LA_FadeAway

Thinking of going to Bali next year in late Aug or late September. We'll have to go through HK on the way there and back and it looks like we'll have to go through Singapore on the way back too (using flyer miles). If we have approximately two weeks total including R/T travel time from Los Angeles, how long should we allocate to stop-overs in Singapore and Hong Kong? Our main focus would be Bali, but just thinking it would be nice to get a sampling of those cities too. Would two nights in each be good? I think that would leave roughly 8 nights in Bali. Is that enough or should we skip the stopovers? I'm pretty sure we'll have to at least overnight in each.
Also, can or should we try to squeeze in Borobudur somehow or is that just too much?

Thanks!

rkkwan

2-3 nights in HK, and 1-2 in Singapore will be fine. 8 nights in Bali should be adequate, but only you can decide if you want to spend more there.

Kathie

What are the rules for your airline? Usually a two/three night stopover once is allowed on a ticket. Transits of less than 24 hours are usually unlimited. So check with the airline before you plan. A side trip to central Java would be a separate journey (in terms of airlines rules).

Personally, I wouldn't schedule less than a week in Bali. So see what the rules are for your airline. If you could make it work, I'd plan for one stopover and the trip to central Java, but I don't know if that works for your timeframe. I'd say that two stopovers and central Java are too much in a mere two weeks.

LA_FadeAway

Actually just checked and found flyer mile seats back to LAX from Jakarta or Surabaya too. Would it make more sense to fly home from one of those cities in order to see Borobudur rather than going through Singapore? What is the best way to get to Yogyakarta from Bali? As far as flying goes, it seems like flying into Jakarta then to Yogyakarta is cheapest, but also a bit of a hassle.

marmot

LA, I'd concentrate on Bali/Java/Singapore and save Hong Kong for another trip. Depending on how your flights work out I think Singapore/Central Java/Bali is doable in two weeks time -- or you could choose two out of three.

First, be aware that the Islamic holidays that follow Ramadan will start around August 19, 2012, plus or minus a few days. This holiday period doesn't directly affect Bali or Singapore but many people in the region will be traveling which does affect flights and hotel/resort availabilty.

You definitely don't want to be in Central Java during the Islamic holiday period, which will extend more or less to the end of August.

There are frequent non-stop flights from Jakarta, Surabaya and Bali/Denpasar to Yogyakarta, so if you decide not to go to Singapore you won't have any problem getting to Central Java from any of these places.

LA_FadeAway

Thanks for the quick replies. Gosh, I think I remember some of you from when I planned our Thailand/Cambodia trip almost five years ago!

Kathie, to answer your questions about flights, here is the deal. We have a bunch of BA miles to use up from a credit card promotion. They are changing their program dramatically on 11/16/11, but if I book before then I know the current rules. I can book one way with unlimited enroute stopovers on Cathay Pacific (although only HKG would technically be a stopover). There is availability from LAX>HKG>DPS but there is nothing (for months) on the DPS>HKG leg, which means we'll have to buy tickets to either Jakarta, Surabaya, or Singapore and then use our miles from their back to LAX via HKG. Looks like flights between DPS and Jakarta or Singapore are very cheap on Air Asia.

If we go to Yogyakarta, we'd have to buy that too. The flights DPS>JOG are a bit pricey compared to the Air Asia flights, so it seems like going through Jakarta would be the cheapest route, except maybe the train from DPS. Anyone ever try the train, just curious about that? I'm guessing it takes a while.

Marmot, thanks for the info on the islamic holiday. I had heard something about it being in August but wasn't sure. There is actually more flyer mile availability in late September, so we are leaning that direction right now.

One more thought... we've also been considering China rather than Bali/Java. They are both places we want to see eventually. My reasononing toward Bali is that I believe the weather is good that time of year and perhaps China needs more than two weeks (and is maybe more expensive?). Is that about right or should we still be considering China? Anyone prefer one over the other? If so, why?

Okay, enough questions for now!

qwovadis

weatther2travel.com

Bali Climate guides and Singapore

for me to maximize my time...but monsoon season will be rain

China in the north usually better weatherwise

Personally prefer Bali Hyatt Sanur for beach Komaneka.com

Monkey Forest around Ubud awesome...

Beware on that BA.com CC propmotion my wife an I had 200000

miles each sounded great but we had to pay HUNDREDS extra

in bogus "fuel surcharges" and seat charges our "free" flights

ended up costing us $800 or so almost $400 each.

So be careful and have fun!

rkkwan

China is a huge country. You can spend 2 years and not seen all of it, but two weeks is also okay. Just depends on what you want to see and how many sites you want to visit. Luxury stuff like 5* hotels are not cheap in China, but neither is Bali. Or you can have a meal for US$2. All depends on how you want to travel. Most of the country will be hot, but not all. Higher elevation places, like Shangri-La in Yunnan province isn't hot even in summer time.

LA_FadeAway

Thanks again for the replies! Qwovadis, I'm aware of the fuel surcharges on BA. That's why it is best to use them on either LAN in South America (no fuel surcharges) or on Cathay Pacific (lower fuel surcharges). We got 200k miles with that promo too. We're using half to go to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos and are thinking Asia for the other half. Just need to book soon because the partner award chart is apparently going to be distance based starting with the new "Avios Miles" plan beginning 11/16/11.

Regarding weather, you mention monsoon season. I thought Bali was supposed to be dry in August and September, but not areas like Vietnam or the Phillipines, which I was we are not considering them. Is that not correct?

LA_FadeAway

Okay, one more thought? What about Borneo? Cathay has availability into Kota Kinabalu. Anyone been there? How does it compare to Bali/Java or even China? How are the beaches compared to Bali? I know I'm all over the map.

Just considering all our options on Cathy Pacific and trying to stick with somewhere the weather won't be horrible. Also, only have enough miles to go to China or southeast Asia (India is too far).

By they way, qwovadis, the fees I'm seeing all in are about $385/pp to any of the destinations we're looking at. That is definitely more than we paid for South America, but I still think it's a really good deal from LAX to SEA considering we got those miles for only $95! We could use the rest on another SA trip like Easter Island, Santiago, Buenos Aires for less money, but think SA twice in one year might be a bit much. Okay, now I'm really all over the map (or globe)

StanKase

a FEW THOUGHTS. wE HAVE BEEN TO sINGAPORE TWICE AND TO BE HONEST IF YOU PLAN WELL 1 FULL 9-10 HOUR TOURING DAY TO lITTLE iNDIA, MAYBE THE GLORIOUS BOTANICAL GARDENS AND IF YOUR SO INCLINED THE MEGA MALLS CARRYING THE LATEST IN FASHION. i THINK 2 FULL DAYS IN hk CAN DO IT WITH A VISIT TO THE bIRD mARKET, TAKE THE STAR FERRY AND FOR EXPEDIENCE SAKE TAKE A TOURING BUS FOR 4-5 HOURS FOR THE OTHER SIGHTS> SHOPPING IS NO LONGER A GRAW ON MOST FOLKS PPOCKET BOOKS> THE BARGAINS DIAPEARED 20 YEARS AGO, UNFORTUNATELY.THERE ARE MANY GREAT RESTAURANTS AT RESONABLE PRICES THOUGH.
I would spend 5 FULL DAYS/6 NIGHTS IN BALI> THE HYATT AT SANUR IS NICE BUT HUGE> WE STAYED THERE ONCE IN THE LAST BUILDING AND IT SEEMED LIKE A 1/4 MILE FROM OUR ROOM TO THE LOBBLY> IT WAS NO FUN WITH THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY> I THINK YOU KNOW THAT OCTOBER REALLY BEGINS THE RAINY SEASON SO IF YOU CAN GO THE LAST @ WEEKS OF SEPT> OR VERY EARLY OCT> THAT WOULD BE WISE. IF YOU WANT SUPER LUXURY AND CAN GET IN THE CHEDI CLUB IS HEAVEN AND IN OUR MINDS SURPASSES THE FOUR SEASONS AND AMAN RESORTS> A 1 BEDROOM SUITE LAST MONTH WAS $320 WITH BREAKFAST INCLUDING TAX ABND SERVICE. A very good but not excellent guide in Bali was Putu who also goes by Balifriend. and is about $65/day.
I WOULD NOT MISS GOING TO YOJGA AND VISITING BOBODURUR AND PREHANBAN TEMPLES AND SEVERAL UNIQUE VILLAGES MAKING TOFU< FLOUR AND POTTERY USING 80 YEAR OLD EQUIPMENT. YOU CAN ALSO GO OUT TO SEE THE MAGNIFICANT DIENG PLATEAU SO YOU NEED 2 DAYS IN CENTRAL JAVA. THE HYATT REGENCY THROUGH THE GUIDE I USED WAS $175 FOR A CLUB FLOOR ROOM WITH A FULL AMERICAN BREAKFAST AND APPITIZERS AND COCTAILS AT NIGHT. THE ONLY THING I DO NOT KNOW IS CAN YOU FLY FROM YOGJA TO SURBAYA TO CATCH THE LAX FLIGHT.
OUR GUIDE LAST MONTH WAS EXCELLENT AND WAS THE SECOND TIME WE USED HIM> HE IS A LAISON WITH UNESCO FOR BOBODURUR SO YOUR TOUR THERE IS REALLY THRILLING> HE DOES CHARGE $80 for a 10 hour day, A BIT HIGH BY $15-20 BUT HE REALLY IS WELL WORTH IT, IN MY OPINION. IF INTERESTED: bobodururtourandtravel.com or his home office [email protected]

Kathie

I've been to Borneo. Click on my name and you'll find an old trip report on Borneo. A number of people have posted reports on Borneo in the last year or two. But Borneo is an entirely different kind of experience where you are going to see orangutans in the rainforest.

Start by deciding what kind of experience you are looking for.

marmot

LA, Every country in Asia has its own appeal. It's like chosing between London and Florence: eventually you will get to both.

August/September is still the dry season in Bali. It's the tropics so you will get some rain, just not as much as during the rainy season.

The best way to get from Bali to Central Java is to fly on Garuda, Denpasar -- Yogyakarta. Flights should be about USD150+ roundtrip, maybe a little more or less.

These are two separate islands, so no train. Going through Jakarta means backtracking and a lot of unnecessary airport time. Don't do this.

If you choose to use your BA/CX miles then it makes sense to stop in Hong Kong for a day or two instead of Singapore

Malaysian Borneo and Kota Kinabalu is a completely different culture and environment from Bali. Borneo would a wild nature oriented experience. The beaches are quite nice, but the resorts choices are not as expansive as Bali.

Comparing China to Bali is also difficult. China is a huge country with 1 (or is it 2 now?) billion people and several large cities. Bali is a small island of 3 million people.

The allure of Bali is the combination of vibrant culture and arts plus a phenomenally beautiful natural environment. The beaches, themselves are not the most pristine, but the resorts, restaurants, spas, shops are world class. With a week you could spend some time at the beach and some time in the countryside around Ubud.

LA_FadeAway

Thanks again for all the great feedback everyone! Looks like I need to read up a little more. We've been leaning toward Bali, but just want to make sure we're not overlooking some other opportunity too.

Marmot, the train I was referring to is actually a bus>ferry>train that was mentioned on the LP forum. I don't know how long it takes, but I'm guessing a while!

I'm sure I'll be back with more questions. At least we have lots of time to plan, just need to book the flyer mile seats by next week before they (likely) lose value.

kuluk

LA: The Bus/Ferry/Bus combination is definitely not for you. It usually leaves Denpasar Ubung terminal at about 3 pm and arrives in various stops in Central Java at about 6 am the next day. The ferries are not that safe and definitely not comfortable...they are not like the Catalina ferries, for example. These ferries are used to load tons of people, motorbikes, cars, trucks full of stuff like rice, industrial stuff and container bound crates. The bus drivers weave in and out of the lanes like maniacs and you will not be able to get any sleep. I have written a lot on this and other forums on the un-advisbility of taking the ferries, especially if you have the resources to just fly, which will take you about 45 minutes to Central Java. The LP forum is mostly for backpackers who have lots of time and very little money, and so for them it's a badge of price to say they travelled overland and sea, etc etc. Central Java is wonderful and Borobudur and Prambanan are individually on a scale with anything in Siem Reap. Plus you will get insights into cultures other than Bali.

Balinese Hindu culture is of course, justifiably famous. Just do a youtube search for any of the dances and you will see what awaits...try Legong, Balinese Gamelan, Kecak, Calonarang, etc. Bali is beautiful but the beaches are just a part of the appeal...the wonderful people, culture and arts are what makes it special. August/September is a really good time to go because it's the cool dry season...my favorite time of the year in Bali!

LA_FadeAway

Thanks Kuluk, you confirmed my suspicions about the overland route to central Java!

So how does an itinerary like this look:

LAX>HKG arrive HKG at 6:45PM spend 2 nights
HKG>DPS arrive DPS at 2:55PM spend 9 nights (3 Ubud/6 beach)
DPS>JOG arrive JOG at 3:55PM spend 2 nights
JOG>SIN arrive SIN at 10:45AM spend 1 night
SIN>LAX leave SIN at 8:05AM

I'm thinking it seems a tad hectic, but then again most of our two week trips are. Always trying to squeeze everything in! Is that enough time for a taste of Singapore or should we cut a day off Bali? I kinda hate to do that since the whole point of this trip started out as just Bali. Suggestions???

Of course, most of this doesn't have to be set in stone anytime soon. Mainly just need to finalize our flyer mile seets asap. Thanks again for everyone's help!

LA_FadeAway

That should be "seats", not "seets". Dang I wish this had an edit button!

marmot

LA, That sounds like a great itinerary. If you don't intend to back in this part of the world soon, I would do 8 nights Bali, 2 nights Singapore, but having said that, after Bali, Singapore can seem jarringly "civilized."

LA_FadeAway

I understand what you mean marmot. I actually would rather have an extra day in Singapore rather than HK, but the two nights in HK is pretty much set due to current flyer mile availibility. I'll consider your suggestion of cutting one nt off Bali though. I was thinking just one nt in Singapore may be just a tease. Then again, I'm betting leaving Bali will be tough!

marmot

Why don't you spend just one night in Hong Kong then? You could stay at the airport and just consider it an overnight transit stop.

I love Hong Kong (more than Singapore actually), but you will be wiped out when you arrive and really only have one full day, which is, as you say, a tease.