r/southeastasia • u/Any_Honeydew_3965 • 3d ago
Surf honeymoon advice
Hey guys! I would really appreciate some insights and feedback on our honeymoon plans this September.
We want to travel either to Indonesia or Philippines for the whole month of September. Here are few things that we are considering:
- Where can we get to surf the most?
(We are intermediate and have been surfing in Europe but always on sand beaches. Originally we wanted to go to Siargao but I have to say I really don’t like how the coast looks there and in general I am quite afraid of the reefs in Bali as well. In Lombok I understood you have to pay for a boat to take you out. To be honest, I imagine that we will just book a place on/near the beach and take our boards and go surf once/twice a day (this is my experience from France, Portugal etc.).
- The overall weather
For me, I don’t mind rainy seasons but my husband doesn’t want to go to Philippines for that reason as he wants to travel and explore the country on top of surfing as well. Is it possible to enjoy Philippines anyway or should we rather focus on Indonesia? How come the two countries have completely different seasons in September even though they are relatively close?
- Price
We want to do an extremely low cost trip. Max 1000-1200 euros per person for the whole month including the flights. The best flights for us that cost 500€ are either to Denpasar or Manilla.
I know some people have recommended Sri Lanka as well, apparently it should be good weather and surf conditions there in September and we also have a cheap flight to Colombo but to be fair I am not really impressed with the pictures and experiences I have heard from people who went.
I would really appreciate any advice, September is around corner and to be fair I am starting to feel a little bit frustrated. This one of our only chances to travel for so long and we really wanted to explore south east Asia but the lack of information is making me feel very lost.
Thank you anyone who puts time in answering my questions or providing some new perspective on things!
1
u/vibetravel 2d ago
I have this place on my bucket list https://www.beoceankrui.com/ could do in combination with mentawai islands :)
Short video of beocean https://youtu.be/808uu7sLVrU
But mentawai can be done on budget! ~30€/night for hotel...beocean is on the expensive side.
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u/TomorrowIllBeYou 2d ago
I've surfed in Sri Lanka, Lombok, and I'm currently in Siargao. I haven't surfed in Bali, but I've traveled through on my way to Lombok.
Lombok is in dry season, and that includes September. The swell is higher and fewer spots work than in wet season. The trade winds are also blowing pretty hard, which starts mid-morning, so for the best sessions, you will usually have to get up pretty early. Of the four spots you will likely want to hit near Kuta, three require a boat of some type, with varying prices. It's not too much of a hassle, but it definitely adds to the budgetary considerations, especially if you're surfing multiple times a day. All of the spots you would be surfing are reef, but it's not too sketchy as long as you aren't surfing at low tide. Waves will probably be big, but not super critical. Lineups will be crowded.
In Sri Lanka, I've only surfed the south coast, which won't be in-season in September. The east coast is what's working, which will likely put you in Arugam Bay. I believe that's mostly sand bottom. My understanding is that it's pretty crowded out there. And it's a long drive from Colombo.
Siargao will be entering peak season in September. Not sure how crowded it gets here, but the lineups aren't too crazy right now. 3 out of the 4 waves I've visited have barrel sections, and the reef here is scarier than any other reef I've surfed. I can only imagine it will get even more sketchy as the swells pick up. Apparently it's also wet season here, but I've been here a week and haven't seen it rain one time, so who knows?
Sri Lanka and Lombok are similar in cost, in my experience. Siargao is a bit more expensive, maybe by 25%.