Best places in Asia?
 

Hello! My family and I are thinking of taking a vacation in late March to either Asia or Europe.
It's my job to get all the details and options for us to go. I'm in need of safe, kid/teen friendly places. My dad has been to HK and loved it. My mom has never been out of the country, so she is very reluctant and will need some great convincing. There will be 4 of us. Our budget is medium. I would also love opinions on airlines, too. Right now I have 1 SE Asian option: Bangkok. Thanks for all your help!

We need a lot more info to be able to help you.
How long do you have?
What kinds of activities are you interested in?
How much per night are you willing to pay? And do you need two hotel rooms or a suite for the four of you?

If you are looking for a city, Bangkok is hard to beat, IMO. It's a fascinating city, both modern (skyscrapers, the skytrain) and traditional (the wats. the Grand Palace). The food is wonderful. And prices for hotel rooms are very reasonable. You can also get serviced apartments for reasonable prices. And there are other places to go easily - beaches or north into the hill country. The problem is that March will be very hot.

Take a look at www.weatherbse.com to see historical weather patterns in each place you are considering.

Hong Kong is a wonderful place to visit, but hotel prices are very high.

A couple of other thoughts: Virtually anyplace you choose in Asia will be safer than where you live in the US.

Photos can often tell what words cannot: photos of our last 10 years or so of travels in Asia
www.marlandc.com

Hi Kathie. We plan on leaving the night of March 21st and getting a plane ride back home early March 30th. My brother and I, both 15 at the time of travel, are very interested in typical "teenager" activities. We would love to get a feel of Thailand while we are there, though. Museums, Temples, Ruins, etc. are perfectly fine.
We're willing to spend around $200, but we can go up to $300 for a nice hotel. We'd prefer a suite, so we can stay together.

I have some things to be able to do: Dusit Zoo, Lumphini Park, and Wat Phra Kaew. I also have a site I'm referencing. http://www.bangkok.com/fun-stuff-for-kids.htm Opinions?

And thank you. HK may be out of the running if prices are more than what I said.

I agree with Kathie about more info but less than 10 days prferably 12-14 is wiser considering the flights are 17-25 hours based on destination. Also, hotels are 1/3+ more in HK and I would consider that city a 2 full day stop over on the way elsewhere. If most of you think you can sleep on flights then that's a good first steep even with an Ambien. Yes, doctors can recommend an appropriate dosae for children over 6-8 yrs. old.
BK is a city worth 3-5 days of touring with kigs. Adults would want longer in some cases.
Bali is lovely and interesting with hotels just about as inexpensive as BK and late March the weather is fine though June is ideal but the tourists descend on the island in the summer.With a guide 4-5 days at a beach resort there might be nice. If you are really into culture one of the world heritage sites is only 1 hour from Bali in Central Java in the city of Jogjakarta with the 8th and 10th Century temples that are quite amazing. Hotel are limited but there are 3-4 nice ones that range $120-$175 for 2-3 in a room.The Hyatt there is lovely but you are there for the culrture and the Muslim difference from Bali which is primarily Hindu. It is well worth a 2 full day visit if the children are 10-12 or older.
Though I know you can easily get from one place to the other of the above I am not sure this is not too much moving around but if you took Cathay Airways to Honk Kong and then after the stop over in HK on to Bali and Java you could fly to Hong Kong on Air Asia (a good discount airline) and fly home from there to LAX or New York if Cathay does not require you to return to Bali which was your original destination. That's about 11 days plus most of 2-3 days lost in flying making a 2 week trip.

The reason we chose March 21st to the 30th was because of my spring break, which is that week. I'd be missing one day of school, and my dad one day of work. We may be able to extend it, like leaving on the 18th/19th, but that will take some convincing. Is jetlag really that bad? Jetlag is another reason for coming home on a Saturday, hence work and school that Monday. Are you suggesting going to two places or more? My twin and I will be 15 at the time of travel. Sorry, StanKase, I'm a little confused by your post.

The jetlag we feel when returning to the US from India is we're ready to fall asleep by 4pm and then wake up during the night. It's fine for school, but you may end up doing homework at 3am for the first week when you return. It's always good to have a couple of days to at least partially recover before you have to get back to school or work.

Sorry, ditto, I don't find that website to be very good for choosing things to do. Most things it lists are things you might do in any big city (zoo, bowling, wax museum, etc) and very little that is unique to Bangkok. The only thing they list that I think is a must-do is the water taxi. Given that you will both be 15, I expect you'll be interested in some cultural things, like some of the main wats (you mention Wat Phra Kaew, the Emerald Buddha, which is on the grounds of the Grand Palace). I think you'll also enjoy Wat Po, the Reclining Buddha. Get yourself a good guidebook - Fodors, Insight Guides or Lonely Planet.

If you stay at a hotel on the river, you'll be fascinated by the endless river traffic, and can hop on a water taxi to see some of the main wats.

You might also enjoy a couple of the Bangkok Food Tours. You probably like to try out some Thai massage (it's pretty vigorous) and you'd probably enjoy seeing a movie in one of the "gold" theaters - your own lounge chair!

All of the hotels in your price range will have nice swimming pools. In the heat, you'll appreciate a break to swim at mid-day.

You have enough time to make a stop at a beach. You can fly to Phuket, or Hua Hin is a 2 to 3 hour drive from Bangkok. At Hua Hin, I'd recommend the Hyatt to you - it has wonderful grounds with a huge waterslide.

Take a look at this website: www.sawasdee.com It's a local Thai hotel booking site. Hotels in Bangkok must charge 7.7% tax and 10% service charge, read the fine print, but the prices on Sawasdee.com generally include the tax and service. They also include the breakfasts. You'll love the huge breakfast buffets. You want the price included in your hotel room, as otherwise they run $16-20 per person.

Hotels to consider along the river: Sheraton Royal Orchid (look at their suites), Anantara, Chatrium, or Centrepoint Silom (serviced apartments). There are others as well.

Stan's idea of Bali is a good one, but with the time you have, you'll have to cut Hong Kong, and I'm not sure it makes sense to go to central Java, as much as I love the place. In Bali, you could stay half the time at a beach and half inland near Ubud. Bali is not a big city experience, unlike Bangkok or Hong Kong.

I really think to fly for that amount of time each way 18+ hours spending only 8 days and though some people suffer from jet lag at least the first day after arrival I really think you should try very hard to add 2 days to the trip. The additional cost is relatively insignificant but if you could get to Bali even for 4 full days/5 nights your trip would be majorly enhanced in my opinion.In Bali goirgeous hotels can be had for $300. Another on-line source to compare pricing is Agoda.com. Both are good but sometimes one might out do the other by $30-$40 a night. It all depends. But as Kathie said make sure you look at the tax/service added to the room cost. Just about all in Bali include elaborate American and Balanese breakfasts.

I just checked for you on Agoda.com and Komeneka (spelling) second word begins with a T but it is the one I mean on Monkey Forest road at $275 with tax/service but I guesses on the 4 nights in March you might be there. Just Check. It is a 5 star hotel in Ubud.
Good Luck.

Stan, for four people, they need either two rooms or a suite.

I understand that logistically, you have a limited amount of time. You are lucky to be in the Chicago area, as you can fly non-stop from ORD to NRT (Narita, the major airport near Tokyo) and then connect to a flight to Bangkok, getting there just before midnight the day after you leave Chicago. That allows you to get to sleep right after you arrive and to awake the next morning, nearly on Bangkok time. I actually don't have a lot of difficulty with jet lag, though everyone is different. I find I'm tired early that first night in Bangkok (since I will have awakened about 5 am or so Bangkok time), but by the second day, I'm doing fine. Also, I have often come home on a Sunday and gone to work the next day (I get in about 9 am my time). Indeed, I have taken one-week trips to Asia a number of times. More time is always better, but if it is how much time you have, take advantage of it.

Ok, thank you. I don't think I will have a big problem with jetlag unlike my brother and mom, so I'm not worried. And I plan on chatting with them about leaving a couple days earlier, though it may be tough. I don't really like the idea of going two places in one trip. In my opinion(and I'm sure my parents) it costs more than if we stay in one place. Like I'm sure the two hour drive to Hua Hin is much cheaper than flying to Bali for four. One thing I already know, though, it that my whole family will be reading a lot of travel guides!

If there was a ranking for safety and kid-friendliness nations in Asia then I think Japan would come out on top. Maybe narrowly, maybe not.

Your lodging budget would get you basic, adequate, good, lodging in Tokyo, and better elsewhere in Japan.

You would have plenty of opportunities to interact with Japanese teens. There will be groups of them at many of the sites you would visit - they go on school trips. Don't be surprised if they approach you to practice their English.

I think that school will be in session at that time so you will see kids everywhere, on the streets, shops, bus stops, ..., in their school uniforms.

On second thought, there is a graduation time in March. I remember a fodors poster (emd) describing how, when in Kyoto with her teenaged son, they were in a hotel lobby with dozens of Japanese girls (about your age) dressed in beautiful kimono for a graduation event. But, I don't think they have a spring break that coincides with yours.

Here are a couple of links that might interest you.

On a Sunday, you would want to go to Harajuku:
http://www.harajukustyle.net/cosplay.htm

Major theme parks in Tokyo (more in Osaka and elsewhere):
http://www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/en/index.html

If you are interested in anime:
http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/

Shibuya, Odaiba, Tsukiji, ...
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/r...o/shibuya.html

Wow, I never thought of Japan! Looks beautiful - and it would be pretty cool if I were able to chat with some Japanese teenagers. I'll look into it, thanks!

..., hanami, baseball, sumo, ninja, samurai, monkeys, castles, Shinto shrines, bullet trains, Buddhist temples, museums of all kinds, preserved traditional villages, ultra-modern cities, ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami
http://www.jcastle.info/
http://www.munky.net/travel/japan/japan06-monkeypark/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JR...pot_200910.jpg
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4100.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5950.html

from another fodors post (by KimJapan): Schools are finished from around March 25, give or take a few days in either direction, and the new school year starts around April 7, give or take a few days in either direction.

BUT, I was once asked what I liked the best about my visits to Japan and I had an instant answer: the people.

Another "but": it is not inexxpensive.

To Kasthie yes, The $275 is per room of course so they need 2 rooms or a lage suite that might actually cost more and p[ersonally mihjy be less of a vacation for your parents.
I still think I would stick with Bangkok or Bali. You could then go back to the full 8 days you had and spen 5 in Bangkok and 3 full days in Bali and have beauty, culture, beach if you want it, and differeng local living practices. The reason Agoda had rooms and not Sawadee is Agoda has a bigger focus on Bali than Sawadee. Over the years I have found Agoda is less expensive but not unilaterally. My suggrestion though has you going to Bali first on Cathy Pacific and taking Air Asia to BK and back to Bali for the flight back to Chicago to avoid any additional flight costs.I think a very interesting and fun combination.

Japan is expensive, no question. If it won't fit your budget, go back to considering Bangkok or Bali. You are wise to choose just one place, as you will then have time to explore and get to know it. And no matter where you go, you'll be able to meet and talk with teenagers in that country.

Keep us posted on your planning!

Hi Kathie and Stan. Thank you, but my parents weren't to keen on Japan. The people are really nice I hear, but it seems really expensive as I just looked up airfare, hotels, etc.

I'm really leaning towards Bangkok, but my parents were really fond of Jerusalem. (I made a powerpoint of all the costs, places, things to do, etc.) I ended up with 7 spots. I'm not sure if anything will come out of this, but if it does I will for sure let the fellow Fodorites know!

Bangkok is a great choice. From what I'm speed reading, you have a week. Not a problem. Go for it.

I have flown L.A.-Bangkok for a week many times and then get home on a Sunday evening and am back at work at 7:30AM, Monday morning. And I don't sleep on planes.

What I do when there for only a week is try to get a flight on Singapore Air and then I fly L.A.-Tokyo-Singapore and then have some hours before flying on to Bangkok. Then on the way back, I fly Bangkok to Singapore and take a day there and then fly out of Singapore the next day, headed back to L.A.

I like having time in Singapore and Singapore Air has some really nice stopover plans with reduced hotel rates and other offers included. Plus, it's really easy to do Singapore if you have one full day. However, I have stayed in Singapore as long as 2 weeks. But, by doing the Singapore Air plan, then I get two places for the price of one airfare.

www.singaporeair.com

Happy Travels!

I looked on Singapore Air, but they don't have any seats available! I might try again at a later date.

From Chicago, the best connections are on United.

Yes, right now I'm looking at United. My dad has some FF miles from his trip to HK a few years ago, but I don't think that those miles will get me anywhere.

"ditto97 on Aug 13, 12 at 10:00am
I looked on Singapore Air, but they don't have any seats available! I might try again at a later date"

There are probably no flights because you're leaving out of ORD. Then one must get creative and reroute oneself. If you come via Los Angeles, there are flights. I just checked. There's a March 21st flight, on Singapore Air, from L.A. to BKK arriving into BKK on March 23. Then if you left BKK on March 29, for Singapore, you could do a day in Singapore and fly out of Singapore on the 30th, back to L.A. and then on to ORD.

The airfares fluctuate all the time. I'm looking for a flight on Singapore Air for January/February and there have been fares that have fluctuated from the $1,200 range to the $1,400 range. I've been checking regularly. I'm in L.A.

In 2009, I flew the same route and paid a base price of $323. rd.trip. The total was around $808. I did 6 nights in Bangkok, on that trip, and one in Singapore before I had to fly home and be back to work the following day. I check airfares regularly and then jump on them when they're good.

I prefer Singapore Air as they're so good. They've been voted number 1 a lot. And as long as I have been flying them, they have been on time. Plus, I really like Chiangi Airport, in Singapore, as it's totally hassle free which is one reason I like to route myself through it.

Happy Travels!

The only reason I didn't do that was because that's just more money. I hear some great things about Singapore Air and would love to fly them, but I'm not sure it's possible with our budget. I may check later though and see if I can get a flight out of LAX for cheaper!

What type of flight budget are you talking about to Asia? I was just on Singapore Air, a few minutes ago, checking again for a flight for me and the one that popped up this time was nearly $200. less than what popped up some hours ago. Happy Travels!

Well, we can spend, possibly, up to $1100 per.
It's probably gonna be lower than that though.

Why not go on Kayak.com and put in a price alert at $100 more than you would really like to spend and see if you get lucky by checking a few times a day and maybe Singapore Air with comes in with the best fare by chance. Do the same on farempare adding 1 day to the trip as well.

As for my situation, the advantage of going on Singapore Air's website is that there are three different airfares posted for Economy class. I need the second type of airfare posted, where if I have to cancel, then I will get a refund, minus the cancellation fee.

I use Expedia a lot for booking flights to mostly other places. But, the discount websites list non-refundable airfares as they are giving the lowest fare. There's less than $100. difference in airfare between the first type of airfare (non-refundable) and the second type, (refundable with a fee) on Singapore Air's website. Happy Travels!

Ok, thanks for the info Guenmai!

You're welcome. And remember to read the conditions of the airline tickets. A lot of them are non-refundable. So, if something happens and there needs to be a cancelation, then either you need to have a ticket where you can cancel, but will possibly pay a $100-$200 cancellation fee or you need to look into travel insurance that has a cancelation policy. But, read the fine print of the travel insurance policy.

www.insuremytrip.com is a very good website to go on to read up on a variety of policies. On my last (attempted) trip to Paris ( a few months ago), I had bought the cancel-for-any reason insurance which is not easy to find. But, there was a company on insuremytrip.com that offered it. So, I paid the extra $40., on top of my policy. I ended up having to cancel and at least got 75% of the airfare back, I think it was, and they were quite fast to refund the money. I only insured the airfare as I don't usually prepay for accommodations, but if I do prepay the accommodations, they are ones where I know that I'll get my money back; like my apartment rental in Paris.

The difference that I've seen, over the decades, as far as airfares is that I have a lot easier time getting money back from Asian airlines, on trips to Asia, than I do from airlines when I fly to Europe. When I fly to Europe, I always know that I'd better insure the airfare in case of a cancelation.

It's great that you're doing all of this research. It will serve you well in the future! I've been planning all of my trips, around the world, since I was 16 and I'm now mid-50s. So, hats off to you for being interested enough to do the research.

Happy Travels!

Global Alert was the company that I used. I just looked it up on the www.insuremytrip.com
website. Happy Travels!