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snuggels
960 Posts |
 Posted - 22 Sep 2011 : 02:25:04
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Food For Thought
Paradice on the cheap
There are far nicer ways to have a cheap holiday and still feel like you're in paradise, rather than making do in a slightly milder version of hell. A recent survey by the Post Office has identified Portugal as one of the best value destinations overall for Brits - we say head for the country's sub-tropical island Madeira or beach city Lisbon.
The survey also identifies other countries like Malaysia and Thailand as more expensive - sorry, we don't agree. They may have higher inflation than before, but cheap street snacks and budget boutique stays will always make them good value. Most of the places picked - from bamboo huts in Kerala to cheap steak houses in Buenos Aires - will require a slightly budget-breaking air ticket, but most major airlines including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic run sales in January, and intermittently throughout the year.
Why visit: The second-longest barrier reef in the world runs right off the coast of Roatan, and is so close to the coastline, you can go snorkelling from the shore in some spots. Besides the great beaches and bargain hotel rates, the Bay Islands of Honduras are one of the cheapest places in the world to get an open water scuba certification, at less than £200 for the five-day course.
Bargain: Lisbon's back alleys serve up lovely little family-run restaurants that are considerably cheaper than the equivalent in Spain, while apartments facing the sea can be rented for a snip. The Algarve is also primed for cheap stays, while Madeira's beautiful quintas are very reasonable, with some converted mansions offering rates around £25 per night per person.
Why visit: Lisbon offers a gastronomic adventure for a song, as well as toe-tapping musical nights out, and lazy days on the beach, watching the fishermen cast their nets. Porto Santo and Madeira are a bit more mellow and preferred by package holidaymakers. Madeira is home to a spectacular market bursting with spices, vegetables and fish (including the indigenous black scabbard fish caught 1,000 metres below sea level), so our recommendation would be to hire a cheap but chic apartment and cook feasts at home.
Bargain: Beautiful people with a zest for life and plenty of deserted beaches, all at prices lower than European beaches. Capim Santo, an eco chic hotel on the beach, has rooms from £36 per person.
Why visit: Many of the beaches in South America have a short season and are far from spectacular, but Brazil's 8,000 kilometres of coastline are home to so many great ones, it would take years to explore them all. Within the Bahia state, asking which beach is the best is like asking a man in Rio de Janeiro to name the most beautiful woman in the city.
Bargain: Free-flowing cocktails and food at all-inclusive resorts, which usually cost less than £100 a person per night in high season.
Why visit: Possibly the best value destination in the Caribbean, this palm-fringed gem has long attracted Europeans who just want to flop on a pristine beach and have everything taken care of. Ideally you can leave frosty Blighty at breakfast and be sipping piña coladas before sundown.
Bargain: Vegetarian meals for a pound, fresh coconut juice for 20p, Ayurvedic massages for a tenner and a picture-perfect view.
Why visit: Near the southern tip of India, the beaches of Kerala are often compared to how Goa was 20 years ago - all coconut palms and laid-back beach hotels. Although the five star hotels are muscling in - particularly in the idyllic backwaters - there are still lots of boutique homestays, converted ancient mansions and bamboo huts. This is India without the hassles, in a region where there are few weather extremes.
Bargain: The Mayan Riviera may have a slightly less sophisticated pedigree to its French counterpart, but it is every bit as beautiful and much cheaper.
Why visit: Mexico has long been one of the world's great travel bargains at every budget level: think beers for £1 and two quid for a plate of enchiladas. With violence on the US border scaring off tourists, hotels are flooding the market with promotional deals. Fly into Cancun and then head south to Playa del Carmen, a pedestrian-friendly town with dozens of hotels
Bargain: Get your pad thai fix for under £2 a plate and go scuba diving at the Phi Phi islands for £83 a day (which includes three dives) through Dive Asia.
Why visit: Thailand has been pooh-poohed by those who believe it overrun with British tourists, but with the recent opening of W Hotels in Koh Samui and Como Shambhala's plans to open a resort in Phuket in 2012, it is fast emerging as a luxe-for-less destination. Fantastic cheap food, beautiful beaches and an average temperature of 32 degrees in February - what's not to like? Some tour companies and airlines (try Virgin and Qantas) are currently offering Phuket 10-day holiday packages for under £1,000 a person including flights
Bargain: Cheap exploration including £8 motorcycle rentals, £4 airport taxis and ferries to Penang for £12, or an all-day island-hopping tour for £20.
Why visit: Technically a collection of 99 islands off the coast of Malaysia, the airport and main clutch of boutique hotels are located on pretty Pulau Langkawi. Bon Ton Resort is a quirky collection of refurbished old Malay houses, which start from £40 per person, per night, or Beach Garden Resort has rooms from £25 pppn in high season. Thanks to duty free shops, this also happens to be the area with the cheapest alcohol in Malaysia.
Bargain: With curries for less than a pound and comfortable guesthouses starting at £15, you'll have plenty of cash left over for exploring the countryside.
Why visit: After 25 years of civil war, Sri Lanka is finally peaceful again. A tropical island full of potential, it is ready to welcome visitors of all budget ranges with open arms. Infrastructure development is in overdrive, which means prices should stay low for years to come. The island has plenty of fantastic beaches, but Tangalle's crescent bay has some of the best-value small boutique hotels and eco-lodges where you can park yourself in a hammock and take in the sea view.
Bargain: February flights from Heathrow to Santorini are less than £300 on Aegean or Olympic airlines, but if you can wait till April, they are around £145 from Easyjet. Self-catering apartments here are also ridiculously cheaper than hotels.
Why visit: Many travellers stayed away from Greece last year as the country's financial meltdown led to austerity measures and protests in the streets. Hotels, airlines, and tour companies are working hard to bring holidaymakers back and the usual pre-summer season should offer even better deals than usual this year. Santorini's dazzling white buildings and panoramic vistas are still intact of course, making this a great year to visit this volcanic island in the Mediterranean
Bargain: Nearly everything you buy is a deal here, from hiring a car and driver to attending cultural performances for £2 - £3 each.
Why visit: In a land where £1 gets you 14,000 of the local rupiah, you'll find prices too low to believe, especially if you spend some time inland in towns such as Ubud, where Balinese culture is the main draw instead of concrete-lined beaches. Hotel prices are some of the best value in Asia: even the £5 rooms often have a nice garden and include breakfast. Spend £50 a night and your jaw will drop at what you can get for your money.
Bargain: The island has a superb collection of cheap yet chic boutique hotels, starting from £30 per person, per night.
Why visit: The islands of Unguja and Pemba (otherwise known as Zanzibar), have long been a crossroads of cultures, influenced by the seafaring trade around the Indian ocean. Apart from delectable seafood and spice plantation tours, there is a wide range of small hotels with character. Sure you can spend more than £600 per night at the chic Baraza Resort, but there are plenty of others to choose from for £100 or less, like the Zanzibar Palace boutique hotel in Stone Town, Z Hotel in Jambiani (which has Philippe Starck furniture) and Uroa Bay Beach Resort, which is set on pure white sand.
Bargain: It is still a developing country, home to a flourishing boutique hotel scene. Apart from mini-bar bills, everything you buy will cost a fraction of what you pay at home, from taxis to drinks to private guides.
Why visit: Home to one of the great wonders of the world - Angkor Wat - Siem Reap has a whole host of tiny temples that are free to visit. When you get tired of sightseeing, head to the relatively quiet beaches in Sihanoukville. On some sandy stretches, you can drink beer and eat freshly grilled seafood from thatch-roofed restaurants for a few pounds.
Bargain: One of the world's most interesting cuisines at less than £5 a meal and the cheapest beer on Earth.
Why visit: The sterling has pitiful returns in Europe and America, but not in Vietnam, where its value has increased 20 per cent in the past two years. A fascinating country punctuated by limestone cliffs, river markets and stretches of green paddy fields, it has been improving its infrastructure at a furious pace, and it is still a bargain when it comes to hotels, meals, and local guided tours. Park yourself at a bia hoi stand on the sidewalk and enjoy draft beers for 10p to 20p per glass. Many say the island of Phu Quoc has the country's best beaches, but Nha Trang is a lively city that retains an old world charm, and it's easy to book boat trips to explore nearby islands.
Bargain: The best steak dinner of your life for under £15 and good yet cheap wine.
Why visit: If your tastes run more to culture and cuisine than lounging on a beach, Buenos Aires does the trick. Although hotel prices are more expensive than before, all those great steak dinners and bottles of wine priced in the local currency are cheaper. The pound was worth 5 pesos two years ago, but is worth 6.25 pesos today. Argentina's summer coincides with our winter, so the weather is lovely and warm at present.
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toubab1020
12306 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2011 : 16:44:01
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| snuggles, I agree totally about Sri Lanka a super relaxing place people friendly prices excellent,only one small problem,flights tend to be quite expensive and its a long way,(there are no direct flights anyway) stop in the middle of the journey in Malaysia for instance another great country,nice people. |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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