Laos is lovely. It will take more travel time, as I understand that Silk Air has discontinued their flights to Luang Prabang. So you'd ned to fly to Bangkok and then onward to Luang Prabang (and the reverse when you return to Singapore for your flight home). Your airfare is likely to be more expensive, as the flights from Bangkok to LP are only on Bangkok Air, even though the flights from Singapore to Bangkok are quite competitive.

The other thing to consider is that Luang Prabang has a real shortage of hotel rooms. People often cannot find rooms booking many months ahead. On the other hand, October is not high season, so you may be able to find a room.

Bali and Laos are very different experiences. You might want to look at our Luang Prabang photos at www.marlandc.com

Doug...You don't have to be a backpacker to get Bali cheaper than Malaysia.

And yes, Ubud can be touristy, but there's plenty to experience in Ubud and the surroundings without it being touristy. When I was in Ubud, the amount of tourists was not that bad compared to many other places in S.E. Asia. Happy Travels!

I would choose Bali hands down. Happy Travels!

Okay so we (finally) booked our flight to Bali! We are excited but sitll need to pick and area to stay. Any suggestions for which area to stay in or things/experiences that shouldn't be missed? I know we would like to see some wildlife and ride elephants if possible...has anyone done anything like this? Any reccommendations are appreciated!

Also, we wanted to possibly see Yogyakarta but once again have limited time...anyone know long the travel time is to Yogya? And is it worth seeing if only for a day or two?

Kristen, Bali is not the place to ride elephants or see wildlife. I do believe someone reported that a place on Bali had imported a couple of elephants for tourists to ride, but I wouldn't recommend it. If you want to ride elephants, go to Thailand and choose a reputable Elephant Conservation Center.

Do you have a guidebook yet? I'd highly recommend you buy one. We can't possibly cover all of the things to do here on Fodors.

With a mere 6 days, I'd choose either Bali or Central Java. Both are amazing, and the two are strikingly different culturally. You could do an overnight trip to Yoyga, and see Borobudor, but then you would have taken that much time from your few says on Bali. Many of us have spent two weeks at a time on Bali and haven't covered nearly all the experiences we wanted.

In May I went to Singapore and decided to visit Penang and Langkawi as a 4 or 5 day side trip. It was a good trip, but I think I would have more enjoyed returning to Bali.

There are cheap flights from Singapore to one or two of the beach destinations in Thailand.

Kristen, Basically, what kathie said.

Yogyakarta is only a short flight from Bali but with the airport hassles and delays getting there and back would use up too much of your 6 days. Save that trip for another time. You'll find more than enough to keep you busy in Bali.

My suggestion would be 3 night on the beach and 3 nights in the Ubud area.

I would definitely steer two 23 year olds toward Seminyak beach. I like the Legian Seminyak a whole lot, but I'd also recommend the Samaya and the Sofitel. The area abounds in restaurants, clubs, spas, shops. The beach is long, the waves crashing and the sunsets magnificent.

There are zillions of choices in Ubud and the good news is that most people recommend wherever they stayed, which is the sign of a satisfied customer. Personally I like the Alila, which is in the country side, beautiful views, expansive grounds, stunning pool, good food and enough activity to keep it interesting. The architecture is more contemporary than traditional which some people don't like.

When in Ubud you'll want to spend time sightseeing and attending cultural and artistic performances. There's always some festival going on and the guides will know where to take you.

There are plenty of options for nature focused experiences -- trekking, mountain climbing, rafting, waterfall swimming or just a walk through the rice paddies. Again, the guides know where to go.

Stay away from the monkeys!

Kristen,

"It's really up to you as to what kind of vacation you want."

I agree with you Doug's statement wholeheartedly. I think cost of holiday is subjective. It depends on what type of traveller you are ... Anthony Bourdain, Samantha Brown, Ian Wright ... etc.

Being a Malaysian, I wanted to jump in and defend Malaysia earlier but knowing that you are 23 yrs old and surely nightlife plays a big part in holidaymaking, I reckon Msia's won't come close to Bangkok's or Spore's, much less tweak Bali's. Msia's forte is nature sightseeing and multiculturism. I agree, Bali is a good place for young people and there are enough places to keep you on your toes for 6 days.

For someone who's middle aged (but tries to be young at heart), I find Bali very interesting. Mind you, as an Asian, I've seen a myriad of breathtaking temples, tropical sceneries and great cultures. Yet, Bali has the X-factor not found in any place in Asia and I find myself there annually for the past 6 years.

Bali island isn't easy to DIY, except touristy Ubud, Kuta, Denpasar or generally southern side. To access other parts of the island, you need to hire tour van which charges roughly USD30-50 per day (9 hrs); all hotels have contacts. Tell the driver where you want to go and sit back. He would most definitely try to coax you into some souvenir, batik or spice shops but you can politely decline.

Sorry to disappoint you but there's no elephant or wildlife appreciation hub in Bali though.

Like most touristy places in SE Asia, those in the tourism industry (hoteliers, bell boys, "friends" you meet along the way) will assume Caucasian tourists to come in clueless and veer you to well developed tourist traps. If you end up in some of these places, please don't conclude that Bali is touristy. It is not. Only a small portion of southern Bali is touristy.

Some of the best sightseeing experience I had was waking up real early in the morning and combing the backlane suburban neighbourhood in Kuta. Watching ladies all dolled up in "kebayas" for praying rituals, women making breakfast for their families in backyards, ornate "split" gates of temple entrances, taking a peek at beautiful Balinese home gardens ... those are the stuffs that give Bali flavour.

OK, enough ramblings. If you need names, here's my pick list ...
- Lovina (black volcanic sand beach)
- Lot Tanah Pura
- Ulun Danu volcanic lake
- Kinta Mani highland
- Bedugul farmland

Good local eats ...
- Babi guling (roasted piglet)
- Bakso

Good local beer
- Tiga Bintang

Important parting note - Locals think all young Caucasians who go to Bali are into hedonism (I know because I speak Indonesian). Some may try to sell you cannabis and "happy pills". This usually happens in nightlife spots, especially Kuta. So, take care.

And oh, I forgot to mention: You should really try to arrange a trip to visit a coffee plantation. This will edge you to some of the best countryside scenes in the island.

Thanks for the advice everyone. Travel twiddle, your reply has been very helpful, any more suggestions would be much appreciated as far as which area we should stay, or whether we should move around.