travelgourmet

The wife and I are trying to tack on a nice beach break onto a business trip to Singapore, in June. Where should we go?

I've narrowed it down to a few places that are accessible via nonstop flights: Langkawi, Koh Samui, and Bali. Phuket is out.

Anyplace I am missing? Any suggestions from among these? I was originally gung-ho about Langkawi and the Four Seasons, but have become a bit scared of it being too rainy. Anyone with personal experience at that time of year?

Thanks for your help.

Cicerone

Yes, Langkawi will be rainy, it is just south of Phuket on the west coast of Malaysia and will have the same weather issues as Phuket. It won’t be pouring like July and August, but more rain than you may want. (I would never pick Langkawi over Bali or Samui in any event, even in good weather.)

Koh Samui or Bali would be fine choices, depends really on what you want. If you JUST want beach and good snorkeling/diving, I would go to Koh Samui. If you want culture (music, dance, painting, etc) and a little beach, then go to Bali. But the beaches of Bali really cannot compare to the Gulf of Thailand, IMO, and neither does the snorkeling or diving (although it is fine, esp if you go north). But Samui and Bali are completely different in what they offer. So you have to think about what you want. Each are great in their own way, but its about expectation.

I would also suggest the east coast of Malaysia generally. I love the Redang area, and you can fly there non-stop on Berjaya Air from Singapore (from Seletar Airport, the small regional airport in Singapore). There are a few hotels there, including two run by Berjaya. They are not luxurious like the Four Seasons Koh Samui or many of the Bali hotels, but the beaches and snorkeling/dving are really, really superb. Right of the beach snorkeling is quite good, something you will not find in Bali at all, and which is limited in my experience in Koh Samui (and of course does not really exist in Phuket either). The Redang Beach Resort is actually quite OK, again it depends on what you want (http://www.berjayaresorts.com.my/redang-beach.)

If you need luxury, then consider the Tanjong Jara Resort (http://www.tanjongjararesort.com), a bit harder to get to (you may be able to fly non-stop to Kuala Terengganu, don’t think it is really possibly from Singapore; if you have a few days, it is a fun and scenic drive). No right-off-the-beach snorkeling, but easy boat access to very good stuff. Plus a little culture in the neighborhood.

Finally, if you don’t need luxury, or service but just want a remote and beautiful place, then go to Rawa. A 3- hour drive from Singapore, then a short boat ride. Snorkel off the beach (decent) or hire boats to dive and snorkel elsewhere (great). Can’t stress enough that this is not a luxury property (despite some vast improvements over the years), food and service just average, but really so beautiful IMO you just don’t care (at least I don’t).

FromDC

Cicerone, why would you not pick Langkawi over Samui? I am trying to plan my November trip to VN/BKK/Malaysia and was planning on Langkawi for several days....I like the idea of the beach and rainforest together...and staying at the Datai. I've been to Bali but not for the beach!

JamesA

Weather as Cicerone has said not the best Langkawi / Phuket at that time, Samui would be a lot better.
Just 1 daily flight Singapore to Koh Samui ( Bangkok Airways ), about 1 hr 40 mins.
Koh Samui for beach resorts, pool villas etc. You can do snorkel trips.
Samui is way busier than langkawi which is a very quiet island. I like Langkawi, but far different, very quyiet, easy to get a rental car and drive around.

Koh Samui overall just way busier, masses of restaurants, bars etc, but also quieter parts of the island, plenty of absolute beachfront resorts, spa resorts, boutique etc. Many would say commercial but then again it also means having activities, shoping, restaurants etc readily available.

JamesA

November weather Langkawi should be fine, later in the month the better.

travelgourmet

Thank you Cicerone for the detailed response. Confirmed my fears, but good to get it settled.

I think I will concentrate on Koh Samui, as we are probably looking for something a little more luxurious for this trip than the Berjaya. Maybe not the Four Seasons, but there are some other intriguing options.

travelgourmet

JamesA: Thanks for the tips on Langkawi. It was definitely at the top of our list, for the reasons you mentioned, but I think the weather is going to make it a no.

JamesA

June rates on Samui are ok in June, they go up late July for a peak period. There are plenty of nice beach places, lots with pool access of pool villas, spa resorts etc, or rooms with plunge pools or jacuzzis. If you were looking at Four Seasons I guess you are looking for top end places, plunge pool villa at Briza round $300, Buri Rasa with plunge pool $ 185, top seaview pool suite $ 320, Bandara Cottage with plunge pool about $ 255, lots of others.

If you decide on that you can ask for specifi tips as many regulars here have own favorites on Samui and suggestions.

Bangkok Airways flight dep SIN 2010 arr 2050 local, return leaves Samui 1635 arr SIN 1920 ( Airbus twin-jet 3x3 in coach ) they have discounted 'Delight fare' certain flights, heading back to Singapore Fri/Sat/Sun probably higher fares.
www.bangkokair.com

travelgourmet

Well, we originally targeted the 4S because, well, it is the 4S and looks truly amazing. But, mostly, we want quiet and comfortable, with a nice room and service when we need it. We don't need to be waited on hand and foot, but we are willing to pay for something special.

We also like a good deal, and some of the places you mention seem to fit that criteria.

My initial list for Koh Samui includes:

The Library
Six Senses
Napasai
Sala Samui
TongsaiBay
Briza (thanks)
Burirasa
Four Seasons

Anything I am missing? Any of these a true can't miss? Any that represent great value?

Cicerone

FromDC, I would not pick Langkawi over Samui for several reasons. Langkawi is a purpose-built tourist island. There is very little of cultural interest there. I rarely say this about a place, but I find it sterile. Of course Phuket is purpose-built for tourists too, but I like Phuket better as I am a diver and the diving and snorkeling is much, much better there. Langkawi is a former tin mining area, and IMO the water clarity is still not good. The mangrove swamp areas also contribute to the lack of water clarity I think. Langkawi is fine I guess if you just want to sit on a beach and have just OK water. But there are so many other really superb choices out there, that I don’t see the need to go to Langkawi. And unless you live in SE Asia, it is a loooong way to go to sit on an average beach.

I prefer Samui because the diving and snorkeling are much better in the Gulf of Thailand than they are off of Langkawi. (I am puzzled by this because Phuket, not too far north of Langkawi, and the Andaman Islands, not too far west, have superb diving, but there you have it; but really from Langkawi south through to Singapore the diving is generally pretty average in my experience). Of all the islands in the Gulf, I would choose Rawa or somewhere in the Perhetians like the Redang area, but of the three that were mentioned in the original post, Samui would be my first choice if just a beach holiday were being considered. Of course Samui does not have a ton of cultural offerings, but I would say it has more than Langkawi, there are several major temples on the island. Of course in November, Samui is not going to be a good choice. In November, you might want to consider the Philippines.

Peronsonaly, in November in Langkawi, I think you will also find rain or at least cloudy days. The truly dry weather does not come until December (same with Phuket). November is tricky for beach vacations in SE Asia. Coastal areas of Vietnam can really be rainy in November.

FromDC

Cicerone, thanks for the insights about Langkawi. I thought it would be nice because it has beach and rain forest so there would be nature walks and so forth. We are not going specifically for a gorgeous beach but rather a place to relax in contrast to the cities we will be visitng (Hanoi, HCMC, BKK, KUL, so you see it is in the "path&quot. We have a house on Anguilla where the beaches and water are magnificant, so we don't feel the need for a beach vacation per se. The only SEAsia beach we've been to is Seminyak (for 2 days) and didn't particulary like it. We don't dive. And in mid November I thought the east coast of Malaysia would be out. Any further thoughts?

travelgourmet

Just wanted to thank everyone for their help. In the end, we stayed at Sala Samui, and really enjoyed it. It was a great hotel - the room, especially, was great.

Just returned last night, and we were a bit sad to leave. Of course, Singapore has its charms, including perhaps the best food on earth.

Kathie

It sounds like you had a great time! I'm so glad. Do post a trip report.