Maldives , Mauritius, Bali

[Frostytiger87]

Hi , we’re planning on a nice holiday next year we are a family of two adults & one 16 year old ,
Im very confused between Maldives , Mauritius or Bali .Where would you recommend?

Maldives is great for scuba diving and snorkeling. If you don't like these, you could be bored.

In my experience, Mauritius has more activities available to do, although mainly watersports.

Not been to Bali.

We considered Maldives and Mauritius for our honeymoon and went to Mauritius in the end. For us, it had a great mix of activities + beach. We stayed in the south west (flic en flac) and took day trips up to the capital to go shopping, across to the botanical gardens, into the national park to see the rainbow ridges (i forget their official name). Plus our hotel had scuba diving, snorkelling, watersports etc. We decided against Maldives as we were TTC and Maldives has zika virus, but i think there is a lot less to do in Maldives so depends how happy the 16yr old would be with predominantly beachy stuff.

Thankyou all so much for your replies these places all look like paradise but I agree boredom is a concern
we was thinking next summer around July and I’ve just been reading that it’s the rainy season in the Maldives

Bali has lots to do, beaches, jungle, culture, white water rafting. I’ve been to all three & would recommend Bali or Mauritius as a family holiday. Need to be careful which coast you go to in Mauritius in the summer as one is much wetter than the other, whereas in Bali the weather is pretty much ideal.

I’ve been to all 3 and they all offer something quite different. It depends on budget, what you want out of a holiday, how long you are going for, sleeping arrangements etc.
Weather in Bali was fabulous in July/August, we stayed in some amazing places and the snorkelling in Amed, Gili Gede and Gili Trawangan was superb. In 2019 we paid around £9k for 12 nights in the Maldives all inclusive (Kanifushi) 2 adults and kids 7 and 11. This year we paid £11k including all spending for 28 nights Dubai and Bali for us all. We did a lot more activities in Bali and Lombok and had opportunities to chill out. We ate out every meal but didn’t have loads of alcohol.

Just to add in the Maldives we were in one room, in Bali we were in at least 2 rooms (and at one one point a 4 bed beachfront villa with private pool and our own chef!)

I’ve only been to Bali out of your three but highly recommend it as a family holiday. Villas with multiple rooms are cheaper than a hotel room in the Maldives. Give Nusa Dua a swerve though, it’s just massive multinationals and you could be anywhere. The weather in Bali is great in July.

Bali for sure. We went in July. Amazing weather at that time of year. We did a 2 centre with Ubud and Sanur. The beach was great. Ubud was interesting. Lots for everyone to do.

My friend went to the Maldives and it rained for several days. The problem with this in the Maldives is that in bad weather there's nothing to do. She said they could snorkel as the rain made the sea cloudy (disturbed the sand on sea bed) , couldn't sunbath or go on boat ride type activities.

I've been to Mauritius and I'd recommend as there's more to do.

Only been to Mauritius so maybe not helpful. But there was plenty to do and see and the food was insanely good.

I've only been to Bali but there are a number of absolutely stunning temples to visit there. Give Kuta a miss unless you like the idea of Benidorm for Australians - the 16 year old might appreciate it though and the beach is huge. I really liked Ubud, laid back with temples to visit within walking distance, monkey temple gets a bad rap sometimes but just be sensible and it's fine - Ubud is not on the coast though so you'll have to stay elsewhere for that. Also give the Luwak coffee tours/products a miss as the Luwaks (which are a typed of civet cat I think) are treated badly.

You could combine with Lombok and the Gilli islands, read up as I've read good and bad on the Gillis.

Another vote for Bali, I've been back multiple times.
Snorkeling/scuba in Gilli islands, art/culture in Ubud, Sanur for beach. Kuta only if you want to be amongst a load of Aussie tourists and travelers.

I bloody love Bali!

Beachcomber resorts on Mauritius include free waterskiing / sailing / SUP / kayaking. So if he's into sports that could work well. There was a constant line of beautiful teenagers on the pontoon when we went last April!