Please help refine my Asia itinerary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Langkawi is perfect for this.

Langkawi is nice but it isn’t a spectacular Asian beach. I would suggest Phuket/Khao Lak which have easy flights from Singapore. or Lombok/Gili islands but that may be a bit much for 4-5 days

[Anonymous]

Too much time in Hong Kong, and probably too much time in Singapore too. You have 13 nights to play with - this is what I would do as a pretty frequent SE traveler:

3 nights Singapore as you work to get over jet lag. There's not much to do there. Maybe even 2 nights

3 nights Chiang Mai - you can fly direct from Singapore

4-5 nights Koh Samui - fly direct from Chiang Mai

2-3 nights Hong Kong. See the bay, spend NYE there (although the fireworks were canceled there this year!). Go to Disney, come home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Too much time in Hong Kong, and probably too much time in Singapore too. You have 13 nights to play with - this is what I would do as a pretty frequent SE traveler:

3 nights Singapore as you work to get over jet lag. There's not much to do there. Maybe even 2 nights

3 nights Chiang Mai - you can fly direct from Singapore

4-5 nights Koh Samui - fly direct from Chiang Mai

2-3 nights Hong Kong. See the bay, spend NYE there (although the fireworks were canceled there this year!). Go to Disney, come home.

Oops missed the part about not wanting to go to Disney (although this is a pretty great Disney park). So maybe just 2 nights in Hong Kong, but try to be there for NYE. Alternative would be to fly home from BKK - this year they had a wild drone show for NYE, which got even more attention globally since the Hong Kong show was cancelled. If you are in the DC area, you can fly United the entire way.

This itinerary gives you a good mix of a little bit of everything. Sure, it's a bunch of flights, but completely doable and Koh Samui gives you some downtime. Chiang Mai gives you the elephants, trekking, cooking and culture. We recently did a very similar itinerary to this, in a similar winter break time frame, and it was completely possible.

[Anonymous]

Thank you, PP! Lots of great ideas. Too many places to see, not enough time.

Do you think Chiang Mai can be substituted for Angkor wat in your itinerary? Of course, the complication is that there are no direct flights between koh Samui and Siem Reap so that will add travel time…

[Anonymous]

Do 2/3 days in Hong Kong then go visit Shanghai for however many days available then fly home from there. Shanghai will blow your mind in so many ways unexpectedly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you, PP! Lots of great ideas. Too many places to see, not enough time.

Do you think Chiang Mai can be substituted for Angkor wat in your itinerary? Of course, the complication is that there are no direct flights between koh Samui and Siem Reap so that will add travel time…

Sure, though yep you’ll have to change planes probably in BKK which isn’t a terribly big deal as the flight times are quick.

Angkor is great although unless you have a serious interest in the complex you’ll probably be done after one tour day. Most guidelines say spend 2-3 days touring there which I think is way too much.

I’d probably still stick with Chiang Mai instead.

You also don’t have to go to Koh Samui - there’s a bunch of similar places in the region. Probably figure out your nightly budget and then find a hotel that matches your budget and interests. For a beach vacation, a lot are pretty interchangeable and the hotel will be just as important as the location. (Love the Conrad Koh Samui and Como Point Yamu in Phuket).

The idea to go into mainland China isn’t a bad one if you have any interest in traveling there. Make sure you understand the visa rules though.

[Anonymous]

I agree with others--way too much time in Hong Kong. I'd do at most 3 nights there.

I'd do Singapore, Bangkok, and then maybe a beach in Thailand, and then Hong Kong for 2 nights. Returning from Thailand, you're going to need to stop someplace anyway b/c there are no direct flights, so you can incorporate Hong Kong there for a night or two. We did that on our first trip to Thailand.

[Anonymous]

What if I do:

4 nights Singapore (to acclimate)
4 nights Koh Samui
3 nights Hanoi and
3 nights Hong Kong?

This gives a nice mix of modern cities, not so modern cities, and natural wonders. Angkor Wat won’t happen but can’t have it all can you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What if I do:

4 nights Singapore (to acclimate)
4 nights Koh Samui
3 nights Hanoi and
3 nights Hong Kong?

This gives a nice mix of modern cities, not so modern cities, and natural wonders. Angkor Wat won’t happen but can’t have it all can you.

Too much time in Singapore. Koh Samui doesn't really have natural wonders - it's a pretty bland island, which is mostly about the hotel you stay at. There is Ang Thong Marine Park nearby but there are prettier places to go in the region.

I still think Chiang Mai instead of Vietnam but that's my bias that Thailand > Vietnam.

[Anonymous]

What would you recommend as a prettier place than the marine park? I love the pictures but of course no one would post an ugly picture. It looks kind of like Ha Long bay but with blue water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ha long bay is magical. You can fly direct from singapore to hanoi. Several boat tours will pick up from hanoi. I did a private one day trip when I went. They picked us up from our hotel, drove to the port, we went on the boat for a few hours, had lunch on the boat, they stop for snorkling or swimming or whatever, then back to the port, and we were driven back to the hotel. I think most people do at least a night on the boat, but we had such little time and still wanted to see it.

I was also going to suggest taiwan, which was one of my favourite places in asia. Amazing food scene.

I thought about that! So, from what little research I did online, and please note I have no direct experience, it seems the bay is suffering from over-tourism and getting too dirty to enjoy. There IS an alternative called Bai Tu Long bay that is apparently the "new" Ha Long. It will be, however, too cold to get into the water for swimming or snorkeling in December But I agree it sounds and looks magical and is definitely on the list.

What did you think of Hanoi?

I’m not the PP, but our family went to Vietnam over December/January 2 years ago. We did a 2-night Bai Tu Long Bay cruise that was amazing. We went with Indochina Junk - highly recommend. The weather can be iffy in winter (chilly, foggy) but we lucked out with gorgeous sunny weather in the 60s-70s. Some people even swam when we had lunch on a small island, but I grew up swimming in the bathwater-temp Gulf of Mexico and found the water a little cool for that.

Hanoi was my favorite city out of all we visited in Vietnam (also went to Hue - my 2nd favorite, Hoi An, Da Lat, and Saigon). It has a deep history and strong sense of culture. Like all of Vietnam, the traffic is nuts, though, the air pollution can be awful, and Vietnamese will tell you that northerners are not as friendly as southerners (I didn’t really notice that). Winter weather can be cool in Hanoi.

We stayed in the Old Quarter, which is lively, charming, and close to lots of sights, but chaotic. I think if we go again, I’d want to stay in Tay Ho or maybe in the French Quarter a little south of Hoan Kiem Lake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ha long bay is magical. You can fly direct from singapore to hanoi. Several boat tours will pick up from hanoi. I did a private one day trip when I went. They picked us up from our hotel, drove to the port, we went on the boat for a few hours, had lunch on the boat, they stop for snorkling or swimming or whatever, then back to the port, and we were driven back to the hotel. I think most people do at least a night on the boat, but we had such little time and still wanted to see it.

I was also going to suggest taiwan, which was one of my favourite places in asia. Amazing food scene.

I thought about that! So, from what little research I did online, and please note I have no direct experience, it seems the bay is suffering from over-tourism and getting too dirty to enjoy. There IS an alternative called Bai Tu Long bay that is apparently the "new" Ha Long. It will be, however, too cold to get into the water for swimming or snorkeling in December But I agree it sounds and looks magical and is definitely on the list.

What did you think of Hanoi?

I’m not the PP, but our family went to Vietnam over December/January 2 years ago. We did a 2-night Bai Tu Long Bay cruise that was amazing. We went with Indochina Junk - highly recommend. The weather can be iffy in winter (chilly, foggy) but we lucked out with gorgeous sunny weather in the 60s-70s. Some people even swam when we had lunch on a small island, but I grew up swimming in the bathwater-temp Gulf of Mexico and found the water a little cool for that.

Hanoi was my favorite city out of all we visited in Vietnam (also went to Hue - my 2nd favorite, Hoi An, Da Lat, and Saigon). It has a deep history and strong sense of culture. Like all of Vietnam, the traffic is nuts, though, the air pollution can be awful, and Vietnamese will tell you that northerners are not as friendly as southerners (I didn’t really notice that). Winter weather can be cool in Hanoi.

We stayed in the Old Quarter, which is lively, charming, and close to lots of sights, but chaotic. I think if we go again, I’d want to stay in Tay Ho or maybe in the French Quarter a little south of Hoan Kiem Lake.

Thank you! Hanoi is looking better and better

[Anonymous]

Hi! Lived in Hong Kong for several years. You have so many amazing options. It totally depends on what you want--culture? Beaches?

I would do 2 nights (3 tops) in Singapore. It's very hot and kind of sterile. Acclimate a bit, check out the night zoo, Marina Bay Sands, food (Hawker stands) and get a Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel. From there, consider Hanoi (2 nights) with beach time in Da Nang (2 nights). Make sure you do a street food tour in Hanoi and check out the art gallery.

Or fly to Phuket and Khao Lak (our favorite beach destination when we lived there--easy and beautiful--lots of great resorts). Koh Samui is also beautiful but more expensive.

In HK, spend 3 nights. Walk the loop around the Peak for the views, take the Star Ferry, hike Dragon's Back, eat dim sum, get high tea at the Peninsula, visit the Big Buddha on Lantau and watch the light show/fire works on NYE.

Have fun OP!!

[Anonymous]

Thank you so much, PP!

I hear you on Singapore. I’m a little reluctant to cut that time bc I want the kids to acclimate in a somewhat more comfortable place , and I honestly have no idea how long it would take for them so am erring on the side of caution. Four nights is basically 3 full days, one of which would probably be half ruined. Is this too much?

[Anonymous]

Also, wouldn’t Da Nang be too cold for the beach in January?