SE Asia tying shoestrings

February 22, 2009 5:42 PM

Bali, Thailand, or somewhere else for winter?

The family are fleeing winter for some sun this July, and we’re thinking SE Asia, because it’s warm, cheap, interesting and close.

We’ll be travelling with two small kids (three and under one) so will be going pretty gently, not doing too much moving about on local buses.

I’m inclined to put Bali or Thailand at the top of the list, and have mostly ruled out Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines and South China because they’ll be too dirty and too much of a hassle with the kids. Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore we’ve done. So that leaves Bali and Thailand on our shortlist, but we don’t know enough about the two countries to effectively decide.

We’d probably look to get a package deal with flights and accommodation and then just extend our stay out to three or four weeks. For Thailand, I was thinking a week or two down south in the isthmus, then flying to Chiang Mai for a week or two more, then a few days in Bangkok before coming home. Bali I’m much less clear about, sit on a beach for a while (which one?), then do what? Northern parts? Lombok?

Alternatively, would we get bored going to a pacific island instead? Fiji? Vanuatu? New Caledonia? Any and all opinions appreciated…

posted by wilful to travel & transportation (16 comments total)

I don't know how dirty Vietnam, Cambodia, and China are compared to Thailand, but when I was in Chiang Mai and Bangkok last summer, they were DIRTY. Every breath I took while in the cities, it felt my lungs being coated with dust. I had weird bumps on my hands, probably from not having access to soap and sinks in a lot of public bathrooms. The bumps went away as soon as we got to the beach and were able to go wash our hands in the hotel with soap (YAY SOAP!) instead of being out in the city all day relying on purell. And we were constantly hassled by street vendors and tuk-tuk drivers, going as far as being grabbed by them so they can get our attention, so I don't know how that all would work with a baby and a toddler in hand. Both were fascinating cities, although I would not spend more than 3-4 days in each one. There are a ton of day trips from Chiang Mai though, so that might be a good way to spend a week there, and it'll get you out of the polluted city.
posted by KateHasQuestions at 5:59 PM on February 22

A few weeks ago, I saw an ad on telly for Samoa, which looked very inviting. I think they're doing a bit of an advertising push due to travel warnings about Bali & Fiji. Vanuatu & The Cook Islands seem popular at the moment.
posted by goshling at 6:06 PM on February 22

I spent about ten days in Bali a few years ago (over Chinese New Year,so about this time of year) and could easily have spent three times as long. Ubud is a pretty central spot to base yourselves -- avoid the overtouristed south like Denpasar. I wasn't there with kids, but I think you would be fine -- there seemed to be a fair number of families.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:15 PM on February 22

Bali tends to be clean and cheap. There's alot more than just beaches. You can get a driver/car for around $40 day or less to take you around the interior. Lots of temples, forests, mountains, terraced rice paddies, restaurants with food grown nearby, etc etc abound there. Lonely Planet has plenty of current info on things to do in Bali. It's small enough that you can drive across it in an afternoon also. There are nice resorts inland around Ubud, plenty of tourist resorts in Kuta and Nusa Dua, and lots of other hotels scattered around the coasts. It's really a beautiful place to visit. The only downside is the agressive souvenir vendors, which you'll find all over SE Asia anyways.
posted by Burhanistan at 6:21 PM on February 22

You're absolutely right that Bali or Thailand would be much better choices than the rest of SE Asia or China if you've got two little kids.

If you go to Thailand, Koh Lanta would be a good choice for a beach destination in the south.

For Bali, Lovina on the north coast was great in terms of being very quiet, having good value accommodation, and really beautiful sunsets over the ocean every evening, (though the sand on the beach isn't as good as the sand on Kuta beach.) About a week in Lovina just to chill, a week in Ubud to check out the different sites on day tours (Tanah Lot was nice), and several days in Kuta (you CANNOT miss the kecak dance at Ulu Watu) would make a good trip.

One thing to note is that July is the rainy season for Thailand. I visited Bali in August and didn't have any rain for the week I was there.
posted by alidarbac at 6:38 PM on February 22

We spent the Christmas holiday in Phuket, Thailand on the quieter northern end (Laguna Beach area, north of the airport) and loved it so much, we extended the vacation at the last moment. Traveling to town was time consuming and relatively pricey so we only ventured there a few times. Plus, we traveled to Thailand to relax on the beach, not for the nightlife of Phuket. We only spent 3 days in Bangkok and that was more than enough for me to visit the highlights and move on.
We plan to go back to Thailand again and are planning to visit Koh Samui next time. Our very good friends go almost every year and love it - I understand it to be less touristy than Phuket.
posted by MuckWeh at 8:04 PM on February 22

Just got back from Bali two days ago for my honeymoon. It was an amazing place! I think it's kid friendly too. We stayed at a lush garden hotel in Ubud for $20 a night. For about the same price we had a poolfront room in Seminyak Beach. Our friends paid $35 a day for transport and a guide for day trips, but from Ubud we were getting quotes as low $15 for just a (English-speaking, friendly, chatty) driver to take us to the volcano.

Time goes slow in Bali. Things close early. Outside of the touristpark of Kuta, there's not a lot of nightlife or other things. You can easily spend whole days just deciding to look at one type of art, like Buddha paintings, and browse around collections. For what it's worth, I brought back seven paintings for about $70. We spent an entire afternoon trying coffees, teas, and other drinks at a cocoa/coffee/lemongrass farm 20 minutes outside Ubud.

Also seconding Ulu Watu south of Kuta, but don't stay in Kuta. Look for the bungalows near Legian. You can stay somewhere stunning for as low as $30.
posted by trinarian at 8:30 PM on February 22

Bali is a family-friendly place to be, if you know where to stay. From my own experience, I'd recommend you stay at the Dynasty Bali Hotel - it's a nice family-friendly place with two swimming pools, a kid's club - easy access to Tuban beach, only you have to get out the back gate and walk for a couple of minutes. There's a good selection of family-friendly places along Tuban Beach, alongside Jalan Kartika Plaza.

That being said... is Bali worth three weeks out of a year? I'd say it really depends on what you want to get out of it. If you could score some art lessons, surfing lessons, or some extended commitment in Bali for yourself and for your kids I guess you'd be OK. But I really don't see the point of staying put in Bali for several weeks - I ventured out into Jogjakarta and Jakarta which gave me a better appreciation of Indonesia, and made the trip worth the trouble.
posted by micketymoc at 8:55 PM on February 22

Tidbits:

Bali's very pretty as long as you avoid the main bogan area down south.

Lombok didn't have anything in particular to offer above Bali from what I saw, apart from the biggest, fastest, and most fearless cockroaches I've ever encountered.

Thailand: good for beaches, food & wilderness / adventure activities. Nothing particularly appealing about the towns, but that's most of SEA for you. Don't forget the continuing terrorist activities and unrest down south.

What I saw of New Caledonia was nice, although maybe a bit boring. Also not particularly cheap - neither getting there, nor daily expenses. Sitting on beaches & snorkelling seem to be the main drawcards. Very handy for you to be able to speak French.
posted by UbuRoivas at 9:32 PM on February 22

Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia (Borneo) is fantastic... there's a reef just off the coast and islands to explore, as well as SE Asia's highest mountain nearby, which is (apparently) very climbable. I stayed at the Magellan, fantastic hotel and quite central - though is quite near to the airport and under the flight path. I never really noticed it though.

The only bad point about KK is that it requires an extra flight from KL to get to (and not a particularly short one either). You could try flying with Royal Brunei to Bandar Seri Begawan, as it's only a 25 min flight from there.
posted by ryanbryan at 12:53 AM on February 23

I've been to Bali and Thailand (well, Phuket, and a couple day trips around), and I would never hesitate to recommend Bali. Both countries are doable with kids (then again, so is China, but that's another story), but it seemed to me that Bali was cheaper and less touristy (in the right places) than Phuket, but, of course, Phuket is tourism central.

Ubud is a good place to not realize quite how long you've been there. It's beautiful, the people are fantastic, and the food is excellent. You can do cooking classes, do yoga, go on biking/hiking tours (less doable with kids, perhaps), and you can have some of the best pork in the world.

Bali is small enough that you could see a lot in three weeks. Kuta, Legian and Seminyak have a lot of outright tourism places, but also have more things aimed at families. Jimbaran isn't great to stay, but has some fantastic restaurants. At the higher end, there's Nusa Dua on the southern tip of the island. I haven't been north, but with the time you've got, you could do it easily.

Thailand was nice enough, but one time there, I thought if I go back to Thailand, I wouldn't go to Phuket. I've been to Bali three times (including a fantastic honeymoon; Look into a couple nights at Maya Ubud if you can splash out a bit) and I can't wait to go back. It really is paradise. And you should definite spend at least some time along the beach, because the sunsets are stunning.
posted by Ghidorah at 6:26 AM on February 23

Don't rule out Vietnam! Thailand is far, far dirtier, hotter, and more of a hassle. I've traveled extensively in both countries (and around most of the rest of SE Asia), and can say that Vietnam is my favorite in every aspect save cuisine, though Vietnamese food is pretty damn tasty too.

The trouble with Thailand is that in the tourist areas you are a constant target for shills, particularly around all the big temples, Khao San Road or the Grand temple complex in Bangkok, and pretty much any night market. Going off the beaten path can be fun, but is way more challenging with kids in tow. And Thailand is dirty, dirty, dirty -- almost all of the country is just filthy. Not that it's not worth visiting there! I saw some amazing things while wandering around Thailand, including mahouts riding their elephants into a gas station.

But Vietnam has a special place in my heart, from the insane motorbike traffic in Saigon to the northern mountains. And kids would love a trip to Ha Long Bay, which has the most beautiful and amazing limestone outcroppings rising out of the sea for miles and miles around.

If you do go to Thailand, I would say you could spend three days in Bangkok, three days in (far nicer and cleaner) Chiang Mai, and then head down south to the islands, which is the most beautiful part of the country in any case. At all costs avoid Pattaya, which is essentially an entire beach town centered around prostitution and serves the older male Russian/German populations. If for some reason you're on the road between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, consider a stop in Phimai, a tiny charming town with an extraordinarily well preserved temple complex.
posted by meglo91 at 9:15 AM on February 23

I hate to answer a question with another question, but I guess this has to be asked so we can rule out certain destinations - since you're bringing really small kids, doesn't this practically rule out all "off the beaten track" places? (Am a father of a five-month-old girl, and I cannot imagine dragging her up Mount Kinabalu.)
posted by micketymoc at 6:31 PM on February 23

Thank you to everyone for your responses. I'm now probably more in favour of Bali than I was previously.

Micketymoc, to reply to your question, it really comes down to a matter of risk perception and parenting styles doesn't it? I think taking kids to SE Asia is less risky than allowing them to watch TV and eat junk food unrestrictedly, which many parents condone. While the infant wont get much out of this, our three year old should have a great time, and see more of life. The missus and I are seasoned travellers and we'll be a lot more comfortable and slow than we have in the past, but you cannot live life without taking some risks, and I notice that plenty of SE Asian residents manage to bring up healthy children, so it can't be too bad. It's not like we're heading to a war zone.
posted by wilful at 4:58 PM on February 24

plenty of SE Asian residents manage to bring up healthy children... It's not like we're heading to a war zone.

Count me in among them - I live in Manila. I'm not saying you shouldn't expose them to the "off-the-beaten-path" places, only that taking care of your kids will be more difficult in certain places, making your trip far less fun than it should.

You and your kids will have a great time in Bali, as the tourist infrastructure there is great and many resorts have kids' clubs with trained babysitters. You might not find that in Kota Kinabalu.

In Bali, you can rent a car with a driver, so you won't have to rely so much on the public transport (besides, Balinese motorists drive so atrociously I doubt you'd want to drive the car yourself!). Just figure out where you want to go, and you're all set!
posted by micketymoc at 5:24 PM on February 24

I've been to about all the countries you mentioned. I like interacting with local people in a nonfinancial way, and I found this easiest in Philippines (most speak some English), and then Thailand and finally Bali. If you are interested in paying tourist dollars and having a tourist experience, Bali and Thailand are similar. Thailand has more options for off-the-beaten-track travel without being inconvenient. Bali is hardest to leave the tourist track.
posted by peter_meta_kbd at 4:58 AM on April 4