it doesn't get more exotic than bangkok...they have it all, except the beach...

i also love bali...bkk is closer but not by much...

could you combine the two...or could you go singapore-phuket or koh samui-bangkok???

bali is worth a week of your time for nearly a week..

i live in boston....could i suggest that you investigate the new thai air flight from jfk....direct to bangkok in 17 hours non stop...use bkk as a base and put singapore in the middle...start and end in bkk...flights in and out of bkk are much cheaper than in and out of singapore...

Thanks for the great advice!

I guess the 3 places that popped into my head first were Bali, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur. I don't know a lot about any of them, just know they are relatively close to Singapore.

I would most likely get my RT into Singapore, though, because my Dad lives there and I would be staying with him for part of the trip. I live North of Boston, and my dad usually takes the new direct flight on Singapore Airlines from Newark to Singapore. He does this twice a year. I appreciate the tip on the Bangkok RT's, though. I will investigate. Thanks again!

I think Bali and Singapore would make a perfect combination. Bali is fantastic. I prefer Bali (and Indonesia) over Thailand, but they are both nice destinations.

KL is doable by road (4 hours or so by bus) from S'pore so you could potentially do a couple days there and a couple days in Langkawi at the beach during your trip. I would suggest you think about weather. Singapore is hot and muggy and Bangkok will be pretty much the same. What kind of weather do you like? Bali is much smaller than Thailand but offers an opportunity for the beach as well as the mountains (Ubud) with very little travel time in between. If you plan a few days in Malaysia (which as mentioned would be quite cost effective) then I would say Bali as it will minimize your travel time/spend. Otheriwse you can spend the entire 2 weeks in Thailand.

Either Thailand or Indonesia/Bali would make a good combination with Singapore. There are tons of things to do and places to see in both countries and they are both excellent choices for beaches and culture. Malaysia, including KL, would be a distant third in my book.

I'm personally partial to Bali as I live in Indonesia and travel there several times a year. (I'm an American, though.) It's about 2-1/2 hours from Singapore and flights are frequent. You can spend a few days on the beach soaking up the sun and sand and a few days inland soaking up the culture. There are a lot of options in accomodation at all price points.

If you're interested in arts/culture/religion I would also recommend a stop in Yogyakarta for a visit to Borobudur. This is a very exotic destination and about as far from New England as you can get (culturally) and still be on the same planet.

Thanks for more awesome tips!

Maybe this is a dumb question, but I am going to ask: Is Bali safe for Americans to travel to now? On it's "Destinations" page, Fodors has a warning regarding the terrorist attacks from a few years ago there.

There was recently a big discussion on this forum regarding whether it is safe to travel to Bali. I feel it is but others disagree. Do a search on this forum for safety in Bali and you can read what others had to say.

beachgirl86, i had the same dilemma planning a trip for this august to southeast asia and asked a kiwi friend for advice. he HIGHLY suggested bali and said no worries about the terrorist threat. i live on an island myself that was hit in 2001 and, as far as i can tell, i'm probably safer in bali than manhattan. anyway, if you are 25 or under, or in grad school, check out doing a trip through sta travel. i have one way flights over august 2nd to 23rd from nyc to bali, then bali to bangkok (overland to saigon), then saigon to singapore, and singapore back to nyc after a few weeks. all of those flights cost me $2,300. it isn't exactly "cheap", but it's pretty damn nice considering all the locations. if the student angel isn't an option, check out local providers like cathay pacific or thai air. they might be able to swing something. hope this helps.

I just got back from Bali yesterday and I really did not feel unsafe at all. I was gone for 2 months and I did Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Bangkok, Singapore and Bali. You also might want to look at the Cathay Pacific All-Asia Pass on their website. It is an incredible deal because you can fly to up to 17 cities in Asia for one flat rate. I spent about $1300 on the ticket to fly 10 times on Cathay! The airplanes are also very new and comfortable.

Could you do both Bali and bangkok? if so I would say 5-7 days in each would be great-- longer if possible. Both are wonderful.

I would skip KL -- not in the same league as the other two.

As for safety -- looks like nowhere is safe these days so you need to read all the various warnings and information (see the long thread referred to earlier) and then make the decision for yourself.

I personally don't think the beaches of Thailand compare to Bali. They are gorgeous but they are just beaches. Bali is a gorgeous beach but so much more.

Bangkok is one of my favorite cities in the world. I've been there 18 times -- never for less than 6 days and usually for 8-12 days and can't wait to get back. You'll find many people on this forum feel the same way.

Go to Bali or the Maldives .Bali gives you exotic and beach and shopping . Every price range of accomodation. Lovely food from all over the world .Direct flights from Singapore .Superb in June / July and August as it is low humidity and a gentle mistral breeze in those months . As for beaches I disagree with others estimation that Bali has the best beaches .Thailand and the Maldives do from my observation as they are white coral sand beaches as against volcanic black / mixed with white sand on most Bali beaches . If you want to relax and snorkel and read think about visiting the Maldives to which you fly direct from Singapore .The clearest water and whitest sand I have ever seen.

Probably the question should be "safe for westerners?" - or lately, "is London safe for Americans?" The Jemaah Islamiyah terrorists responsible for the Bali nightclub bombings would have trouble distinguishing an American from an Australian or even a German - we all favour unfortunate shorts, for a start. In fact, on a straight casualty-count basis Australians have more to fear.

For maximum effect JI struck in an area frequented by hordes of pub-crawling western tourists, and I imagine that if they were to do it again that would be their preferred target.