Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

Undecided where to go this year, probably be either Goa Thailand or Phillipines, anyone been to any of these places and what did you think of it

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

What time of year you thinking of going? I have colleagues in both Mumbai(Bombay) and Manilla. I do know that in the height of their summer the Phillipines it is around 40-45 C. Even now in winter they think its a 'chilly' 21.

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

Dont know yet exactly but will be around April to July we think

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

Anywhere in the philipines specifically? I'll ask the locals what its really like.

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

Been looking at Boracay, did you know that the Phiilipines are made up of 7100 Islands?

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

Yep, We have an enormous map of teh place on teh wall :)

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

Goa Thailand or Phillipines sounds more like a garry glitter tour date sheet than a holiday :D

that aside i know one person who has visited thailand and one person who lived there for a while and they give the impression that they liked it a lot

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

Not like that at all m8 :) its just 3 places that we would like to see

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

yeah i guess that did read bad lo but be assured i wasnt refering to your reason for going lol

ok the more i type the deeper the hole is getting :o

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

Thailand is an experience. Bangkok is busy and bustling with a brilliant mix of modern and ancient. Lots of temples and great shopping, 3 or 4 days in Bangkok is a must if you go to Thailand. The Thai islands are beautiful, one of my mates stayed on Koh Samui for a couple of weeks and loved it. It is a generally safe place to visit and the people are friendly and respectful.

My uncle lived in the Phillipines for a while and loved it.

Never been to India but it is somewhere I'd like to go......:D

Australia for us this year I think.

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

Thanks Lettie, I intend staying a few days in Bangkok if we decide on Thailand but we keep changing our minds :) Goa is looking fav at the min
Where abouts in Oz are you going?

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

When Lettie & I stopped off in Bangkok, whilst on our way to New Zealand, earlier this year. It was the end of March when we passed through and the climate was very humid. Within minutes of being outside the air conditioned hotel, I was wringing wet with sweat, whereas Lettie lightly perspired. :rolleyes:

We stopped in the Montien Hotel, which was directly opposite the Patpong Markets. By day, it is just a series of unassuming streets, but by night... Wey-hey!!! :w00t: :flasher8: :D

We also stopped off in Singapore, on the way home from New Zealand. This is one impressive city. A great place for flexing the plastic, but not quite as cheap as Hong Kong.

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

Thanks, New Zealand is a place that she wants to go to but i'm keeping quiet about that for now, dont want to put a 4th option in, its bad enough trying to choose between 3 lol, but if she does mention it i'll put Hong Kong in as thats a place I want to see :)
Done Singapore on our way back from Oz last year and liked it a lot, not really an holiday place put a good place for a stop over, you agree? if we do Thailand or Phillipines we will be having a stop-over in Singapore again but I think we will stay on Sentosa, thats really nice, did you go?

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

I have to write a begging letter to work in order to get enough time off to go to Australia. Where we go all depends on how much time I can get. We are aiming to go either the end of December in order to catch the Sydney test match starting 2nd Jan or we will be going in November to catch the test match in Brisbane. We would also like a couple of days in Melbourne. A stopover in Hong Kong is definitely back on the agenda, I loved the place. :D

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

Ooooooh Lettie you are making me drool. I would love to be going to Oz this year. Our prohibition order expires on the 6th of July so we will be able to travel on ETA's again......but somehow I don't think we will be able to go.

I can dream though!

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

Prohibition order marg??? what is that and why did you get one and explaine ETA's, yes I know this is making me sound a bit of a thicko, no comments pls :rolleyes:

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

ETA's are electronic visa's, you can get them on-line, no need to send your passport away any more to get them done

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

Marg P ended up as a criminal. She wrote about it somewhere on here, maybe her blog.

They should welcome a fellow convict with open arms, lol.

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

Yes, H.R. we ended up as illegal aliens in 2003. I tried to tell them we were tourists.....not terrorists.....but they didn't listen.
It was all a very unfortunate mistake made by the tour company that organised our visas......they gave us a 12month multiple entry visa (we were staying for 6 months)......BUT, they neglected to tell us that we could only stay in Oz for 3 months at any one time......we should have been told.....and if we had been told we would have gone to NZ for a week or so. It was a real imbuggerance......I took it up with the Senior Immigration wallah in Melbourne.....they said to take it up with Australia house over here.....nobody wanted to know.....least of all the travel firm who had by this time pocketed my money and were not interested in customer satisfaction......The Company in question was Bridge the World.....who are now part of the Airtours Group (but they weren't at the time we travelled with them). so for the past couple of times we have gone to Oz I have had to fill in an 11 page document for each of us.....pay £60 each AND get a covering letter from our relatives about the reason for the visit.
I will NEVER let a travel company sort out visas for me ever again! You live and learn.

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

Crickey Marg, what a nightmare!!!! It just shows how much we are at the mercy of tour companies sometimes. It has been quite a few years since I have gone on a package. I have got in to the habit of booking flights and accomodation direct but I know sometimes this isn't always the best way. Transfers from the airport can be a problem sometimes

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

Oh.....it wasn't a package as such.....it was a holiday that I tailor made.....if I had been on the internet at the time I would have done it all myself.....including the visas. It was my retirement present to myself and it had been in the planning (and the saving) for almost five years.
I chose the flights and the resorts......and Bridge the World did the bookings.
We spent something in the region of £7000 with them......but when I complained about the problem with the visas they just told me that the guy who had dealt with me had left their company. It was a hard way to learn.

Hubby was stressed out like you wouldn't believe......he had to go for a lie down in the airport lounge to let his blood pressure come down.

Re: Goa Thailand or Phillipines?
 

If you want something different and not too expensive, try Cuba. Fantastic place and lovely people, once they know you're not American! There's lots to see and some fantastic beaches. Best to go on a package first time. Voyages Jules Verne are very well organised, but they don't "nanny" you. They even give you a free cold beer on the coach from the airport!