Tell me somewhere thats better than Bali

[VogueVVague]

I want to go away for 2 weeks over new year, somewhere that ISNT in europe.

I basically want to go on a bit of a dream holiday.

Views, chilling on a beach, mindblowing setting, fascinating culture and weird and wonderful wildlife.

Ive become obsessed with Bali but just thought id ask MN for your recommendations of amazing long haul destinations youve been to, bearing in mind as i say it will be in january.

Im open to the idea of africa too but just dont know where.

I dont want to go anywhere posery or glam so please dont recommend the non-European version of st tropez.

Costa Rica is wonderful. We stayed at Pacuare Lodge in the jungle - you have to raft to get there and it’s totally isolated but amazing food and wine. On the Pacific coast we stayed at Bahia Tarimindo which was a beautiful beach with loads to do and see.

@trojanpony
Madagascar and vietnam going on list.

So how come jamaica isnt recommended but other carribean places are?

Btw a few people have said montenegro and i also recommend it for anyone looking for a european holiday

Cuba interesting but not so luxury. Borneo good for wildlife adventure. What about Thailand?

Bali is nice but is quite busy and actually full of posers and students. There are some lovely parts and not so lovely parts. Mauritius is beautiful and there is scenery and ALSO things to explore, culture etc. In the nice places. The maldives are amaaaazing but pretty much nothing to do. Jamaica is also amazing but again very different, beautiful and a lot of culture but some parts are not at all. It all depends on the location!

Cuba however was absolutely amazing but you’d have to travel round a bit rather than sit in an all inclusive to actually see the place. I would heartily recommend to rickshaw travel who arranged our holiday.

www.rickshawtravel.co.uk/central-america/cuba/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIs5rppvCs2wIVg7HtCh2-Aw20EAAYASAAEgIzQfD_BwE

I think Jamaica can be quite dangerous.

Check the weather, but Hoi An in Vietnam would be lovely. Beach, old city and culture, Hai Van Pass to the mountains nearby. We hired a driver to take us to Elephant Springs - seriously amazing scenery. Lots of English speakers and the regional specialties are delish!

If you want history, culture, variety and beaches Sri Lanka is a great all rounder and stunning. You can combine with Maldives at the end if you want the desert Island beach experience . It all comes down to budget of course. Kenya is also fantastic safari and beach combo but you might be hard pushed to find space as over Xmas and new year people book 12 months in advance. I’ve worked In long haul travel for years but it’s not my area so am not pushing for a sale! But if you want to pm would be happy to answer questions. Have been to some of these destinations.

Yes agree that Cuba is not as luxury as Maldives but very culturally interesting and lovely people.

Costa Rica is awesome because you can experience so many different types of places in a small country, cloud forest, volcanos, hot springs, sandy beaches, surf beaches, jungle eco lodges.

You can do better than Bali...I was pretty underwhelmed with it. I mean bits of it are lovely but not lovely enough to travel that far...I think eat pray love has a lot to answer for! Another vote for South America from me.

Costa Rica or Hawaii

Mauritius does have lovely beaches, but there's enough to explore on the island to keep you busy for a couple of weeks easily.

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g293816-Activities-Mauritius.html

The Gili islands are beautiful. They're very close to Bali and Lombok (you can travel to them by a small boat in 15 minutes from Lombok!). This was good when we went last year because Gili Air and Gili Meno are very small islands with gorgeous beaches and turquoise water with really small bars and restaurants, which was really nice. Bali and Lombok are much bigger but you can explore a lot. The Tiu Kelep waterfall in Lombok was beautiful.

Hope you have fun deciding! Lots of amazing suggestions here!!

Sri Lanka or Kerala. I loved Mauritius, but think these two may fit in better with what you want.

I backpacked and traveled the world for nearly three years, and Bali is fine (just stay away from Kuta or seminyak and you won’t be too touristy).

Personally I’d recommend Nicaragua over Costa Rica - right next door, less touristy but still amazing infrastructure in place for travelers, and about half the price of CR.

Madagascar is in the top 3 countries I’ve ever been too. Safe, amazing. The wildlife is unbelievable and once there it’s really cheap. Just fly around to the areas like Nosy Be etc versus my brilliant idea to drive - the roads are falling apart.

Really pushing towards sri lanka now. Ive never heard of kerala

Time for some googlage!

Disappointed to hear about bali but that was my fear....

Borneo.

Sit on the beach luxury if you head to Pulau Gaya, Rainforests, wildlife, even a mountain to climb if you so wished.

Vietnam.

Amazing beaches, food, culture, history. Accommodation is cheap and people are very friendly.

Otherwise, Cuba is wonderful.

Maui??

I can't believe no one has already said that !

not helpful really

Sri Lanka
Southern India
Borneo..for wildlife.
Sorted !

I think I'd go to Sri Lanka, Costa Rica or Cuba. Or Kerala. Interesting someone said Nicaragua; never heard of people going there really. My friends hired a driver in Sri Lanka, said it was amazing.

Some bits of Bali are glorious, some not (Kuta). If you are still considering Bali the volcano is rumbling at the minute and you can't get travel insurance that covers you for an eruption.

Bali was a huge dissapointment to me, i live in western australia, so a short flight but been twice and a week was more than enough. Could thoroughly recommend WA though, could do broome or Margaret river region? Direct flights to perth from London now.

Would 2nd vietnam or thailand too, friends of mine are just back from langkawi which looked amazing.