Help please. we really want a gorgeous beach holiday long haul in july /august but everywhere shows dodgy weather.

[ihatethecold]

This is the only time we can go due to school hols and exams.
Mexico looks rainy,
Mauritius poss a bit chilly and windy.
Florida looks boiling hot!

Poss Koh Samui will be dry?

I'm driving myself nuts trying to organise this.
We are going for a special occasion so we want to go long haul and have a budget of about 6K for 4 of us.

please help me!

Fiji sounds amazing. I bet it takes ages to get there.
I bet it's a few flights to get there.
I grew up in Hong Kong and used to spend Xmas in the Philippines.
I really want to get back there one day.
Yes my kids will be 12 and 16 when we go.

It does take a while to get to Fiji from the UK, there is one stopover in Hong Kong or LAX and 20-26 hours flying but it's incredible. The only think I would say is that you have to book tickets at a god time otherwise they'll eat up your budget.

Good luck for your planning and I hope that you enjoy your trip, wherever you decide to go!

*good time!

What is the maximum flight time you would want for yourself re long haul?.

Canada would be great but you will obviously NOT get tropical beaches

Safari/beach in Kenya or Tanzania would be ideal weatherwise, if the malaria doesn't worry you too much - I wouldn't have any issues with dc that age taking malaria pills for a fortnight. There's a lovely place in Tanzania called Sadaani National Park which is on the ocean with safari land right behind it (very unusual combo), iirc Sadaaani Lodge is the hotel right on the beach with safaris every day. Can't post a link now but would check it out. It may all come to over £6k though. Or just Zanzibar for perfect beaches, snorkelling etc.

I think 12/13 hours max flying.
Not keen on malaria risks though.
My dd is allergic to mosquito bites.
I will have to see our GP about that regardless of destination.

We seem to confuse ourselves more and more

TBH although 6K is a very healthy budget, it's very easy to plough through it.

If you're willing to risk the weather the Caribbean does offer the white sand beaches & pastel blue sea that you're dreaming over.

Have you considered Grenada? There are a few ordinary hotels & also some high end ritzy ones but another option would be to rent a villa.

spiceislevillas.com

I know 6k won't go as far as I'd like!

We did Mauritius in July for honeymoon and wouldn't say the weather was amazing but the place was gorgeous and definitely the beaches you imagine.

Went to Mexico start of September and the iPhone app said thunder every day. However we maybe had a half hour storm most evenings whilst getting ready to go out and other than that it was boiling. Again the beaches/sea were amazing so it could be an option?

Dominican Republic also gave us great weather at the end of June.

And now I'm jealous remembering the holidays when we had no dc and more money!

This thread is definitely giving me hope.
We are also going to go into Trailfinders and speak to them.

Just looked on Kayak.co.uk and saw flights to the Seychelles on the 25th July returning on the 8th Aug with Kenya airways £850 each.
Then on Tripadvisor under Rentals on Praslin Island there is a 2 bedroom bungalow on the beach for £1,016 a week. There are cheaper bungalows on the main island also.

Really. That's not bad!

We went to Dennis Island in the Seychelles. Can't remember what it cost (was ages ago) but it was gorgeous. Not super OTT luxury either, just lovely desert island style.

If your dd is allergic to mosquito bites then a lot of these places are a baaad idea, especially humid Caribbean in summer

BTW, there are "cheaper" options in the Maldives ie family-run hotels that might work at that time of year

With regards to mozzies. My friend is a GP so I will find out what we can do to prevent problems.
Poss dose her with antihistamines everyday as well as a deet containing spray.

We also wondered about Florida keys if we went in July to miss hurricane season?

What's the cheaper option for the Maldives?
That's on the bucket list for the future.
Might have to wait for the kids to leave home to go there!

If you google something like family-run hotels, there are a few hotels that are not big chains and a lot cheaper - they sound lovely. In summer, they might fit in with your budget

thanks

Have not read the whole thread, so apologies for any repeated info. I live in Asia and Borneo is dry in July. I have visited Sabah and Sarawak and did not need malaria tablets. Bali is also dry then and central Vietnam too - Hoi an /hue area.

thanks shanghai,
bali has been mentioned but its a bit too far away i think.

ditto borneo, although it sounds like an amazing place.

i will check out flight times i think to get an idea.

Adore the Maldives, been several times, but be aware that July is monsoon season. It might not rain every day but if it does, there's not huge amount else to do (plus if you dive, conditions aren't that good during July).

Zanzibar
Hawaii

New England www.virginholidays.co.uk/destinations/usa/new-england/maine-holidays

Just had a look at Travelbag website to look at Borneo. they have some great twin centre holidays on there.