Bali or Phuket
 

I have never been to either and both seem to be amazing places. From what I have read Bali seems to be a little cheaper but Phukets beaches apparently are alot cleaner and better. Given the choice to spend a week and having never been to either destination...Where would you go in December? I saw people saying Bali's beaches aren't that good and its dirty.

Bali has a lot of beaches. Ours in Sanur was very clean and the stay was great.

Bali does NOT have a lot of beaches. Taking out the reefs (to make concrete) also took out the sand by erosion. There are some good beaches, but not many. If you want beaches go to Phuket. If you want to do anything else on your vacation go to Bali and I mean anything ! HKT is a bit of a cultural wasteland. Asia is way too far to fly just for beaches. There are better much closer to home. wj

there is info further down in travel & dining under destinations....you could also search this forum using bali pkuket & prob find quite a bit....

There might be closer beaches at home but the audience is accordingly as well.

I personally avoid destinations like Hawaii, Maxico & the Caribbean completely for personal vacations to avoid American tourists. Besides that, these places have wonderful scenery and nature. Too bad.. :o

Weather-wise, Phuket is best in December/January and Bali in August, so on that basis, Phuket. Prices will be at their highest of the year, though.

not that hard to avoid "majority american" destinations there

and "americans are worst traveler" is such an outdated stereotype

Yes, here's the link to Asia Forum.

There's no shortage of idiots at any major tourist area. Patong and Kuta are particularly vile and American tourists aren't the problem. wj

[Deleted as moot.]

Moving this thread to the Thailand forum. Thanks for your understanding.

Jouy31
TravelBuzz co-moderator

So you'd rather go to Phuket and surround yourself with the Russians and sunburned Scandanavians?

I would take note of it, and avoid them. There are many beaches I do not go to, I dislike the rock/pebble beaches and also the black sand ones, and I would never ever go to Kuta with all those 17 year old, but all the others I love. I love the Sanur side, candi is great as is Lovina and all the ports up near the old Capital. Phuket is nice, but it does nothing for me.

We were all over Lovina and saw only black sand. There was something I didn't like about the beach in Sanur. I think it was only swim-able at high high tide. A couple hrs a day max. In Candidasa we dove off a rock wall below the pool and it was great. We saw no sand at all. Rocks and pebbles only, everywhere. The only decent beach we experienced was in Nusa Dua at the Sheraton. Good beaches on the next island Lombok though. wj

This is true.

This is also true.

And so is this.

Definitely true.

My take: Phuket is a big island and there is a beach for everyone. It will be packed out in December/January and it's not too early to make bookings now. My own preference is for one of the middle Andaman beaches such as Kamala, Bangtao or Nai Thon, all of which seem to have fewer idiots and definitely aren't rowdy boozing places. Or head up to Khao Lak. Expect lots and lots of Europeans on holiday both Phuket and Khao Lak.

Bali can be rainy during Dec-Feb; that said, I've been there in February rainy season and it wasn't too bad--mix of sun, overcast, and showers. But treat Bali as more of a primary cultural destination and secondary beach destination, rather than the other way 'round.

You may wish to consider a place like Langkawi off Malaysia's Andaman coast. It doesn't seem to get the aforementioned "idiots" which infest some of Phuket's beaches. Maybe a couple days in Penang (Georgetown) to get a flavor of Old SE Asia in the colonial days, then balance at Langkawi at the beach. Easily accessed from SIN or KUL.

Totally agree. Patong has many problem but Americans aren't one of them (apart from the last time I was there and a US Carrier Group had been there the previous week for shore leave - the island was still picking up the pieces). It's mostly Australians, northern Europeans and increasingly Russians who cause the trouble.

Having said that once you realise that Phuket is a large island and Patong is only a small part of it then there are plenty of other places to stop and it's a great base for exploring the region. Phuket's downside is that is is relatively expensive compared to other parts of SE Asia.

I'd echo the recommendation of Penang and Langkawi as they are so close to each other yet so totally different. Fly into one, stop a few nights, take the ferry to the other, stop another few nights then head onwards. Georgetown, Penang is one of the most interesting cities in SE Asia (beaches are rubbish though) and Langkawi is one of the most peaceful, relaxing places I've ever been to.

If you want to go someplace gorgeous, try Palawan in the PI. Shorter flight for you and a quick hop from Manila. It's got it all - underground rivers, crystal clear lakes, gorgeous beaches, mountains, waterfalls, wreck diving, kayaking. It's even got a bunch of those islands with the beach on the inside (like Leo's 'The Beach') You can get a decent place on the sand in El Nido for $40. Right up there with the most beautiful places I've ever been and kinda untouched - for now. Food sucks though - except the fabulous lechon ! ps: PM me if you want to see my pics. wj

You are most unkind about our favorite spots but when you said you loved Nusa Dua, I met someone only 3 years ago, who was related to a person with bad acne, and they said they had overheard someone saying the same thing.

Huh ? Don't really understand you and I'm pretty sure you don't understand me. I don't love Nusa Dua. Pretty sterile IMO. It's the only decent beach we saw on the island. They probably truck the sand in. Loved Candidasa and Lovina. I have no problem with pebbles, black sand, and rock walls. Bali is great. Might not be the best idea in Dec though. We went then once and saw a lot of rain. wj

Phuket is like numerous beach vacation destinations around the world. Bali is one of a kind...it's no contest.