Cheap tropical destination between Ireland and Australia

cfitz

My wife and I are thinking of taking a trip to Australia next year. To make the long journey worthwhile, I'd like to take in another country as well. Somewhere with tropical beaches sounds perfect to me. So, for those who've been around that part of the world before - which countries can be used as a stopover on the way home from Australia without adding too much to the flight costs? And of those countries where might suit us? - here's what we'd like:

Beautiful beaches
A place where it's considered acceptable to wear shorts/bikinis etc.
A place where it's relatively safe to rent a car and drive around
Beaches safe for swimming
Very low cost of living

Basically, off the beaten track enough to be cheap, but touristy enough that you can relax and enjoy it, maybe even be able to rent a sailing dinghy at the seaside!

Thanks

Glowing

Thailand seems like the obvious choice! If you've never been before, I highly recommend it as a good introduction to Asia and is such an easy and affordable place to travel around. You can go on the cheap, or up in the luxury end, and the beaches are amazing!

Do a bit of research into the areas/islands you go to because they all offer different things.

cfitz

Glowing wrote: »

Thailand seems like the obvious choice! If you've never been before, I highly recommend it as a good introduction to Asia and is such an easy and affordable place to travel around. You can go on the cheap, or up in the luxury end, and the beaches are amazing!

Do a bit of research into the areas/islands you go to because they all offer different things.

Thanks, Thailand was the first place that came into my mind and I'd say it could be where we'll end up. I just thought it might be worth asking in case you could get the same facilities/scenery/etc in an even cheaper destination. Or if someone could recommend an area in Thailand that is cheaper than average but will give us what we're looking for. (I know I'm being lazy, but it's worth a shot )

The only place I've been in that part of the world that comes close to fitting the bill is Kerala, India. But it falls down on a few counts: only in the more expensive resorts do people wear 'western' swimwear at the beach, and the sea there isn't particularly safe for swimming.

archer22

Philippines, amazingly cheap.People speak english and some fantastic beaches.

killbillvol2

Philipines would definitely be cheapest. I'm afraid you've missed the boat by about 20 years for anything undiscoverd in Thailand. Malaysia has what you're looking for but resorts there would be relatively expensive. Vietnam has some good beaches and is cheap but it's not a natural stopover on your route. You can't rent a car there either. (By the way, unless you've spent a lot of time in Asia, renting a car in Thailand is something of a culture shock and not a great idea).

opinion guy

Vietnam
Never been but love to go there myself

old_aussie

Bali or Vietnam

Sergeant

archer22 wrote: »

Philippines, amazingly cheap.People speak english and some fantastic beaches.

The Philippines are a great spot. Fantastic food, cheap as chips, not too touristy, friendly people, and almost everyone speaks English.

danbohan

cfitz wrote: »

My wife and I are thinking of taking a trip to Australia next year. To make the long journey worthwhile, I'd like to take in another country as well. Somewhere with tropical beaches sounds perfect to me. So, for those who've been around that part of the world before - which countries can be used as a stopover on the way home from Australia without adding too much to the flight costs? And of those countries where might suit us? - here's what we'd like:

Beautiful beaches
A place where it's considered acceptable to wear shorts/bikinis etc.
A place where it's relatively safe to rent a car and drive around
Beaches safe for swimming
Very low cost of living

Basically, off the beaten track enough to be cheap, but touristy enough that you can relax and enjoy it, maybe even be able to rent a sailing dinghy at the seaside!

Thanks

go to el nido in the philippines , you will not want to leave .

cfitz

killbillvol2 wrote: »

Philipines would definitely be cheapest. I'm afraid you've missed the boat by about 20 years for anything undiscoverd in Thailand. Malaysia has what you're looking for but resorts there would be relatively expensive. Vietnam has some good beaches and is cheap but it's not a natural stopover on your route. You can't rent a car there either. (By the way, unless you've spent a lot of time in Asia, renting a car in Thailand is something of a culture shock and not a great idea).

In comparison to, say a seaside resort in Spain, what difficulties would we come up against in the Phillipines? What creature comforts would we miss out on?

I've driven in Marrakech a few times and in a lot of other parts of Morocco. I've also driven around the unpaved roads of Namibia, but I'd imagine that's not very similar to Thailand.

cfitz

old_aussie wrote: »

Bali or Vietnam

I thought Bali was a high-end destination - could we holiday there cheaply?

I'd be interested in Vietnam, but I think it's slightly off our route and might add to the cost of our flights.

cfitz

danbohan wrote: »

go to el nido in the philippines , you will not want to leave .

will check it out online, cheers

archer22

Here are few other place in Philippines you might want to check out.Boracay..Mactan in Cebu..Ifugao rice terraces in Luzon .(regarded as 8th wonder of the world)...And if you want to do some shopping SM mall in Cebu or in Manila The Mall of Asia.Its awesome,second largest mall in the world I think.If you want cheapest good accomodation in Philippines check out what they call Pension Houses.Dont be put off by the name they are kind of like motels you get clean secure rooms for around 500 pesos a night (about 8 euros).Also for eating out no end of restaurants and of course McDonalds everywhere.Eating out is very cheap also drink and cigarettes are so cheap you wont believe it .

killbillvol2

cfitz wrote: »

In comparison to, say a seaside resort in Spain, what difficulties would we come up against in the Phillipines? What creature comforts would we miss out on?

I've driven in Marrakech a few times and in a lot of other parts of Morocco. I've also driven around the unpaved roads of Namibia, but I'd imagine that's not very similar to Thailand.

I'd say the Philipines would be better tbh - no lager louts and GAA all weekend and you'll get high end hotels for a lot less. You'd miss out on nothing except that the staemy weather can be draining.

As for driving, I lived in Thailand years ago and my Thai friends laugh and say I "drive like Thai". The problem, as one of them put it, is that a lot of others on the road are reckless because they're quite happy to move on to the next life which is better (if you're a good Buddhist of course).

opinion guy

Langkawi in Malaysia. Probably not as cheap as others and a little bit spoilt around the main town. But painfully beautiful once you move around a bit.

Oh and for cheap flights around asia check out AirAsia