Help me choose destination - mid-to-long-haul family holiday
Discussion
Little Miss Havoc (god, there's an appropriate name 
) is now at the age where we can take her further afield - 9hrs to Barbados this year didn't prove to be a problem.
...but we've still got other constraints, namely being stuck to school holiday times and her big brother having exams at the start of June for the next few years, wiping out our previous preferred slot of 10 days at Whitsun half-term.
So we're currently scratching our heads as to where else we can take the kids, without spending the fortune that long-haul family holidays now seem to be (definitely <£1,000 per day all-in for the 4 of us - flights, hotel, food, excursions, etc., so £7-9k for a 10-day holiday, or possibly £10-12k at a push for 2 weeks). Ideally not stupid flight times either - silly connections (nearly anything to Costa Rica
) and very-long-haul are out as she's still too young (she really doesn't idle well) and jet lag is a b
h.
We're not All-Inclusive resort sort of people* (Barbados we found an AirBnB in a small villa complex by the beach, which worked quite well) but equally Mrs H and the kids won't rough it, unfortunately. Decent pool, decent local food (and some culture to experience) and decent weather (+/- 30C, mostly dry and sunny) would do nicely, some sort of wildlife to see (snorkeling, monkeys...) would be nice too.
So...where's nice in either April or July/August (or end-Oct / end-Dec possibly) that might fit the bill?
Thoughts so far have included:-
- Bali - surprisingly expensive flights, and the wrong parts are the Aussie equivalent of Benidorm.
- Thailand - but the easy-to-access resorts will probably be full of Russians
- Costa Rica - torn between a dry 'beach' holiday and a rainy-season wildlife holiday - doesn't appear you can do both. Plus probably out of budget realistically.
- Borneo - flight cost / duration, sadly.
- Caribbean - any easy-to-reach mid-range alternatives to Barbados that would feel different? (What about Cuba? Don't know enough)
- Mexico - appears to be AI central and I've heard horror-stories about venturing out, albeit the ruins and the sea-life appeal.
- Florida - not with Mango Mussolini in charge and his version of brownshirts throwing their weight / bigotry around. Plus cost-of-living out there is surprisingly expensive once taxes and tips are added on.
- Vietnam - went 20 years ago and found the food and beaches to be a poor relation to Thailand. (and the northerners too)
- Safari - on the list for a few years' time, LMH's attention span and patience aren't long enough right now.
PS - we're not anti-Europe, but we've done it a lot, the usual beach-destinations around the Med are usually too cool in April/Oct and stupidly hot and pricey for what they are in August. And a driving holiday is out due to both the ladies in my life getting car-sick on long journeys.
* Exception might be made for e.g. Mauritius / Maldives, but I think they're still out of budget.
) is now at the age where we can take her further afield - 9hrs to Barbados this year didn't prove to be a problem....but we've still got other constraints, namely being stuck to school holiday times and her big brother having exams at the start of June for the next few years, wiping out our previous preferred slot of 10 days at Whitsun half-term.
So we're currently scratching our heads as to where else we can take the kids, without spending the fortune that long-haul family holidays now seem to be (definitely <£1,000 per day all-in for the 4 of us - flights, hotel, food, excursions, etc., so £7-9k for a 10-day holiday, or possibly £10-12k at a push for 2 weeks). Ideally not stupid flight times either - silly connections (nearly anything to Costa Rica
) and very-long-haul are out as she's still too young (she really doesn't idle well) and jet lag is a bh.We're not All-Inclusive resort sort of people* (Barbados we found an AirBnB in a small villa complex by the beach, which worked quite well) but equally Mrs H and the kids won't rough it, unfortunately. Decent pool, decent local food (and some culture to experience) and decent weather (+/- 30C, mostly dry and sunny) would do nicely, some sort of wildlife to see (snorkeling, monkeys...) would be nice too.
So...where's nice in either April or July/August (or end-Oct / end-Dec possibly) that might fit the bill?
Thoughts so far have included:-
- Bali - surprisingly expensive flights, and the wrong parts are the Aussie equivalent of Benidorm.
- Thailand - but the easy-to-access resorts will probably be full of Russians
- Costa Rica - torn between a dry 'beach' holiday and a rainy-season wildlife holiday - doesn't appear you can do both. Plus probably out of budget realistically.
- Borneo - flight cost / duration, sadly.
- Caribbean - any easy-to-reach mid-range alternatives to Barbados that would feel different? (What about Cuba? Don't know enough)
- Mexico - appears to be AI central and I've heard horror-stories about venturing out, albeit the ruins and the sea-life appeal.
- Florida - not with Mango Mussolini in charge and his version of brownshirts throwing their weight / bigotry around. Plus cost-of-living out there is surprisingly expensive once taxes and tips are added on.
- Vietnam - went 20 years ago and found the food and beaches to be a poor relation to Thailand. (and the northerners too)
- Safari - on the list for a few years' time, LMH's attention span and patience aren't long enough right now.
PS - we're not anti-Europe, but we've done it a lot, the usual beach-destinations around the Med are usually too cool in April/Oct and stupidly hot and pricey for what they are in August. And a driving holiday is out due to both the ladies in my life getting car-sick on long journeys.
* Exception might be made for e.g. Mauritius / Maldives, but I think they're still out of budget.
Japan would be high on my list especially if you want budget friendly. I think my minimum stay would be 2 weeks though just due to travel time. I will warn you in advance its an addictive place. Main costs will be flights and hotels, day to day costs are very low as the yen is super weak right now.
Thailand is also decent, but just as expensive if not more so than Japan. Thailand has been seriously struggling this last year with a huge drop off in tourism due to inflation in Thailand and cost of living issues for US and Chinese tourists meaning they are travelling less.
Vietnam is apparently now getting more tourists than Thailand and they are growing all the time just dont expect Thailand levels of infrastructure.
China (PEK) also an option with direct flights from quite a few regional airports now on Hainan. "Only" 10 hours or so from UK and no transfers. Hotels are fairly cheap and there are of course the usual major attractions to see in the tourist triangle.
I personally dont enjoy the US any more. I think the value for money is just not there.
Mexico is good - but it can cost a lot due to most places being popular for US visitors who have huge buying power with the dollar. Although I think they are struggling a bit this year (see Thailand). Good hotels are still c.$300 / night. I would not want to Air BNB in Mexico...
Japan is best visited in April - May and October. (avoid July - Aug)
Thailand is best October - February. (avoid March - Sept) (beware air quality in Dec / Jan)
China, good luck!!
Mexico generally ok all year - spring normally the driest.
Thailand is also decent, but just as expensive if not more so than Japan. Thailand has been seriously struggling this last year with a huge drop off in tourism due to inflation in Thailand and cost of living issues for US and Chinese tourists meaning they are travelling less.
Vietnam is apparently now getting more tourists than Thailand and they are growing all the time just dont expect Thailand levels of infrastructure.
China (PEK) also an option with direct flights from quite a few regional airports now on Hainan. "Only" 10 hours or so from UK and no transfers. Hotels are fairly cheap and there are of course the usual major attractions to see in the tourist triangle.
I personally dont enjoy the US any more. I think the value for money is just not there.
Mexico is good - but it can cost a lot due to most places being popular for US visitors who have huge buying power with the dollar. Although I think they are struggling a bit this year (see Thailand). Good hotels are still c.$300 / night. I would not want to Air BNB in Mexico...
Japan is best visited in April - May and October. (avoid July - Aug)
Thailand is best October - February. (avoid March - Sept) (beware air quality in Dec / Jan)
China, good luck!!
Mexico generally ok all year - spring normally the driest.
Some alternatives you might not have thought of:
- Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. Lovely place.
- Grand Cayman, as above but the beaches aren't as nice.
- Aruba, like Grand Cayman but less upmarket or British influenced.
- Cartagena, Colombia. Just been and loved it.
- BVI - Tortola or Virgin Gorda. Not sure how easy to get there from the UK though.
- St Vincent and Grenadines. Quiet, relatively unspoilt and gorgeus.
- I know you said not Florida and I wouldn't recommend Miami even though I live there but consider the middle keys. Some of them are really nice and the costs are much lower than Miami, Naples, Fort Lauderdale etc.
- Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. Lovely place.
- Grand Cayman, as above but the beaches aren't as nice.
- Aruba, like Grand Cayman but less upmarket or British influenced.
- Cartagena, Colombia. Just been and loved it.
- BVI - Tortola or Virgin Gorda. Not sure how easy to get there from the UK though.
- St Vincent and Grenadines. Quiet, relatively unspoilt and gorgeus.
- I know you said not Florida and I wouldn't recommend Miami even though I live there but consider the middle keys. Some of them are really nice and the costs are much lower than Miami, Naples, Fort Lauderdale etc.
We have just returned from Thailand for a mates 40th, it seems to be rainy season absolutely everywhere except Koh Samui and neighbouring Phangan and Tao.
I have been to Koh Phangan and Tao 12 years ago when we just used Samui for its airport. This time we chose Samui for convenience, I had my reservations but I was pleasantly surprised once you left Chaweng and the awful connecting main road that was insanely busy.
I really liked Lamai and Choeng Mon, both have a lovely beach and a fairly laid back town with enough going on to stop you getting bored.
Fisherman's village was nice but very touristy and rather upmarket with the prices to go with it.
Samui is big enough to stop kids getting bored, not my 1st choice in Thailand (that's Koh Tao) but I would happily go back and stay in a quieter area.
We also stayed in Bangkok for a few nights, I love that city but the humidity was insane! if you use the airport rail link, metro and BTS you can move around the city quickly for around £1 each and the aircon is ice cold
I have been to Koh Phangan and Tao 12 years ago when we just used Samui for its airport. This time we chose Samui for convenience, I had my reservations but I was pleasantly surprised once you left Chaweng and the awful connecting main road that was insanely busy.
I really liked Lamai and Choeng Mon, both have a lovely beach and a fairly laid back town with enough going on to stop you getting bored.
Fisherman's village was nice but very touristy and rather upmarket with the prices to go with it.
Samui is big enough to stop kids getting bored, not my 1st choice in Thailand (that's Koh Tao) but I would happily go back and stay in a quieter area.
We also stayed in Bangkok for a few nights, I love that city but the humidity was insane! if you use the airport rail link, metro and BTS you can move around the city quickly for around £1 each and the aircon is ice cold
Thanks all - appreciate the thoughts.
Pzero - Japan's definitely on a future list, but there's a BIG difference between the 9hrs to the Caribbean that my daughter's already done and the near-24 hour travelling that (sensibly-priced) flights to Japan would entail.
China - again one for the future - but don't think that sort of sightseeing holiday would hold her interest.
Mexico - interesting perspective on costs, and agreed - it'd have to be a resort-hotel type of break. On the long-list for now.
Doggleg - thanks - will check out flight costs / routes for the other Caribbean islands. Not convinced about Columbia at the moment...know it's safer than it used to be, but...
Rich - yeah, our summer is their monsoon, and the humidity is no joke. Christmas to ~April is the sweet spot for weather. Did you encounter many Russians this time round - that's probably my main concern with the easy-to-get-to Thai resorts.
Dan - I think the kids would love Florida (and I'd love to go back to Kennedy after 30-40 years), but the costs, the queues at all the main theme parks (did I mention my daughter's lack of patience / not idling well?), and the thought of dealing with both a re-empowered TSA/immigration system and any outspoken MAGAs we encounter puts me off.
Seychelles is an interesting thought...
PS - anywhere else our East (SE Asia?) that's reasonably family friendly and easy to get to that I've forgotten?
Pzero - Japan's definitely on a future list, but there's a BIG difference between the 9hrs to the Caribbean that my daughter's already done and the near-24 hour travelling that (sensibly-priced) flights to Japan would entail.
China - again one for the future - but don't think that sort of sightseeing holiday would hold her interest.
Mexico - interesting perspective on costs, and agreed - it'd have to be a resort-hotel type of break. On the long-list for now.
Doggleg - thanks - will check out flight costs / routes for the other Caribbean islands. Not convinced about Columbia at the moment...know it's safer than it used to be, but...
Rich - yeah, our summer is their monsoon, and the humidity is no joke. Christmas to ~April is the sweet spot for weather. Did you encounter many Russians this time round - that's probably my main concern with the easy-to-get-to Thai resorts.
Dan - I think the kids would love Florida (and I'd love to go back to Kennedy after 30-40 years), but the costs, the queues at all the main theme parks (did I mention my daughter's lack of patience / not idling well?), and the thought of dealing with both a re-empowered TSA/immigration system and any outspoken MAGAs we encounter puts me off.
Seychelles is an interesting thought...
PS - anywhere else our East (SE Asia?) that's reasonably family friendly and easy to get to that I've forgotten?
Edited by havoc on Sunday 31st August 10:42
Not necessarily advocating a USA holiday but don't let the media put you off. We flew in and out of LAX earlier this year, entry was the easiest I've seen. Asked the purpose of our visit and where we were staying and wished us an enjoyable vacation, less than 1min and the queue was 15 mins, from plane to getting on the rental car bus was 30 mins!
It was a poker trip so, spent many hours sat chatting to americans playing poker, all were very nice and welcoming. Interested in our vacation and the UK and europe. Nobody was interested in politics!
It was a poker trip so, spent many hours sat chatting to americans playing poker, all were very nice and welcoming. Interested in our vacation and the UK and europe. Nobody was interested in politics!
Just got back from Thailand (4 days in Bangkok and 11 days in Koh Samui).
If you find a nice hotel in the latter, it would meet all your requirements. There were plenty of families at the hotel we stayed at and the weather at this time of year was absolutely fine with just the occasional late afternoon downpour which I’ve experienced before in Kuala Lumpur and it’s actually really refreshing.
If you find a nice hotel in the latter, it would meet all your requirements. There were plenty of families at the hotel we stayed at and the weather at this time of year was absolutely fine with just the occasional late afternoon downpour which I’ve experienced before in Kuala Lumpur and it’s actually really refreshing.
Mexico.
Option 1:
Fly to Cancun.
Hire a Car - and get out of Cancun.
Go down the west of the Yucatan Peninsular - so away from the Caribbean side.
Possible places to stay:
Chichen Itza (Hotel Chichen Itza - really nice) - 2 hours drive
Isla Aguada (Cabañas Laguna) - 5 hours
Palenque (Hotel Mayabell) - 4 hours
Tulum (Zamas Hotel) - 9 hours = stop somewhere in between.
I've stayed at all these places and would go there again. The sea at Tulum was full of weed when we went, which was a disappointment, but the Cenotes were great.
Option 2:
Fly to Mexico City.
Stay 2-3 nights, look around etc.
Fly to Acapulco, stay at the beach - brilliant place, really enjoyed it.
5-6 nights
Fly back to Mexico City & Home.
Option 1:
Fly to Cancun.
Hire a Car - and get out of Cancun.
Go down the west of the Yucatan Peninsular - so away from the Caribbean side.
Possible places to stay:
Chichen Itza (Hotel Chichen Itza - really nice) - 2 hours drive
Isla Aguada (Cabañas Laguna) - 5 hours
Palenque (Hotel Mayabell) - 4 hours
Tulum (Zamas Hotel) - 9 hours = stop somewhere in between.
I've stayed at all these places and would go there again. The sea at Tulum was full of weed when we went, which was a disappointment, but the Cenotes were great.
Option 2:
Fly to Mexico City.
Stay 2-3 nights, look around etc.
Fly to Acapulco, stay at the beach - brilliant place, really enjoyed it.
5-6 nights
Fly back to Mexico City & Home.
goingonholiday said:
Not necessarily advocating a USA holiday but don't let the media put you off. We flew in and out of LAX earlier this year, entry was the easiest I've seen. Asked the purpose of our visit and where we were staying and wished us an enjoyable vacation, less than 1min and the queue was 15 mins, from plane to getting on the rental car bus was 30 mins!
It was a poker trip so, spent many hours sat chatting to americans playing poker, all were very nice and welcoming. Interested in our vacation and the UK and europe. Nobody was interested in politics!
Good to hear.It was a poker trip so, spent many hours sat chatting to americans playing poker, all were very nice and welcoming. Interested in our vacation and the UK and europe. Nobody was interested in politics!
I was in CA and NV 2 years ago (so pre-Trump 2.0) for the last Air Races, and pretty much everyone at the Air Races were welcoming and friendly as - definitely moreso than your average Brit, kept in touch with a few of them. As with your poker trip, I think a shared interest kicks things off right on both sides.
...but I had a couple of more generic "hotel pool" (as an e.g.) type conversations which started well and quickly degenerated into bigoted old Americans telling me everything that was wrong with Britain and Europe. I may just have been unlucky.
PS - agree with Pzero on cost though - couldn't believe how much food and stuff cost in CA and NV, even before the dreaded tip. I think (as per the prior comment about Mexico) that the strong dollar has brought costs up across that part of the world, and for us poor Brits anything from Grenada/Barbados up to Washington state is now a luxury destination.
Edited by havoc on Sunday 31st August 14:43
havoc said:
Rich - yeah, our summer is their monsoon, and the humidity is no joke. Christmas to ~April is the sweet spot for weather. Did you encounter many Russians this time round - that's probably my main concern with the easy-to-get-to Thai resorts.
PS - anywhere else our East (SE Asia?) that's reasonably family friendly and easy to get to that I've forgotten?
Honestly we did not really encounter that many Russians, I can speak a small amount and heard some Russian in Fisherman's Village and on Lamai beach but unless you were next to them and understand Russian you would of had no idea. They seemed rather quiet and were hugely outnumbered by Western Europeans and some Polish.PS - anywhere else our East (SE Asia?) that's reasonably family friendly and easy to get to that I've forgotten?
Edited by havoc on Sunday 31st August 10:42
From what I understand Vietnam is now extremely popular with Russians, the rudest tourists we encountered were actually Israeli's. Loud, abrupt and aggressive and that was when talking to each other!
For anywhere else in SE Asia? if its August then no, apart from Samui, Phangan and Tao your only other option would be mid Vietnam (Da Nang, Hue etc) which will have great weather. Everywhere else is either rainy or monsoon season.
October will give you more options but its shoulder season so still a gamble. You mention December being an option which will be perfect weather almost everywhere but that is the high season, Cambodia becomes an option if you want history and budget friendly.
RichFN2 said:
For anywhere else in SE Asia? if its August then no, apart from Samui, Phangan and Tao your only other option would be mid Vietnam (Da Nang, Hue etc) which will have great weather. Everywhere else is either rainy or monsoon season.
October will give you more options but its shoulder season so still a gamble. You mention December being an option which will be perfect weather almost everywhere but that is the high season, Cambodia becomes an option if you want history and budget friendly.
Thanks Rich, that's reassuring.October will give you more options but its shoulder season so still a gamble. You mention December being an option which will be perfect weather almost everywhere but that is the high season, Cambodia becomes an option if you want history and budget friendly.
If we're doing Thailand then it'll be straight after Xmas (£££) to the Andaman Sea (preferred side, but timing sucks), or it'll be Easter / Summer to Koh Samui & nearby - agree with you on the rest of the time.
Edit: Ah s
t, not sure we will. Flights to BKK alone are >>£1k a person whether Feb or April before transfers on...and HKT direct is unsurprisingly >£1,500 at Christmas.Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff