Though expensive compared to SEA, I prefer Japan when I need to get away and focus on doing a specific project for a few weeks. I just spent 6 weeks in Japan. For me to focus on anything, I want my environmental needs to be of least resistance and least time consuming of my time. I am typically 2-3 times more productive in Japan but I can't do it more than 4-8 weeks continuously to avoid burn out.

I don't know the language so it provides sufficient isolation. Any talking by others around me becomes part of background noise. It doesn't interrupt my thoughts unlike when I may over hear things in language I can understand.

People are great, respectful and non-interfering. They will leave you alone in most situations. You don't need to keep your guards up regards to scams and watching your stuff.

Infrastructure, facilities and safety are great so I don't need to worry about the environment and environmental changes, just focus on what I need to do. Portable 4G wifi is as fast as my comcast at home, no power or living issues. Food is great and don't need to think and watch where I can safely eat.

When I need a break, the major cities have decent nightlife or places and expat population to provide a break from work.

Nomad List has a good collection of cities with filters. For example, places in North America that are warm in March with fast internet access [1].

[1]: https://nomadlist.com/#month=mar&temperature=warm&internet_s...

Porto - European best destination 2017 (https://vimeo.com/203346600).

Not very expensive with lots of things to visit (nature, culture, nightlife, food, etc).

Porto airport has a Ryanair hub with flights to many cities in europe if you're into it.

I'd recommend Cebu, in the Philippines... but seeing as you want to keep travel costs low, how about Hawaii? Rent a nice hotel room with a spectacular view without blowing your money on travel costs.

Cruise ship - less than $100 a day if you do it right. Plenty of food and lots of good nooks to code from. I've met several developers who take a week off on a ship to really get work done without distractions.

Seems like internet access might be an issue.

Or, lack of internet access might be a productivity enhancement. :-)

That's how I look at it!