Trying to decided on a place to head to in September with my wife and 15month old.
We are think Fiji but I'm not much for waves.
Place needs to entertain the wife and son and have top notch resort style accommodation.
Cross of thailand, Vietnam, Bali. Been there done that!
Cook Islands?
Come on guys give me your best suggestions.
Thanks
not much wind here in Vietnam,has been a very slow off season for wind,and when it is windy its offshore and gusty ,still a nice place to come to
Done Vietnam a few years back. Cheap beer!!!
Thinking fiji, can anyone recommend a good island that has heaps of flat water?
I wan't to know too. Family friendly island resort which you can rig and ride right next to know resort.
Im keen for waves but prob can't be bothered with tear you to bits reef s if you stuff up.
A mate of mine reckons sigatoka beach(fiji) is a good option. There are really nice resorts close by(shangri la, outrigger ect). The waves at sigatoka are beach break so no reef to contend with, which also means the tide isn't such a factor, waves can get pretty big though apparently. Also he reckons that the wind there is usually 5+ knots stronger than the rest of the coral coast(something to do with the sand dunes). Also there are several lagoon type flat water spots nearby on a higher tide.These are not kiteable on a low tide though.
Apparently the trick when going to fiji is to book at least 10 days that way you are virtually guaranteed at least 50% of the time will be kiteable given their week on/week off type seabreeze patterns. when its windy there its solid 20-25knots.
Although Sigatoka is a good option, there are some caveats. Black sand and VERY hot there. You need a car to get there and there is nothing for the family to do there, you will leave your resort by car to go there. It is a beach break, but it can get mighty powerful and good. (waves that is). The water is pretty stirred up there most of the time due to all the river water running out. Banks can be epic. As Bennie mentioned, wind is off and on. It won't seem like your island paradise there at the rivermouth, but conditions can be very very good. There are some big dunes there to contend with. Also, there are some small backpacker type stays there near the beach, but not really that close. Bit of a hike with a bunch of gear, and it will be hot. Bring plenty of water if you head there.
If it was me going with a family and I had the budget I would be staying on one of the islands and getting their boats out to the reefs to surf or kite the waves. That to me is the paradise part. All the lagoons on the coral coast are tidal dependent and all have corral heads to contend with along with wind shadows and palm trees lining the very narrow beaches. Can be done, but timing has to be right.
I have never been to the northern parts of Viti Levu so I can't comment on what it might be like up in those groups of islands, but others have mentioned their experiences.
Not easy juggling family and surf/kite, but we have managed. Some trips have been better than others, and having been to Fiji many times when I went as a family the experience for surf and kite was not epic. The balancing act of keeping your family happy and entertained while trying to get tides and wind matched up was tough work and did not always result in what I hoped it could be. Especially since I have had some of the locations like Restaurants and Cloudbreak as good as it gets for weeks on end. When you find that perfect place for a family, let us know.
Hello guys,
September is late for Bali but we found that when wind start to go to south in our Island it start to blow in Gili Island.
The best place is Gili Air.
Last year they had about 20 days out of the all month and quite strong there.
We also have wind on the North-West of Bali but is really remote and nothing there..
Bye Jankie
Im going to Mauritius in September. Luxurious Hotels, great weather, windy and only a 7 hours flight from Perth.
We are trying to keep it as close to home as possible for baby on plane purposes....
Can anyone tell me if Fiji is good wind in September ?
You can try and research Charating on the Malaysian peninsular, easy to get to its couple of hours north of Singapore. Club Med has a full resort there. I didnt stay at Club med, but would be ideal for wife and small child.
Wind wise, I was on the way through and stayed right on the beach in August a few years back, windsurfers on larger sails planing which would maybe be a 10m-14m kite, small soft waves over a sandbar 150m out wind from ESE fairly onshore,
I just got from 8 days in noumea with family. Kids 2 and 5. 1/2. Really nice place and wind every day from about lunch time. Plenty of kites out with people riding everything from 8-12m kites. Don't know what the wind would be like in sept.
Pros:
close to Australia (2.5hrs from Sydney)
Clean town with good infrastructure and water you can drink
Can kite from main beach or sand spit at meridian hotel (best beach for kids too. Nice sand and good protection from wind)
Baguettes, croissants and crapes.
Easy to get around on the local buses.
Cons
No cheap beer
No cheaper to eat, drink, play than australia
**** coffee
We brought beer / wine from the supermarket and also some food and cooked a couple of meals at home to keep the cost down. Kiting was good and it is pretty cheap and easy to get to the closer islands to kite the pristine lagoons.
It could definitely be expensive but with kids you can't go too silly anyway so worked well for us.
Thanks Dave. I have had a bit of a look.
Eppo its the south side of New Caledonia.
I think its a Frenchy kinda place.
Might be worth a look
Sooo close to Australia!
paul what the bloody hell is a kid going to do in sri lanka?!? and september is well and truly dieing down. terrible advice.
Thanks Dave. I have had a bit of a look.
Eppo its the south side of New Caledonia.
I think its a Frenchy kinda place.
Might be worth a look
Sooo close to Australia!
Ta...will look into it. Not so close over here in WA
Have a look at Queensland's Sunshine coast. Mid September gets the north easterlies kicking in. No guarantees on wind every day but there's ample things to entertain the wife and kid. Caloundra is very family friendly. Try accommodation at Rumba or Aspect.
howdy
Come over to Fiji - it is lovely in September - usually about 20 - 25 knots. Lots of family stuff to do, and the range of activities available is endless:
Windsurfing
Kitesurfing
Wakeboarding Boats
PADI 5 Start Dive Facility
Fishing charters
Snorkeling Trips
SUP Boards
Village Trips
Safari Lodge - check it out or PM me.
thanks
Warren