With two weekends, there is no way you can see the must-sees in Malaysia and Indonesia. So choose instead two destinations you can visit and enjoy in such a limited time.

Bali really requires more than a weekend. Is there any way you can add some time to your trip? A week in Bali would be lovely.

A good weekend trip to Meleka (also spelled Malacca) would be nice. It's small, charming and just right for a weekend trip.

I find KL pretty dull - much less interesting than Singapore. So I'd cross that off my list. Instead, I'd opt for a weekend in Georgetown in Penang. Stay at the E&O Hotel, sample the famous hawker food, visit the Blue Mansion, the Temples, etc. My trip report is old at this point, but take a look:
www.fodors.com/community/asia/bangkok-penang-and-chiang-mai---kathies-2006-trip-report.cfm
and photos: www.marlandc.com/Bangkok2006/Penang/index.htm

Thanks. I am starting research Meleka.

This Singapore trip (work assignment) came from nowhere and I was just informed last Friday (no complaint though). I have another long planned trip (HKG and China) right after this, so don't have much of wiggle room.

More suggestion please.

I did Bali from Singapore (and Bangkok too) for a weekend and would wholeheartedly recommend both places for a weekend from Singapore. SP was the first place i went to in SE Asia and on that same trip i did Bangkok then Bail on consecutive weekends. Something to consider......A nice taster of SE Asia.
Kathie's suggestion of Penang is also a great one, we liked it there a lot.

penang is a good suggestion using air asia or tiger air... tiger works for bkk too as does air asia...

skip k/l....

As Smeagol says in a weekend you only get a "taster" but I think that's okay. It gives you and introduction to different cultures. I once took an American guest on a 24 hour tour of Bali. It was crazy but he loved it.

I'd also suggest Central Java -- Borobudur and Yogyakarta.

Both Bali and Central Java are wonderful destinations. I didn't recommend them only because I thin k a weekend is too short. On the other hand, if you get a taste, you might switch your Honk Kong/China trip to Indonesia.

1. August 9 is National Day in Singapore. There are usually fireworks in or near the Padang or waterfront area, so if you can get down to see them, that would be interesting. You may find some museums closed (I could be wrong, so check websites as there are numerous excellent museums in Singapore and they could be a good introduction to the place, e.g. the Peranakan Museum see http://www.peranakanmuseum.sg/home/home.asp). Shops and restaurants will be open per normal and doing a land office business. Only banks, schools and offices will be closed.

2. Some ideas for things to do in Singapore:
- Singapore has some beaches, especially the very pretty one along East Coast Park, which is a public park with biking, roller blading, windsurfing, etc. There are also some beaches out northwest of Changi Airport in the Pasir Ris area which also has good bike paths. I would not call any of the beaches in Singapore especially beautiful, and would not go to Singapore for the beaches, but they do make a nice afternoon of walking, biking or sailing. The website for national parks in Singapore is http://www.nparks.gov.sg, it gives info on East Coast Park, Pasir Ris Park and all the other parks.
-You could go to Pualu Ubun, which is an island in the waterway between Singapore and Malaysia, and most of it is a national park. You can rent bikes and explore the little bit of jungle and wildlife left in Singapore. There are some good seafood restaurant here as well. Go to the website for national parks in Singapore above for info.

3. I have lived in SE Asia for a long time, and don’t really know of geographic landmarks with signage. You may find these on parts of Java or Kalimantan, where the equator crosses on land, but I don’t know of any in particular. The one thing you might consider is climbing Mt Kinablu, the tallest mountain in SE Asia. However, with only a weekend, this is probably not possible. But look into it if you are interested. It is not a difficult climb, just lots of stairs. The climb itself takes 2 days because you climb part of the way, then overnight to get up in the wee hours to make the summit at dawn. Then you have to walk all the way down. That is why I don’t think it is possible to do this with just a weekend.

4. I would agree that KL is probably not worth one of your precious weekends. I would also recco Malacca, as it is reachable in 2 hours or so by bus from Singapore. (You could also rent a car, but with left-hand drive and on you own you may not want to do this.) It has a well—preserved Portuguese colonial area and a good Chinatown. I like the Penang recco, assuming you can get some good flights there; otherwise if you just have a weekend you may spend more time in transit than this is worth. Look at flight schedules.

5. I think Bali is a wonderful place, but again for just a weekend with flight times, etc it may not be doable. A place like Jogjakarta may lend itself more to a 2-day trip, again assuming you can get good flights.

6. Absolutely have to say you should consider Rawa Island, assuming you are OK going to a beach destination by yourself. Lovely, lovely little island, in great weather in August. IMO the most beautiful beach in SE Asia. You have to take a bus to Mersing and then a small boat, so can be a bit of a palaver, but I have done it many times for a weekend from Singapore, and it is more than worth it. (You can also hire a taxi from Johor Bahru to make the trip, for one person this would be a bit on the expensive side.) See http://www.rawasfr.com/index.php. Note that traffic outbound from Singapore to Malaysia can be quite heavy on Friday evenings, and again returning on Sundays, so if you can leave early on Fridays, so much the better. Tioman Island is also fairly well- hyped, but IMO not nearly as pretty. Although you can fly to Tioman which does make it easy. Don’t bother with Bintan. You could also consider someplace like Redang off the north east coast of Malaysia, which you can also fly to, that may work better for a weekend than Bali as the flight is much shorter and as the island offers little beyond lovely beaches and snorkeling, you can actually see more in a short time. See http://www.berjayaresorts.com.my/redang-beach/info.html

7. I think the east coast of Malaysia absolutely lends itself to a driving trip, however on your own this may not be as much fun, as the driver does not see the scenery as much. But if you can get a group up, then a drive up the coast to see the little villages, palm and rubber plantations, etc is really pretty. Malaysia is one of the few places in Asia where I actually recco hiring your own car and driving yourself. Roads are in good shape, and signage is in English. (Gas prices may freak you out.)

8. I would also say to consider Bangkok, but again with flight times it may just not be doable over a weekend.

9. With regard to some of the questions on your other post:
-On the public bathroom question, personally I would try to use hotel bathrooms as much as possible when out and about. You can invariably find them just off the lobby, or near the main casual restaurant which is also usually near the lobby. No one will even look at you twice, they will just assume you are a guest. You can even just go to the front desk and ask where the bathroom is. I do this all the time in Singapore and Hong Kong and elsewhere. Never been challenged. In better hotels with bathroom attendants, you should leave some small change.
-With regard to taxis, many taxis in Singapore are now being fitted with readers which accept the Transit link stored value which you use on subways and buses. (You should buy one when you arrive, see http://www.transitlink.com.sg/. So you don’t even need cash for taxis. As noted, some take credit cards.
-Always carry a small umbrella in Singapore. Sudden brief showers are basically a daily fact of life somewhere on the island no matter what time of year. And then you can't find avilable taxis. I would do the same for Hong Kong from late March through mid-October.

If you are planning to travel out of Singapore during the National Day weekend, pls book your air ticket asap. Most people would take this opportunity to travel during the long weekend (6 to 9 Aug).

>>>Side trips from Singapore<<<


Greetings and congrats on the work assignment in sweet Singapore. (Great place to have business, 'imo'.)

Now, the following is a shameless plug for Singapore Airlines and supporting the Thai economy: Fly business class on SQ to beloved Bangkok, spend a fine, uplifting weekend riverside, perhaps with a masseuse (or two), then fly back to SIN with a smile on your face and a song in your heart. (Believe me, you won't be the first.)

Savour your Asian times, and a joyous, productive week to all.

macintosh (robert)


... Singapore Girl, You're a Great Way to Fly ...

I agree 2 days is really quite a limited time considering you have to arrive at the airports at least 1 hour before each flight time and then a 5 hour flight. that said, If you could work it out to leave work at 3 PM on a Thursday and get 1 day off then Bali, Central Java (Jogjakarta), Bangkok are possibilities. The Redang Islands for snorkeling and diving is great but you have to fly to KL and then change airports for the once or twice a day flights to the Redangs. If money is not tight I would urge you to use a driver/guide for 2 or all 3 of the days. In Bangkok I like Ratt ($75USD/day for 8-9 hours),in jogjakarta a great guide is Rachmad at wiedyanatara@hotmail.com ($85-90/day for 10-11 hours) and he can actually arrange a quality guide for you in Bali as well. In the Redang you would not need a hotel if you are on a duve.snorkekl trip. I ageee KL shoukd be last on your list.

Actually, as I mentioned above, you can get to Redang via a non-stop flight from Singapore. You go from Selatar airport, the small old military airport. You fly Berjaya Air. The flight takes just over an hour, which makes it doable for a weekend. Look at the Berjaya website at http://www.berjayahotel.com/redang/getthere.asp or see https://www.berjaya-air.com/index.php.