I've got vacation time in January and I can't decide where to go (again). I'm looking hard at either Uruguay or the Philippines at this point. Airfare is not an issue, but beyond that I am definitely on a budget.

I love the beach, but I like to stay pretty active. Uruguay would be great for the beach and the surfing, but I'm not sure if there would be much else to keep me occupied. But if I got bored, I could spend a little time in Argentina.

Any thoughts? Or any other place I should be dying to go that I'm overlooking (besides Egypt and Israel which will probably be September vacation)?

Apples or melons?

How much time to you have? The Philippines is one of my favorite travel destinations ever. But it takes some time getting around. Then again, you could fly to Cebu City instead of Manila which would save you some boat rides.
There are the obvious beaches on the Phillies. But you can go diving (almost anywhere), climbing (Dumaguete? or Romblon) or rent a bicycle and ride around some islands. And if you've explored all of that, you can always go for a good night out at the Karaoke Bar.

Diving, water temperature, and surfing are better in Philippines, from what I've heard. Uruguay is going to have a better social scene in January, with half of Argentina and all of Uruguay at Punta del Este, but it's definitely not budget.

That isn't really my social scene. I think I could handle Punta del Este for about a day, but I was looking more at Punta del Diablo and the park around that area. Maybe stop in Colonia to snap some photos.

It would be quicker to get to Uruguay, which is a definite bonus. For The Philippines, I'd have to go from New York to Tokyo (about a 14 hour flight) and connect from there. I'll have between 2 and 3 weeks total for the trip.

I do love karaoke though...

Thanks, guys!

In that case, you really should check out Cabo Polonio in Uruguay.