Return to Japan & first visits to Singapore & Bangkok
Jun 30th, 2009, 12:22 AM
#41
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Some random thoughts:
1. I would bring the winter coat on all the flights. I find the planes to be freezing. You may be glad you have it. Paying to ship it home seems silly, just carry it on your arm and then use it as a blanket. As all but one of your flights are in business class, there is plenty of room for the coat, the staff will even offer to put it in a closet if you don’t want it.
2. For hotels in Singapore, I don’t know the Ibis very well, but you might look at the Perak (http://www.peraklodge.com/), which I have not been inside, but this place always looks interesting to me. It is in a nice location in the middle of the shop house area of Little India. (AND you get a discount at Apollo Banana Leaf curry house, which you will want to go to anyway…). You might also look at the Swisshotel Merchant Court, very good location and generally good value for money, or consider the Swisshotel Stamford, again a very good location and should be significantly cheaper than Raffles next door. Go to http://www.swissotel.com/index.htm. Or something like the Gallery Hotel in the River Valley Road area. This location is perhaps not ideal for first timers, but is an interesting area of boutiques and restaurants. Take a look at http://www.galleryhotel.com.sg/html/index.html. Also look at the Intercontinental near Arab Street, great location and if you can get a deal, this may be the best option of all. In Chinatown, you might try the Berjaya Hotel (formerly the Duxton Hotel, see http://www.berjayaresorts.com/beachresort_duxton.htm), I think it is a little worn, but location is very good for the Chinatown area. If you have hotel points, this may be a good town to redeem them in.
3. Not to throw too much of a wrench into your plans, but there are tons of walk/gentle hike in Hong Kong (far more than Singapore), and the weather is sufficiently better than Singapore in January. (Sunny and in the 70s as opposed to hot, humid and tending toward rain in Singapore). We don’t have British India (which I do love I will say), but have many other amusements. But perhaps Hong Kong does not work with your itin, unless your friend from Malaysia wants to meet you there. Also, if you have any flexibility with your dates, Lunar New Year in 2010 is February 14-16, which is always an interesting time to be in Singapore or Hong Kong, and Thaipusum, a Hindu holiday celebrated only in Singapore and the Batu caves outside of KL, is celebrated in late January or early February (dates vary depending on moon phases). It might be interesting to be here for either celebration.
4. You will have no trouble finding clothes which fit at British India. In Singapore, I think that their Raffles Shopping Centre store has the largest selection, but their Millennia Walk shop has some housewares which make it a good option too. They also have outlets in Kuala Lumpur (e.g. Lot 10 shopping mall) should your travels take you there. Note that there is sales tax in Singapore, but you can get this refunded for most items; be sure to ask about this and get the proper forms; there is a place downtown where you can get the refunds, you don’t have to lug all the stuff to the airport when you are leaving to do the refund process.
1. I would bring the winter coat on all the flights. I find the planes to be freezing. You may be glad you have it. Paying to ship it home seems silly, just carry it on your arm and then use it as a blanket. As all but one of your flights are in business class, there is plenty of room for the coat, the staff will even offer to put it in a closet if you don’t want it.
2. For hotels in Singapore, I don’t know the Ibis very well, but you might look at the Perak (http://www.peraklodge.com/), which I have not been inside, but this place always looks interesting to me. It is in a nice location in the middle of the shop house area of Little India. (AND you get a discount at Apollo Banana Leaf curry house, which you will want to go to anyway…). You might also look at the Swisshotel Merchant Court, very good location and generally good value for money, or consider the Swisshotel Stamford, again a very good location and should be significantly cheaper than Raffles next door. Go to http://www.swissotel.com/index.htm. Or something like the Gallery Hotel in the River Valley Road area. This location is perhaps not ideal for first timers, but is an interesting area of boutiques and restaurants. Take a look at http://www.galleryhotel.com.sg/html/index.html. Also look at the Intercontinental near Arab Street, great location and if you can get a deal, this may be the best option of all. In Chinatown, you might try the Berjaya Hotel (formerly the Duxton Hotel, see http://www.berjayaresorts.com/beachresort_duxton.htm), I think it is a little worn, but location is very good for the Chinatown area. If you have hotel points, this may be a good town to redeem them in.
3. Not to throw too much of a wrench into your plans, but there are tons of walk/gentle hike in Hong Kong (far more than Singapore), and the weather is sufficiently better than Singapore in January. (Sunny and in the 70s as opposed to hot, humid and tending toward rain in Singapore). We don’t have British India (which I do love I will say), but have many other amusements. But perhaps Hong Kong does not work with your itin, unless your friend from Malaysia wants to meet you there. Also, if you have any flexibility with your dates, Lunar New Year in 2010 is February 14-16, which is always an interesting time to be in Singapore or Hong Kong, and Thaipusum, a Hindu holiday celebrated only in Singapore and the Batu caves outside of KL, is celebrated in late January or early February (dates vary depending on moon phases). It might be interesting to be here for either celebration.
4. You will have no trouble finding clothes which fit at British India. In Singapore, I think that their Raffles Shopping Centre store has the largest selection, but their Millennia Walk shop has some housewares which make it a good option too. They also have outlets in Kuala Lumpur (e.g. Lot 10 shopping mall) should your travels take you there. Note that there is sales tax in Singapore, but you can get this refunded for most items; be sure to ask about this and get the proper forms; there is a place downtown where you can get the refunds, you don’t have to lug all the stuff to the airport when you are leaving to do the refund process.
Jul 1st, 2009, 06:00 PM
#42
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Some replies/clarification to the last few posts, in no particular order:
As KimJapan says, the communities in the remoter areas of Gifu that have been discussed here apparently now benefit from the opening of a new highway which is open year 'round and also yields shorter trips. You can see a summary here: http://www.japan-guide.com/bus/shirakawago.html
A connecting flight (to Komatsu or elsewhere) is a reasonable possibility, but (1) it isn't a train, and I like train travel (which is not to say that I don't also do an awful lot of air travel, but I rarely get to travel by train) and (2) I'd be travelling during the blackout period for the visitor fares (which are in effect until Jan 4, 2010, whereas I'd be travelling on Jan 2).
My possibly choosing Osaka over Kyoto as a base for exploring the nearby towns has to do with my being what my mother likes to call "contrary." She assures me that it is one of my few flaws.
The winter coat issue is not a big one, and the coat will come in handy on the return flight. I'm planning on bringing a long down coat with a hood, so if the person next to me on the plane gets chilly I could probably share it.
Thanks for the tips re tax refunds and hotels in Singapore, Cicerone. Most smaller places haven't stocked rooms for Jan 2010 yet, so I'm waiting to book (though now that it's July some may have opened up). I'll keep these options in mind. No flexibility with my flights, I'm afraid, as I've already scheduled other things around them. I have very few periods during the year when I can get this much time off at a stretch, and January is one of them. June is another, but I took advantage of this June to have foot surgery, and will likely repeat it on the same foot next June. Now there's something to anticipate...
Hong Kong will have to wait for another year. I've got a Chinese sister-in-law, so will likely wait to travel in that part of the world until she can come with me.
As KimJapan says, the communities in the remoter areas of Gifu that have been discussed here apparently now benefit from the opening of a new highway which is open year 'round and also yields shorter trips. You can see a summary here: http://www.japan-guide.com/bus/shirakawago.html
A connecting flight (to Komatsu or elsewhere) is a reasonable possibility, but (1) it isn't a train, and I like train travel (which is not to say that I don't also do an awful lot of air travel, but I rarely get to travel by train) and (2) I'd be travelling during the blackout period for the visitor fares (which are in effect until Jan 4, 2010, whereas I'd be travelling on Jan 2).
My possibly choosing Osaka over Kyoto as a base for exploring the nearby towns has to do with my being what my mother likes to call "contrary." She assures me that it is one of my few flaws.
The winter coat issue is not a big one, and the coat will come in handy on the return flight. I'm planning on bringing a long down coat with a hood, so if the person next to me on the plane gets chilly I could probably share it.
Thanks for the tips re tax refunds and hotels in Singapore, Cicerone. Most smaller places haven't stocked rooms for Jan 2010 yet, so I'm waiting to book (though now that it's July some may have opened up). I'll keep these options in mind. No flexibility with my flights, I'm afraid, as I've already scheduled other things around them. I have very few periods during the year when I can get this much time off at a stretch, and January is one of them. June is another, but I took advantage of this June to have foot surgery, and will likely repeat it on the same foot next June. Now there's something to anticipate...
Hong Kong will have to wait for another year. I've got a Chinese sister-in-law, so will likely wait to travel in that part of the world until she can come with me.
Jul 2nd, 2009, 06:03 AM
#43
In Singapore, go to the Ritz Carlton, just to sit in the lobby and enjoy the Dale Chiluly glass sculptures at either end of the lobby. One represents sunrise and the other represents sunset. They are spectacular, if you like that sort of thing.
The orchid gardens are also a beautiful place to visit.
The orchid gardens are also a beautiful place to visit.
Jul 2nd, 2009, 06:28 AM
#44
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Thanks for the tips, evvlabs. I like all sorts of gardens, so except to see some outstanding versions on this this trip.
I've got an update on the overnight train travel issue from a query that I posted over at tripadvisor, and it now looks as if a night train on arrival might well work out just fine, as although Jan 2 is part of the New Year's holiday period, it's not a peak travel day, as Jan 4 will be the day that everybody floods home. Jan 2 they're staying in, trying to ignore the fact that the holiday is almost over.
I've got an update on the overnight train travel issue from a query that I posted over at tripadvisor, and it now looks as if a night train on arrival might well work out just fine, as although Jan 2 is part of the New Year's holiday period, it's not a peak travel day, as Jan 4 will be the day that everybody floods home. Jan 2 they're staying in, trying to ignore the fact that the holiday is almost over.
Jan 24th, 2010, 12:35 AM
#48
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Finally back home after this trip and wanted to take the opportunity to thank all of you who made suggestions on this thread, as well as to those who've been posting their own experiences over the years here at Fodor's. I had a splendid time, and will be posting trip reports for the different segments of the voyage as soon as I get my bags unpacked and laundry started
