One week Singapore, then a week where and another week where?

[WhitestShadeofPale]

Our son will be in Singapore for a year, and we’re planning to travel there just before Christmas and have three weeks with him. Timing not negotiable. The outline plan is one week in Singapore (plan pretty much sorted for that) and then a week at some sort of wildlife/jungle place then a week at some sort of beach place. Deliberately keeping that vague as we’re open to all ideas in the surrounding region. We’ve been to Thailand, loved it, but would rather explore other places. We’ll be two adults a 20yo and a 17 yo.
I don't want to rough it (it’ll be suitcases not back packs, and air con and a great breakfast buffet are essential) , but neither do we have the budget for top end luxury.
All ideas welcome. Thank you!

A week in Borneo and a week in the Philippines will give you the perfect jungle/beach mix. What an incredible holiday!

I went backpacking in Borneo so we did do it all ourselves and it was no problem but if you wanted to get the most from it you will probably want to move around a bit rather than stay in 1 place so if you have the budget then Trailfinders might be a good way to go to take the stress out of it. But as I said, we managed just fine as ditzy, disorganised 20somethings when backpacking.

Malaysia - the rainforest and islands were my favourite. Borneo was beautiful too and there's a great mountain to climb if you like that sort of thing. More rainforest in Borneo and sanctuaries were amazing,

One week is a long time to spend in Singapore, I'd suggest three days maximum.

I loved El Nido!

We didn't have the budget or the time for Boracay but would have loved to go.

Do not stay in Manila, just try and pass straight through if you can. It was the one place I did not feel safe.

Definitely Borneo - we went with trailfinders and stayed in Kota Kinabalu at the Shanghri-La but also stayed in Sandakan, somewhere in the jungle & on turtle Island (Seligan - very basic accommodation but amazing experience)
We went to Langkawi afterwards which was nice but I think there are better choices in Malaysia & Thailand.

Boracay is just a beach. I think you'd get pretty fed up of it for a week. I disagree with others re food. Philippine food IMO is not great. I go there regularly as I have family there. It's not somewhere I would go otherwise.

I agree about the food, it was not very good. Mind you, I did not have the money for nice hotels and was eating street food so that probably didn't help. But out of all the countries I visited when travelling, I'm afraid the Philippines was my least favourite food.

What's your budget? There are some seriously loaded posters on this thread it seems, going by the hotels mentioned!

I second Borneo, but it's possible to do the best of it on a much tighter budget should you need to. I stayed in a budget lodge on the Kinabatangan and had a far better wildlife experience than those at the fancy pants hotel down the river. My friend and I were the only guests on our small boat that could get into all the nooks and crannies. The hotel boat was much bigger and full of people.

It's also possible to do a homestay at an Iban long house very cheaply. It was an absolute highlight of my trip. Again, my friend and I were the only guests and got thoroughly spoiled by all the families!

Yep would also say Borneo. Stay in either one of the Shangri las (Tanjung Aru or Rasa Ria) for your beachy relaxing bit and then visit orangutans in Sarawak. You could go to Danube valley. Apparently amazing - but pricey.

You could also do Vietnam or Cambodia from Singapore. But don’t think wildlife aspect would be as good.

Sri Lanka would fit the bill nicely.

Bali for beach, Borneo for wildlife and beach, Cambodia for culture (angkor wat etc), HK and Macau for ex colonial cities.

I'd go to Borneo and Bali from there.

I prefer street food /local restaurants to nice hotels. Have done both (backpacker 30 years ago) and now can afford nice hotels. Still prefer small local restaurants usually although last visit I did eat in hotel. Have never found anything good food wise in Philippines. Local restaurants make burgers and pizzas (badly). IMO it's all a bad version of bad western cooking.

Just to add to what I said about going to Borneo for the wildlife and beach part. We are currently on a Cambodian island, which is stunning, with white sand, turquoise water, hammocks on the beach and swing seats in the water, and are nearly the only ones here with perfect weather. A sea view villa with direct water access.

A fraction of the price of the Maldives and the Caribbean, with the nicest people ever. So cheap, it feels like a hidden secret! Maybe one to consider?

Aaaah just to say what an amazing experience for your son!

Singapore is an amazing city with great travel connections to the whole of Asia.

Would the younger ones like surfing? There are some amazing islands in Indonesia with beautiful beaches for you to relax on and whoever wants to surf can go. Lombok for example (December is peak surf season there so you’ll get great waves). It’s cheap to get yourself a coach and super fun!

Then from there you can easily got to Borneo for the jungle, or Sumatra in Indonesia.

Also be aware that for most of the suggestions on this thread it will be rainy season in December - so take this into account if you would be upset with rain (it’s very unpredictable though and you could get perfect weather).