thegroom

am planning a honeymoon in early november: bangkok, followed by beach resort, followed by hong kong.<BR><BR>debating between phuket and bali. what is better this time of year?<BR><BR>is rainy season truly over in phuket by nov 1 or am i at risk for lots of rain?

ryan

Rainy season has definately ended in Phuket. (Believe it has in Bali, as well.)<BR><BR>We did HK, Phuket, Bali, with a Singapore return flight. If we had it to do over again, would probably skip Bali. Don't get me wrong, it is nice, we just found Phuket more enjoyable, especially for beach relaxation.<BR><BR>Phuket (Patong) does have a seedy side, but it not nearly as bad as some will lead you to believe.<BR><BR>We are also from NY. We also preferred Phuket because of the fact that it had very few Americans. At the Four Seasons in Bali, there were no less than 10 other NYC couples. However, if you do choose Bali, the Four Season Jimbaran Bay is great.<BR><BR><BR>

Amanda

Try Koh Samui, much nicer than either Bali or Phuket. Was in Phuket 2 weeks ago and found Patong seedy 'and' dirty, garbage everywhere, if you do go head for Kata or Karon beaches instead.

thegroom

problem with koh samui is that in november it is dead in the middle of the rainy season in phuket<BR><BR>what i have read is that november is first month of phuket's dry season and second month fo bali's wet season, but the fact is bali's wet season is quite mild and i think bali gets actually less arin annual in nov then puket does<BR><BR>ryan-where did you stay in bali/phuket-<BR>we are thinking amanpuri there and maybe four easons jimbaran/amankila or amanwana.<BR>

ryan

In Phuket, we stayed at the Chedi. We had planned on staying at the Aman but one of my wife's colleagues tipped her off that the Chedi is a better deal. (He in fact left the Aman after 2 nights and moved down to the Chedi.)<BR><BR>The two hotels share the same beach in Bang Tao, and in fact are managed by the same company. You have signing rights at either. While the standard Aman room is definately nicer, for $400 a night (when we went) we were able to get a beach front room at the Chedi. At the Aman, the same amount gets you a room towards the back of the resort. I also thought the beach area at the Chedi was much nicer as it about 2/3rds larger than the AMAN beach.<BR><BR>I also found the Aman to be a little to "American" for me. We had dinner there one night and these two guys began an across the aisle conversation where they each proceeded to name drop the Producers/Directors/Actors they knew. <BR><BR>In terms of restaurants, Baan Rim Pa and the Boathouse are great spots in Phuket. The former was so good, we had dinner there 3 times.<BR><BR>In Bali, we stayed at the Four Seasons in Jimbaran Bay. The private villas and the plunge pools are fantastic and well worth it. If you do stay here, make sure you get a villa that is to the LEFT of the pool/reception area as you look at the Bay. The other half of the resort gets more foot traffic (restaurant/beach access) and has less seclusion. <BR><BR>In HK, if money is not an object, splurge for a Harbor View room at the Peninsula. I'd also say splurge for the Rolls Royce airport pickup/delivery. What the hell, it is your honeymoon.<BR><BR>While in HK, Ascot Chang makes great shirts. There is a Peninsula location(They have a location on W. 57th in NYC also.) You'll save a bundle though if you get fitted when you arrive and ask them to be ready by your departure. I made the mistake of waiting until the day I left HK to order them. As a result, the price doubled because of the importation duties that were attached as I had them sent to NY.<BR><BR>Anyway, have a great time. BTW, don't be turned off by the comments about Patong. Yes, it is a bit seedy, in some parts. But, most of the people are harmless. The beach at Patong is awful. But the beach at Bang Tao is one of the best that I've been to.

thegroom

thanks ryan-but you say if you could do it again, you would skip bali altogether and just spend the time in phuket or travel eslewhere in thailand?

ryan

Groom,<BR>Bali was fine. Not sure it would be my first choice in that part of the world but I would go again. The Four Seasons Jimbaran definately lives up to the reputation. They charge a bundle and have cleverly converted their prices into US dollars. But, the villas are great. <BR><BR>Please don't let my view influence you too much. I know plenty of other people who loved Bali. We were a bit tired by that point as it was week 3 of our trip and we were still tired from all the pre-wedding issues we had to deal with. We didn't really do much excpet relax and go to a few of the more popular sites. I know there is much more to see than we did.<BR><BR>If you have at least 2 weeks, you may be a bit stretched in 4 locations. But, when are you going to get to that part of the world again!<BR><BR>I'd <BR>