Ask HN: Cheap Paradise with Reliable Internet? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Cheap Paradise with Reliable Internet?

9 pointspgt9 comments

I need a holiday to code. Where in the world would you go (preferably in the East) that is by the ocean, with affordable living expenses, reliable Internet and (optionally) good surf? Obviously, cheap piña coladas are non-negotiable.

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Koh Samui, Thailand

We're bootstapping here and I'd say its paradise. Beaches in the morning to work and then by evening we duck into our local for a pint and some more work.

Even with ridiculously long days its relaxing.

Rent = ~$350/month (clean bungalow, 5 - 10 min walk to the beach with internet)

Good Internet = ~$40/month or so If you get setup with a SIM card and TrueMove, they have WiFi around the island that does a respectable 8mbit and ~1mbit up

Food = ~$3 - 10 per meal depending on how much food you get. You can go cheaper, but thats for convenience (prices of restaurants in the area we work)

Drinks = ~$0.50 - 4 this depends where you go, but a mojito in our regular is around $2.50

Feel free to get in touch if you plan on coming out! jamil@player.me

Thank you, jamilv! I will definitely get in touch when I visit Thailand :).

Puerto Rico, the whole island is covered by AT&T LTE. AirBNB listings span the gamut from obscenely cheap to $150ish gets you a luxury accommodations.

Rent a car, get the ezpass for tolls as well and you can see the sights.

Direct flights from the east coast are as cheap as $150 one way, pick and choose your days...

Oh and no customs or passport for US residents!

My first choice would be Antigua. Second choice St. Lucia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigua

Kind people, english speaking, decent internet (not super high speed but quite manageable)

San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua.

Thanks for all the suggestions! Others have also recommended Thailand and Vietnam. Thoughts?

For relative ease of living (friendly visa terms if you want to stay for months, English spoken natively even off the tourist trail and in most parts, relatively little tourist hassle) the Philippines is brilliant.

Thailand does holiday accommodation exceptionally well for all budgets and has plenty of quieter spots, including places you might not expect from their party reputation (most beaches on Ko Phangan, for instance). That said, certain popular Thai destinations like Pattaya and Patong probably aren't most people's idea of paradise.

Vietnam is a fantastic and interesting country and Hoi An - the one readily accessible Vietnamese spot I'd consider paradise close to the beach - is genuinely beautiful, but not being sold a suit every five minutes is hard work!

Goa is interesting enough but tourist internet access is much worse than you'd expect in India outside cities. Mangalore isn't paradise, as pleasant as the city is.

Bali has a lot to recommend it but Kuta/Legian should be avoided and the internet on the Gili islands is rubbish. Langkawi is the one Malaysian beach destination with good internet. If you're looking for paradise beaches and internet then Cambodia is best avoided.

Thailand is definitely great and affordable, so is Vietnam.

Kozhikode and Mangalore in India.

Also coastal cities in Goa, India as well.

Several cities in Sri Lanka might work too.

Also Playa Del Carmen + Cabo San Lucas in Mexico.

Definitely Sri Lanka!.. Especially the south west where you could have the occasional surf.

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