1st stop KL, now what?
 

Our honeymoon begins mid october with our flights already booked in/out of Kuala Lumpur for 3 weeks. From there we have made no definite plans and were looking some great ideas. So far we are looking at some time in Southern Thailand, Langkawi and also looking around Tioman Island for beach/snorkelling. Any pointers?

All the places you listed are beaches. Is that all you are interested in? Tell us more about your interests so we can be helpful. Even if you only want to visit beaches, are you interested in diving, sailing, kayaking?

And if you want a mix of places, tell us what appeals to you - shopping, history, food?

KL is a great jumping off point for many places. If you haven't thought of it, you might consider the temples at Angkor in Cambodia - truly one of the wonders of the world. Georgetown in Penang is a historic seaport with charming architecture and some the of best hawker food in the world. Bangkok is a shopper's paradise.

Firstly, congratualtions on your forthcoming wedding!
Secondly, I suggest that you check out the weather situation as I think that time of year is monsoon season on the west coast of Malaysia and Thailand. Having said that it wont rain all of the time and you will get better rates and less crowded hotels at that time of year.

Langkawi is a great place for beach time although the snorkelling will be limited. Apart from the main island there are 99 other smaller island some of which it is possible to visit by boat for a day of seclusion. We go married at The Datai 12 years ago and it still rates as one of the two best hotels we have stayed at anywhere in the world. It is expensive but you will dobtless get a (relatively) good deal at this time of year.

Persaanlly, I wouldn't bother with Tioman but the diving at Redang island or the Perhentians a bit further north would be good.

I agree with Kathie in that if you provided more info re your likes and dislikes, you would get more useful responses

If you want fly to Kaula Taragannu (not sure on the spelling) and go to Randang island, where for a few nights you can go scuba diving and snorkeling and chill out on beautiful beaches.check out the website http://www.redangisland.com/ My family and I went there and it was heven.

Congrats on your wedding and you have a nice chunk of time to spend. However, it’s unclear to me from your message if you just want beaches for this honeymoon. Is so, do look at weatherbase.com to get an idea of weather with you can expect, as in October and November you will find that most beaches in Malaysia and Thailand and most all of SE Asia are in experiencing rain under two different monsoon patterns, one advancing and one receding, on each side of their coasts. Subject to rain issues, I agree to skip Tioman and head to Redang for much nicer beaches and snorkeling. Islands in Thailand like Koh Samui and Phuket will have similar rain issues. (For weather in Redang, check Kuala Terengganu on weatherbase.com. For Koh Samui, try Surat Thani. For Tioman, look at Mersing.) I am not a huge fan of Langhakwi, and don’t think that the snorkeling is all that great actually.

If you want as dry a beach as you can in Thailand, you might want to head as far north in the Gulf of Thailand as you can, to islands like Koh Chang and Koh Samet which are basically off the coast of Cambodia and which by late October and certainly November the rains will have left that area as they move west and south. (On weatherbase.com use Chantaburi as the locator.)

One place where you will find a bit drier weather in October/November is the Philippines, so you might look at places like Palawan (try the El Nido resorts at http://www.elnidoresorts.com/) or if you can afford it the marvelous Amanpulo, see http://www.amanresorts.com/

But other than beaches, in Malaysia don’t forget about the highland tea plantation areas which are easily reachable by road from KL, a bit misty in Oct/Nov perhaps but still charming. Fireplaces and strawberries and tea with scones, that sort of thing. Also places like Penang and Malacca which have a good bit of colonial charm and old town areas and where weather is not such an issue as you aren’t trying to lie on a beach. Places like Taman Negara rain forest may also be of interest to you, watch rain issues there. KL is certainly good for a few days to eat tons of good, cheap street food and recover from jet lag. I would also say to try to include some time in Bangkok which is truly a great city, tons to see and do. Have to also throw in a good word for Hong Kong, where I live, and which has absolutely fabulous weather in late October and November, sunny dry and mid 70s, it may be the only place in SE Asia in those months where you can go to a beach and actually get a tan sitting out on it…..Singapore is also a great place (I have also lived there) great food and a good bit to see and do.

I would also note that you can fly to Bali from KL non-stop in 3 hours, and that Bali would be probably a better choice in October and early November as rainfall is going to be quite a bit less than virtually all of Malaysia and Thailand. (Langkawi and Redang etc will be 1-2 hours by plane.) And because there is so much to do in Bali beyond beaches which is not really the case with places like Koh Samui or Redang, so rainy/cloudy weather is not really as much of an issue.

You could also go someplace like Yogyajarkata in Indonesia to see that ancient city as well as Borbadour and Prambanan and the lush volcanic countryside. You could also go to Ankor Wat as mentioned above.

Finally, I feel absolutely compelled to point out that from KL you can fly non-stop to the Maldives in 4 hours. Much as I find the Redang islands and some of the other beaches in Malaysia and Thailand to be beautiful, they in no way compare, IMO, to the Maldives. One drawback to Maldives in October is that you are still going to be a bit in the rainy season there as well, but less so percentage-wise than Malaysia and southern Thailand. And my oh my, even their <i>thunderstorms</i> are magnificent. And you have three weeks, so could spend a good bit of time in Malaysia or Thailand (e.g. Bangkok) and still get a week in the Maldives.

Air Asia flies to most all of the places mentioned above from their hub in KL and they have pretty cheap prices, see http://www.airasia.com/site/my/en/home.jsp. Note that they fly out of the budget airport which is a few miles from the main international airport. Malaysia Air flies non-stop to the Maldives. (Note that Air Asia flies to Clark airport in the Philippines, which is <u>not</u> near Manila’s main domestic/international airport at all, so don’t take Air Asia if your objective is to connect on from there to Amanpulo or Palawan. If you are connecting to another flight which departs from Clark, then that of course is OK. Clark is good for connecting to flights for Luzon and often to Cebu in the south.)