5 star, 2 weeks beach & exploring - best value?

Zascar

Looking to get away for 2 weeks with the missus. We definitely want a nice hotel with great service so preferably 5 star. Would like to just chill on a beautiful beaches for most of it, but would definitely like to be able to go off on day trips or explore cities etc also. Might be good to have a week in two different places. I love photography so somewhere beautiful preferably. Really trying to get the best bang for my buck.

I'm thinking Asia but open to others also. I have been to Thailand before, great but a bit too touristy/commercial. I was thinking Vietnam maybe - or possibly Cambodia, Laos etc. Not really that pushed where as long as as it fits the bill and is good value. I want somewhere cheap so I don't have to worry about money.

Any suggestions?
Thanks

Bigus

https://www.kempinski.com/en/istanbul/ciragan-palace/rooms-and-suites/palace-suites/one-bedroom-bosphorus/

guestus

Falcon do direct flights to mexico and lots of hotels and resorts to choose from

Doltanian

For good value in 5 star and nice beaches I would have recommended Thailand but as you were there already then maybe either Vietnam or the Philippines would be worth a visit. The latter has some particularly beautiful beaches like Coron and El Nido and also Boracay and due to its poor economy offers good value for money in hotels, food and transportation.

Zascar

Doltanian wrote: »

For good value in 5 star and nice beaches I would have recommended Thailand but as you were there already then maybe either Vietnam or the Philippines would be worth a visit. The latter has some particularly beautiful beaches like Coron and El Nido and also Boracay and due to its poor economy offers good value for money in hotels, food and transportation.

Thanks, yes I was thinking Vietnam and my mrs had suggested Philippines - and after googling photos of the places you suggested - wow they look amazing! And if it's super cheap then all the better! I will certainly be looking into that. Have you been to these places? Ideally I'd like a week in two different places. Many of the package holidays I've seen are more "Tours" changing every few days.

Any suggestions on how I can find a holiday that fits the bill?

Doltanian

Zascar wrote: »

Thanks, yes I was thinking Vietnam and my mrs had suggested Philippines - and after googling photos of the places you suggested - wow they look amazing! And if it's super cheap then all the better! I will certainly be looking into that. Have you been to these places? Ideally I'd like a week in two different places. Many of the package holidays I've seen are more "Tours" changing every few days.

Any suggestions on how I can find a holiday that fits the bill?

I went to El Nido two years ago in the Philippines whilst travelling in Asia. Coron is supposed to be even nicer although more difficult to get to. What I did was take a morning flight with Air Asia Zest from the capital city Manila to Puerto Princesa for €50 return including luggage.

I then joined a minibus with other tourists which I arranged at Puerto Princesa Airport and this was a big mistake as the Van was cramped (Toyota Hiace) and the driver was a lunatic. Its much better to take the local bus company as they drive slower but its a much more relaxed affair, and it took 6-7hrs.

On El Nido itself there was no internet at all or ATM's but this may have since changed. There was one Indian chap with a satellite based terminal running his internet cafe off it. The road itself from Puerto Princesa was unfinished at the time but I think they have since concreted it all as a filipina nurse friend of mine here went there recently and said they finished the road. Do take a go-pro, this place is what they were meant for. I was able to rent one for €20 (1000peso) there.

The highlight for me was going on the boating excursions out to the islands and I took two excursions and nether were very expensive maybe costing €20.

I haven't been to Boracay but I heard it is much more commercialised; wheras El Nido had a feel and vibe to it of a hidden gem like "The Beach" from that movie. However with a new road built there you can expect it to shortly get ruined by mass tourism.; although the Philippines get very little tourists compared to Thailand 6m tourists in 2016 compared to 33 million in Thailand. And alot of these are some of the 15 million filipinos who work abroad and their diaspora.

There is other interesting places to visit like Bantayan Island and also Bohol Island which has some curious dome shaped chocolate mountains. Most likely your gateway to the country would be Manila, this place is a nightmare and best avoided unless you like traffic, diesel fumes and sprawling shopping centres as it is home to several of the worlds biggest malls, a paradox in such a poverty ridden country where a typical days salary is around €5.50. And for a poor country there is no great value in clothes etc. as stuff is imported. If you wanted some City experiences then Cebu City would be the place as its smaller and within easy reach of loads of tropical beaches. It also has some historical sights too.

A quick word of warning, the Philipppines is poor and is a third world country, much worse than Thailand, however the places I've listed would be more touristy so you'd avoid that. Don' travel to the South to Mindanao as there is a Muslim insurgency there. The people are extremely friendly and generally speak good to excellent English especially younger generations. Safety and crime wouldn't be a worry, its much safer than Thailand, but do take typical precautions etc.

The last concern would be your 14 days time length, its going to take a day to get there and a day to get home with around 17-20hrs flying time and a minimum of 1 to 2 stopovers involved. Its +7 hrs ahead (+8 in the Irish wintertime) so factor jetlag too. Also things move slowly there and the average speed of traffic is between 40 -50km/h. The country is vastly over populated with 105million people and the internet there is terrible unless you stay in more expensive hotels.

I generally stayed in cheaper hotels and my average spend was €27 per night booking mainly on agoda.com. For the Philippines I'd say you'd have to make your own itinerary as I can't imagine too many tour operators going there or if they did you would probably get woeful value for money.