Best budget place to stay in Bali or Thailand

[medusa]

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.

[AliRo]

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/

[medusa]

Yes I agree about Malaysia. Beautiful. Even Penang is great!

[Wonder]

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

[AliRo]

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?

[obbie]

Do you want help with Cairns, Port Douglas.......
You can visit Gert and then Me...

[CreamPuff63]

Try Scoopon. 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 

[Twitterpated]

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.

[gertbysea]

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

[Wonder]

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.

[Bubbles]

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

[Wonder]

Obbie, Gert Cairns and Port Douglas look and sound great, maybe next year. 

[AliRo]

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.

[Wonder]

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.

[AliRo]

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