NelsonNYC

Thank you anyone for any of your help --- This isn't booked yet waiting for feedback doing more research to see what tweaks i should make time hotels etc etc....

Open to anything!!!!! This is a once in a lifetime trip for me!! Willing to change agents etc..

Friday, November 14, 2014
Own International Flight Arrangements

Accommodation - Own Arrangements in Bangkok
You have made your own arrangements for your accommodation.

Saturday, November 15, 2014 -
Day at Leisure


Sunday, November 16, 2014

Grand Palace and Temple Tour (Half Day)

Half Day Private Tour

An English-speaking guide will meet you in your hotel lobby at a pre-determined time. This tour is a combination of two very popular tours within bustling Bangkok. A visit to the Royal Grand Palace, the nation's landmark and most praised royal monument in Thailand is a must. The former royal residence of the Chakri Kings, the palace is the perfect example of an ancient Siamese court. Built in 1782 by KingRama I, it was the center of power for more than 150 years. Today, the palace is Bangkok's major landmark and most popular tourist attraction.

Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is located right next to the Grand Palace and together form perhaps the greatest spectacle for the visitor to Bangkok. After the tour you will be returned to the hotel.

Afternoon at Leisure
This afternoon is at leisure, no arrangements have been made
.
Monday, November 17, 2014 – Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Days at your Leisure


Wednesday, November 19, 2014 Fly Bangkok to Chiang Rai

Wednesday, November 19, 2014 - Friday, November 21, 2014, 2 Nights

Le Meridien Chiang Rai Resort Deluxe River View - Double Room

.
Thursday, November 20, 2014

Hilltribes, Elephant & Boat Trip (Morning)

Private Vehicle Tour
A thrilling boat ride along the Mae Kok River ends with a visit to the traditional Karen hill tribe village.They originated from Burma and form the largest hill tribe population in Thailand. Here you will depart on a ½ hour elephant ride through hilly countryside. After the trek, the trip continues on to a local hot spring. Nearby lives the Lahu Hill tribes. The Lahu Hill tribes originated from Tibet. The trip returns toChiang Rai via a boat ride and road transfer. This is a half-day tour.
Afternoon at Leisure

Friday, November 21, 2014
Fly Chiang Rai to Bangkok
Fly Bangkok to Phuket

Friday, November 21, 2014 - Monday, November 24, 2014, 3 Nights

Mom's Tri Villa Royal
Beach Wing Suite - Double

Saturday, November 22, 2014 – Sunday, November 23, 2014
The following days are at your leisure, no arrangements have been made.

Monday, November 24, 2014
Fly Bangkok to Siem Reap

Monday, November 24, 2014 - Thursday, November 27, 2014, 3 Nights
Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa
Superior - Double Room

Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Phrom

Full Day - Private Tour
Today a driver and English speaking guide will take you to Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat, with a break in between to escape the heat of the day and return to your hotel for lunch (at your own expense).The crowning jewel of Khmer architecture, Angkor Wat is the national symbol and the highlight of any visit to Cambodia. The largest, best preserved, and most religiously significant of the Angkor temples, it impresses visitors both by its sheer scale and beautifully proportioned layout, as well as the delicate artistry of its carvings. Enter the main building and ascend through a series of galleries and courtyard before reaching the central sanctuary, which offers beautiful views back over the causeway and across the surrounding countryside. Enjoy the intricate stone carvings that adorn nearly every surface, with some 1,700 Apsaras, or celestial dancers, sculpted into the walls. Angkor Wat is stunning at any time of the day, but sunrise and sunset are especially beautiful times to watch the play of light on the stones.
The fortified city of Angkor Thom covers an area of 10 square km. Enclosed by a wall and wide moats, the city includes many of Angkor's most popular sights. Enter by the monumental South Gate over a causeway lined on either side by statues of demons and gods, each carrying a giant naga. Continue to the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper Kings, both adorned with dramatic bas reliefs.
Visit the ruined Baphuon, Royal Enclosure and Phimeanakas before continuing to the mysterious BayonTemple, one of the most popular and compelling in Angkor. Explore the galleries of beautifully preserved bas reliefs and ascend narrow stairs to reach the central sanctuary, where you will find giant stone faces smiling enigmatically down at you from every angle.

Visit Ta Prohm, one of the most popular attractions of Angkor. Much of the jungle has not been cleared and it looks very much as most of the Angkor monuments would have appeared when European explorers first stumbled across them. Watch the sunset over the Cambodian countryside from the upper\ terraces of an ancient Angkorian temple.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Banteay Srei and Kbal Spien (Full Day)
Full Day - Private Tour

Visit Banteay Srei, a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. Of main interest are the three central towers which are decorated with male and female divinities and beautiful filigree relief work. Continue to Kbal Spien, also known as the River of 1000 Lingas, there are carvings in the riverbed (in the same way as at Kulen).It should be more spectacular but many of the carvings have been looted. Near Kbal Spien is a waterfall that can be reached by hiking 2km uphill. (This is not recommended during Mar-May as there is no water at Kbal Spien).

Thursday, November 27, 2014
Fly Siem Reap to Hanoi

Thursday, November 27, 2014 - Monday, December 01, 2014, 4 Nights
Sofitel Plaza Hanoi
Luxury Room - Double

Friday, November 28, 2014

Hanoi City Tour (Full Day) Private Vehicle Tour

Although it is the modern-day capital of Vietnam, Hanoi still retains the mystery and charm of past centuries. Narrow lanes and traditional shop houses invite exploration by cyclo, while its many beautiful public spaces - lakes, parks, tree-lined boulevards and monuments - give the city an air of elegance and harmony with nature unique among Asian capitals.Begin the day visiting the Temple of Literature, a peaceful series of walled courtyards and graceful gateways, and one of the best surviving examples of traditional Vietnamese architecture. Founded in
1070 and dedicated to Confucius, this was also the site of Vietnam's first university. Continue to the miniature One Pillar Pagoda. Also dating from the 11th century, this monument was rebuilt after being destroyed by the French in 1954. Today it stands near the vast Ho Chi Minh Memorial Complex, a lovely park setting which is home to a museum and other memorials. See the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where visitors may pay respects to the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh. The Mausoleum is closed in the afternoons, on Mondays and Fridays, and closes annually between September and November for restoration. Continue through the park to Ho Chi Minh's Stilt House, the simple two-room dwelling where Ho Chi Minh lived from 1948 until his final days. Preserved in the same condition as during his life, it may be viewed through the windows.Afterwards head to Hoan Kiem Lake, located in heart of Hanoi, which contains an islet with the tiny Tortoise Pagoda. En route, pass other colonial landmarks such as the magnificent Opera House (may be seen from the outside only) and St. Joseph's Cathedral. From the lake, begin exploring the Old Quarter on foot. This fascinating network of narrow alleys and shop houses is also known as 'The 36 Streets,' each street being named after the

In the afternoon, visit one of Hanoi's most famous museums, the Museum of Ethnology (closed on Mondays) which brings to life the astonishing ethnic diversity in Vietnam, with art and artifacts from the 54 different ethnic groups that inhabit the country. Inside the museum are detailed descriptions of minority groups, with examples of their traditional clothing and way of life. Outside are faithful reconstructions of traditional longhouses, cemeteries and other distinctive ethnic buildings.On Mondays or when the museum is closed, you will visit the History Museum instead. Once the museum of the Ecole Francaise d'Extreme Orient, the History Museum is housed in an elegant building from the 1930s, and include exhibits spanning the entirety of Vietnam's history including prehistory, proto-Vietnamese civilizations, the Dong Son culture, the Oc-Eo culture and the Khmer Kingdoms.

Thang Long Water Puppet Theater
Private Vehicle Tour
Your late afternoon or evening excursion includes roundtrip hotel transfers by private vehicle. The performance lasts for an hour and shows are scheduled for 5:15pm, 6:30pm and 8:30pm.
There is something enchanting about the lighthearted comedy and intricately skilled puppetry of this troupe. They perform numerous vignettes of daily life in the countryside and ancient tales, including the legend of Hoan Kiem Lake and the peaceful founding of the city of Hanoi. Puppeteers use bamboo poles to extend their puppets from behind the proscenium and up through the surface of a small pond that forms the stage. You will be amazed at their ingenuity, and it doesn't take much to suspend disbelief and get caught up in a magical hour of escape.

Saturday, November 29, 2014
Ha long Bay (Full Day) Private Vehicle Tour

This morning journey 3 hours to Ha Long Bay through the Red River Delta with its verdant farmland dotted with local villages. Ha Long Bay, in the Gulf of Tonkin, includes some 1,600 islands and islets, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Because of their precipitous nature, most of the islands are uninhabited and unaffected by a human presence. The site's outstanding scenic beauty is complemented by its great biological interest and the area is a World Heritage inscribed site.Arriving at the pier around noon, board your charming traditional wooden junk for cruising through the Bay. Lunch will be served while boat cruising through the bay. Following cruise by rock formations with such names as Stone Dog, Incense Burner (Dinh Huong),Fighting Cock (Ga Choi). At the core of the islets, there are two wonderful caves and grottoes to visit as Thien Cung (Heavenly Residence Grotto), Dau Go (Driftwood Grotto) before returning to Halong pier. Back on land you will be met and transferred to Hanoi by private vehicle.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Today is at your leisure, no arrangements have been made.

FLY HOME

rhkkmk

I think it looks great for a "tour"... most of us prefer tours of our own design and SEA is surely a place to do it.

if I were to skip one thing it would be the sure to be exhausting 1 day trip to halong bay--I would hang around in Hanoi on my own that day..

you are covering a lot of territory in not that much time.. this is a blitz tour..

would you consider doing it on your own, with our help??

you do not mention the tour costs---that might help us guide you. the tour hotels are very nice, btw.

what hotels are you looking at in Bangkok?? riverside I hope..

Kathie

Many of these places you do not need a guide. In Bangkok, for instance, you can certainly go to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and you should certainly go next door to Wat Po, the Reclining Buddha. You can take the public water taxi right to these places, and if you want a guide, you can hire an official guide very inexpensively right there. Where are you staying in Bangkok?

Your half day tour near Chiang Rai is one of these all-in-one deals that manage to do justice to none of the experiences. And you will likely have no idea how these elephants are treated. I wouldn't do it. And the hill tribe visits so close to the town are pretty much "human zoo" experiences. Obviously, in a half a day you are not getting off the tourist track. This is a tour I would actively avoid for all kinds of reasons.

Your time on Phuket at Mom Tri's Villa Royale should be really lovely. And I'm glad to see you aren't taking any canned tours here. Three nights means just two full days here. Decide if that is enough for you.

Then you fly to Cambodia. You have a mere two days at the temples of Angkor, truly one of the wonders of the world. If you don't have much interest in the temples, this may be enough for you. But if you have any interest at all, buy a copy of Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor: A Guide to Cambodia's Wondrous Temples. This will give you the info you need to decide how much time to spend at the temples. Be aware that it takes three full days just to see the so-called major temples. We spent a week there and would have enjoyed even more time.

Hanoi is a fascinating city. It certainly deserves more time than your tour gives you. You have 4 nights, just three full days, and one of them is taken up with driving back and forth to Halong Bay. Halong is likely to be misty and cold in November, not the best time to visit. And I wouldn't consider a day trip like this. You don't need a tour in Hanoi.

My comment overall is that there is too much moving around. You will spend too large a proportion of your time getting from place to place rather than experiencing what these wonderful destinations have to offer. This is a typical "travel agent tour" - too much crammed in so you will think you've gotten your money's worth. To your credit and the agent's you have built in free time.

My suggestions: can you add time to this trip? If so, another day in Siem Reap is highly recommended. You might want another day in Phuket as well, and I think you may want to do something different with your time in Northern Thailand. Hanoi could use another day even if you cut Halong Bay.

If you cannot add time to this trip, I'd recommend cutting one destination. Then you would have days to add to destinations that will make all the difference in terms of your enjoyment of this trip.

Prachuap

Day tours galore in Asia. No need to book them back home. A lot of things can be done independently as well fairly easily.

Exploring on your own is usually more fun than signing up for extensive tours that bus you around.

lcuy

None of these locations or day tours are even slightly off the beaten path so it would be easy itinerary to book on your own.

If you feel like you need a bit of hand holding in each new city, you could have hotel car pick you up at the airport, and you can find guides through the hotels or out on the street.

All the hotels and flights can be easily purchased online.

If you feel comfortable doing so, post the cost of this tour and we'll see how much you can save!

NelsonNYC

Thank you ALL so much for the great feedback!!

I will drop the Halong Bay trip and spend the extra day in Hanoi.

The package cost for this attached travel experience is $3,825 per person, based on two people - this includes hotels.

the flights back and forth are pricey and caused me to limit the amount of days i could spend overall.

In Bangkok I will be staying with family - besides that everything else I identified in my post.

DO you think I should add a day in Cambodia a day in Phuket and drop Chaing Rai or drop a day in Bangkok?

Again Thank you so much I'm open to anything! trying to make the most of this trip!

rhkkmk

drop nothing in bkk, in fact add if you can.

on a first trip I would drop CR too. I had 3 full days in Cambodia and did not see everything... it really depends on your interest in ruins and bas relief sculpture stories...

I find that tour cost outrageous if no transportation is included, i.e. flights...

Kathie

I'd suggest you drop Chiang Rai and add a day to Cambodia and one to Phuket.

Frankly, that price seems quite high to me. You might look online for the costs for the hotels. You can tell the agent to cancel some of the tours like the city tour in Bangkok, the tours in Hanoi, and I'd cancel the tours in Cambodia. You can easily hire a car and driver - and guide if you'd like on your own and pay less than half of what the agent will charge you. Agents also often charge a lot for airport transfers. If you are comfortable taking a taxi or using a hotel transfer (though some of those are way overpriced as well), you can save a lot. It isn't uncommon for an agent to charge you $100 for a transfer you could do in a taxi for $20 or in a car service for $40.

Prachuap

7650 for 16 days is expensive.

You could do the same things for about 3500 to 4000 if you booked tours over there and same hotels online.

Prachuap

Yes drop Chiang Rai. Bit of a boring town.

NelsonNYC

I'm Dropping Chiang Rai and will contact the hotels to see if i can do the tours through them.....

Do you like the Hotel Options or should i look at some alternates?


Thank you all again!!!

Kathie

The only place you might want a car, diver and guide is in Siem Reap. Absolutely no need for any tours elsewhere. Bring a guidebook and enjoy what you want to see/do/experience!

All of those hotels are excellent.

PaganiPilot

Bob is right. Spend more time in Bkk.. Chances are good I will stay there the entire 12-14 days that I'm in Thailand, this October. U will have no problem finding things to do or eat there.

Prachuap

Tours can be booked the night before. Travel agents stay open to around 10pm.

Prachuap

Hotels depend on budget and what areas you want to be close to. All the touristy spots have hundreds of good hotels. Look at booking.com for prices and reviews.

NelsonNYC

Kathie can you take a look at my new plan

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...-it-myself.cfm

zoso

Yes, no need for a agent.Everything so easy in a Thailand so much so, I spent three months there last Nov,Dec,Jan.I hope I still can with all the Visa Chgs now.

I stayed at the Le Merridian in Chang Rai last Jan for 5 nights. Enjoyed the stay.Not much to do there.

Please stay away from the cruel Elephant Camps it's so heart breaking.No food, water, chained up. No love for the Elephants most are leased out.Heart breaking really.All about money there.
If you want to see Elephants.... Go to the Elephant Nature Park outside of Chang Mai.
They rescue Elephants from trekking camps!

A American couple donated the land to the park and a Bob Barker is a huge contributor as well.

I was also on a junk in Halong Bay.It took 4 hrs to drive there from Hanoi.Roads all under construction.
We did a over night on the Junk. It was way to rushed.Beautiful but not for one night.

Siem Reap spend at least 3 full days there.I love the Sofitel.I will returning in Dec for Xmas.
I have Tuk Tuk driver I can put u in touch with.

Cheers.