august adventure/sun hols with teens help!

[londondoc]

hi all im looking for an interesting destination with some sun and R and R, and some adventuring/activities. last year we had an amazing trip to Cambodia. everywhere else seems v expensive! looked at Thailand but worried august not great for weather. anyone got any experience? any other destinations you would recommend looking at? wanted to go to central /south America but much too pricey

Malaysian Borneo?
Vietnam - Hue and Hoi An - recommend vespa adventures for a fun day out.
Bali and Java?
China - plenty of adventure, but probably not sufficiently relaxing and visas are expensive
All of the above should have decent weather then.

Also - what about Kyrgyzstan or Kazakhstan?
Kyrgyzstan is very good value - great for trekking.

@londondoc what was Cambodia like in August?
Can recommend Sri Lanka. Easy to do cheaply.

cambodia is fab in august. there was some flooding in the south but we were not affected, (apart from some bad roads).

Have you looked at companies that specialise in family adventures? Exodus have some and I think Families Worldwide is another company. . Costa Rica shouldn’t be too bad for price but you have to understand that the flights to South America are not cheap even though accommodation is. Peru is a great destination. Could you have a cheaper holiday this year and save up for 2021? I would definitely go to Costa Rica or Peru (and other countries) but it’s never going to cheap.

Agreed, it’s not going to be the accommodation, it’s the flights. 4 years ago the the BA direct flights to San Jose cost £2.3K. Just done a search now (going out 23/8 and coming back on the 5th and it’s about £670 on BA (no frills, no suitcase!). However it is rainy season in CR in August which means hotels are a lot cheaper than peak season and fewer tourists (it’s also greener!). Was initially worried about going in August but in practice we just had a big banger of a thunderstorm daily in the evening or afternoon that would last about an hour. No big deal! We hired a driver and moved around but plenty of people drive and for your teens there would be a heck of a lot to do on the adventure side - ziplining, walking through rainforest canopies, riding, hiking, canoeing etc. Lots of wildlife too (obviously!). There is very little to see on the historic front (the old Spanish colonial buildings in San Jose resemble what you’d see in a provincial Spanish town) but it’s a country that has a lot going for it. Maybe worth a look? Like @HappyHolidays75 I loved Sri Lanka but weather wise in summer only the East coast is supposedly decent and what we wanted to see was on the West and South - Happy could give you better advice on this though having gone in summer

Ps - flight price we paid was for 2 adults, one child

And thats £670 an adult (really must check posts more!)

thanks all, looked at family adventure holiday places, costa rice just too much (flights)with 3 kids one of whom is an adult now. still hoping Thailand will come in below budget. has anyone been to khao sok in august - worried will be too wet!

Travelfish.org gives a great overview of where you might go in Thailand during August so minimise rainfall but it is the rainy season. However places like Ko Samui and Hua Hin have less rainfall. Go as late as possible in August. Or look at central Vietnam on the coast for an alternative.

What budget are you working to?

We’re doing Thailand next year (July) and taking a punt on the weather. Some friends went August this year and apart from the middle of the rainforest had fab weather. Stay to the east of the country (Koh Samui for example rather than Phuket) and you’re less likely to get rain.

ime Vietnam is cheaper than Thailand and the central area would be dry - Hoi An is a lovely UNESCO town and the beach at An Bang is close.