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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

Best places to combine with Singapore for a family holiday?

27 replies

december2020 · 30/07/2024 19:29

I grew up in SE Asia in the 90s but it has of course changed a lot since then.

We're taking family holiday there next year, (also so i can show DS where I grew up and a bit of a nostalgia trip for me). I'm looking to start and end the trip with Singapore but looking for suggestions on where to go for approximately a week in between. Looking for a place that is family friendly, great food and good for kids (DS will be 4).

Growing up the usual destinations were places like Phuket but that was in the 90s when boom tourism hadn't hit it in the same way as seems to have now (maybe that's my own bias though)! So please let me know if I'm wrong here!

So looking for suggestions from you wise Miners - what places should I be considering?

OP posts:
qwertasdfg · 30/07/2024 19:41

Phuket in the 1990s is different from Phuket today.

The Maldives are only 4-5 hours from Singapore. Swimming and playing in water will be safer than Bali.

MooseBeTimeForSnow · 30/07/2024 19:44

A road trip to Legoland Malaysia?

Original poster
december2020 · 30/07/2024 19:44

Also - MNers - not miners!
Thanks autocorrect!

OP posts:
Sugarnspicenallthingsnaice · 30/07/2024 19:45

Phuket is still wonderful outside the busiest part (Patong). The Club Med there is brilliant for kids.

I love Langkawi too.

agoodfriendofthethree · 30/07/2024 19:46

We had a brilliant time combining Langkawi and Penang with Singapore when our children were primary school age. Langkawi in particular had lovely beaches (complete with cute monkeys). Great food too!

CharlotteRumpling · 30/07/2024 19:47

Penang and Langkawi. Beaches, some architecture and heritage, great food.

biedrona · 30/07/2024 20:06

Langkawi

AgentProvocateur · 30/07/2024 20:22

Penang, Melaka and Langkawi.

Original poster
december2020 · 30/07/2024 20:54

Ooo thank you! I'm going to check out Langkawi and Penang!
I visited them lots as a kid but was worried they had had the same 'Phuket effect" and changed too much over the years - so glad they still have a more 'local' vibe to them!

OP posts:
40somethingme · 01/08/2024 14:56

We are thinking of doing a two centre holiday to Singapore and Borneo in the next two years.

Apfelkuchen · 01/08/2024 15:03

Vietnam

Esimasia · 01/08/2024 21:54

We are just back from a trip to Singapore and Vietnam - highly recommend

Doggymummar · 01/08/2024 21:57

We did three weeks in Singapore for my birthday there's so much to do. Perth is six hours I think, we were gonna go but decided to continue exploring SN

DaysofHoney · 01/08/2024 22:01

Hopping on to ask if anyone can elaborate on difference between Langkawi and Penang? I loved langkawi, really loved it, but very honeymoon-y, upmarket resorts etc, and wondering if Penang has more for a young family perhaps? Thinking of a similar trip!

Femme2804 · 01/08/2024 22:21

Indonesia of course. No doubt. Go to labuan bajo to see the pink beach. Or go to raja ampat. No many people know about raja ampat. Its the most beautiful place i ever seen and i travelled a lot.

Kisskiss · 01/08/2024 22:24

Bali!!

avignon1234 · 01/08/2024 22:54

Another vote for Langkawi. We stayed in Pentai Cenang, and there is a big beach, and enough restaurants (including a surprisingly good and cheap pizza hut) but without it being "ruined" - i.e. it isn't full of bars and stuff (being Malaysia really, not a drinking place) and it is only 10 mins from the airport. We visited Kuah by uber, which was lovely, strolled through the park in the evening, loads of wildlife, and we went up to Telaga falls, where there is a fabulous beach (no-one on it, soft white sand, ) if you do the walk all the way down to Telaga harbour. My friend did Kilim Geopark and enjoyed it. Loads of trips on offer. The Ubers are super cheap, the hotels come at all prices from the very reasonable, to expensive - we only paid about £30 a night for a very simple but large room with balcony and small pool, it was fab but not "international" if you know what I mean. It still is a place for locals. We also did Penang and I think this is a place that may have changed too much. Massively built up, dirty beaches. Strangely the other place I might have gone with kids is Genting Highlands (out of KL - 40 mins in an uber (bit hair-raising and steep at the end) for £15 (a lot further from airport as that is in other direction), - this is definitely NOT to everyone's taste (it is like a combination of a lurid coloured vegas and disneyland on the top of a mountain, and blows your mind a bit) but kids really love it, there are so many eating places to suit all tastes, tons of kid friendly activities, theme park, cable cars etc. We had a hotel that was a good international standard with a massive fab pool, and had a kids pool and we paid £40 a night (couple of years ago, and probably off season, March). They did a shuttle up to the start of the cable car and gave us free tickets for it. As I say, not for everyone, and I am not sure I could spend a week there without my eyes burning out with the neon, but it was family friendly.

Esimasia · 02/08/2024 07:34

Out of interest, the ppl recommending Langkawi, how long ago did you go? I researched it before we chose Vietnam and I found some stuff saying it had died and gone to ruin a bit since Covid? Interested to know if this was acccurate.

Sugarnspicenallthingsnaice · 02/08/2024 07:38

DaysofHoney · 01/08/2024 22:01

Hopping on to ask if anyone can elaborate on difference between Langkawi and Penang? I loved langkawi, really loved it, but very honeymoon-y, upmarket resorts etc, and wondering if Penang has more for a young family perhaps? Thinking of a similar trip!

Penang's appeal is the town IMO. It's like a mini Singapore with lovely traditional and colonial architecture and incredible street food. There are beach resorts but the sand isn't that nice, I wouldn't bother if you're going to Langkawi too, because they're spectacular there.

I would maybe look at Kuala Lumpur for a family holiday if you're in the region, as well as Sentosa Island on Singapore.

Theyweretheworstoftimes · 02/08/2024 07:54

Langkawi, Penang, Khao Lak, it's up the coast from Phuket in a national park.

It's beautiful.

It also depends on what time of year you want to travel as all the above will have a wet/dry season

MangosteenSoda · 02/08/2024 10:08

AgentProvocateur · 30/07/2024 20:22

Penang, Melaka and Langkawi.

Absolutely this!

Original poster
december2020 · 02/08/2024 19:47

These are amazing! Thank you!
May I also ask for any hotel recommendations for the locations? Any absolute gems? All budgets welcome! Ok maybe not all, I don't think I can afford The Raffles rates!

OP posts:
minipie · 02/08/2024 20:08

What time of year? Look at weather patterns

Broadly speaking, east coast areas will be good in our summer, west coast in our winter.

In our summer I would look at Perhentian islands, Tioman island, Borneo, bits of Indonesia (I’d pick Lombok personally).

In our winter, Penang, Langkawi (I didn’t love Penang but that may be because we were there in its wet season).

minipie · 02/08/2024 20:09

Sorry just saw you grew up in SE Asia so I am teaching you to suck eggs re weather patterns 🤦‍♀️

agoodfriendofthethree · 02/08/2024 22:13

We really enjoyed our stay at the Berjaya Langkawi. Gorgeous beach with monkeys, rainforest, lovely family friendly lagoon style pool. We stayed in a family chalet which was excellent.