Which is the best family holiday destination in South-East Asia?
Question by scrabble_word_game: Which is the best family holiday destination in South-East Asia?
We are not exactly on a tight budget but can’t splurge either. Shopping for clothes is a big no-no. Cool things to watch and learn more about the world are a must!
Best answer:
Answer by Sadi
Have you ever been to Coxsbazar, Bangladesh ?
it it the longest beach of the world (96 km beach). A very nice place to enjoy vacation and also not costly.
May be you would not feel easy to wear bikini there, environment is not like that.
Besides this, everything is excellent. The beach, hills, pagoda, mandirs, crusing at sea …and also sea food.
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Indonesia or Malaysia.
Indonesia has a lot of historical attractions as well as natural beauty, since it’s an archipelago. They have a very well developed tourism infrastructure that caters to various budgets. Despite a few isolated cases of terrorism, Indonesia and its people are generally peaceful. Cheap shopping too.
Malaysia, if you want the taste of Asia in a nutshell. Again, this land has an amazing history and natural beauty. Also peaceful as far as crime against tourists is concerned, Malaysia is an English-speaking nation, thanks to years of British colonial rule. Slightly pricey as compared to Indonesia but worth every $ if you can draw a good itinerary.
I wont recommend Philippines at the moment because their tourism infrastructure is least developed and in desperate need of an uplift. Travel warnings against the Philippines have also been issued by the US State Department and the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Crime against tourists is rampant but goes often unreported and prices of commodities are over-inflated.
Brunei, though peaceful, is very pricey. Ditto with Japan but any visit to Japan is worth it, if you can afford. Thailand- too much of sex tourism.
Our family holiday, that starts in 15 days, will be Hue Vietnam. It is full of historical sites, old Forbidden city, royal tombs, citidel, beautiful river, nice beach short way out of town, tasty food, nice people, old Pagoda’s, and just a great place to spend time and unwind. My ideal location. Cheers.
i have a sugession……visit kerala………do you know about it? it is in india…..a beautiful place.good culture,natural beauty,back water travels………im sure that you would enjoy it. so………………….go for it.enjoy……
Certaily Sri lanka! You definitely get VALUE FOR MONEY! provided you are a decent fun seeker.Pl. come on success1yes@yahoo.com, I am no promoter butwould hold this coutry in high ESTEEM!!!
I would suggest :
Thailand – Bangkok / Pattaya (resort area near Bangkok) / Chiang Mai (a city in the north)
The food is good, people are nice and speak English. Safe for family! Lots of culture differences when compare with the Western countries.
The kids can try to ride on an elephant / go to the zoo, the parents can enjoy spa and try different kinds of exotic food and fruits.
Try the Philippines. Inspite of Papars negative review it is still
a very beautiful destination.It is also affordable with a very friendly and English speaking people.The beaches are simply marvelous.Please dont believe some travel writers who promote other destinations and thumb down others for an agenda.The Philippines is a peaceful country.
If family is your key then either Thailand or Malaysia are your best bets in South East Asia.
Both countries offer a wide variety of destinations whether islands, the beach, hillside resorts, jungle trekking and city tours in a safe environment. Unfortunately for the Philippines, infrastructure is still lacking so getting to destinations is a mighty challenge even though there are some gems of places to go to.
Didn’t include Singapore because that is a shopper’s paradise and you specified that clothes shopping is a no-no.
I am not sure how old your child(ren) are or what your experience is traveling through Asia, but I really want to recommend that you do some research on recent activities throughout asia before you decide.
We live in South Korea and chose to avoid the Philipines and Thailand this last year due to civil unrest in different parts. IT is a very remote possibility, but why bother when there are so many other choices.
I would suggest you look into Vietnam. It is a great mix of history, culture and R&R at the beaches.
I won’t speak for the US because I am not an American citizen. I am speaking as a Canadian Citizen and a traveller.
Canada has travel warning for Canadian Citizens travelling to Malaysia. Please see the Government of Canada’s website below:
http://www.voyage.gc.ca/dest/report-en.asp?country=171000#2
And speaking of personal experience as opposed to Papars claim, I was robbed at knife point in Jalan Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur, few meters away from the police station. None of the police officer helped me anyhow. They just took my police report and did nothing. Thanks to Papars advise that Malaysia is safe for tourists.
And oh yeah, I learned to speak conversational Bahasa Malaysia because someone told me Malaysians speak English. Taxi drivers don’t even know what is left and right – they know it’s kirei kanan. Again, thanks to Papars claim that Malaysians speak English. I am better off travelling to Thailand, Japan or Korea because none of these countries speak English.
I am just so amazed why travel writers don’t have their code of ethics. They should inform and not cover up, They should learn to write on the neutral side. I guess some are just wannabees.
Going back to your question. Family Destinations – I guess it’s Hong Kong’s Disneyland or Japan’s Disneyland and Unversal Studios. Although they are outside of South East Asia, they define what is family entertainment all about.
Going back to my argument, I won’t go to Malaysia again even if it’s for free. I was in Manila and Singapore last week and never bothered cross the border to Malaysia.
philippines has a lot of beaches and tropical fruits. hmmmmmmmmm!! a tight budget will do!
The main family orientated things to do in and around Bangkok, Thailand are:-
1. Dreamworld – its like Disneyland
2. Safari World
3. Samut Prakarn Crocodile Farm – the world’s biggest
4. Muang Boran – The Ancient City
5. Kanchanaburi – Bridge over the River Kwai
However, you said you wanted things for learning more about the world so in Bangkok I suggest these cultural/educational things:-
6. Ayutthaya – capital city of Bangkok from 14th – 18th century, very historic and very interesting.
7. Buddhist temples – the main ones being Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha), Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn), Wat Benchamabophit (The Marble Temple) & Wat Traimit (Temple of the Golden Buddha)
http://www.thailandtravelservices.com/
If you want a beach aspect to your family holiday then Pattaya’s just 2 hours south down the coast. If you go to Pattaya, Jomtien beach is much better for families as Pattaya beach does have a reputation for doing everything it can to meet the requirements of single males on Thailand vacation – if you know what I mean. I didn’t think much of ‘Papers’ words above about Thailand and sex tourism. That’s a very out-of-date idea and largely confined to Pattaya which is in a world of its own and of which most Thai people strongly disapprove. Thailand is a strongly Buddhist country and so Thai women are normally sexualy quite conservative.
all is good.. and our answers are relative.. so its actually up to you on how you will take our suggestions..
i am a filipino and definitely would suggest philippines..
although we have a negative image to SOME close-minded people (but yeah it’s their thinking and i totally respect that
), philippines will make you WOW! haha.. seriously!!
pictures never tell lies. i want you to check out this gallery of a foreigner who fell in love of our country:
http://www.pbase.com/cmanaginged
hope I helped you..
anyway, enjoy ur SEAn visit!
I suggest you to come to Malaysia. It a beautiful country with many cultures. About your budget, it ok in Malaysia. Not really expensive to buy thing in here.
How about getting a tour in Window of the World in Shenzhen, China. I was in Hong Kong last year and decided to go on a day trip there. A piece of so many countries all in one day! I came with my Mom and my cousins. Enjoyed it so much.
Of course, Disneyland in Hong Kong is fun, fun, fun! Stay late for the fireworks!