Where can we go long haul last two weeks of August?

[LoudSnoringDog]

Everywhere seems to be “monsoon season”.
we did Thailand gulf islands last August so keen to do somewhere different.
we have teens with us and want a mix of nice beach resorts and activities. Contemplated Vietnam but unsure on weather?

Thanks all for the fantastic suggestions ( I think I’ve got places to consider for the rest of my life!).
we booked flights yesterday to Kuala Lumpur as they were really reasonably priced. So we’ve locked that in and now just considering do we do two nights there then move onto Borneo and from there Bali with a view to coming back home via KL.
I really want to do Costa Rica one year so will be looking to see when is best there for weather.
If anyone now has suggestions for Borneo and Bali that would be much appreciated!

@XiCi It’s warm in Durban and Kruger during the day. Kruger can definitely be 80 F. If the op wants beach and sunbathing though, then SA isn’t really the place but sightseeing in August is great and excellent for whales !

We climbed mount Batur on Bali, and it was fantastic to be at the top as the sun rose.

I’ve been looking into this. Did you plan it all yourself or go on an organised tour?

planned it all ourselves. It's straightforward to do, easy country to travel in. Our July itinery - Negomobo (just one night to acclimatise after long flight!), Anaradupura and Polonaruwa for ancient sights, Upuvelli (beach time), Sigirya, Mahintale and Kandy for trips in the mountains. We were only there for 2 weeks, this time. YOu could easily had a safari trip in here. Or vary the order, ie spend your last week on the beach at Upuvelli. We're quite 'back-to-basics' travellers, we use local public transport throughout. But a driver would be relatively affordable and easy to arrange. All accomodation either booked directly or via Booking.com. We paid around £20 - £45 a night for four of us. Usually with breakfast, sometimes with a pool.

@elizabethcharlotte. It’s easy to travel around Sri Lanka and plan without a guide, plenty of agencies to book a driver if you want too. First time I went we used all public transport, second time we had a driver but only because we borrowed a friend who lives there’s driver

We stayed in Ubud when we were in Bali which is great for temples, restaurants etc. Friends who lived in Jakarta recommend Nusa Dua.
I have visited both Sabah and Sarawak.
Sabah- Kota Kinabalu was our base. We visited islands from the ferry terminal at jesselton point, tree top walk in Kinabalu park, mount kinabalu, hot springs etc. There used to be an orangutan sanctuary at the Shangri la outside KK, but I think now you will need to go to Sepilok.
Sarawak- stayed in Kuching which I preferred to KK. Great restaurants, museums, long houses, rafting and we saw orangutans in the wild.

I absolutely LOVE the Perenthain islands on the east coast of Malaysia, definitely worth checking out if you can. X

As far as I can tell, Borneo is for nature, not beach time.

We're in Java at the moment and moving on to Borneo (Brunei, partly for the "new country" bragging rights, and Kota Kinabalu) in the next few days. I will be writing a more extensive AMA about (our limited view of) this part of the world when we get back from the trip.

Id recommend a few days in Langkawi from KL if you can. Lovely island, so cheap with some great beaches/hotels/things for teens

Ubud is your go to for culture: temples, rice fields, monkey forest. Hire a driver to take you around for the day, a reasonable price and they know the places to go.
I went up north to go beachy and can’t say it was particularly worth it. I mean, I did a good boat trip out and saw dolphins but from what I remember that was about it.
The Gili islands are great for relaxing (NOT Gili T, that’s party central!).
if you have time I would one hundred percent recommend travelling to Komodo National Park. It was a few days trip on a boat (mostly backpackers the one I went on and VERY basic, but I’m sure they do more private for families). A long old trip but the scenery is stunning and they stop at beaches for you. You get to go see the amazing Komodo dragons, truly a once in a life time experience and one I’ll never forget. Stayed in Labuan Bajo after and did some diving from there, absolutely stunning underwater and saw manta rays!
Then from there fly to Borneo and take a trip to see the orangutans, again a once in a lifetime opportunity, look up “Orangutan River Boat” on Facebook, fantastic guide, he’ll take you on a boat for a few days with your own chef and crew and is SO knowledgable about the orangutans and knows the individual orangutans really well. He’ll also show you other wildlife, the proboscis monkeys, creepy crawlers in the jungle and fireflies at night. I had an absolutely incredible time with him and one day dream of going back with my family (I was a solo backpacker then!).
Can you tell I’m now dreaming of 10 years ago pre kids…..

Phong Nha cave, Hue, Danang, Hoian… in central Vietnam.

So we looked at central Vietnam last night and in problem veering more towards there now…. Would love to hear more about these areas across two weeks ( what’s the best way to do it etc)

Broome (cable beach) and the Kimberley region, Western Australia. Dry season there, guaranteed sunshine, beach days, outback adventure, swimming in waterfalls, amazing seafood/fruits/meat. Teens will love it.

I’ve done Vietnam in August. It’s hot and we had a couple of rain episodes but they were absolutely nothing to affect the holiday. Don’t let it put you off visiting any part

Hoi An is beautiful: great restaurants, beautiful architecture, lovely shops and anbang beach for some relaxation. My son sanctuary is near Hoi An and is a UNESCO heritage site.
We hired a car and driver to travel to Hue - about three hours. Hue is the former capital of Vietnam and packed with historic attractions. Recommend a Vespa tour with
https://www.vespaadventures.com/vietnam?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=vnpm&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23200845060&gbraid=0AAAAAq93UCvYmeDRQkvGlA4zBKskCbNAH&gclid=Cj0KCQiA4eHLBhCzARIsAJ2NZoKC1rkD_3yIngAH5xLulAPau3Ag9pKbGoA_vFeqS4O92Pu3NszIRwgaAmcEEALw_wcB
The weather can be incredibly hot in the summer - it was between 40 and 45 degrees when we there eight years ago.

@Calmondeck Might not like the very long flights though. There’s nearer places!

Do some research on Travelfish site for them!

We went to Barbados in July 2 years ago. It was great weather. Rained for 5 minutes about 3 times. Very very warm though.

Could I ask, why did it specifically have to be long haul?