Forum Thermomix
Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: Wonder on July 17, 2012, 10:19:19 am
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After the horrors of this year and needing to cut our big family holiday short earlier in the year, I'm wanting to take a quick break away during the September school holidays. We are thinking of Bali or Thailand but would like to stay away from the bogan Aussies ( no offense meant) that tend to congregate in the likes of Kuta. There are 4 of us, DH, DS, DD(17) and DS (12), our preference is to stay in one room but if we need to we are happy to book two rooms. We would normally go on auctioned packed holidays and I've never just organized a relaxing do nothing week. All ideas , suggestions and recommendations appreciated.
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wonder there is no way in escaping bogans in bali unless u go stay in places that are very $$$$$ we go to bali at leats once a year, last year i went 3 times we stay at the jayakarta bali residence or at the kumala pantai both in legian
or u could stay in ubud, nusa dua , lovina or jimbaran bay
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Nusa Dua & Jimbaran, no bogans but costly for Bali.
:)
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It's a bit of a catch 22 isn't it. Weve stayed in Legian and Ubud and both were quite good. Maybe this is why we always do action packed holidays rather than just relaxing in the sun. I really can't afford Nusa Dua or Jimbaran after paying for our aborted holiday earlier in the year. I'll Ned to do some more thinking and researching. Thanks for the input so far.
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i hope next year we can have a forum get together in bali at my place ;D fingers crossed
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Have a look on the trip advisor website - lots of traveller reviews of accommodation to suit different needs.
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We love Bali and have stayed in Sanur twice now (Grand Hyatt) and can highly recommend it. There's heaps of good restaurants in Sanur that are all walking distance from the hotels there. We can also recommend Ubud. Definitely a bogan free zone. Nusa Dua is nice and we have stayed there twice also but we found it a bit sterile and you need a taxi get go anywhere.
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We are going to Bali in early August & we like to stay at the Aston in Tanjung Benoa. We usually go there 2 or 3 times a year. Our daughter is getting married there in June next year. I buy fabric on my trips as I am a quilter & the Balinese are well known for their beautiful batiks. This trip I am doing a cooking workshop that I hope to adapt to my thermomix when I get back. I love Bali! 8)
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We always stay in Sanur ... Quiet, easy going and relaxing. Fairly began free compared to many other place :)
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Have fun Wonder when you go... ;)
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Wonder, what about Phuket
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Thanks everyone for the ideas.
Hally, I was thinking Phuket but know nothing of Thailand so all suggestions welcome.
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We stay at Le Merridian Beach Resort, we like it as its out of patong, 5 mins by tuk tuk. It has a fantastic private beach & the security is really good. Last time we were there they were talking about a refurbishment which it does need. Quite a few people stay at the patong merlin, diamond head?, holiday inn, buskopan wing, these are in patong. Not stayed at these
There are a few 5* hotels in Karon Beach. Not stayed there, but hear the hotels are good, but the beach is dangerous.
Then there is also the area of about 5 htels in the lagoon area, a bit if a drive from patong. Here great reviews, not stayed as not near patong.
If Le Merridian has had a refurbishment it woud be perfect.
H :)
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I stayed in Phuket once for 8 days. lovely, on the beach, good shopping.
Had manicures, pedicures, massages, had my hair done every day..
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Thanks again, I'll look into the Thailand options a bit more. Love the sound of massages etc, I've never had a holiday of just relaxing, I hope we don't get bored :-\. I need to look at airfares and see what all up price we are looking at.
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We stayed at holiday inn in patong and the hotel was exceptional but the whole place (patong) was filled with bogan Aussies. Also what I despise about Thailand is all the old men 'with' (read paid for, brought etc) with poor young Thai women. That in my opinion is far worse then the bogan Aussie. It is so sickening. I felt like committing violence against these sick old men. So disgusting. I wouldn't visit Thailand again for this reason. The Thai food and actual Thai people are beautiful though. Most of the stall/market holders are not Thai but Burmese etc. it has a real sick sex culture.
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I've been to Krabi, Thailand before and loved it. It's a lot more quaint than the Phuket and the likes and you can either relax or do a few day trips around the area.
Another option to think about is Malaysia. There are some wonderful beach resorts over there and you can often pick up very cheap flights on Air Asia. I've been to Langkawi and Kuala Terrenganu and both were lovely. Langkawi is a busier kind of place but I wouldn't say that it's bogan central. There's also plenty of budget accommodation to choose from there. We stayed at this accommodation while in Langkawi http://www.sungroup-langkawi.com/sunset/
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Yes I agree about Malaysia. Beautiful. Even Penang is great!
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Malaysa looks like a great option, thanks for bringing it up. I'll just need to work out our finances as I think they might all be a little out of our reach during the school holidays when we have to
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if you're just looking for a relaxing beach holiday why not go the Pacific Islands? There's often good deals to be found for there. Or the Whitsundays or Cairns/Port Douglas?
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Do you want help with Cairns, Port Douglas....... ;)
You can visit Gert and then Me...
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Try Scoopon (http://www.scoopon.com.au/travel). There are some great offers. Recommend having your dates first and calling the Travel Agent they mention to make sure the dates are available before purchasing. Good luck - everyone needs a little holiday dreaming :D
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We went to Castaway Island in Fiji earlier this year and I don't think you can get any more relaxing than that. They have family bures and as much or as little to do as you like. The crystal clear waters make snorkeling and diving a delight and the cocktails are the best. The staff are the friendliest I have come across in my travels in Aus and overseas. I can't recommend it enough for a great holiday at a reasonable price.
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Do you want help with Cairns, Port Douglas....... ;)
You can visit Gert and then Me...
It is still a bit to cold to swim though. And it's expensive here for a holiday.
It is the wet season in Thailand
Fiji sounds nice.
Gert
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I thought about different areas in Australia but really love the different cultures and experiences of traveling overseas. I've been looking at Malaysia today and got some quotes and it's coming in a little cheaper than Bali or Thailand. We will be going in late September which is school holidays in Victoria. Just need to be sure we are wanting to spend this much on a relaxing break. This will probably be the last family holiday as DD will be 17 when we go and heading into her final year of school next year. Thanks for all the ideas, it's been a lot of help.
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That is interesting that Malaysia might be cheaper than Bali, I always thought Bali would be the cheapest. You will have to keep us posted-I am getting holiday envy now :D :D :D
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Obbie, Gert Cairns and Port Douglas look and sound great, maybe next year.
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The only thing to take into consideration with Malaysia over Thailand, is that Thailand has cheaper accommodation, food and shopping. While Malaysia is still definitely cheaper than Aus, it is more than Thailand. I've been to both Malaysia and Thailand and I would rate them both the same in terms of experience though.
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Thanks AliRo. I've looked again and agree the accommodation seems to be a bit cheaper in Thailand which makes up for higher airfares, it also looks better quality for the same money, and was wondering about thought costs maybe cheaper than Malaysia. We were in the US and did lots of shopping there earlier in the year so this holiday really is just about relaxing, although the kids have already said they want to stock up on knock off runners (DS) and bags (DD). I've been on trip advisor and researched the holiday inn in Penang which gets great reviews and then a hotel in KL for a few days which also has great reviews. A few comments on trip advisor say that the rip off stuff is better quality in Malaysia?? We know a lot of people that have been to Thailand and loved it, and that is apparently DH's destination of choice (he has just never heard of anyone going to Malaysia). I'm really turned off by the bogan element and also as medusa says the "sex culture" which I've also heard a lot about. Pretty much decided we will just spend the money (add to mortgage :-\) but now need to decide where to.
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yeah, when people in Aus think overseas holiday to Asia they tend to think Bali or Thailand.
When I was researching Malaysia I read that Penang wasn't as nice as Langkawi. As in, the beaches weren't as nice, and was also a bit more of a bogan attracter. But, as I haven't been there personally, I can't say whether this is true or not. But it was the reason why we decided to go to Langkawi.
I didn't do a whole lot of shopping whilst over there, but KL is definitely the place to do it. You'll need to head to markets though to get the rip offs.
When we went, we got cheap airfares on Air Asia. It only cost us a total of $600 return for the two of us! And then internal flights are also cheap too. Air Asia can often be a bit unreliable though so make sure you allow yourself plenty of time if you're doing a transfer.
Ooh, I love planning holidays! If you have any other questions feel free to ask :)
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OK, well we've ended up booking Thailand, I was over ruled on Malaysia so I've had to go with the majority decision. We are just after a relaxing week after a shocker of a year. It's so much more expensive from the Eastern side of Australia and we are having to go in school holidays so there were no airfare specials but because it's low season the hotel was great value, I've attached a link for anyone interested.
Now for doing some research on things to see and do and ramp up the exercise so I look good in bathers!!
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1210687-d1526109-Reviews-Avista_Phuket_Resort_Spa-Kata_Beach_Phuket.html (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1210687-d1526109-Reviews-Avista_Phuket_Resort_Spa-Kata_Beach_Phuket.html)
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So glad you booked somewhere. Looks good :)
Yes here in perth, asia is a cheap getaway.
H :)
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Just catching up on this thread. I was going to suggest Thailand too, I love it, in fact we are going on Sunday! First time in 3+ years we have been out of Oz, long overdue!!!
We are spending 5 nights in Bangkok in a serviced apartment with 3 bedrooms (there are 6 of us, me, DH, Mum and 3 kids) - mostly going there for EATING, a bit of shopping and catching up with friends (we used to live there). Then heading to Hua Hin for 7 nights, also in a 3 bedroom serviced apartment, right on the beachfront. There are still some dodgy characters there, but far less than in Pattaya.
If you want to get off the beaten track, next time I would suggest Koh Samet or Koh Chang.
But wherever you go in Thailand you can be guaranteed the food will be fabulous, massages cheap and 99% of the time people are super friendly. Have a great trip.
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I went to Thailand 24 years ago, great then, food, massages, shopping.... enjoy :D
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I have been travelling to Thailand since the 1960's . When we first went to Phuket there was only one place to stay, Songkhla is my favourite place to go but also a small village near the airport in Phuket a Nai Yang Beach. Beach my DH and I studied the Thai language many years ago and used to speak it fluently. Not so much these days.
It is a very easy language to learn but not to write.
Gert
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We are all quite excited now that I've actually booked. I really procrastinated as the cost for 4 and from the east coast doesn't make it a cheap holiday and so far this year each time we've had a holiday someone has passed away so I feel a bit cursed, but we all really need a break and something to look forward to. It will probably be the last family holiday with DD heading into VCE next year and she will be off with her friends.
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Have a great time Wonder at least you can live cheaply over there with food and shopping :)
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Glad to hear you've booked your holiday Wonder, I hope you all have a great time. You deserve it with all the bad news you've had this year.
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Gert's why did you live there?
I spoke fairly fluently too, but like you never mastered the reading / writing. I am hoping a lot it (Thai) is still in my head, I guess I'll find out next week! I have been having fun teaching my kids to count, say hello, thank you etc.
I love it so much there, so excited to go back, and wonder how much has changed in the 8 years since we left. Our oldest was born there, will always have a strong connection!
Wonder, enjoy the food - so much better than the Thai available here.
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I have never lived in Thailand but have spent a lot of time there. My sister lived there for a while though.
One you are back there you will be surprised how easily you slip back into the vernacular. It really is a simple language once you get the tones right . In any case I have found that Thais will understand you even it the tones are completely wrong.
Gert
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Thanks Gert I hope so!