Honeymoon: Hong Kong, Bangkok, Siem Reap, Phuket
Apr 25th, 2012, 04:49 AM
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Honeymoon: Hong Kong, Bangkok, Siem Reap, Phuket
Hi all. I am working on a honeymoon itinerary in November and could use some ideas and advice.
I have our flights into and out of HKG booked, we scored some first class award tickets both ways. As far as the rest, everything is still up in the air. Here is what we were thinking so far:
Day 0: Leave for HK from NYC.
Day 1: Arrive in Hong Kong at 6am
- Stay at the JW Marriott, Shangri La, Conrad, Hyatt, or Excelsior
- Do some sightseeing, eat some good meals
Day 2: Fly to Bangkok
- Stay at Mandarin Oriental or Peninsula
- Do some sightseeing, eat a good meal or two, get cheap massages
Day 3 & 4: Cambodia
- Sightseeing, Angkor Wat, etc.
Day 5-10: Phuket
- Stay at the Amanpuri, JW Marriott, Twin Palms, Chedi
- Relax! Enjoy the beaches, visit Phi Phi, check out the crazyness in Patong, etc.
Day 11: Leave Phuket and fly to HK
- Stay at the JW Marriott, Shangri La, Conrad, Hyatt, or Excelsior
- Nice dinner and maybe some nightlife
Day 12: HK & Home
- Do some more sightseeing in HK and grab a good lunch before our late afternoon flight home
We know that most people will think this is a lot to cram into our time there, but we travel often and think we will be up to it. If anything, we would consider removing Bangkok from the mix but can't decide either way yet. Think it is worth it to stop there for a day? This is one of the main things we keep going back and forth on.. do we go there or not, and if not, do we just add another day on to Phuket?
Also, any advice on hotel choices at each of these places? We want something more upscale, but do love deals. I won't mind spending $600 a night in Phuket at the Amanpuri if it is really spectacular, but if it is only a little bit better than one of the alternatives that are $200 a night instead, we can consider others.
Any particular restaurant recommendations?
We are also considering using a travel agent to help with this, but we like being very involved with the details and it seems like we can handle everything on our own. If you think we should use a travel agent, can anyone recommend someone who is familiar with this area, is points savvy, can provide value though free upgrades and deals that I cant get on my own, but not charge too much where it isn't worth it?
As far as point balances, we have:
- About 250k Chase points which can transfer to Marriott, Hyatt, or Priority Club.
- About 38k SPG points. I saw there are some super cheap SPG hotels in Siem Reap that are 5k points + $35 per night, but are they nice?
- 200k BA
- 250k AA
- 350k UA
- 27k Amex (Hilton, Priority Club, SPG)
- We can both apply for the Hyatt card and get 2 free nights at any Hyatt
- We can apply for the Marriott card and get at least 50k each
Would love to hear everyone's thoughts!
I have our flights into and out of HKG booked, we scored some first class award tickets both ways. As far as the rest, everything is still up in the air. Here is what we were thinking so far:
Day 0: Leave for HK from NYC.
Day 1: Arrive in Hong Kong at 6am
- Stay at the JW Marriott, Shangri La, Conrad, Hyatt, or Excelsior
- Do some sightseeing, eat some good meals
Day 2: Fly to Bangkok
- Stay at Mandarin Oriental or Peninsula
- Do some sightseeing, eat a good meal or two, get cheap massages
Day 3 & 4: Cambodia
- Sightseeing, Angkor Wat, etc.
Day 5-10: Phuket
- Stay at the Amanpuri, JW Marriott, Twin Palms, Chedi
- Relax! Enjoy the beaches, visit Phi Phi, check out the crazyness in Patong, etc.
Day 11: Leave Phuket and fly to HK
- Stay at the JW Marriott, Shangri La, Conrad, Hyatt, or Excelsior
- Nice dinner and maybe some nightlife
Day 12: HK & Home
- Do some more sightseeing in HK and grab a good lunch before our late afternoon flight home
We know that most people will think this is a lot to cram into our time there, but we travel often and think we will be up to it. If anything, we would consider removing Bangkok from the mix but can't decide either way yet. Think it is worth it to stop there for a day? This is one of the main things we keep going back and forth on.. do we go there or not, and if not, do we just add another day on to Phuket?
Also, any advice on hotel choices at each of these places? We want something more upscale, but do love deals. I won't mind spending $600 a night in Phuket at the Amanpuri if it is really spectacular, but if it is only a little bit better than one of the alternatives that are $200 a night instead, we can consider others.
Any particular restaurant recommendations?
We are also considering using a travel agent to help with this, but we like being very involved with the details and it seems like we can handle everything on our own. If you think we should use a travel agent, can anyone recommend someone who is familiar with this area, is points savvy, can provide value though free upgrades and deals that I cant get on my own, but not charge too much where it isn't worth it?
As far as point balances, we have:
- About 250k Chase points which can transfer to Marriott, Hyatt, or Priority Club.
- About 38k SPG points. I saw there are some super cheap SPG hotels in Siem Reap that are 5k points + $35 per night, but are they nice?
- 200k BA
- 250k AA
- 350k UA
- 27k Amex (Hilton, Priority Club, SPG)
- We can both apply for the Hyatt card and get 2 free nights at any Hyatt
- We can apply for the Marriott card and get at least 50k each
Would love to hear everyone's thoughts!
Apr 25th, 2012, 05:46 AM
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What time of the year is this?
My first reaction is that you are going to some fabulous places - Angkor is truly one of the wonders of the world, Bangkok is my favorite city in the world, and Hong Kong is lively and fascinating - but you are spending the majority of your time at the beach. The Thai beaches are lovely, no doubt. But it takes three full days just to see the major temples of Angkor and you would want more time if you are really interested in the temples (Get a copy of Dawn Rooney's book, "Angkor: A Guide to Cambodia's Wondrous temples" to help you decide). If you aren't that interested in the temples, skip Angkor as it's an expensive side trip both in terms of time and money. If you are really interested in the temples, add enough time so you can see the major temples (3 full days means four nights) or save Angkor for another trip.
I can't imagine not spending some time in Bangkok, though I'd certainly want more than one day!
Have either of you been to Asia before? How do you adapt to the time change and to the heat? This will also factor into how much you can do.
I do not think you need an agent to do this, you can easily do it all yourselves
My first reaction is that you are going to some fabulous places - Angkor is truly one of the wonders of the world, Bangkok is my favorite city in the world, and Hong Kong is lively and fascinating - but you are spending the majority of your time at the beach. The Thai beaches are lovely, no doubt. But it takes three full days just to see the major temples of Angkor and you would want more time if you are really interested in the temples (Get a copy of Dawn Rooney's book, "Angkor: A Guide to Cambodia's Wondrous temples" to help you decide). If you aren't that interested in the temples, skip Angkor as it's an expensive side trip both in terms of time and money. If you are really interested in the temples, add enough time so you can see the major temples (3 full days means four nights) or save Angkor for another trip.
I can't imagine not spending some time in Bangkok, though I'd certainly want more than one day!
Have either of you been to Asia before? How do you adapt to the time change and to the heat? This will also factor into how much you can do.
I do not think you need an agent to do this, you can easily do it all yourselves
Apr 25th, 2012, 10:44 AM
#5
Skip either Bangkok or Siem Reap. Use that extra time for the remaining city.
To get from your hotel in HK to your hotel in Bangkok will take at least 5 hours, and from your BKK hotel to Siem Reap will take another four or five hours the next day. Of your three days alloted to the two places you've used up nearly a whole day in just getting there. Then two days later, you'll spend another 5+ hours traveling to Phuket.
In addition, Bangkok to Siem Reap airfare is outrageous, as Bangkok Air has a monopoly on that route.
This is your honeymoon. Do you really want to spend the first half of it in airports trying to get to cities where you won't have any time to explore?
You absolutely do not need an agent for this trip. All the flights can be easily found on Kayak.com or AirAsia.com. the hotels can be arranged through Agoda.com or the individual hotel sites. Your hotels can arrange airport transfers if you don't want take cabs or public transport from the airports.
To get from your hotel in HK to your hotel in Bangkok will take at least 5 hours, and from your BKK hotel to Siem Reap will take another four or five hours the next day. Of your three days alloted to the two places you've used up nearly a whole day in just getting there. Then two days later, you'll spend another 5+ hours traveling to Phuket.
In addition, Bangkok to Siem Reap airfare is outrageous, as Bangkok Air has a monopoly on that route.
This is your honeymoon. Do you really want to spend the first half of it in airports trying to get to cities where you won't have any time to explore?
You absolutely do not need an agent for this trip. All the flights can be easily found on Kayak.com or AirAsia.com. the hotels can be arranged through Agoda.com or the individual hotel sites. Your hotels can arrange airport transfers if you don't want take cabs or public transport from the airports.
Apr 25th, 2012, 11:29 AM
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my immediate thought was the transport time from each leg too leaving little time on the ground..
i would cut cambodia unfortunately, or make it a focus.. i would cut phi phi or use it as my destination, but it again takes time to and from there..
the jw in phuket is lovely but remote. i would go there and just vedge. i also love the jw in khao lak, one hour north.
penn in bkk for sure!!
i would cut cambodia unfortunately, or make it a focus.. i would cut phi phi or use it as my destination, but it again takes time to and from there..
the jw in phuket is lovely but remote. i would go there and just vedge. i also love the jw in khao lak, one hour north.
penn in bkk for sure!!
Apr 25th, 2012, 12:36 PM
#7
Agree with the others that it seems rushed esp for a honeymoon. Never been to Hong Kong, but one day there and in BKK seems crazy. We flew Air Asia from BKK to SR --substantially less than flying BKK Air
Apr 25th, 2012, 01:20 PM
#8
With Air Asia you have to fly first to Kuala Lumpur, then catch a flight to Siem Reap, adding still another hour or two to the journey. It is cheaper, though the double charging for luggage
(BKK-KL and KL-REP) can sometimes make the price nearly the same as Bangkok Air.
(BKK-KL and KL-REP) can sometimes make the price nearly the same as Bangkok Air.
Apr 25th, 2012, 03:18 PM
#10
Come to think of it, Drdavidge, you might look into the BKKAir discovery pass. If you fly 3 legs the price of their tickets goes way down. it is kind of a pain to book it, but well worth the savings.
Apr 28th, 2012, 03:44 PM
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>>>Hi all. I am working on a honeymoon itinerary in November and could use some ideas and advice.<<<
Greetings Dr D and warm congratulations on forthcoming honeymoon holiday.
Initial perusal, your itinerary does appear a *bit* rushed (exhausting), so will gently propose stretching out your various locales to ~ 3-4 nights each.
Now, one suggestion I can highly recommend from more than a few personal business/holiday travel experiences is to simply stay at the three most current hotels reviewed on my profile page. (In the case of the Shangri-La property in Hong Kong however, will recommend the Peninsula. One holiday weekend at that HK Pen was so much fun, complete with Rolls Royce transfer service overseen by three great Peninsula gentlemen named Billy, Tommy and Leslie. A well-run property, to be sure.)
After your Hong Kong stay, can highly vouch for TG607 F service into Bangkok. (More info under my Shangri-La review.) Hard to go wrong with certain room/suite categories at the BKK Peninsula and Mandarin Oriental.
After Bangkok, fly TG business class to Phuket and enjoy that Amanpuri. Peaceful place, indeed.
(In the case of the Amanpuri and BKK Peninsula, will give forever thanks to those properties' management and friends. Over the years, they have been most generous with frequent guest promotions with rates well below those listed on their websites. We're already set with 'our' special suite at the Peninsula for this November's Loi Krathong; believe this will mark eight straight years, riverside, for that lovely evening celebration.)
After tearing yourselves away from the Amanpuri, another thought is to fly Dragonair, Phuket to Hong Kong. If your first class award tickets are with Cathay Pacific (if so, well done) you may be able to connect in time for your CX flight back to New York.
Wherever you stay, have fun. And, should you decide to do a quick trip to our fine home of Singapore, pleased to welcome you.
Warm wishes to all from a rather fine afternoon in the San Francisco Bay Area. (Flew into SFO yesterday via the ever enjoyable and cherished SQ16 J. A week of work, then back home via SQ1. (Check those flights out sometime; sweet rides.)
macintosh (robert)
... Singapore Airlines, You're a Great Way to Fly ...
Greetings Dr D and warm congratulations on forthcoming honeymoon holiday.
Initial perusal, your itinerary does appear a *bit* rushed (exhausting), so will gently propose stretching out your various locales to ~ 3-4 nights each.
Now, one suggestion I can highly recommend from more than a few personal business/holiday travel experiences is to simply stay at the three most current hotels reviewed on my profile page. (In the case of the Shangri-La property in Hong Kong however, will recommend the Peninsula. One holiday weekend at that HK Pen was so much fun, complete with Rolls Royce transfer service overseen by three great Peninsula gentlemen named Billy, Tommy and Leslie. A well-run property, to be sure.)
After your Hong Kong stay, can highly vouch for TG607 F service into Bangkok. (More info under my Shangri-La review.) Hard to go wrong with certain room/suite categories at the BKK Peninsula and Mandarin Oriental.
After Bangkok, fly TG business class to Phuket and enjoy that Amanpuri. Peaceful place, indeed.
(In the case of the Amanpuri and BKK Peninsula, will give forever thanks to those properties' management and friends. Over the years, they have been most generous with frequent guest promotions with rates well below those listed on their websites. We're already set with 'our' special suite at the Peninsula for this November's Loi Krathong; believe this will mark eight straight years, riverside, for that lovely evening celebration.)
After tearing yourselves away from the Amanpuri, another thought is to fly Dragonair, Phuket to Hong Kong. If your first class award tickets are with Cathay Pacific (if so, well done) you may be able to connect in time for your CX flight back to New York.
Wherever you stay, have fun. And, should you decide to do a quick trip to our fine home of Singapore, pleased to welcome you.
Warm wishes to all from a rather fine afternoon in the San Francisco Bay Area. (Flew into SFO yesterday via the ever enjoyable and cherished SQ16 J. A week of work, then back home via SQ1. (Check those flights out sometime; sweet rides.)
macintosh (robert)
... Singapore Airlines, You're a Great Way to Fly ...
May 13th, 2012, 05:17 PM
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So Bangkok is pretty much out. Any thoughts on where to spend that extra day? Was sort of leaning towards HK so we could have a day to get over the jet lag before trekking around Cambodia.
May 13th, 2012, 07:20 PM
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Add the day to Siem Reap. It's still a crazy itinerary but slightly improved by cutting one city. You have a mere two days allocated to Siem Reap, and you'll spend most of the first day just getting there. If you at all interested in Angkor add a couple of days to it or skip it entirely.
Nov 4th, 2012, 09:07 PM
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Hey guys, so getting closer now. HK for 2 nights, Siem Reap for 2 nights, 6 in Phuket, and 1 more in HK before going home. Hotels are all booked, but now just looking for suggestions on specifically what to do while in HK and Phuket? Thanks.
Nov 5th, 2012, 12:29 PM
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What do you like to do? In Hong Kong, the classic tourist things to do are: the tram to Victoria Peak, riding the Star Ferry, riding the trolleys, going out to Dim Sum, afternoon tea at one of the great hotels.
Nov 5th, 2012, 12:32 PM
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Btw, what hotels did you decide upon? I hadn't seen this posting before, otherwise, I would have recommended the Intercontinental in Hong Kong using Priority Club points. Also, I had heard good things about the Le Meridien in Siem Reap if you really wanted to use points. I just got back and ended up at Pavillon d'Orient myself.
Nov 8th, 2012, 05:38 AM
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We LOVED the Privilege Floor in Siem Reap. Absolutely beautiful room, extraordinary staff, comes with driver and car, free laundry, nice pool, OK breakfast, cocktail hour with appetizers nightly, etc. Wonderful experience.
