Experiences of Bali or alternative ideas please

lovesgshp

Also may be worth considering Mauritius. Have stayed at Sugar Beach which is within your budget and and also Le St Geran, which is over, unless you can get a good deal.
Only checked the BA deals for April.

zagfles

cottonhead wrote: »

We are thinking of booking a nice holiday in advance so we have something to look forward to. We were thinking of Bali and all the pictures online look lovely but some people have told me its not the peaceful place it once was and has bars and clubs and can be quite busy.

We are 2 adults and a young child looking to stay for 10 days either next April or August. Top budget of about £6000. Want somewhere tropical and warm with a lovely beach but the main point is we want quiet in terms of the hotel, beach and resort. We want escape the crowds not join a new one! Is Bali still in the running or is there somewhere else we hadnt thought of.

Any ideas where we could go please ?

If you want quiet with lovely tropical beaches and crystal clear water, try Pulau Redang (an island off the East coast of Malaysia). You should get a vast amount of change out of £6000 too!

random132

If you are still thinking of Bali - maybe try Lombok (which I know has already been said) and then the Gili islands off (but part of) Lombok. I cant recommend as havent been there yet but considering it - I heard that Lombok is like Bali was 10 yrs ago, and Gili islands Lombok x yrs ago in terms of tourists / built up etc (but dont quote me on it!). Also not sure what transport is like to get there for kids.
Couple of comments on things others have said, Sabah would recommend for variety of things to do for the whole family and travel fairly easy but didnt go for a beach hol (although some nice islands off KK) - Lovely people too. El Nido recommend for beautiful beaches...but have to take boat trips to and v.touristy - Coron nicer but apart from boat / beautiful beach trips not much to do perhaps.

cottonhead

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think having read what you guys have said and spoken to a few more people who know people who have been to Bali it doesnt sound like we thought it would be.
Somone mentioned Sugra Beach in Mauritus - we went to La Pirogue next door and had the best time - its exactly what we want but just feel we should explore some new countries. Looked at Kenya over the weekend but keep thinking about the possibility of terrorism and pirates. Daft I know as you could get bombed in London but stiill it looks great so might do some more research on that.
I'm going to have a look at Lombok now as from what some of you say it sounds like how I was expecting Bali to be.

Icequeen99

cottonhead wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think having read what you guys have said and spoken to a few more people who know people who have been to Bali it doesnt sound like we thought it would be.
Somone mentioned Sugra Beach in Mauritus - we went to La Pirogue next door and had the best time - its exactly what we want but just feel we should explore some new countries. Looked at Kenya over the weekend but keep thinking about the possibility of terrorism and pirates. Daft I know as you could get bombed in London but stiill it looks great so might do some more research on that.
I'm going to have a look at Lombok now as from what some of you say it sounds like how I was expecting Bali to be.

My suggestion would be Hawaii. Not Oahu (the main island where Honolulu is) but any of the smaller islands. My favourite is Maui. It should be just about do-able on that Budget. You could even do a week each on two islands or add a stop-over somewhere in the US.

IQ

cottonhead

IQ- Hawaii !! My husband has a;ways wanted to go there - its his dream. My husband has left the choosing up to me and says he will be happy wherever I choose but that would make hime really happy. Im going to investigate straight away thanks !

becominganobsessivesaver

Cook islands are fab, but i really wouldn't fancy the journey with a young child, also for true paradise you need to go to aitutaki, which would just be too remote i think. I adore mauritius, and its great with kids. Maybe try a different side of the island. Shandrani is fantastic in the south east.

slinga

I like Bali we've been 4 or 5 times but my missus won't go to Indonesia anymore, unfortunately.

If you find the right area Bali is still great imo.

But we've also been to Lombok and I deffo wouldn't return there.
If you stay in your hotel all well and good but if you want to tour around then forget it.

You might try Penang, not Batu Feringhee which is the pants but Tanjung Bungah which hasn't yet caught on with the euro set.
Try The Paradise Sandy Beach Hotel or next door is the Flamingo by the Bay.
These and one other are really the only hotels in a 2 mile stretch of beach. These two hotels are 3 star but really great value. You won't be let down by them. Maybe £50 or £60 per room per night.
The beach is OK, not great but white sand. Most people swim in the pools out in the Far East anyway.
Penang is very historical but children do like it and there are things to see and do, just google.
The islands off the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia have been mentioned above but can be boring imo.
Langkawi is ok but again can be boring.
Perhentian Islands if you like diving.

TopQuark

Hello OP,

I lived in Asia for a few years and these would be my suggestions;

If you are looking to flake out on picture-perfect beaches, Pulau Perhentian islands in Malaysia would be a good choice, as mentioned already. Quiet, with a relaxed atmosphere too.

Isle de la Reunion in the Indian Ocean is also a really nice option. It's an overseas department of France, so french-speaking. There are some very nice beaches, as well as a volcano and plenty of other things to do, so it's a bit more lively if you are likely to get bored of the beach.

I hate hyper-touristy places, so would avoid Bali, Goa and anywhere in Thailand. But that's just me.

Happy holidays, wherever you decide to go!

TQ

Doshwaster

Bali has its attractions but I wouldn't go there for a relaxing break, especially with a £6k budget to play with.

I would vote for a dual island holiday on Penang and Langkawi - with a day or two in KL en route.

Georgetown, Penang is one of the most interesting cities in SE Asia, a real melting pot of different cultures. As mentioned above the nearby Batu Ferringhi resort is fairly miserable with a poor beach and is full of Australian coach tours, but there are some quieter parts on the island to explore.

You can then take a short flight or get a ferry to the nearby Langkawi which couldn't be more different to Penang. Some may call it "boring", but to others it's one of the most relaxing places anywhere. It's an island where almost nothing ever happens and apart from a few chilled out beach bars, everything closes down early. Pantai Cenang is the main beach but even that is nice and peaceful with some good luxury hotels