Just starting to think about SE Asia for next July

[TheDonald]

Any suggestions?

It's for me and dd 16. We like activities e.g. walking, canoeing, snorkelling, wildlife etc. Also a bit of history or temples would be good.

We'd like a bit of time at the beach but prefer laid back to clubs and bars etc.

We're happy to arrange it independently and stay in hostels but no shared dorms.

We originally looked at Thailand but now wondering about Cambodia or Vietnam. Also considering the Philippines. Too many choices!

We can go for 3 weeks in July. Budget is not fixed but expecting to pay approx 500 for flights and stay in hostels for under £20 per night with the odd nicer place thrown in.

How do you feel about Indonesia? July is baking hot and pretty wet in most of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos. In Indonesia it's dry season, usually with a pleasant breeze along the coast. Having said that, plenty of people travel throughout SEA in the hot, wet season and have a blast.

For Indonesia, I'd see temples in Java, chill out in Ubud in Bali and hang out at the beach in Gili Tregarwan off the coast of Lombok. Perhaps a side trip to Komodo to see the dragons which is easily arranged from Bali.

A trip down the length of Vietnam from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City is a really popular itinerary.

You have loads of great options!

Parts of Vietnam will be dry, especially hoi an (but was hot as hades when I was there last July) but sapa in the north will be too wet.
Have been to Java and Bali at that time with excellent weather.
Another dry option would be Malaysian Borneo -Sabah and Sarawak - great for wildlife, long houses, national parks, kayaking, and small islands just off the coast from Kota Kinabalu have decent beaches and are pretty quiet during the week. Kuching is much nicer than Kota Kinabalu IMO with lots of great restaurants.
You could also go to Brunei for a couple of nights -bandar is not that interesting, but great for rainforest trips.

Just came back from a trip in July with dh, ds16 to Cambodia and Vietnam. We all really loved it. Went with Jasmine holidays on the Indochina highlights trip. Excellent value for money as all guides and entrance costs to temples were included. It was hot and humid but manageable and we were not hindered by the odd rain shower I don't know if we were lucky with the weather. Did Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An, HCmc and Hong Kong. Good luck with your search