June exotic beach honeymoon - Koh Samui vs. Bali vs. Maldives vs. Philippines

Knottie1435610087

I know there must be others out there researching exotic beach honeymoons!

About us - we are traveling from NYC, we have 9 days to spend total (2 for travel, 7 in country), and we would like nice beaches to relax on paired with some fun activities. We can eat where the locals do and we also enjoy fine dining. We would like a nice private villa that has an ocean view, and a Jacuzzi or private pool en suite, two sinks in the bathroom, and a four poster bed with an airy gauze canopy (one can dream here!). We want great service, but not at the Four Seasons' price.

Our budget is $5-6k all in. We would like to spend around or under $300 a night for our room in a nice villa. flights to all of these places are around $1000 (including transfers). that leaves food/drink/activities around $150 a day.

I've narrowed it down to the following locations that seen to fit the bill:

1. Koh Samui Thailand - affordable once there, some culture, nice beach, activities, good food, easy flight to Bangkok
2. Bali - culture, art, great rain forests, ok beaches, affordable once there, can be crowded/touristy
   
3. Maldives - gorgeous secluded beaches, not much to do, resort food, lots of all inclusive options
4. Philippines, El Nido or Boracay - beautiful beaches, culture, less crowded, affordable

I've excluded the following based on expensive flight pricing - Tahiti, Huahine, Seychelles, Fiji.

We are also considering Costa Rica, Mexico, and Caribbean, but we would prefer somewhere far away since we have the time. I've seen some great spots in Cambodia and Malaysia but I'm not too sure on these as they are not huge international tourist spots and we want to be comfortable.

Have any of you stayed in any of these locations? Any input for any of them pros/cons?

Any suggestions for specific resorts to stay at that fit the bill?

Am I missing any other amazing locations in the world??


Thanks!!

CMGragain

Koh Samui is a stop for cruise ships.  I think the resorts are on the other side of the island.  We were dismayed at the poverty evident on the island.
We loved Bali for all the cultural activities.  You need a VISA to visit Indonesia.
I was at these locations in December, and I vividly remember the heat and humidity.  I can't imagine what June would be like.
What about Tahiti?

thespeshulestsnowflake

And don't forget that it is monsoon season in the summer in the Asia-Pacific area. So a beach vacation could be impacted by that.

Jells2dot0

CMGragain said:

Koh Samui is a stop for cruise ships.  I think the resorts are on the other side of the island.  We were dismayed at the poverty evident on the island.
We loved Bali for all the cultural activities.  You need a VISA to visit Indonesia.
I was at these locations in December, and I vividly remember the heat and humidity.  I can't imagine what June would be like.
What about Tahiti?

I've been to French Polynesia (Tahiti, Bora Bora, Huahine, etc) 6 times. $6k in June is absolutely not going to cut it, unless you are there 5-6 nights, do a garden bungalow, and only go to Moorea. That might even be a stretch.

I've just started planning a Maldives trip for next year. I'm using airline miles, so I'm planning far in advance. I also do not think $6k will be enough. The trip we're planning, though more like two weeks, is over $20k.

Fiji is a little more doable, but still tough. You probably would not be able to do much island hopping.

How about the Cooks? There is only one direct flight from LAX a week, so you're there for 5 nights or 12. But, the currency is based on the New Zealand dollar, which is doing very well right now compared to the dollar. We've been and loved it. We're also going to New Zealand if you wanted to do a stopover. Flights are still pricey, though.

NowIAmSyp

I've been to the Philippines twice.  I LOVED Boracay, but I'm not sure there's that much to do there that you'd be able to fill a week.  We went for a weekend excursion out of Manila, and 3 days was just about perfect.  Of course, your money will go far in the Philippines- flights will be expensive, but once you get there, your money will go far.  

There are 3-4 "stations" in Boracay- depending on their location along the beach.  Research the different vibes of each station, and then once you pick where you want to be, you can select your hotel from there.  We stayed at the Astoria in Station 1- great hotel, but not something I'd peg as "perfect" for you based on your requests above.  

Could you island hop around the Philippines?  3-4 days in Boracay, then 3-4 days in Palawan (El Nido)?  That might be awesome- and the inter-island flights are relatively cheap.

Whatever you choose, good luck and have fun!

Knottie1435610087

Thank you so much for this info on the Philippines! I've read so much about how gorgeous the beaches are. Great feedback about perhaps spending 3 nights in both places. I'm liking this and Ko Samui best right now...

redwoodoriginal

I would not go to the Thailand islands in June. I went at the middle to end of May last year and some of the islands we wanted to go to we couldn't bc the islands had already put their monsoon season ferry schedule in place, which meant for some, they wouldn't even go to some of the islands and for others you had to hop off the long tail boats halfway out in the water and carry your luggage over your head to get to the shoreline. 

Jells2dot0

kirasmart said:

Koh Samui is a perfect honeymoon destination! We opted for the villa set in the mountains overlooking beautiful view of the sea. The guys from (removed for TOS violation) helped us find our perfect villa with absolutely breathtaking views and the modern rooms. In general, Koh Samui is the most romantic place on the planet  

ETF Requesting IP check for vendors!

speedyturtle

redwoodoriginal said:

I would not go to the Thailand islands in June. I went at the middle to end of May last year and some of the islands we wanted to go to we couldn't bc the islands had already put their monsoon season ferry schedule in place, which meant for some, they wouldn't even go to some of the islands and for others you had to hop off the long tail boats halfway out in the water and carry your luggage over your head to get to the shoreline. 

Having just researched this myself since we are going to Koh Samui in June for part of our honeymoon (can't wait!), the rainy season on the gulf side doesn't start until the fall, whereas on the Andaman side it's already iffy in June. So I wouldn't worry about the ferries and weather in Koh Samui for that time of year. Should be hot but not rainy (perfect for the beach). We're going to spend a few days in Ao Nang near Krabi on the Andaman also which doesn't require a ferry so if the weather doesn't cooperate we'll still be okay. Kayaking and hiking in the rain is okay with us. On the Andaman, things are CRAZY cheap in June since it's "green season" as they call it. There's cheap flights between Krabi and Koh Samui, so if you want to split your time between the more expensive Koh Samui and the budget-friendly Ao Nang that could be something to consider.