clear

I'm planning our 10 yrs anniversary trip to Asia,We've been to BK,Burma & Phuket. I can't decide on BK,Phuket, Singapore and Bali or HK,or BK, Singapore & Bali. we will have about 16 days to visit (doesnt'include traveling time). My problem is I want to go to HK,BK, Malaysia,Burma and Bali. We are using Cathy air miles. We don't have enough time to visit all. I want to make the best of it since this will be the last trip we are going to Asia until my husband can get more time off from work. Please share your thoughts and advise. Thank you.

rhkkmk

why have you picked such wonderful places??/ we all must visit them all!!

so if you have already been to burma, then i would skip both it and phuket...

i think i would fly to HK and have 2 days there...then fly to bali for 5-7 days, then finish up in bangkok before my return to HK for a couple of days...

so 2 da HK\
7 days bali
3 days bkk
3 days HK
3 travel days---slightly over but travel days can be split...

bali could be 6 days....i would make that the focus of my trip...

you could also do HK, Bkk and Sing (sing only needs 2 days)

lots of choices...hard to decide...

Kathie

Yes, they are all wonderful places, so it is hard to choose. You'll be happiest if you don't move around too much. If you are using Cathay Air miles, I'd suggest you confine your trip to Hong Kong and Bali. That will minimize your travel time. I'd say, spend a few days in HK at the beginning, go to Bali and divide your time between a beach location and an inland location (likely the Ubud area) for a total of 9 or 10 days in Bali, then return to Hong Kong for a few more days. Depending on how you allocate your days, one of your Hong Kong days can be a day trip to Macau (or you can even do an overnight).

glorialf

Good idea, Bob

clear

Thank you All! My husband is just tacking along. Ok let's see, leave from DFW to HK, 3 nights in HK and then fly to Bali (which airline?) after that fly from Bali to BK and Fly back out from BK? what do you think? My dad is in BK so I need to see him for a few days. Not sure how to coordinate the air tickets from where to where? Please help. Or HK to BK and then Bali and fly home DFW FROM bALI?

Craig

You can easily spend 10-12 days in Bali. There is lots to see and do that could make up a very memorable 10 year anniversary celebration. I assume you are using Cathay because of the points and also that you are considering Hong Kong because you must fly there first anyway. How about DFW to Hong Kong to Bali (Cathay direct flight) to Bangkok (on Thai) and then back to Hong Kong and DFW (on Cathay)? I checked the Cathay web site using July as your time frame and it looks like the connections are good both DFW - LAX - HKG - DPS (Bali) and BKK - HKG - LAX - DFW. You could always spend some time in Hong Kong at the beginning or end of your trip. Hong Kong is worth a few days but it would be too much moving around IMO.

clear

Craig,
I did read your Bali's report, Actually read a lot of reports and confused. Can't decide where to stay in Bali. I want a resort that has beautiful/stunning grounds, on the beach or not direct beach is fine. Any suggestions? I read about The legian, Maya, Ritz, FS Sayan, FS Jimbaran, Conrad, Royal Pita Maha, and so many more. Thank you!

Craig

Some might disagree but I don't think you can appreciate Bali without staying at more than one place (we stayed at 3 places as you know from our trip report). The beaches aren't that great in Bali but IMO its always nice to be by the water - maybe thats the New Englander in me. You did not mention the Tugu Hotel but as a coastal resort with beautiful grounds and an exotic, romantic atmosphere I highly recommend it. Maya, FS Sayan and Pita Maha are stunning Ubud area resorts which are worthwhile to look into. These resorts are set amongst the rice fields near Ubud and are as desirable as those located along the coast. Also, you have better access to whitewater rafting (lots of fun) and the excellent shopping in and around Ubud. We also stayed on the north coast at Damai Resort at Lovina. If snorkeling or scuba is a priority, this is a good location for access to Menjangan Island where the underwater activities are world class. There is an opportunity for dolphin viewing as well in this area. Damai is a wonderful place.

It takes a long time to get from place to place so that is why you should plan on staying at more than one location in Bali. A good driver/guide is crucial on Bali and Putu (e-mail: [email protected]) has been used by many on this forum with great success.

Good luck in your planning and please post back if you have more questions.

clear

Craig,
Tugu hotel looks beautiful. What are the good/clean restaurants to eat in Bali? Did you ask Putu to take you to the restaurants? Thank you.

clear

Do we need a Visa to go to Bali? If so where do I get the Visa? Thank you

Kathie

Yes, you need a visa for Indonesia. You can get a visa on arrival in Bali or can get one in advance from their embassy or consulate.

Craig

If you can, get a visa before you arrive to avoid long lines. Putu did not take us to restaurants but I would have trusted him to do so - we normally just do snacks and do not do a "sit down" lunch. There are many great restaurants in Bali serving all types of cuisines, all good and clean.

rhkkmk

fly cathy to bali from HK...thai from bali to bkk...

visa on arrival or embassy in washington....


cathy probably will have some special routing for you with a stop allowed in HK...ask them...

we loved both the conrad and the bali hyatt....
we found that we could visit the whole island daily from these southern areas...

hire putu as a driver and he will show you bali....search for info on him on fodors...

Cicerone

First things first. What time of year is your trip? This is pretty important for Bali and for a beach lover, because if you go during the rainy season you might find it rainier and cloudier than you want. Also if you go in the winter to Hong Kong you will need heavier clothes which you may not want to bring for only a 2 day stopever, and you may or may not want to be in HOng KOng for a holiday like Chinese New Year (and you may not get inter Asia flights at that time either). Also there may be festivals like Thaipusam in Singapore which IMO are really interesting and unique and which would make a stopover there more of a recco in Feb than in say July. Time of year is pretty important when planning a vacation in SE Asia because of monsoon patterns, esp in Malaysia and Phuket, which everyone else seems to have left off of their suggestions. . . .

rhkkmk

at least someone is thinking clearly...time of year is very impt, esp for bali

marmot

clear, Congratulations on your 10 years! These are all great destinations. Since Bangkok is a must and you want to use CX miles, I'd lean toward Bangkok then Bali with a short stopover in Hong Kong on your way home. That way you'd get a good combination of urban and natural beauty.

The connections from DFW to Hong Kong are good. From there you can fly CX to BKK. To get to Bali from BKK you'll have to fly another airline. You can get from BKK to Singapore on CX, but not to Denpasar.You can get back on CX from Bali to Hong Kong and home. You can do this all in one trip (2 stops) if you like but it's a longggg haul.

In Bali, my favorite beach resort is the Legian. This certainly fulfills your requirement for beautiful/stunning grounds (and rooms) on a good beach.

I also LOVE the Amankila, if it's in your budget.

In the Ubud area, it's more difficult to pick a favorite, but some the properties that I like are the Alila and Kayumanis.

For me the perfect combination would be three days each Kayumanis, Amankila, Legian, in that order.

There are TONS of good, clean tourist friendly restaurants in Bali. Some, like KuDeTa and LaLucciola in Seminyak and Mosaic in Ubud are as sophisticated as any that you would find in the U.S.

bhuty

I wouldn't go anywhere near bali. Its old old old and done done done. Too many bombs in too few years make it slightly more enticing then visiting iraq.

HK generally is overrated but if you get to the other islands (eg lama) then its worth putting in 4 - 6 days for it easily.

Oh and I agree you don't want to be in HK for chinese new year as attractive as it may sound.

rhkkmk

bhuty---you are in a very small minority....

where would you suggest??

bhuty

yeah but I'm from Australia so that explains it. But still there are heaps of aussies that still want to go there just that the sane ones always shake their heads when people go their and complain that a bomb went off to ruin their holiday. These events seem to have affected aussie more than anyone else.


Anyway: seems to me that people are attracted to bali for a lot of reasons but partly because it used to be the WOW place to go. If you just go a bit further to new guinea you will see and experience things that your mates never will have expected or experienced. They have recently found what they are calling a "lost city" there with a host of new species and subspecies of wildlife.

Kathie

bhuty, New Guinea is a bit different type of destination than Bali. It's a spot for adventure travel, but not for a luxurious vacation.

I know that Aussies were impacted by the bombings, and I know that some Aussies are boycotting Bali because of the high-profile drug arrest of several Aussies. Anyone considering Bali should know about the bombings and assess for themselves whether they are comfortable visiting.

Your statement that Bali is "old old old and done done done." would be endorsed by very few on this board. Bali remains a fascinating destination