Choose Island in Asia

Q: We are a group of family members from South Africa and Australia , aged between 5 months and 75 years, hoping to get together during June or July 2011 for a family celebration. We are considering meeting somewhere “in the middle” so that everyone may be included at a reasonable cost. We want to spend 7 – 10 days together in a clean, lovely but not extravagantly expensive spot. We are all well-travelled but this will not be a sight seeing holiday. However, we still need scope for leisurely outdoor, cultural and other activities in the near environment. The South Africans would for their part like to find an all-inclusive package once we have more or less decided on a suitable destination. - Renée Muller

A: Your best bet would be one of the island destinations in Asia, either Bali or Lombok in Indonesia, Langkawi or Penang in Malaysia or Phuket om Thailand. They are all accessible from South Africa and Australia and offer a wide range of accommodation. My personal choice would be to go for Bali or Phuket, as they have the best infrastructures, a good availability of flights and offer attractions of interest for all age groups. You should start of by approaching the airlines, as this will be the biggest cost factor. Try Singapore Airlines, which has good connections to Bali and Phuket from Singapore and see what they can offer you. Then check their fares agains Malaysian Airlines and Thai Airways. For accommodation, depending on the size of your group, you could consider booking out a small hotel or guesthouse for the exclusive use of your family. Many guesthouse owners would be happy to consider such an offer and it would mean that your family has exclusive use of the property and public areas for your functions. I know of a six-bedroom guesthouse in Phuket which was rented out by a family group in June for less than R1000 per night and I am sure similar deals can be found in Bali. You should also ask one of the big travel operators like Thompsons to give you a quotation for flights and accommodation. You could also try Club Med, which have a number of properties in this region. Although the price might seem high at first, it is competitive when you factor in all the meals, soft drinks and alcohol that is offered free. At least you won't have to worry about dividing up bills. (11 July 2010)