Mid-Feb 2014 Two Weeks Malaysia, Thailand
Jun 30th, 2013, 05:12 AM
#1
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Mid-Feb 2014 Two Weeks Malaysia, Thailand
We will be flying into Singapore and out of Bangkok next February. The rest is a blank slate. We like to mix hiking and beaches, preferably beaches with good snorkelling nearby (boat or off-beach) and a spa for the aches and pains of vigorous hikes. We will probably end our trip in Koh Samui for five days with a night in Bangkok. Considering Bali, Langkawi, Cameron Highlands. Any other ideas? We love Thailand but this will be our third trip, so we want to discover new areas. Thank you.
Jun 30th, 2013, 08:48 AM
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Two weeks sounds like a long time, but...
Consider going to Malaysian Borneo (Sabah and Sarawak). There are opportunities to see amazing wildlife in some of the wildlife preserves in Sabah, there are beautiful beaches, and there is the climb up Mt. Kinabalu to lure you there. If you opt for this, I'd suggest you spend all of your two weeks there.
If you would prefer to stay on peninsular Malaysia, do consider Georgetown, Penang. It's a wold Heritage site, with a wonderful mix of multi-cultural historic areas, and it is renowned for the best hawker food anywhere. If your budget will allow, stay at the E&O Hotel. Nearby, just a ferry ride or a short flight is Langkawi, an island beach resort area. Of course, if you are spending 5 nights in Samui, you may not want another beach resort. You could easily spend your two weeks in Peninsular Malaysia. I haven't been to the Cameron Highlands, but it is supposed to be lovely.
You raise the option of Bali. You could easily spend two weeks on Bali, or divide your time between Bali and Java. If this interests you, take a look at my trip report from November:
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...n-to-jogja.cfm
This part of the world has so many wonderful things to do and see, your problem will be deciding which to choose. If you want to have the time to absorb some of the experience, I'd recommend not more than three locations.
Consider going to Malaysian Borneo (Sabah and Sarawak). There are opportunities to see amazing wildlife in some of the wildlife preserves in Sabah, there are beautiful beaches, and there is the climb up Mt. Kinabalu to lure you there. If you opt for this, I'd suggest you spend all of your two weeks there.
If you would prefer to stay on peninsular Malaysia, do consider Georgetown, Penang. It's a wold Heritage site, with a wonderful mix of multi-cultural historic areas, and it is renowned for the best hawker food anywhere. If your budget will allow, stay at the E&O Hotel. Nearby, just a ferry ride or a short flight is Langkawi, an island beach resort area. Of course, if you are spending 5 nights in Samui, you may not want another beach resort. You could easily spend your two weeks in Peninsular Malaysia. I haven't been to the Cameron Highlands, but it is supposed to be lovely.
You raise the option of Bali. You could easily spend two weeks on Bali, or divide your time between Bali and Java. If this interests you, take a look at my trip report from November:
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...n-to-jogja.cfm
This part of the world has so many wonderful things to do and see, your problem will be deciding which to choose. If you want to have the time to absorb some of the experience, I'd recommend not more than three locations.
Jun 30th, 2013, 09:07 AM
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Personally, I would give Koh Samui a miss. It is very commercialised and busy these days and you will get better weather on the Andaman coast. There are many choices there apart from Phuket. http://www.travelfish.org/ has some great info on beaches in Thailand and Malayasia. A few years ago we travelled in the opposite direction hopping down the Anadaman coast by ferries from Koh Libong in Thailand , via Langkawi and Penang to KL and had a great time. Penang is really a city destination as the beaches are not great but it is avery interesting places with loads to see and some of the best food in Asia. Langkawi I'd mostly viewed as a beach location but has some good hiking in the interior and great snorkelling off of some of the smaller outlying islands.
There are some photos of our 2008 trip on our blog entries # 18 - 22
http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blo...ai/1/tpod.html
Cameron Highlands would be a nice diversion and I would recommend renting a car to make the most of it. Taman Negara NP is also worth considering.
There are some photos of our 2008 trip on our blog entries # 18 - 22
http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blo...ai/1/tpod.html
Cameron Highlands would be a nice diversion and I would recommend renting a car to make the most of it. Taman Negara NP is also worth considering.
Oct 29th, 2013, 10:02 PM
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If you can afford it the E&O Hotel is a must. Thanks to this site last year we flew to Penang for 2 nights & stayed there. It was our 30th anniversary-when we came back from dinner the bathtub was full of bubbles & rose petals shaped in a heart-candles all around tub. It was a memory not soon forgotten
