Hi Dawn

Have you thought about Goa? My daughter and s-i-l used to go to the Varca Beach area every year in November before my grandson was born and even got married in November so that they could have their honeymoon there!

Varca Beach is in South Goa, which they reckon is much more laid back and less developed than the more touristy North, but from what they have told me, it sounds like there are still plenty of different places to visit.

She (Mel Jol) posted a few times on the Goa forum (before motherhood took up all her spare time ) If you're interested in finding out more it's here

Elaine

Thanks Elaine, I must admit I hadn't even considered Goa - I'll check that link out.

After getting some brochures for ideas on resorts etc, the hubby has decided he "isn't too sure" about Goa.

Sorry to bump this back up, but I'm back to square one.

Has anyone else got any suggestions? We want somewhere where we can get out and about and do a bit of exploring rather than spending our days on the beach but I'm just not au fait with the Far East and don't know when is best to go to places like Thailand, Bali etc. or even if they are for us as the people I know at work who visit go to lie on a beach and that ain't what we like. I don't mind a few days to chill out but not a fortnight.

Also, will our budget get us there and is it worth hanging on for a last minute bargain or is it best to book in advance and do a DIY? Any thoughts?

For Thailand in November you would belooking at Phuket and Krabi but not Koh Samui. Bangkok is great whatever the weather! However, October is the end of the monsoon season in these places so I would recommend going later in November to be sure.
I'm not sure about Bali in November. I do know the rainfall is higher but think it is mainly late on in the day or evening. I can certainly recommend Bali though!

We did a three centre DIY Thailand on about your budget (inc. spends) earlier this year staying in 3star/4star hotels. Its a tight limit for the holiday but is doablle, and depends on how much you get the flights to Thailand for. Ours were £300 pounds each. Thailand can be much more than a beach holiday, you could take in the north where hotel prices can be quite reasonable and there are loads of things to do, Bangkok is worth a few days of any one time, and even when you are on the beach there's more to do than just sunbathing - like temple visits, elephant treks, jungle walks, island hopping. Internal flights using the the low-cost airlines are reasonable, so you can take in a few areas. November is just coming into high season for beach areas such as Phuket and Krabi.

Food wise we were budgeting about £20 a day for both of us, lunch and dinner with drinks eating in tourist restaurants. You can spend more, many spend less.

I've visited Malaysia, and Bali with Singapore on similar budgets.

Thanks Fiona and Sunbear. I'll do some research over the next month.

Fiona, what made you say "For Thailand in November you would belooking at Phuket and Krabi but not Koh Samui."

I am going to thailand next week and will be in Koh Samui in early Dec.

November in KS has a very high rainfall. However December is much better. Rainfall stats vary depending upon which source you look at but you would be looking at just over 300 mm in Nov and about 130 mm in December.

Ah I may just be ok then. Thanks alot

I'm sure you will be ok. Have a great holiday- wish it was me!