# Similar to Maldives but without the price!



## SpokeyDokey (4 Apr 2021)

Nice as they look the Maldives look over-priced to us - we reckon on £12-14000 for two for a fortnight for a beach side 'villa' and BA flights before meals/drinks/activities.

Quite fancy a kick back and chill break NY right by the sea but without the silly cost.

Closest we have ever come to that was Goa some years back but that has been developed a lot since then.

Any suggestions welcome.


----------



## fossyant (4 Apr 2021)

Skegness ?


----------



## MartinQ (4 Apr 2021)

fossyant said:


> Skegness ?



That will be closer to the £12 end of the budget range.


----------



## Brandane (4 Apr 2021)

Negril, Jamaica?


----------



## Grant Fondo (4 Apr 2021)

SpokeyDokey said:


> Nice as they look the Maldives look over-priced to us - we reckon on £12-14000 for two for a fortnight for a beach side 'villa' and BA flights before meals/drinks/activities.
> 
> Quite fancy a kick back and chill break NY right by the sea but without the silly cost.
> 
> ...


Not sure if they are first class flights, but never spent that sort of money? June to October you can generally get decent deals. Been four times and the cheapest was the best. It was £800 for both of us for 2 weeks


----------



## Cycleops (4 Apr 2021)

How about Frinton on Sea? Some lovely beach villas there.







https://essex.muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/essex/frinton-on-sea/amp/


----------



## vickster (4 Apr 2021)

Vietnam 
And then over to Siem Reap for the wonder that truly is Angkor Wat

However, you’ve plenty of money you say, interest rates are pathetic and you can’t take it with you so why not just go to the Maldives if that’s what you really fancy


----------



## T4tomo (4 Apr 2021)

vickster said:


> Vietnam
> And then over to Siem Reap for the wonder that truly is Angkor Wat
> 
> However, you’ve plenty of money you say, interest rates are pathetic and you can’t take it with you so why not just go to the Maldives if that’s what you really fancy


That's a good shout, somewhere chilled like Hoi An would fit the bill.


----------



## Slick (4 Apr 2021)

SpokeyDokey said:


> Nice as they look the Maldives look over-priced to us - we reckon on £12-14000 for two for a fortnight for a beach side 'villa' and BA flights before meals/drinks/activities.
> 
> Quite fancy a kick back and chill break NY right by the sea but without the silly cost.
> 
> ...


South Africa would be my choice.

Unbelievable country, not always for the right reasons but a great destination all the same.


----------



## numbnuts (4 Apr 2021)

vickster said:


> Vietnam
> And then over to Siem Reap for the wonder that truly is Angkor Wat
> 
> However, you’ve plenty of money you say, interest rates are pathetic and you can’t take it with you so why not just go to the Maldives if that’s what you really fancy


NO  the vietnamese are coming here as refugees, so the war is still going on


----------



## vickster (4 Apr 2021)

numbnuts said:


> NO  the vietnamese are coming here as refugees, so the war is still going on


WTF


----------



## fossyant (4 Apr 2021)

What's the budget, and when do you want to go. Biggest issues.

Can't even go 65 miles into Wales at the moment at our caravan. Just did 56 miles to West Kirby to wave at where our caravan is today...


----------



## Cirrus (4 Apr 2021)

Not sure if it has the vibe you're after but I'm quite fancying Cuba at the moment.


----------



## Cycleops (4 Apr 2021)

I believe Jeremy Corbyn was a big fan


----------



## steveindenmark (4 Apr 2021)

All inclusive at Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Great place.


----------



## gbb (4 Apr 2021)

If you want real chill, no nightlife (barring the entertainment at the hotel), very few people, quiet beaches, blue sea, warm enough to swim in but not tropical...Cape Verde.
When we arrived, the interior is a bit like Mars, a bit alarming....but endless beautiful sandy beaches with very few people beyond the bit the hotel has its beds etc on....it was a revelation, the ultimate unwind, sit on the sand, swim in the crashing (but seemingly safe) waves, relax, empty your head and chill holiday I ever had.
But theres very little else there (we went to Sal)

Edited , apologies, I missed the New Year bit, no idea what Cape Verde is like at that time of year,, we went August time.


----------



## dodgy (4 Apr 2021)

We went to the Maldives in about 2005 (I will have to check the date). It was to be the holiday of a lifetime. The accommodation was in fact superb, I mean really amazing. We had a little hut/villa on stilts with private access in to the lagoon, octopus, rays, small sharks nipping at the stilts in the evening, all lit up by underwater lamps. It was amazing.
But.
By day 3 I was bored off my tits.
Seriously. I really wanted to appreciate it, but I was simply bored. I know I sound ungrateful.
So don't worry about not going there, if you're an active person there are better holidays. Having said that, there were a few recreational divers at the resort who seemed to enjoy it.


----------



## DCLane (4 Apr 2021)

If you want closer - Mauritius / Cape Verde (as mentioned above). I'd also echo South Africa and the coast - after we had been volunteering in Swaziland, which I'd recommend visiting, we had a break in a beach lodge near Richard's Bay. No-one else in sight all day long.


----------



## gbb (4 Apr 2021)

Sal, Cape Verde, 200 yards behind, you see the hotel beachbeds....







And beyond as far as you can see....same either side of the hotel




It goes on like that for maybe 2 miles.


----------



## Grant Fondo (4 Apr 2021)

dodgy said:


> We went to the Maldives in about 2005 (I will have to check the date). It was to be the holiday of a lifetime. The accommodation was in fact superb, I mean really amazing. We had a little hut/villa on stilts with private access in to the lagoon, octopus, rays, small sharks nipping at the stilts in the evening, all lit up by underwater lamps. It was amazing.
> But.
> By day 3 I was bored off my tits.
> Seriously. I really wanted to appreciate it, but I was simply bored. I know I sound ungrateful.
> So don't worry about not going there, if you're an active person there are better holidays. Having said that, there were a few recreational divers at the resort who seemed to enjoy it.


Friends of mine have said the same thing... if you don't enjoy a few hours a day snorkelling/diving its not the place to go. You can walk around some islands in 10 mins. The isolation appeals to some, not others. We went to Kuredu in 2019, its huge, you could even watch the inter-island league on the Kuredu FC footy pitch! Magical place though and easily the best beaches and sea I have seen. Remote parts of the Philippines aside, but who goes there?


----------



## Cycleops (4 Apr 2021)

gbb said:


> Sal, Cape Verde, 200 yards behind, you see the hotel beachbeds....
> View attachment 582346
> 
> 
> ...


Not far from me. Could make a nice break.


----------



## Dan77 (4 Apr 2021)

Koh Chang is nice. There are some smaller islands nearby within the national park if you want to be even more isolated but I think there are resorts on Koh Chang which give you that feel whilst still being able to take a bus to town for the bars, shops, etc.


----------



## FrankCrank (5 Apr 2021)

Dan77 said:


> Koh Chang is nice. There are some smaller islands nearby within the national park if you want to be even more isolated but I think there are resorts on Koh Chang which give you that feel whilst still being able to take a bus to town for the bars, shops, etc.


+1....it's our favourite island here, Lanta being second choice. Big downer though is quarantine on arrival, down to 10 days now, but until they drop this can't see anyone wanting to come for a typical length of vacation.


----------



## Arrowfoot (5 Apr 2021)

Bali for the widest options for nearly all travel attributes
Price - budget to luxuries
Beaches - busy to quiet stretches
Accommodation site - city or an isolated forest with infinity pool with nothing but natural greenery to bright green rice terraces
Accommodation type - 5 star high rise hotels to villas
Mix and match - somedays quite and idyllic and somedays busy night markets, you won't get bored
Book a table at a 5 star for NY celebration and enjoy with people from across the world. 
Nice people, warm and tropical,
value for money


----------



## Blue Hills (5 Apr 2021)

fossyant said:


> Skegness ?



I just knew on seeing the title of this thread what some of the replies would be.
I have been on holiday to Skegness but I don't remember it being an island.
So i nominate, rather more islandish, Canvey.


----------



## MartinQ (5 Apr 2021)

Blue Hills said:


> I just knew on seeing the title of this thread what some of the replies would be.
> I have been on holiday to Skegness but I don't remember it being an island.
> So i nominate, rather more islandish, Canvey.




You've obviously not lived 
https://www.fantasyislandresort.co.uk/


----------



## Bonefish Blues (5 Apr 2021)

We don't really know your priorities/criteria, OP?


----------



## Blue Hills (5 Apr 2021)

MartinQ said:


> You've obviously not lived
> https://www.fantasyislandresort.co.uk/


too early as usual - it was actually ingoldmells we went to - before that place sprouted.


----------



## Blue Hills (5 Apr 2021)

On a more serious note OP, save some money, and lots of jet fuel, and airtime.
I can recommend Sardinia.
Flights from all over the country usually.
Some spectacular beaches, particularly if you are prepared to walk a bit - a google will show you pics
Beaches so great they have had to start fining some folks for nicking sand.
Plenty hot enough and in fact I would avoid July/August - plus for other reasons.
Great cheap wine - some of the best from pumps into your own jerry cans.
Great food.
Also a very interesting interior - ancient remains etc.,
And excellent cycling - either on very good tarmac or white roads.


----------



## contadino (5 Apr 2021)

Blue Hills said:


> On a more serious note OP, save some money, and lots of jet fuel, and airtime.
> I can recommend Sardinia.
> Flights from all over the country usually.
> Some spectacular beaches, particularly if you are prepared to walk a bit - a google will show you pics
> ...



The Maldives have the benefit of having manta rays to swim with, but I'd take Italy over the Maldives any day.


----------



## SpokeyDokey (5 Apr 2021)

fossyant said:


> Skegness ?



Done that - nice coastal path walking too!


----------



## SpokeyDokey (5 Apr 2021)

Grant Fondo said:


> Not sure if they are first class flights, but never spent that sort of money? June to October you can generally get decent deals. Been four times and the cheapest was the best. It was £800 for both of us for 2 weeks



Thanks GF - who was that through if you don't mend me asking? Seems fantastically cheap for a long-haul holiday.


----------



## SpokeyDokey (5 Apr 2021)

vickster said:


> Vietnam
> And then over to Siem Reap for the wonder that truly is Angkor Wat
> 
> However, you’ve plenty of money you say, interest rates are pathetic and you can’t take it with you so why not just go to the Maldives if that’s what you really fancy



Yup, more than enough money to 'see us out' however we do like to get VFM for what we spend and we are not convinced that the prices we've found give us that.

Haven't considered Vietnam tbh so that's a big unknown - just looking for a chilled dossing holiday somewhere hot and relaxed. Also been looking at Mauritius too which seems rather nice.


----------



## SpokeyDokey (5 Apr 2021)

fossyant said:


> What's the budget, and when do you want to go. Biggest issues.
> 
> Can't even go 65 miles into Wales at the moment at our caravan. Just did 56 miles to West Kirby to wave at where our caravan is today...



No real budget, we just want good value and to have some fun without paying silly OTT prices - we tend to balk at above £6-8000 especially after a ghastly holiday in The Dominican Republic some while back that cost us a lot and simply didn't deliver.

We are free agents re timing.


----------



## SpokeyDokey (5 Apr 2021)

steveindenmark said:


> All inclusive at Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Great place.



I've just posted re TDG - thanks for taking the time to reply but we had a truly hideous experience there on the NE coast.


----------



## T4tomo (5 Apr 2021)

numbnuts said:


> NO  the vietnamese are coming here as refugees, so the war is still going on


Racist halfwit.


----------



## SpokeyDokey (5 Apr 2021)

gbb said:


> If you want real chill, no nightlife (barring the entertainment at the hotel), very few people, quiet beaches, blue sea, warm enough to swim in but not tropical...Cape Verde.
> When we arrived, the interior is a bit like Mars, a bit alarming....but endless beautiful sandy beaches with very few people beyond the bit the hotel has its beds etc on....it was a revelation, the ultimate unwind, sit on the sand, swim in the crashing (but seemingly safe) waves, relax, empty your head and chill holiday I ever had.
> But theres very little else there (we went to Sal)
> 
> Edited , apologies, I missed the New Year bit, no idea what Cape Verde is like at that time of year,, we went August time.



Thanks for that, sounds nice too - I typed NY for Next Year.


----------



## SpokeyDokey (5 Apr 2021)

Thank you very much for all the replies - much appreciated and some food for thought there.

We'll give Skeggy a miss though although we had a great time walking and listening to a couple of live bands over an evening pub meal when we were there.


----------



## Grant Fondo (5 Apr 2021)

SpokeyDokey said:


> Thanks GF - who was that through if you don't mend me asking? Seems fantastically cheap for a long-haul holiday.


It was via Co-Op Travel a few years back now and on half board basis to Fihalhohi Island. Stunning reef around all of the island and nice simple beach bungalows


----------



## Bonefish Blues (5 Apr 2021)

Bahamas? I've been many times, to most islands (fishing) and as long as not New Providence, then lovely, and with some great hotels like Tiamo on Andros for instance.


----------



## flake99please (5 Apr 2021)

If you want isolated, try the Lakshadweep Islands.


----------



## Grant Fondo (5 Apr 2021)

SpokeyDokey said:


> I've just posted re TDG - thanks for taking the time to reply but we had a truly hideous experience there on the NE coast.


We have had two bad ones, Jamaica and Mauritius, the latter being massively over-hyped imo.
Thailand is another favourite, along with Bali


----------



## vickster (5 Apr 2021)

Lombok?


----------



## gbb (5 Apr 2021)

I should add regarding Cape Verde, The Maldives or Mauritius it's not. There is very little lush greenery there, the small town nearby was 'somewhat rundown' but ok, you can walk there safely, you will get accosted by friendly but determined sellers. The interior of Sal is visually like Mars. Youd rely on the hotels for entertainment although there were a few trips, there are restaurants nearby but it's so quiet there,they often werent open.
It's a hotel holiday, use their facilities, relax, you see how wonderful the beaches are within yards of the hotel itself, the Riu hotels are quite acceptable, almost village like in our hotel. 
But that's it....best holiday I ever had, no, not at all, but once you relaxed and fitted into it, it had something I'd never experienced...a complete shut down in yourself which was a nice thing to do...and walk along miles of peacefull beaches...if youre that way inclined.


----------



## Dave7 (6 Apr 2021)

fossyant said:


> What's the budget, and when do you want to go. Biggest issues.
> 
> Can't even go 65 miles into Wales at the moment at our caravan. Just did 56 miles to West Kirby to wave at where our caravan is today...


Did you get a Kelly's Cornish ice cream while you were there ?


----------



## fossyant (6 Apr 2021)

Dave7 said:


> Did you get a Kelly's Cornish ice cream while you were there ?



Queue was too long at the Kiosk so walked to the ice cream van


----------



## wormo (6 Apr 2021)

We went to Sri Lanka march 20. that was a great holiday.


----------



## vickster (6 Apr 2021)

wormo said:


> We went to Sri Lanka march 20. that was a great holiday.


During lockdown??


----------



## wormo (6 Apr 2021)

vickster said:


> During lockdown??


We arrived back the week before lockdown started in 2020


----------



## vickster (6 Apr 2021)

wormo said:


> We arrived back the week before lockdown started in 2020


Assumed you mean 20 March 2021...


----------



## Beebo (6 Apr 2021)

How about a top end eco resort in Mexico or mainland Sri Lanka. 
It would be cheaper than the Maldives and you have somewhere to go if you get bored.


----------



## icowden (7 Apr 2021)

Another vote for Mauritius. Malaysia is another place - Langkawi or somewhere like Pangkor Laut Spa island if you just want to relax. Also with the option of going on safari in Borneo, or weekending in the capital. Once you get there western currency is very strong compared to the Ringgit. Not sure how it compares to 2004 but we had a great time!!


----------



## TheDoctor (18 Apr 2021)

Corsica?
We went a few years back - Eurostar and TGV to Marseilles, ferry to Ajjacio and picked up a hire car. We stayed on the east coast, and split our time between the sea (warm, not too rough) and walking, (flat and scenic to properly mountainous)
Sardinia we also enjoyed.


----------



## SpokeyDokey (27 Apr 2021)

Thank you for your many responses - much appreciated.


----------

