Please help refine my Asia itinerary

[Anonymous]

Looks fun, but maybe think if you really need three nights in Siem Reap. I would think two nights is enough (I went for one night and it was enough). enjoy this wonderful part of the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looks fun, but maybe think if you really need three nights in Siem Reap. I would think two nights is enough (I went for one night and it was enough). enjoy this wonderful part of the world.

I did think about it and seriously considered it. As you all know, the problem is with too many interesting places to see and too little time When I plan trips, I like to think of days as complete days, i.e. the ones where you wake up and go to sleep at the same place. I thought having two complete days for Siem Reap would be good so as not to rush. But I completely understand the urge to see more, believe me. I have to fight it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for sharing your advice and experiences. This was incredibly helpful. After mulling it over, I decided to extend the trip length by two days. The high schooler will just have to deal. Here is the plan right now:

Depart for Singapore Dec 18th, arrive IN Singapore Dec 19th late afternoon.

Four nights in Singapore. Decided not to cut that part to give the kids a chance to rest and recover in relative comfort. Plus we have friends there.

Dec 23, fly to Siem Reap (direct flight), thank you, the PP who recommended switching up the temples and the beach. Three nights.

Dec 26, fly to Phuket (direct flight), thank you, the PP who recommended the Andaman coast over the Gulf due to end of rain season. Five nights for R&R.

Dec 31, fly to Hong Kong (direct flight). NYE! Four nights.

Dec 4th, fly home.

Now we have a whole year to look forward to this! Thanks again.

Update: Our trip will now end in Hanoi, not Hong Kong, as I'm doing the whole thing on points, and I found amazingly cheap business class tickets out of Hanoi. So, now we are arriving in Hanoi late on December 30th and departing very late at night on January 3rd. This was a pleasant surprise!

So, now we have four days in Hanoi. I would very much appreciate your advice, if you've been there, on the best way to spend them. Currently I'm thinking of spending 2 days in Hanoi to walk around and see the sights, and 2 days for a boat trip to Bai Tu Long (like Halong Bay but cleaner).

Are two days enough to see the highlights of Hanoi? Or would you scrap the boat tour and spend all this time in Hanoi? Are there other side trips that could be fitted in? It would also be over NYE, which I know isn't a super big deal in Hanoi but may (?) affect the planning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for sharing your advice and experiences. This was incredibly helpful. After mulling it over, I decided to extend the trip length by two days. The high schooler will just have to deal. Here is the plan right now:

Depart for Singapore Dec 18th, arrive IN Singapore Dec 19th late afternoon.

Four nights in Singapore. Decided not to cut that part to give the kids a chance to rest and recover in relative comfort. Plus we have friends there.

Dec 23, fly to Siem Reap (direct flight), thank you, the PP who recommended switching up the temples and the beach. Three nights.

Dec 26, fly to Phuket (direct flight), thank you, the PP who recommended the Andaman coast over the Gulf due to end of rain season. Five nights for R&R.

Dec 31, fly to Hong Kong (direct flight). NYE! Four nights.

Dec 4th, fly home.

Now we have a whole year to look forward to this! Thanks again.

Update: Our trip will now end in Hanoi, not Hong Kong, as I'm doing the whole thing on points, and I found amazingly cheap business class tickets out of Hanoi. So, now we are arriving in Hanoi late on December 30th and departing very late at night on January 3rd. This was a pleasant surprise!

So, now we have four days in Hanoi. I would very much appreciate your advice, if you've been there, on the best way to spend them. Currently I'm thinking of spending 2 days in Hanoi to walk around and see the sights, and 2 days for a boat trip to Bai Tu Long (like Halong Bay but cleaner).

Are two days enough to see the highlights of Hanoi? Or would you scrap the boat tour and spend all this time in Hanoi? Are there other side trips that could be fitted in? It would also be over NYE, which I know isn't a super big deal in Hanoi but may (?) affect the planning.

I think you’ll be missing out on Hong Kong especially if your kids are into cities and urban planning. The subway, escalators, and malls there are extraordinary as well as the convenience of food.

[Anonymous]

PP, I would have absolutely loved Hong Kong, no question. There were just no tickets to be had at all at this time, and the Hanoi option was too tempting to let go.

[Anonymous]

Yes 4 days in Hanoi with the boat trip is plenty to see Hanoi

Stay at the Capella or the metropole (first and second choice). Could do a Vespa street food tour at night. (They do the driving!).

[Anonymous]

Sorry, by above I meant - do the boat trip with 2 days in ganoi

[Anonymous]

First red flag "Asia" is your trip? That's a big place! Truly, you are going to be jet lagged AF. Go to one place and explore. You don't have enough time to do much more than 1 country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First red flag "Asia" is your trip? That's a big place! Truly, you are going to be jet lagged AF. Go to one place and explore. You don't have enough time to do much more than 1 country.

I disagree - I find jet lag to Asia significantly easier than jet lag from the east coast to Europe. Coming back from Asia is where I usually have issues, but going there am pretty good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First red flag "Asia" is your trip? That's a big place! Truly, you are going to be jet lagged AF. Go to one place and explore. You don't have enough time to do much more than 1 country.

Well I'm going to be jetlagged AF no matter how many countries I'm going to see, so might as well make the most of it, no?

I've timed the flights to somewhat mirror the daily rhythm so fingers crossed.

We arrive in Singapore late in the afternoon so by the time we leave the airport, check in, have dinner, it will be time for bed and hopefully everyone will be sleepy.

We leave Hanoi at midnight so sleep on the plane, arrive to LHR early morning. We'll have a quick side trip (maybe Windsor or Hampton Court), leave LHR at 5 pm and arrive IAD at 8.30 pm, at which point everyone will be good and ready for bed. Yes, long and exhausting but exciting at the same time!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes 4 days in Hanoi with the boat trip is plenty to see Hanoi

Stay at the Capella or the metropole (first and second choice). Could do a Vespa street food tour at night. (They do the driving!).

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Wow, this takes me back. We lived almost a decade with young kids in Singapore and travelled to all those places. Try not to overschedule. I would do like one touristy thing a day and leave the rest of the day to move at a slower pace. You can find a lot of recs and places to eat through travel blogs.

I like that you are leaving some extra time to adjust to jet lag. I kind of enjoyed jetlag with the kids and going to the grocery store at like 2am.. those were the days! If you want to see more of Singapore outside the flashy shopping areas, then I recommend an easy hike around McRitchie where you will definitely encounter monkeys. You can also take a bum boat (very cheap) to Pulau Ubin, a nearby island where you can bike and eat and see more monkeys and wild boars. For fancier chicken rice, make a reservation at Chatterbox in Orchard area. Try Chili Crab. Take the underground walkways through the malls in Orchard. Check out the basement of Takashimaya for lot of Japanese and Asian snacks. Kinokuniya is great to just chill and check out books. Little India, Arab St, and Chinatown are all fun to check out too. Night Safari is fun too. You'll find info on all through google.

I love love love Hanoi. Check out Mekong Quilts for some fun souvenirs.

Wherever you go, please don't ride elephants. If you were going to Chiang Mai, I would recommend Elephant Nature Park.

Have fun and enjoy the trip!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, this takes me back. We lived almost a decade with young kids in Singapore and travelled to all those places. Try not to overschedule. I would do like one touristy thing a day and leave the rest of the day to move at a slower pace. You can find a lot of recs and places to eat through travel blogs.

I like that you are leaving some extra time to adjust to jet lag. I kind of enjoyed jetlag with the kids and going to the grocery store at like 2am.. those were the days! If you want to see more of Singapore outside the flashy shopping areas, then I recommend an easy hike around McRitchie where you will definitely encounter monkeys. You can also take a bum boat (very cheap) to Pulau Ubin, a nearby island where you can bike and eat and see more monkeys and wild boars. For fancier chicken rice, make a reservation at Chatterbox in Orchard area. Try Chili Crab. Take the underground walkways through the malls in Orchard. Check out the basement of Takashimaya for lot of Japanese and Asian snacks. Kinokuniya is great to just chill and check out books. Little India, Arab St, and Chinatown are all fun to check out too. Night Safari is fun too. You'll find info on all through google.

I love love love Hanoi. Check out Mekong Quilts for some fun souvenirs.

Wherever you go, please don't ride elephants. If you were going to Chiang Mai, I would recommend Elephant Nature Park.

Have fun and enjoy the trip!!

Thank you! I'm taking notes!