alannap

Hi there,

We'll be going to Asia for three weeks in May for our honeymoon. We are in the planning stages and would like some input. This is what we are thinking:

- a little beach time (max a week) but in an area where we can snorkle and exlore neighbouring towns, NOT just lie on a beach for 7 days straight!
- city time for exploring and seeing cultural/historical sites - walking is good and maybe seeing some neighbouring towns
- shopping, shopping and more shopping (for both of us)!!

We are both in our early 30s and active with a great sense of adventure and want to get a good flavour for the area. We were initially thinking Thailand and Hong Kong, but we are totally open to input.

Thanks!
Alanna

glorialf

I would spend the full three weeks in Thailand. One week at the beach. 7 or 8 days in Bangkok and the remaining 6 or 7 days in northern thailand. You will have everything you want without spending half the trip in airports.

rhkkmk

gloria has presented a perfect plan for you...

as an alternative to northern thailand you might consider 4 days in siem reap cambodia to view the angkor wat temple complex...that is if this type of thing interests you...

northern thailand is very nice however...may i suggest that you look at the ananrara resort near chiang saen in the golden triangle....a perfect place to relax and enjoy the last days of your honeymoon...you get there generally from the chiang rai airport...good place to rent a car to explore this are and you can also visit 2 other countries from there for a few hours: laos and cambodia...

most of us can never have too much time in bangkok, so any extra days can be added there...great food and hotels and fabulous shopping....tailored clothing is a very good buy, both mens and womens..you need time for this however...do it first upon arrival...

as your planning goes forward ask as many questions as you like, we love to assist...honeymoons are one of our specialities on fodors...hahaha

Cicerone

The good news is the May is generally a great month weather-wise almost everywhere in SE Asia, so you really have a very wide choice of places to choose from. Take a look at weatherbase.com for places you are considering to get an idea of temps and rainfall. Three weeks is also a nice amount of time to have to spend so you can do a mix of city and country.

I like the Angkor Wat suggestion for culture and being able to do some walking. Unlike Europe which tend to have compact old city centres, there are not a lot of walkable cities in Asia, as areas are too spread out or congested with traffic. Hong Kong has some great walking trails, but not in the city areas, there is a little bit of a colonial walk you can do in Singapore. Bangkok and Beijing are not walkable in any real sense.

In terms of cultural sights I would put Beijing and Bangkok at the top of the list, with Xian close behind. I have excluded Japan completely but that is certainly another place to think about. I would rule out India as most of it is too hot in May, save that for another trip.

For shopping Bangkok would certainly top the list for handicrafts, jewelry and unusual Asian knick knacks at good prices, and then Hong Kong for buying virtually anything made at all, not necessarily at a cheap price, but any hard to find or unusual brand. You can also have clothes, shoes and handbags made here; again not cheaply but of good quality. You can have clothes made in Bangkok as well. Beijing has the great pearl market (mostly fakes but still fun) and some other good shopping like the silk market.

For beaches, I would actually put the east coast of Malaysia at the top, specifically islands like Rawa, or further north in Redang or the Perhentian Islands. Weather in May for all these places would be good and water clarity would be good as well as the monsoon will have left the area a few months before. I would suggest you rent a car either in Kuala Terrenganu or Singapore and drive up or down the coast, stopping where you want and especially going out by boat to offshore islands where the snorkeling is superb. (The east coast of Malaysia is about the only place in SE Asia where I would suggest renting a car, it is left hand drive so bear that in mind.) You can also go inland to the jungle areas and also stop at small villages along the coast. IMO Rawa is the most beautiful island in SE Asia. The diving is great, you can dive or snorkel right from the beach, or the hotel will arrange for a boat to take you to more remote islands/reefs/wrecks. Take a look at rawasfr.com. A great hotel near Kuala Terrenganu is the Tanjong Jara Resort, very romantic. This is a gorgeous 5-star resort, built of teak in Malaysia long-house style. Take a look at http://www.tanjongjararesort.com or the website for Small Luxury Hotels of the World at: slh.com. A good website is http://www.visitmalaysia.com/terenisle.htm or perhentian.com.my where you can find information islands in the Malay archipelago. You can fly to Kuala Terrenganu, take a look at Malaysia Air (www.malaysiaairlines.com) and Singapore Airlines (http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/app/saa) for schedules.

Other beach suggestions would be in Thailand like the islands of Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Lanta. The mainland area of Krabi near Phuket is another good choice. Bali is good in May, and has much more to offer culturally than a beach destination like Phuket or even the east coast of Malaysia, however the beaches are not as pretty IMO as those in Thailand or Malaysia. You could however spend a week in Bali and never want to leave as there is a lot to see and do on a relatively small island or you can just soak up the very beautiful rice paddie scenery and the lovely people.

So an itinerary to consider might be flying into Hong Kong with a side trip to Macau if there is time, then on to Beijing, then maybe Xian, then Bangkok, then a few days in Cambodia to see Ankor Wat, then hit the east coast of Malaysia and maybe fly out of Singapore. That might be more than 3 weeks actually.

Just to put my two cents in, you should consider getting certified for scuba diving before you go, as the diving really is excellent in SE Asia. You can see so much more even just at 40 feet than you can from the surface. The water is warm, so you don't need wetsuits and because of the warm water and clarity of the water, there is abundant fish and coral life at good depths which is quite something. There are giant clams at about 60 feet that are simply amazing, so colorful and they literally clam up when you touch them. . . .

chinesefan

I think 3 weeks is too long in one country. If you are young, energetic and adventerous and like to see more, Cicerone's suggestions are great(suggest you get a good picture book of those countries to decide what scenes and country you like first), otherwise stick to Thailand and Hong Kong.

Kathie

As you can tell, there is enough to do in Asia to take up many three week vacations!

I believe that it's important to slow down to really experience what Asia has to offer, so I'd suggest that whatever you choose, limit the number of destination so you can get a cance to experience a sense of place.

The best shopping in Asia is Bangkok. Hong Kong and Singapore are good shopping towns, but the prices are higher and they don't have the variety of handicrafts. For cultural/historical sites, it's hard to beat Angkor. You need a minimum of three days to see the major temples (there are dozens of accessible temples). While the east coast of Malaysia is beautiful, for three weeks, I'd tend to stick to one country with a side trip. Bangkok, Angkor and a beach area of Thailand would be great, and you could add in a few days in Northern Thailand as well.

Do take a look at some good guide books to get a sense of what interets you most.

Take a look at the photos at www.marlandc.com for a preview of Angkor (as well as many other areas of SE Asia). This may give you an idea of whether this is something you'd be interested in.

glorialf

LOL at the idea that 3 weeks is too long to spend in Asia. My first trip there was 20 years ago and I was there a month. I returned 10 months later for another 3 weeks and have been back 16 times since. And I always see something new. So from my perspective 3 weeks is a decent amount of time for a first trip to a country. And it means that, as Kathie said, you can actually take the time to experience it rather than just checking off a bunch of sights in a guide book. The most memorable parts of a trip are not the sights but the experiences and you are more apt to have those when you slow down.

24Lisa

I agree with the Thailand suggestion. We went 2 years ago and spent 2.5 weeks. We went to Bangkok, Siem Reap (angkor), Krabi, and Phuket. We really enjoyed each place we went but I think if we had to do it over again, we may have skipped Phuket and went to Northern Thailand instead.

With 3 weeks you could easily spend time at 2 different beach locations-one in the beginning of the trip to relax from the wedding/long plane trip and one at the end.

Then time in Bangkok, Siem Reap... in between.

Angkor Wat was one of the highlights of our trip, it was amazing. I enjoyed it more than my bf though. 2 nights was enough for him while I could have spent an entire week.

I know alot of people love Bangkok, it wasn't my favorite. We are very glad we experienced it, but when we return to Thailand we probably won't return to Bangkok. We're not much of big city people-prefer beaches/countryside.

We go to Bali/Java/Singapore in 3 weeks so maybe I'll have more advice when we return.

Hope this helps

mrwunrfl

Israel is an Asian destination that meets your needs. The weather is nice in May. You can snorkle at Sharm El Sheikh and spend time at the beach there and in Tel Aviv (not a great beach in T.A.). Also, you could go to the Dead Sea. Shopping adventures in the souk in old city Jerusalem. Side trip to Petra, Jordan. For historical significance, it would be difficult to find a city and area that surpasses Jerusalem and Israel.

alannap

Thanks everyone for your input! It is helping us put our travels into perspective. We have a couple very good SE Asia guidebooks, so between the great advice on this board, and info from the books, we'll be deciding our destinations.

Keep the posts coming!

Alanna

Cicerone

Have to also throw in Vietnam where you could to the history (esp Hue as well as not so great American history in Ho Chi Minh), beaches and beautiful cooler mountain areas like Dalat.

SE Asia is huge; it's kind of like saying "I have three weeks in Europe/the US, where should I go"? Lots of places, lots of opinions. A wonderful dilemma, actually.

chinesefan

Please note there are many countries in Asia but 3 weeks just in one is too long if you don't comeback for the other countries often

BillT

I think we would all agree Isreal is in the Middle East and not really included in what most would call the Asia destinations. Also not the safest place to visit given the turmoil over the past few years! (yes terrorism can happen anywhere at any time- but there do seem to be some places that have more than their share!)

glorialf

Israel is indeed a fascinating country but to my mind it is middle east -- not asian. And to be honest I can't imgaine going there for a honeymoon these days. Bill -- you and I agree again.

chinesefan

Middle East ? No, I don't think people will enjoy it.

dperry

I think mrwunrfl is on the wrong Fodor board.
I would suggest you spend the majority of your time in Thailand, exploring BKK and the northern provinces. Then, either take a side trip to Siem Reap/Angkor, or to Luang Prabang.

mrwunrfl

That's right, I was wrong, my reply would be applicable to the Africa/Mid East board though the destination is in Asia.

The title of this post just reminded me of those "top 10 Asian" posts that we had here some time ago. As if Asia was one place and not many.

OP mentioned Thailand and Hong Kong but did say they were totally open to input. I was just trying to elicit a better idea of what "going to Asia" meant to the OP. Seems like Alanna's focus is really on SE Asia (not H.K. Thailand, and India, say). That is a large area, as Cicerone mentioned, but also it is an area where a variety of good flavours can be sampled without spending 5 hours on an airplane travelling between stops.

But assuming that the request for "Asian" options is wide open then now would be a good time to suggest Phillipines.

franklendre

Hi Alanna!
I am just at the beginning of a similar trip in Thailand:
- Chiang Mai - in the northwest part is fully qualifying for the cultural part, with it's several buddhist temples, opportunities for mountain trekking and visiting hill tribes in the region. On top of that, there is plenty of opportunities for other activies like thai cooking classes or massage classes (I am actually writing this message from here)
- for seaside - I am heading to Ko Samui, an island in South Chinese Sea, nice beaches + snorkelling, but also opportunities for trips to neighhbouring islands of Ko Phan Ghan and Ko Tao, one of the most well-known diving resorts in the region. ALternatively, you may want to consider Phukket, but I am not sure where it is in tsunami post-recovery (maybe other members could help here?)
- shopping-shopping = CLEARLY BANGKOK
Hope it helps!
Endre

alannap

Thank you all for you input. After some more research, we've narrowed down some of our travels. We have 21 nights to work with and we'll be travelling from the beginning of May 2006. Also, we likely won't be back to SE Asia for many, many years, so we would like to get a good overview of the area. What we are thinking, no particular order:

- Bangkok is a must. We're thinking 4 nights.

- Chiang Mai for 3 or 4 nights. Would you recommend also doing a day trip on the river to the Golden Triangle?

- Beach time: Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui (need to narrow this down. As I mentioned before, we want to explore under water and on land a bit, see beautiful beaches and have nice dinners in the evening -- likely no bar hopping!). 3 or 4 nights.

- Angkor/Siem Reap for the temples. 4 nights.

- Hong Kong. 4 nights.

Thoughts, opinions all welcome!! A couple of things that we were thinking of were that we didn't want to overdo the temples. And we know that it'll be hot in May, so we don't want to be too aggressive with the city sightseeing as we'll need some time to cool off in the hotel pool.

Other countries we are open to are: Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia and the Philippines. Again for beaches and culture.

Thanks so much for your input, it is very helpful and appreciated!

Alanna

glorialf

I think you're doing too much hopping around> I would eliminate Hong Kong and add 2 days to bangkok and spend 2 or 3 days in the chiang rai area.