$10k Family Holiday over Xmas Break - Need Some Ideas

Stalker on 08/08/2016 - 08:51

Hi all,

Trying to plan a holiday over the upcoming Xmas break (probably Dec 27 - Jan 6) with the family, being me, wifey and 2 kids (6 and 8). Budget of around $10k all up incl airfares, accommodation, food, activities etc. Will be travelling from Perth. We all have passports.

So far we were thinking Gold Coast, but the kids may be a tad too young to get the most out of the theme parks?

We are also considering Singapore, but went there July last year for about the same all up cost and while we loved it, we are thinking of trying somewhere different.

Ultimately, we are seeking a nice relaxing, but memorable holiday with access plenty of activities to keep the kids interested / away from their ipads. ;)

Keen for any and all ideas, even Bali - although I've never been and it isn't really a preferred option of ours.

Cheers!

Travel

Comments

  • decryption on 08/08/2016 - 09:14
    +7

    Thought about Hong Kong? Disneyland will keep the kids super busy :)

    • altomic on 08/08/2016 - 09:46
      +1

      HK can be quite cool then . I went to HK in Oct 2013 for part of a KL/SING/HK trip. the first 2 were hot. HK was surprisingly cool.

      Disneyland was great and my kids loved it.

      how about, as Ryanek suggests, Malayasia as well?

      Perth—>KL (spend 4/5 days) —> HK (4/5 days) —>KL (stop over or couple of days for shopping/eating) —>Perth

    • BanannaMan on 10/08/2016 - 13:02

      second that, i spent 10 days in HK 2 years ago with the wife
      had an amazing time

      Perth - HK - day trip to Macau - Singapore and back home

  • Ryanek on 08/08/2016 - 09:30
    +3

    Legoland Malaysia! My niece and nephew who are the same age as your kids had a blast there.

      • Ryanek on 08/08/2016 - 13:07
        +24

        Well that escalated quickly

      • mskeggs on 08/08/2016 - 13:35
        +39

        It is hard to find any destination that has no questionable issues.
        - USA has systemic racism, a gory violence culture, horrific health system for the poor, intolerant anti-gay protests at soldiers funerals.
        - Europe has current terrorism issues, resurgent hard right racist/violent groups
        - Australia locks refugees in concentration camps, brutalises child prisoners, has had racially motivated violence on Asian students
        - Fiji is ruled by military, has inter-racial violence and risk of cyclone
        - Thailand is ruled undemocratically, has violent street protests, history of violence against tourists
        - NZ is liable to deadly earthquakes, risk of severe boredom outside major centres

        All these comments are true, but hardly representative of a visit to that destination, as with your comments on Malaysia.

        Nearly everywhere I have travelled, the locals are just people, genuinely welcoming, friendly to visitors and usually their priorities are looking after their families, having a good life etc. Just like at home.
        Cutting off destinations because their government or churches have different views to your own doesn't lead to those institutions questioning their views. Visiting other cultures opens avenues for dialog and understanding, making it hard for demagogues to demonise the godless west or whatever.
        The reason North Korea is isolationist is to prevent reasonable understanding of the rest of the world spreading. Cutting off people makes it easier for values out of step with the global mainstream to remain.

        • mskeggs on 08/08/2016 - 21:25
          +6

          @Gershom:

          Not sure what socialism has to do with it, but what I am saying is that painting a place with a broad brush is not constructive. If people look past the good in the USA and only see violence and racism, they do everyone there a disservice. If people look past the good in Australia and only see asylum seekers in camps in Nauru or violence against child prisoners, they do everyone else a disservice.
          And if you judge Malaysia on the basis of one of its church's policies or laws about gays (remember, homosexuality was still illegal in Australia in the 90s!) is similarly doing the people of Malaysia a disservice.

        • altomic on 08/08/2016 - 22:21
          +2

          @Gershom: >Your socialist bias is gushing out there Ms Keggs.

          hello sexism.

        • altomic on 09/08/2016 - 10:46
          +1

          @Gershom: I'm sorry we can't all be totalitarian fascists.

          Just pointing out your bias, that you introduced gender into the argument.

        • johndoe789 on 09/08/2016 - 12:36
          +4

          @Gershom:

          Pointing out a country's social issues
          .
          Defending another country's social issues

        • Gershom on 09/08/2016 - 16:56

          @altomic: I don't have any bias, but I'm awfully tired of self loathing socialist whiners being quick to condemn Australia for make believe offences (e.g. concentration camps) while defending third world barbarian fascist shitholes.

          I have travelled to most countries in the world, and lived in 4 different countries. I see what I see. You and others will neg me and go into a howling rage for using the phrase third world shithole, as if such places don't exist. That is what's funny; you will deny the evidence of your own eyes because it doesn't fit your socialist narrative. The left is pathetic in denial of reality.

        • altomic on 09/08/2016 - 17:48
          +6

          @Gershom:you use these labels of "left" and "socialist" as if they have any real meaning with in this day and age. I bet you're annoyed that you weren't living in the 1950's and 60's so you could call every one a Commie and spit on hippies.

          You have so much hate.

          No one has said you can't call the third world countries as "third world shitholes".

        • Gershom on 10/08/2016 - 08:19
          -5

          @altomic:

          :you use these labels of "left" and "socialist" as if they have any real meaning with in this day and age.

          If you don't think they have meaning then that explains all of your comments. I pity you.

          Oh, and I was living in the 50's and 60's, but I wasn't spitting on hippies, I was one. Then I grew up.

        • Lord Fart Bucket on 11/08/2016 - 22:03
          +1

          @Gershom:

          Logged in tonight especially to downvote these comments.

        • mcace80 on 11/08/2016 - 22:04

          @Gershom: These "concentration camps" are real. www.bmj.com/content/352/banjir.i1600

        • dazweeja on 11/08/2016 - 23:11
          +1

          @Gershom:

          You do know that 87.7% of people in camps on Manus Island have been assessed to be genuine refugees? The fact that you don't acknowledge these people to be refugees when they clearly are shows your bias. Maybe believing your lie helps you feel better about the horrible way they are treated?

        • Gershom on 12/08/2016 - 07:19

          @dazweeja: About 400 of the 850 men in the Australian-funded detention centre have been found to be refugees.

          Have you always been this good at math, or are you another one of those gullible lefties?

          How many safe havens do they travel past to get here? Answer that for yourself and then try to argue that they are genuine.

          http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-07/png-deems-under-hal…

        • Gershom on 12/08/2016 - 07:33

          @mcace80: Says who? That link doesn't go anywhere, but even if it did, are you seriously quoting the BMJ? Really? I wish I still had that childlike innocence. Next you'll be telling me that world vision is a charity.

        • mcace80 on 12/08/2016 - 08:28

          @Gershom: I've updated the link here http://www.bmj.com/content/352/bmj.i1600

          Have you personally seen the camps or know a friend who have worked there? I have a friend who have worked in one of these camps. They are not make believe. There are more reports which are not available to the public in the health sector. The reason it is not public is these health care workers are made to sign a contract to say that they will be jailed if they talked about what happened in these camps. http://www.afr.com/news/australian-doctors-warn-europe-on-as…

        • Gershom on 12/08/2016 - 08:36

          @mcace80: Of course the refugee camps exist, no one is disputing that. And thank you for having the honesty to put "concentration camps" in inverted commas. That is my whole point - they are not concentration camps, they do not have gas chambers and ovens, and it is offensive to suggest that Australia would ever run concentration camps. That kind of labelling is completely dishonest, as are the people that use it.

        • dazweeja on 12/08/2016 - 09:38

          @Gershom:

          Now it's embarrassing. 400 / 460 = 87%. The rest had yet to be processed. A couple of months later, it was 545 / 621:

          http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/most-p…

          And the number of safe havens is 0. Any country where they may have passed through, they would be illegal and at risk of being sent home at any time. The only signatory to the UN Convention on Refugees vaguely in the area is Cambodia and that's not on the route to Australia.

          Your talking points are both predictable and wrong.

        • Gershom on 12/08/2016 - 15:38

          @dazweeja:

          And the number of safe havens is 0

          Sure, all those poor oppressed Tamils that had to ignore Tamil state right on their doorstep to carry on to Australia.

          And all those boat people that were queued up in Indonesia were already in a safe place.

          But you're right, there has never been a single phoney refugee arriving in Australia, and Malaysia is a holiday paradise that welcomes gays, Jews, and single women. I don't know why you are wasting your time in the racist hellhole that is Australia when you could be living in KL, the tolerance and diversity capital of the world.

        • dazweeja on 12/08/2016 - 16:28

          @Gershom:

          Sure, all those poor oppressed Tamils that had to ignore Tamil state right on their doorstep to carry on to Australia.

          And all those boat people that were queued up in Indonesia were already in a safe place.

          I don't think you get it. If you were in fear for your life, would you stop somewhere where you were illegal, had no right to work, and could be sent back to your home country without warning at any time? Of course you wouldn't so don't expect others too.

          But you're right, there has never been a single phoney refugee arriving in Australia

          Idiotic statement. I've already provided actual data as to the number of refugees that are genuine.

        • mskeggs on 08/08/2016 - 21:12

          I'm no supporter of female or male circumcision, but reading the quote in your link is interesting.
          The study (unpublished) leading to the 93% figure was conducted by "Human rights activist Azrul Mohamad Khalib has written a scathing commentary calling for abolition of the practice."

          And his quote a bit later is a bit weird:
          "Azrul Mohamad Khalib told Radio Australia's Connect Asia: "It certainly is a surprising figure, really. The study involves more than 1,000 female respondents and when we look at it, around 90 per cent or so are Malay Muslims."
          and
          He said that to have anecdotal evidence "captured" in the study is really "both surprising and a little bit disappointing".

          So I wonder if the study sought women who had undergone FGM and 93% were Muslim, or whether the study asked something else and also discovered amongst Muslim women the rate of FGM was 93%, or something else entirely.

        • altomic on 08/08/2016 - 23:35

          @mskeggs: link to the abstract of the presentation of that particular paper

          interestingly no paper has been published under the presenters name Dr Maznah Dahlui -source: researchgate.net

          what constitutes "female circumcision" (FC) and "female genital mutilation" (FGM) is interesting.

          Under the definition by WHO of FGM it can be classified into 4 major types:
          Type 1: Often referred to as clitoridectomy, this is the partial or total removal of the clitoris (a small, sensitive and erectile part of the female genitals), and in very rare cases, only the prepuce (the fold of skin surrounding the clitoris).
          Type 2: Often referred to as excision, this is the partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora (the inner folds of the vulva), with or without excision of the labia majora (the outer folds of skin of the vulva ).
          Type 3: Often referred to as infibulation, this is the narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the labia minora, or labia majora, sometimes through stitching, with or without removal of the clitoris (clitoridectomy).
          Type 4: This includes all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, e.g. pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterizing the genital area.

          The practice in Malaysia is primarily Type 4, however examination of the procedure practiced in terms of what is considered "harmful" raises some interesting points. If we read the abstract of the unpublished paper by Dr Maznah Dahlui, as well as other papers on this practice e.g. this paper and this one then we can see that practice is extremely minor and yields no long term effects. There appears to be no real medical purpose behind it. Hence it somewhat meets the guidelines for Type 4.

          But if we consider that in many countries it is illegal to perform "FGM" -i.e. harmful procedure of non-medical purpose, then why is female genital piercings allowed?

        • abb on 09/08/2016 - 10:06
          +1

          @altomic: "why is female genital piercings allowed?"

          Surely you can see the difference between an adult choosing to get a piercing (which doesn't really do much harm) vs a child being forcibly subject to worse…

        • altomic on 09/08/2016 - 10:44

          @abb: certainly I can see the difference, and understand the difference between informed consensual adult choice and the involuntary childhood procedure.

          under the definition for Type 4 provided by WHO the practice of consensual adult female genital piercings would be considered female genital mutilation. I'm just splitting hairs.

        • strawberrybug on 09/08/2016 - 20:58
          +1

          female genital mutilation is a cultural norm, it is not prescribed anywhere in Islam. One of the biggest misconceptions and clearly not helped by ignorant folks like gershom who hijack a travel thread to spread ill-informed "opinions".

          /rantover

      • chumlee on 08/08/2016 - 19:56
        -2

        Isn't jail a haven for gay/lesbian sex? 20 years of it may not be helping the cause if Malaysia has an issue with gay/lesbian people

        • altomic on 08/08/2016 - 22:16
          -1

          They should be jailing the heterosexual parents who have gay babies.

      • virhlpool on 10/08/2016 - 09:58
        +1

        If that was the case, you shouldn't ever travel to India because India has 8 different religions (and several sub-religions) and at least 25, if not more, different languages, numerous races (and skin colors) and 20 different types of cuisines on a conservative side. No one has time to know who treats others how as it's a very complex society to even understand it. We haven't even gone into castes and educational/income/gender disparity yet.. eh! But, people still live there very nicely and it's one of the most welcoming culture. Their hospitality is considered one of the best in the globe and so it their culturally rich heritage. One of the fastest growing economies in the world today, with heaps more career opportunities for talented folks than many so called 'nicer' nations. Despite being so over-populated, they have less amount of drug abuse then our country. People talk to people and neighbours. People feel safe amongst people. Yes, but YOU can choose not to visit India because you can easily point out 10 different reasons for it. Your choice, mate!

        • Gershom on 10/08/2016 - 10:12
          -7

          I've been to India a couple of times, but I won't bother going back. It's a third world shithole.

          BTW, what does skin colour and religions and varied cuisine have to do with anything?

        • virhlpool on 10/08/2016 - 11:29
          +1

          @Gershom: I knew you wouldn't bother. Hence, so many down-votes. Exactly my question, what do the things mentioned by you have to do anything with visit?

        • Gershom on 10/08/2016 - 14:34
          -5

          @virhlpool: Well, if you were gay, or female, or Jewish, or had some decency and dignity ……….

      • ozeebee on 10/08/2016 - 18:12
        +2

        Wow you try and come across as knowledgable, but in reality, you're just ignorant. You can't paint a whole country and all it's people in one brush stroke.

        It's like saying foreign nationals have stopped visiting Australia, because ALL Australians are racist pigs due to the Cronulla riots.

        • Gershom on 11/08/2016 - 01:41
          -4

          Cronulla riots aren't government policy. It's amazing how much hate comes out because I mentioned I'm against mutilating girls genitals, imprisoning gays and against anti semitic racism. That was all I said, and you tell me I'm ignorant for being against those Malay government policies. Sure, yep, I'm the ignorant one. You haters need to take a good look at yourselves.

        • ozeebee on 12/08/2016 - 00:43

          @Gershom:

          Do you read your own comments before you post or is your head that high up where the sun doesn't shine?
          You call us the haters? But you are the one who hates a whole country and it's people because you don't agree with it's government policy.

          I'm glad you think Cronulla riots is ok just because it's not a government policy. Shows why you think this way.

        • Gershom on 12/08/2016 - 07:13
          -2

          @ozeebee: So it's OK to carve up little girls' genitals is it? Then off you go for a wonderful holiday in Malaysia. Hope you're not gay though.

      • Bludgeman on 11/08/2016 - 07:17
        +1

        It's estimated that 90% of your brain is defective

        • Gershom on 11/08/2016 - 11:28
          -4

          Thank you for your well reasoned and thoughtful input. It's rare that we get someone of your insight gracing us with such pearls of wisdom. You'll fit right in with the rest of these geniuses negging me for being against barbarianism.

      • Suspect420 on 17/08/2016 - 23:50

        Im guessing you a negative/angry gay female jew.

        Detective skills high score!!! 250+

  • Neptunesblood on 08/08/2016 - 10:34
    +4

    Hamilton Island. Plenty to do and see.

  • boomramada on 08/08/2016 - 10:56
    +12

    Japan - Disneyland (for kids), Fuji-Q Highland - Kids and Adults:)

    • pei on 08/08/2016 - 10:59
      +1

      and DisneySea awesome for adults!

    • onetwothreefour on 08/08/2016 - 12:26
      +4

      But so cold at that time!

    • Ninjassmileinthedark on 09/08/2016 - 12:23
      +1

      +1. Also, your kids would love Kidzania. Look it up- language barrier is no real problem and it is indoor. Book your session early though

  • pei on 08/08/2016 - 10:58
    +16

    Fiji - resort staff awesome with kids + activities

  • frondono on 08/08/2016 - 11:36

    I was only talking about this the other day with my family. Etihad has some pretty good deals on flights to Europe at the moment and you can fly there for around $1500pp for the dates you are talking about and if you could stretch a little to say $11-12k it becomes very manageable.

    http://iwantthatflight.com.au/flight.ashx?&oc=PER&dc=VCE&dd=…

    Etihad is a quality airline and the flights are reasonably short for flights to europe. I didn't check any other cities but it would be nice in many other cities too i.e. Vienna, Amsterdam, Budapest etc.

    • inherentchoice on 08/08/2016 - 12:09
      +3

      Europe will be cold. Will probably get a white Christmas in some areas.

  • Stewardo on 08/08/2016 - 11:37

    I would have said Orlando, but the airlines really gouge families at that time of year, Bali, Thailand, are fun just book away from the bogun epicentres,

    • virhlpool on 10/08/2016 - 13:56

      Gouge as in be expensive? Which bogan epicentres do you recommend?

      • Stewardo on 10/08/2016 - 19:45
        +1

        Yeah generally airfares are more expensive when people want to fly
        Fridays Sunday's long weekends, special events, school holidays, Christmas. Check out the calendars on Google flights they start ramping up early December

  • OneMoreTune on 08/08/2016 - 12:08
    +1

    With 10k for that long, I would go to a non bogan area of Thailand or Bali for sure. Your money will go alot further. You could have a villa with bedrooms, private pool etc. Heaps of activities to do. Cheap food etc.
    Japan is awesome but it can be quite expensive and I think it'd be more enjoyed with adults.
    I'd wait for a good deal on Tripadeal, Groupon ect

  • inherentchoice on 08/08/2016 - 12:24
    +2

    These flight searches may be useful:

    http://adioso.com/au/per-to-anywhere-december-27-return-janu…

    http://adioso.com/au/per-to-international-december-27-return…

    I think you could do Gold Coast for under 5k including a nice hotel/apartment.

  • BuyoTheCat on 08/08/2016 - 12:34

    If your family the camping sort?

    • Stalker on 08/08/2016 - 12:42

      Not really - but I'm open to ideas!

      • WT on 09/08/2016 - 10:52
        +1

        caravan park cabin might be a good introductory to camping. You can pretty much let your kids just make friends and play with the other kids all day while you do your own thing

  • Charleston on 08/08/2016 - 12:38
    +6

    ITT people with completely unrealistic expectations of cost.

  • Stalker on 08/08/2016 - 12:41
    +1

    Thanks all - some great ideas thus far, keep them coming! Hopefully this will be useful for others as well. :)

  • mskeggs on 08/08/2016 - 12:58
    +6

    Costly time to travel. You could get two trips for the same money at less peak times.
    Fiji is a great destination for young families. It is a short flight, well set up to look after tourists and offers a good range or resort/ocean things plus local culture.
    I took my kids to Phuket at that age, and they enjoyed it very much. Again, a good mix of resort/cultural stuff.

    If beach/pool activities aren't popular, Hong Kong is a great destination. It can get cool at New Year, but not cold. That said, I think kids would get more out of it when they are older.

    • Ridge_didge on 11/08/2016 - 20:12

      Fiji isn't that short a flight from Perth

      • mskeggs on 11/08/2016 - 21:12

        I totally overlooked that. Very true. Phuket maybe?

  • inherentchoice on 08/08/2016 - 13:37
    +8

    Take advantage of the Southern Hemisphere summer. Hiring a car in Tasmania or New Zealand would be good. I think both are amazing places to visit and you can see quite a bit in 1 week. With young kids you can just plan your journey so you're not going too far each day. Nature walks should help tire them out. Plus the weather will be much cooler than Bali or Queensland. I would think you could do Tassie for under $5k including everything.

    • twoface41face on 09/08/2016 - 12:31
      +5

      I second Tassie. Great place! Has history, food and awesome sight seeing options!

  • Cheap Steve on 08/08/2016 - 15:04
    +2

    Your kids are the perfect age for Fiji. They will love kid's club and at Xmas time they will be treated extra well by the kind and fun Fijian staff.

    • Stalker on 08/08/2016 - 15:30

      Thanks - Any idea which of the Fiji resorts is the pick of the bunch? Seems to be a few good options through MyFiji.

      • Agret on 10/08/2016 - 01:01
        +1

        Outrigger is meant to be pretty good for families

        http://www.fijiislands.com.au/fiji-resorts-and-hotels/outrig…

        When I went to Fiji with my girlfriend our travel agent mention a lot of kids are at this resort and she recommend it more towards families. Might be worth a look.

      • Cheap Steve on 10/08/2016 - 23:43

        We stayed at Plantation Island which is "kid city" but that was fine for us as I have 3 young kids. PI is only 3 star so there will be much flasher resorts in Fiji but it is on a beautiful island and focussed on kids. TripAdvisor reviews are mixed and I can see both sides. As a keen surfer it gave me easy access to some great surf breaks like Cloudbreak and Namotu which was my highlight of the stay.

  • PVA on 08/08/2016 - 21:17
    +4

    what about a cruise somewhere. They have great kids clubs.

    • syousef on 09/08/2016 - 07:17
      +2

      Avoid if any of your family is prone to motion sickness/seasickness.

      First and last family cruise ever. Wishing you were dead so that the relentless motion would stop is not a fun way to spend the holiday. ;-)

      • PlasticSpaceman on 09/08/2016 - 13:17
        +2

        Family of three kids here and didn't have an issue with sickness….. really good value holiday - even though we had to get two cabins as there are fine of us - when you consider the cost included all the food, entertainment, room and travel. Did find that it was quite cool on the deck with the sea breeze, and the kids hung around us a lot of the time meaning the parents didn't have much of a break. The kids clubs are good, but I think that if you have younger kids and also want to have a bit of a break yourself then something on dry land is better. We'll probably consider a cruise again, but not until the kids are teenagers and can look after themselves whilst we elderly folk totter off to the kid free zone.

      • Agret on 10/08/2016 - 01:03

        I got seasick on spirit of Tasmania as a teenager but I went on a cruise to new Zealand and on the bigger cruise ship you barely even feel the motion at all. It's more when you get off to go on land that you feel weird.

        • syousef on 10/08/2016 - 08:50

          We did NZ on the Sun Princess and it was anything but smooth. Still the in the following weeks there was a full blown cyclone so we were comparatively lucky.

          My son did best. He threw up once and felt poorly for one day out of 11.
          My daughter threw up lots and felt poorly every day. Every time we bring up travel now she gets anxious and tells us as long as it's not by boat
          I did not throw up but felt awful pretty much 9 out of the 11 days.
          My wife felt bad on and off. She didn't throw up. The kicker was it took her a couple of months for the spinning sensations to subside. Yes months.

          Some people are not so lucky. They take years or never get over seasickness following a cruise. It goes by names like "Mal de Debarquement" and landsickness. Not something you'll find in the cruise brochures. Thankfully it's reasonably rare.

          http://www.motion-sickness-guru.com/land-sickness-mal-de-deb…

          http://www.bbc.com/news/health-21786689

        • Agret on 10/08/2016 - 10:51

          @syousef: I went on the sister ship the Dawn Princess but I guess it's possible that the ocean was more turbulent when you went although still getting sick while close to land seems strange to me. I'm sorry to hear your family trip was a nightmare though as I loved the cruise :(

        • syousef on 10/08/2016 - 11:37
          +1

          @Agret:

          We still had some fun. Entertainment was excellent. Food delicious. Sites fantastic.

          The calmest parts of the trip were nearest the shore. Open ocean was woeful.

  • altomic on 08/08/2016 - 23:40

    Hey, you should stay in a really cool house just north of Brisbane. pretty cheap - $2000 a week. 400metres to the beach. shops close by. restaurants and parks nearby as well. Sunshine coast is up the road, Gold Coast (and its adventure parks) down the road, the beautiful hinterland a short drive in land. fishing, bike riding, markets, WOW.

    • wombok2 on 09/08/2016 - 15:27

      I hope you were being sarcastic… I wouldn't pay 2k rent just to live in Brisbane in a fancy house. 2k can get you a lot more else where.

      • inherentchoice on 10/08/2016 - 07:37
        +1

        $2k isn't so expensive for a house near the beach at Christmas time. Although I think altomic is being tongue-in-cheek about trying to get $2k for someone to house sit.

        But I agree with the Sunshine Coast idea. The kids may be too young for Gold Coast theme parks but Sunshine Coast has awesome beaches and hinterland. With a much more relaxed atmosphere.

  • moza on 09/08/2016 - 07:56
    +4

    Gold Coast is great. It's not just the beach and theme parks, the hinterland and rainforest around the area are beautiful, and the kids will love the animals etc… Hinterland is pretty much a free day as well, excluding the small amount of fuel up and back (about 30mins from Surfers Paradise). Beach is free too, so you could probably kill 2 days just utilising the region.

    • EnALup on 11/08/2016 - 18:52

      +1
      There are theme parks for kids of that age. Get VIP pass which can allow entry for 4 parks. Top list is Movie world, sea world and wet n wild.
      But not sure so many days. Beaches, kids golf, etc.

    • sam-1966 on 11/08/2016 - 19:35
      +1

      If you think seriously about the Gold Coast, have a look at the Entertainment Book for the area - Gold Coast / Northern NSW. Could be worth your while as they currently have free postage.

      Happy to provide my link to purchase through me. If you already have your own home one, you can purchase it at a discount as an existing member. Also worth a thought to kill two birds with one stone - we always found it worked well when our kids were young for admissions to places.

      • EnALup on 11/08/2016 - 20:09
        +1

        Groupon have VIP passes for $89 each for entry to 4 theme parks valid till June 2017. You can get other cheap deals pamplets from car rentals, hotel/appartment, information centres. Not sure how much u save from entertainment book

  • Calmago on 09/08/2016 - 08:21
    +6

    I'd Highly recommend Samoa for something a little different. 10K will go very far.

    We went on our honeymoon there last year, stayed two weeks, one week on each island. Hired a car for the two weeks which made travel cheap n easy. Heaps to see and do, we would do daily trips around the islands to visits countless waterfalls and swimming spots.

    Culturally it's fantastic, nicest people you'll ever meet, scenery that takes your breath away. We did a fishing charter out of a resort called Savaii Lagoon Resort. We should have stayed there through, great resort on the beach, plenty of kids activities.

    One word of advice everything is closed on a Sunday.

  • immortalbjr on 09/08/2016 - 08:40

    It's probably over budget but if possible I would wait and save a little extra and do Hawaii. Flights are the biggest killer as you probably know and especially at that time of the year but if you were happy to take them out of school wait till you find some cheap flights out of school holidays and you might be able to scrape it in within budget, hotels are still kinda expensive though.

    I cant speak for Fiji but ive done thailand before and while your money goes further I really didnt find it that great, good destination maybe if you were younger and just looking to squeeze the most out of your money but with a family spend a little extra and make it worthwhile. Ive never been to Fiji but I would probably try it over Thailand again

    Note: Im bias towards Hawaii ive done it half a dozen times, visited all the islands and loved every single trip. The locals are always welcoming and lovely to deal with, waikiki is a bit overrated however nice if you've never been but you can see basically the whole island in a day with a car or just do the tour if your not the driving kind.

    Plenty to see and do for the family even if you just stay on Oahu.

    • Stalker on 10/08/2016 - 09:37

      Would love to go to Hawaii! May need to chat to the bank manager. :D

      • immortalbjr on 10/08/2016 - 10:47

        Not everyone will agree but id rather spend $15k on Hawaii than $10k on Fiji or something. If you want to do and see lots try for Hawaii, or if your happy to just chill and forgot the world Fiji might be the better option anyway. Hawaii is beautiful though once you get out of Waikiki/City, car hire is cheap and with a gps its easy.

        Last time I went they hired us a little hotspot thing so I could just connect the phone and use google maps on my own phone while in the car, was great.

  • PlasticSpaceman on 09/08/2016 - 09:43
    +1

    Flights to Bali from Perth are super cheap, so I would definitely consider it if you haven't been. I was really turned off by the concept of Bali with the reports of drunken Aussies wandering around the streets, so it was never high on my list. However we went there 4 years ago (3 kids = one 8yo and two 6yo) and hired a private villa in Seminyak for maybe 5 days (did the major attractions like Waterbom, girls had hair braided on the beach, etc) and then spent another week in a villa on the other side of the island far from everything. Had a really wonderful, relaxing time. Similar budget, and even managed to squeeze in business class seats. Going back again this year - although cattle class to save a few dollars.

    Another thought is Club Med in Bali. You and your partner can relax and read whilst the darling angels terrorise people somewhere else in the resort. Food, drinks, activities all paid for. Might also have enough left over to get a private villa in Seminyak for a few days before or after Club Med (via the likes of Groupon etc) so you can spend some time outside the unreality field of Club Med. Hire a driver & car to take you to some temples etc.

  • staunts on 09/08/2016 - 09:44
    +4

    Greetings, we took the family to Phuket last Christmas for 15 nights. At most it would have cost us around that $10k. 10 days near Surin Beach and 5 at Nai Harn. Personal driver for 3 days+ to do some sight seeing. Picked up the airfares with AirAsia and got the accommodation on Groupon/Scoopon. Couldn't fault it and had a great time. Our kids are around the same age and they had an absolute ball. Will be doing it again. Tip, booked carry on and bought clothes over there. Just bout a suitcase and filled it for the trip home.

    Good luck.

    • yoyomaster123 on 09/08/2016 - 12:51

      +1 To this comment, try some of the quieter smaller islands around Phuket like Ao Nang(Krabi) or Koh Samui (with family probably look up Full moon party and avoid)

    • Ridge_didge on 11/08/2016 - 20:10

      Unfortunately direct flights from Perth to Phuket got cancelled in February.

  • ilikeradiohead on 09/08/2016 - 10:57
    +3

    $10k will just about get you ferry tickets and a week in Rotto I think haha.

  • stralya on 09/08/2016 - 16:52

    Fiji, although it will be a bit warm that time of the year.

  • Dr Prepper on 09/08/2016 - 17:14

    If you would like a white Xmas book a campervan relocation deal.

    http://www.spaceshipsrentals.co.uk/current-deals/relocation-…

  • Bargaingeek on 09/08/2016 - 19:13
    +1

    Hawaii

  • sprucemoose on 09/08/2016 - 19:15
    +2

    North Korea.

  • sam-1966 on 09/08/2016 - 19:59
    +2

    Might not be of interest to your kids - I have just returned from a shortened road trip with my father (nearly 80) and sister. Drove from Brisbane to Charleville on Friday and did touristy stuff there, then drove to Longreach and did more touristy stuff - had nowhere near enough time in either location. I flew home from Longreach on the Monday for personal reasons.

    By the time I reached Charleville on the first day I was already planning a bigger trip with my husband and kids - so much to see and do.

    Could be a great age for your kids to really see some great stuff in WA. Overseas and Disney isn't always the best trip.

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