long schlep to get there, but dirt cheap once you do.

Edited 14 March, 2012 by buctootim

[Jack]

Cape Verde islands was a great holiday, but just did a week. Riu hotel is top notch, great food & drink, guaranteed weather.

Gets cool in the evenings and is obviously a bit windy being stuck out in the Atlantic, but well worth going there before it gets too commercial.

[skintsaint]

Been thinking about cancun in May but no so sure anymore (to commercial?)

 

 

Give Cancun a miss, might as well goto Spain. ****hole full of young Yanks rather than Brits.

[dubai_phil]

Went to Tunisia a few years back...... Was ok, not too exciting

 

In which case - Vietnam.

 

Cost to get there may be an issue but $100 makes you a millionaire. Start in Ho Chi Minh City, Beach Resort in Hoi An /Danang area end up in Hanoi. Take the train do a bit of road trips, get up to the Mountains to see the Hill Tribes

[Glasgow_Saint]

Couple to look into today cheers guys

[CylonKing]

Can vouch for Vietnam, brilliant place, best beach I've been to was at Mui Ne. Beautiful sunsets, nice big waves to just laze around in, kite surfing if you fancy it, lots of good bars and restaurants along the beach....very nice place. I would also recommend Mexico, but not Cancun, it is supposed to be a bit rough (we avoided when there). We went to San Cristobel, Oaxaca, Puebla, Gjaunajuanto, Guajdalajara (you must go to the Wrestling there, great fun), Morelia, Zacatecas and Zihuatenejo, all of which I would recommend, as I would Mexico City itself. Of course, we mainly went for the food and not beaches, though Zihuatenejo is just one big beach, where all you can really do is sit, relax and enjoy a few cocktails and beers on 2 for 1! I would also recommend Croatia - not many sandy beaches though, mainly pebbly ones.

[Saint137]

You might just scrape a Canaries Cruise for that - 12 days, loads of sun, all inclusive bar your bar bill. Drinks are cheaper than pub prices on P&O

[Saint137]

http://www.iglu.com have great deals on P&O at the moment -£650 each for an inside cabin for a 12- nighter

[Dog]

Cambodia ~ http://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/groupon-getaways/angkor-miracle-resort/3964198 = Bargain

[This Charming Man]

Cambodia ~ http://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/groupon-getaways/angkor-miracle-resort/3964198 = Bargain

 

If you're going all that way for beaches, you want to go to Thailand or Malaysia. Cambodia is a fantastic place but the beach resorts are pretty seedy and not that great. Unless you want to watch fat Germans and Yanks noncing on 15 year old boys... So I had a whale of a time.

[This Charming Man]

Can vouch for Vietnam, brilliant place, best beach I've been to was at Mui Ne. Beautiful sunsets, nice big waves to just laze around in, kite surfing if you fancy it, lots of good bars and restaurants along the beach....very nice place. I would also recommend Mexico, but not Cancun, it is supposed to be a bit rough (we avoided when there). We went to San Cristobel, Oaxaca, Puebla, Gjaunajuanto, Guajdalajara (you must go to the Wrestling there, great fun), Morelia, Zacatecas and Zihuatenejo, all of which I would recommend, as I would Mexico City itself. Of course, we mainly went for the food and not beaches, though Zihuatenejo is just one big beach, where all you can really do is sit, relax and enjoy a few cocktails and beers on 2 for 1! I would also recommend Croatia - not many sandy beaches though, mainly pebbly ones.

 

If you want nice beaches in 'Nam then look no further than Phu Quoc. A small island off the south coast;

 

 

Not the easiest place to get to though. There are ferries that run between the mainland and the island but that's boring. I hitched a ride on a local fishing vessel which took 9hrs in high seas, compared the A/C ferries that take 90mins, ha.

[gary r]

For a little bit more i would go to the Maldives absolute paradise and total relaxation

[Dog]

If you want nice beaches in 'Nam then look no further than Phu Quoc. A small island off the south coast;

 

 

Not the easiest place to get to though. There are ferries that run between the mainland and the island but that's boring. I hitched a ride on a local fishing vessel which took 9hrs in high seas, compared the A/C ferries that take 90mins, ha.

 

 

Foo Coff! ?

[This Charming Man]

Foo Coff! ?

 

I amused myself for days on end with that gag.

[Glasgow_Saint]

Thailand might be good - do you get to see monkeys running around?

[buctootim]

Thailand might be good - do you get to see monkeys running around?

 

Tioman Island in Malaysia. Lots of Monkeys and monitor lizards. Stay here http://www.bagusplace.com/home

[Thedelldays]

magaluf..?

[Turkish]

Cuba is good and reasonably priced. Went there a few years ago.

[FloridaMarlin]

Yucatan peninsula is great, and you can avoid Cancun. Stayed at the all-inclusive Grand Palladium Colonial resort, and it was fantastic. All-inclusive resorts are the way forward. But don't just spend two weeks on a sun-lounger in your resort (unless that's your thing).

Get out and about. There is only one road that runs the length of the Yucatan peninsula coast, from Cancun in the north to the Belize border, and it is full of minibuses known as 'collectivos.'

Villagers club together to buy a bus, one guy drives, and they split the proceeds from the fares.

They're all one fare, if you go the full length from Cancun to Belize, or 200 yards.

The resorts want you to go on their organised trips (at a vastly inflated price) and will tell you all sorts of scare stories, which are rubbish as the locals are very protective of tourists. It does them no good if tourists are harmed.

Collectivos are great for getting you out of a sanitized resort and down with the locals. You flag one down, get in and sit next to the bloke taking a crate of chickens to the market, and the old lady selling home-made tortillas.

We went to Tulum for a day under our own steam. The resort wanted $70 a head for the trip, it cost us 400 pesos - £20 - between us, a fiver either way.

For somewhere different, though, try Israel.

Again, forget about all the scare stories, and go there with an open mind.

Tel-Aviv is a great city with a fantastic beach life, and as it's such a small country, you can get around easily to Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, Sea of Galilee, Bethlehem and all the historical sights.

Eilat is a great beach resort down on the Dead Sea, and now you can go to Petra (in Jordan) and Egypt.

And it's certainly bloody hot in the summer.

[dune]

I can think of nothing more boring than a beach resort laying in the sun all day only interupted by queing up for the AI buffets. The only thing less appealing to me is a holiday in the USA.

[Glasgow_Saint]

Yucatan peninsula is great, and you can avoid Cancun. Stayed at the all-inclusive Grand Palladium Colonial resort, and it was fantastic. All-inclusive resorts are the way forward. But don't just spend two weeks on a sun-lounger in your resort (unless that's your thing).

Get out and about. There is only one road that runs the length of the Yucatan peninsula coast, from Cancun in the north to the Belize border, and it is full of minibuses known as 'collectivos.'

Villagers club together to buy a bus, one guy drives, and they split the proceeds from the fares.

They're all one fare, if you go the full length from Cancun to Belize, or 200 yards.

The resorts want you to go on their organised trips (at a vastly inflated price) and will tell you all sorts of scare stories, which are rubbish as the locals are very protective of tourists. It does them no good if tourists are harmed.

Collectivos are great for getting you out of a sanitized resort and down with the locals. You flag one down, get in and sit next to the bloke taking a crate of chickens to the market, and the old lady selling home-made tortillas.

We went to Tulum for a day under our own steam. The resort wanted $70 a head for the trip, it cost us 400 pesos - £20 - between us, a fiver either way.

For somewhere different, though, try Israel.

Again, forget about all the scare stories, and go there with an open mind.

Tel-Aviv is a great city with a fantastic beach life, and as it's such a small country, you can get around easily to Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, Sea of Galilee, Bethlehem and all the historical sights.

Eilat is a great beach resort down on the Dead Sea, and now you can go to Petra (in Jordan) and Egypt.

And it's certainly bloody hot in the summer.

 

Thanks for that - i will take alook at Yucatan peninsula for sure.

 

Anyone been to Brazil?

[Glasgow_Saint]

Tioman Island in Malaysia. Lots of Monkeys and monitor lizards. Stay here http://www.bagusplace.com/home

 

wow!! looks amazing........ BIG £££$$$ id imagine!?

[Glasgow_Saint]

There are ferries that run between the mainland and the island but that's boring. I hitched a ride on a local fishing vessel which took 9hrs in high seas, compared the A/C ferries that take 90mins, ha.

 

say what!?

[aintforever]

Get a cheap flight to Cancun, get a taxi to downtown Cancun, get a coach to Chetumal, get a taxi to Belize city, get a speed boat to Caye Caulker.

 

http://www.cayecaulkerbelize.net/

 

Cracking island, basically a big sand bank with houses on surrounded by coral reefs. Cheap as chips in Belize - the only country in Central America with English as it's first language.

[RonManager]

Doon the watter tae Largs fae a wee paddle, ya bass.

[buctootim]

wow!! looks amazing........ BIG £££$$$ id imagine!?

 

Its c£185pn for two people all inclusive (meals and soft drinks) - so around £92pppn (900 Malay = c£185). You could fly London Singapore for £600, stay Singapore for say 4 nights (decent hotel c£60), go jungle trekking in the Johor national park (tigers, elephants etc ) 3 nights and then on to Tioman for say 4 nights. Might have to make it 12 nights holiday instead of 14 but should be able to do it for £1200pp.

 

http://www.tourism.gov.my/destinations/detail.php?theme=AD&map_code=endaurompin&state=johor

http://www.bagusplace.com/reservations

Edited 16 March, 2012 by buctootim

[Thedelldays]

if you go to singapore...visit Orchard Towers....at night

 

;-)

[buctootim]

if you go to singapore...visit Orchard Towers....at night

 

;-)

 

Lol. I stayed at a hotel in Orchard road a few years ago. That was an eye opener. Think glasgow is going with Mrs G though..

[Dr Who?]

Love Turkey, but been there 5 times now, so time to go somewhere else me thinks. Never been let down in Turkey!

[dubai_phil]

Thailand might be good - do you get to see monkeys running around?

 

http://www.phuket.com/centara-villas-karon/

 

Bungalows on the side of a hill surrounded by rain forest looking across an 8km beach. Short ride into Patong for the busy nightlife, short walk to a deserted beach and about 10 mins walk into Karon for Bars & restaurants.

 

Absolutley Love this resort, this link lets you book through the discount Asia Web Direct they will do airport transfers etc (you only need FROM airport TO hotel once you know your way aroound local taxis are cheaper

 

Gibbon Sanctuary, Waterfall & Elephant rides give you the monkeys & wildlife then do the Long Tail boat trip to Phang Nga bay.

 

Split you time between this and The North with a couple of days in Bangkok

[FloridaMarlin]

I can think of nothing more boring than a beach resort laying in the sun all day only interupted by queing up for the AI buffets. The only thing less appealing to me is a holiday in the USA.

 

That's something to be grateful for. And you obviously don't read posts properly.

[Glasgow_Saint]

Thailand looks fantastic and a good price, could you stay in one hotel for 2 weeks (phuket) and still go on day trips to see other islands?

 

I think there was a thread on thailand once? Cant find it via the search?

[Whitey Grandad]

I can think of nothing more boring than a beach resort laying in the sun all day only interupted by queing up for the AI buffets. The only thing less appealing to me is a holiday in the USA.

 

Don't knock it until you've tried it.

[Glasgow_Saint]

Ahhh found this >>

http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?33082-Krabi-Thailand&highlight=Thailand

 

so Krabi or Phuket??

[dubai_phil]

Thailand looks fantastic and a good price, could you stay in one hotel for 2 weeks (phuket) and still go on day trips to see other islands?

 

I think there was a thread on thailand once? Cant find it via the search?

 

TBH, you can, you can do Phi Phi Island or some of the Andaman Islands. But 2 weeks in one hotel I've found is too much. However, with Air Asia, Bangkok Airways and One two Three Go, Phuket Air, or Orient Air whatever they are called you have a lot of Low Cost airline choices.

 

Phuket I have been many times and around 5 or 6 nights is perfect. You can stay in the "bigger resorts" you can move from one beach area to another, but Centara is just so chilled and "romantic"

 

You can then head to Krabi or go wider - Koh Samui, down to Malaysia Langkawi, Penang, Singapore etc or up to the North. BUT you do have to transit through Bangkok and 2 or 3 nights there just for the shopping (The Street markets in BKK are about 20%/30% cheaper than Phuket)

 

IF you choose that route I can give you links to two great hotels in BKK.

 

Etihad via Abu Dhabi will be cheaper than Emirates who will be cheaper than BA/Thai. Singapore are the best of course.

 

Etihad are short on leg room, EK are short on width in the seat BUT you can fly direct out of Glasgow to Dxb then on to Asia.

 

Just one thing though - Check your dates against Rainy Seasons. Rainy Season in Phuket means you will see THE most MoFo Shower ever each afternoon - real ROFL if you have a Brolly (Warm rain). It is a lot cheaper and you will still get mega tanned through the clouds and it is still in the 30's. We found we just got cheaper ponchos and it added to the whole fun, BUT it can curtail some of the water based stuff like Diving or Phang Nga bay trips.

 

Phuket being also slightly Industrial has more amenities - decent Malls, Outlet Stores, Golf Courses but also the main Town Phuket is a break from "Tourist Resort."

[Glasgow_Saint]

TBH, you can, you can do Phi Phi Island or some of the Andaman Islands. But 2 weeks in one hotel I've found is too much. However, with Air Asia, Bangkok Airways and One two Three Go, Phuket Air, or Orient Air whatever they are called you have a lot of Low Cost airline choices.

 

Phuket I have been many times and around 5 or 6 nights is perfect. You can stay in the "bigger resorts" you can move from one beach area to another, but Centara is just so chilled and "romantic"

 

You can then head to Krabi or go wider - Koh Samui, down to Malaysia Langkawi, Penang, Singapore etc or up to the North. BUT you do have to transit through Bangkok and 2 or 3 nights there just for the shopping (The Street markets in BKK are about 20%/30% cheaper than Phuket)

 

IF you choose that route I can give you links to two great hotels in BKK.

 

Etihad via Abu Dhabi will be cheaper than Emirates who will be cheaper than BA/Thai. Singapore are the best of course.

 

Etihad are short on leg room, EK are short on width in the seat BUT you can fly direct out of Glasgow to Dxb then on to Asia.

 

Just one thing though - Check your dates against Rainy Seasons. Rainy Season in Phuket means you will see THE most MoFo Shower ever each afternoon - real ROFL if you have a Brolly (Warm rain). It is a lot cheaper and you will still get mega tanned through the clouds and it is still in the 30's. We found we just got cheaper ponchos and it added to the whole fun, BUT it can curtail some of the water based stuff like Diving or Phang Nga bay trips.

 

Phuket being also slightly Industrial has more amenities - decent Malls, Outlet Stores, Golf Courses but also the main Town Phuket is a break from "Tourist Resort."

 

Thanks Phil.... Thailand is top of our list now, been looking at hotels in phuket for end of May.

 

Have you been to Monkey beach? http://www.phuket.as/monkeybeach.php

[dubai_phil]

Thanks Phil.... Thailand is top of our list now, been looking at hotels in phuket for end of May.

 

Have you been to Monkey beach? http://www.phuket.as/monkeybeach.php

 

OK that is out on Phi Phi Island. Trust me it really is not worth staying out there. It is a FANTASTIC place to go on a day trip - stunningly beautiful bay - the whole Leonardo Beach filmed there gig. BUT it is a SMALL Island and you really have nothing else apart from a few hotels out there. A Speedboat Day Trip can be booked from any hotel on the main Island, or even spend a couple of nights there, but more than that you'll go stir crazy AND will make the "First Timer" mistake of booking Full Board.

 

Thailand is as much about the food, you REALLY do not need an "International Buffet" every night. Patong (main resort) has Indian, Thai, Pizza Hut McDonalds, French, Steakhouses etc. The Seafood market is a row of open air "seating areas" on the second road in from the beach where you choose your fish and they cook it. Away from the strip turning right facing the sea you can it on a beach cafe and eat Pad Thai for about 4 quid.

 

Patong Beach Hotels are all Inverted U shapes with the U open to the sea (but with a road between hotel & sea, and all the rooms around a central set of pools). The Beach is busy and full of touts all day long, BUT it has it's quaintnness. Going out to the smaller resorts - Karon (REALLY there is no better hotel than Centara) you get more beach and less hassle but still have a choice of 8 or 10 restaurants for lunch/dinner each day and it is only a 5 quid tuk tuk fare each way into Patong. Also you have Banyan Tree and the bigger hotel resorts on their own beaches.

 

Patong has a Micro brewery with an English Ale through to Go-Go bar areas and Lady Boy areas (actually Soi Katoy is one of the busiest areas in the evening as it is all part of "The Show"

 

further out from Karon you have Kata again some lovely hotels stayed at KataThani on a family holiday http://www.katathani.com/ ( a PROPER beach resort) There is also a Club Med up there (All inclusive stuff). The down side we found was the cost to get into Patong was high and there were fewer local eating places so we got stuck in the hotel Restaurant a few times.

 

 

Bungalow Accom in rain forest looks through trees to the sea all on a cliff so if down by the pool they have a golf buggy to get you up to the Reception & Breakfast area. The normal Beach Resort is two storey blocks looking at a pool. Rack rate is 6300 Baht but Late stays get it for around 2700 which is not far off 50 quid a night

http://www.latestays.com/centara-villas-phuket/

 

 

Like I said, Karon Beach is pretty quiet but has everything you need Use AsiaWeb or Latestays to pick the town village then it lists all the hotels and the reviews and prices Google Maps to see if by the beach and TripAdvisor for independent reviews.

 

In Bangkok if you stop over Royal President Hotel is a great value around 40 quid a night and handy for Sky Train to get around but for a bit more everyone from here loves The Amari Boulevard (SUPERIOR room) - don't pay extra for breakfast you can buy Bacon & Eggs @ foodland opposite with coffee for about 2 quid

 

http://www.latestays.com/thailand/

www.asiawebdirect

[Glasgow_Saint]

OK that is out on Phi Phi Island. Trust me it really is not worth staying out there. It is a FANTASTIC place to go on a day trip - stunningly beautiful bay - the whole Leonardo Beach filmed there gig. BUT it is a SMALL Island and you really have nothing else apart from a few hotels out there. A Speedboat Day Trip can be booked from any hotel on the main Island, or even spend a couple of nights there, but more than that you'll go stir crazy AND will make the "First Timer" mistake of booking Full Board.

 

Thailand is as much about the food, you REALLY do not need an "International Buffet" every night. Patong (main resort) has Indian, Thai, Pizza Hut McDonalds, French, Steakhouses etc. The Seafood market is a row of open air "seating areas" on the second road in from the beach where you choose your fish and they cook it. Away from the strip turning right facing the sea you can it on a beach cafe and eat Pad Thai for about 4 quid.

 

Patong Beach Hotels are all Inverted U shapes with the U open to the sea (but with a road between hotel & sea, and all the rooms around a central set of pools). The Beach is busy and full of touts all day long, BUT it has it's quaintnness. Going out to the smaller resorts - Karon (REALLY there is no better hotel than Centara) you get more beach and less hassle but still have a choice of 8 or 10 restaurants for lunch/dinner each day and it is only a 5 quid tuk tuk fare each way into Patong. Also you have Banyan Tree and the bigger hotel resorts on their own beaches.

 

Patong has a Micro brewery with an English Ale through to Go-Go bar areas and Lady Boy areas (actually Soi Katoy is one of the busiest areas in the evening as it is all part of "The Show"

 

further out from Karon you have Kata again some lovely hotels stayed at KataThani on a family holiday http://www.katathani.com/ ( a PROPER beach resort) There is also a Club Med up there (All inclusive stuff). The down side we found was the cost to get into Patong was high and there were fewer local eating places so we got stuck in the hotel Restaurant a few times.

 

 

Bungalow Accom in rain forest looks through trees to the sea all on a cliff so if down by the pool they have a golf buggy to get you up to the Reception & Breakfast area. The normal Beach Resort is two storey blocks looking at a pool. Rack rate is 6300 Baht but Late stays get it for around 2700 which is not far off 50 quid a night

http://www.latestays.com/centara-villas-phuket/

 

 

Like I said, Karon Beach is pretty quiet but has everything you need Use AsiaWeb or Latestays to pick the town village then it lists all the hotels and the reviews and prices Google Maps to see if by the beach and TripAdvisor for independent reviews.

 

In Bangkok if you stop over Royal President Hotel is a great value around 40 quid a night and handy for Sky Train to get around but for a bit more everyone from here loves The Amari Boulevard (SUPERIOR room) - don't pay extra for breakfast you can buy Bacon & Eggs @ foodland opposite with coffee for about 2 quid

 

http://www.latestays.com/thailand/

www.asiawebdirect

 

Fantastic thank you!

[dubai_phil]

Hmm. KLM Glasgow - Phuket US $961.99 pp inc taxes probably less direct online

[Jillyanne]

Shanklin, IOW.

[Jonnyboy]

Hmm. KLM Glasgow - Phuket US $961.99 pp inc taxes probably less direct online

 

Are you on commission from the Thai Tourist board? ;-)

[Minsk]

Get a cheap flight to Cancun, get a taxi to downtown Cancun, get a coach to Chetumal, get a taxi to Belize city, get a speed boat to Caye Caulker.

 

http://www.cayecaulkerbelize.net/

 

Cracking island, basically a big sand bank with houses on surrounded by coral reefs. Cheap as chips in Belize - the only country in Central America with English as it's first language.

 

I agree, it is an amazing place. (I visited it courtesy of the RN).

[dubai_phil]

Are you on commission from the Thai Tourist board? ;-)

 

lol - no. Just keeping an eye on the costs.

 

One has a Stag Weekend coming up, the lads are split 50:50 between "Baltic States" and Bangkok. (As in the lads here want to go East because it is cheaper (and easier) for them thx to "Aviation Taxes" but the cost for the lads back home is way out of line) (Maybe I will have to have two? hmmmmm)

 

Me? I just fancy a Long weekend touring every single Vinyard in Chateau Nuef-du-Pape

 

But don't worry that'll be another thread for later this year

[Dog]

Looking at going here: http://www.islanka.com/index.php?itemID=59&branch=

[This Charming Man]

say what!?

 

That'll teach me to try and be cheap and clever by entering Vietnam through a little known border crossing from Cambodia. An experience none the less...

 

Oh and if you're heading to Thailand and want beaches and monkeys, then head to Monkey Beach on Ko Phi Phi, does what it says on the tin...

[Jonnyboy]

That'll teach me to try and be cheap and clever by entering Vietnam through a little known border crossing from Cambodia. An experience none the less...

 

Oh and if you're heading to Thailand and want beaches and monkeys, then head to Monkey Beach on Ko Phi Phi, does what it says on the tin...

 

But be careful, they are are quite aggressive when they don't get fed the fruit promptly!

[CB Saint]

if you go to singapore...visit Orchard Towers....at night

 

;-)

 

I cannot for the life of me imagine what a submariner was doing at night in the "Four Floors of Whores"