JamesA

Bill had a great idea, hope no one minds if I throw in another one, slightly different though, and that is vacation/holiday places TOP 10 in Asia ( let us say South East Asia and Far East ), just rank 1st as the top and then down to 10, but on this one the deal if you 'should have' been there !!
Doesn't have to be a beach place, can be a city or even a region, doesn't have to be famous, perhaps think of the TOP 10 places if you were being offered say a free vacation, which, in order, would you want to go back to because you enjoyed so much.... I will start with my 'personal' Top 10

1 - River Kwai
2 - Krabi
3 - Chiang Rai
4 - Bali
5 - Koh Chang
6 - Hua Hin
7 - Jomtien Beach
8 - Koh Samui
9 - Sri Lanka
10- Langkawi

cytrav2000

My Top Ten are, (with no order):

1. Kuala Lumpur.
2. Bangkok.
3. Siem Reap (including Angkor).
4. Bali.
5. Yogiakarta (including Borobudur).
6. Yangon.
7. Bagan.
8. Redang Island.
9. Lombok.
10. Hanoi.

If I have two more I would say

11. Agra.
12. Cochin.

rhkkmk

1. bangkok

2. siem reap, cambodia (angkor)

3. malaysia, visit more islands

4. bali, including lombok

5. singapore

6. hua hin

7. chiang mai--see if i can find out what people love about it...it must be there but i can't find it

8. chiang rai and golden triangle

9. koh samui

10. tower room, ROS

Kathie

1. Bangkok
2. Luang Prabang, Laos
3. Bali/Lombok
4. Golden Triangle, Thailand
5. Yogjakarta
6. Spas at Hua Hin (Chiva Som and Anantara)
7. Siem Reap (Angkor)
8. Singapore
9. Hanoi
10. Kuantan

Guenmai

The above is a less mindboggling way to list places in order than on the other thread.Plus folks get to pick their own favorites instead of from a pre-arranged list. Happy Travels!

BillT

James- I'm amazed that you would pick the River Kwai- is this really the best you have been to?????? Besides the bridge, and the cemetary- I really don't see much else there (from what I have read).

Jim0884

yes James...tell us what you love about it...maybe we can work it into upcoming trips

BillT

Perhaps the River Kwai has a special meaning for James. James- did your father work on the bridge during the war?

JamesA

The River Kwai area not only has history but nice scenary to, if you get just a short way from the railway and the Kanchanaburi area you find nice relaxing area, Golf course, plus the river has a great charm, it's certainly not the Mekong but the bonus is that within a couple of hours of Bangkok it's very convenient. there is more to the area than just the history and it makes an easy change from the beach, cruise on the river, river rafts, anyway as I said these are 'personal' favorites and not meant to be the 'best', juts those favoured as place to go back to.

glorialf

1. Bangkok
2. Northern Thailand (including Mae Sot area)
3. Shan State in Burma
4.Mogok in Burma (although I think it's now closed to tourists)
5. Vietnam -- as long as you bring your "heart" and not just your eyes
6. Bali
7. Rajasthan
8. Karakorum Highway/Silk Road
9. Siem Reap
10. Borobudor

orgy7

1. Bangkok
2. Li river/yangsu, china
3. Kyoto
4. Hong kong
5. Tokyo
6. Luang Prabang
7. Bali
8. Saoul, Korea
9. Angkor Wat
10. Pattaya

glorialf

Oops-- forgot Kyoto. Definitely have to put that in my top 10. Maybe in place of Borobudor.

JamesA

ttt

Come on, I am loosing out to Bill sadly here ! If you can vote for Best overall Asia destination please also vote for Best vacation spot in Asia too, maybe if we get enough votes we can put them all together and have a decent Fodorites survey for Best Beach Vacation spots plus Bill's survey too!

hobbes

Sorry James missed this one...

In no particular order

Bali
Hanoi
Kerala
Bangkok
Sri Lanka
Luang Prabang
Rajasthan
Siem Reap (tho this is a tough one coz much as I loved it after 2 trips do not really know if I want to go again...)
Beijing

Hisurfer

In no particular order:

1. Bali.

2. Flores: We bathed in volcano-heated waterfalls, watched the sunrise from Keli Mutu and then spent the morning hiking down the mountain, took long walks through farming and weaving villages, took a traditional sailing boat to Komodo and Rinca, and lazed on the beach at Batu Gosak.

3. Bukittinggi, Sumatra: The cultural capitol of the region; famous for bull fights and silversmiths. Also the jumping off point for 10 day hikes in the stone-age Mentawai Islands.

4. Pulau Weh, Aceh, Sumatra: Everyone has their "undiscovered" island in SE Asia, and this is mine.

5. Pai, N. Thailand: It's just a small town, really. I came here to escape from Chiang Mai [like others, I do not understand the appeal of this town!], and Pai was a welcome retreat. It's small, quiet [at least, it was ten years ago!], with good food, great masseurs, and decent guides for hikes.

6. Bukit Lawang, Sumatra: I fell in love with the Orangutans here. I haven't been able to go to a zoo since, now that I've seen them in the wild.

7. Gunung Bromo, Java: The trip across the caldera of this quite active volcano in the pre-dawn mist is surreal.

8. Waikabubak, Sumba: Not for everyone. This island has escaped both Muslim and Christian missionaries, and the old religion is still very strong. Very, very strong!

I'm heading to Myanmar, Hong Kong, Kyoto, and India in the fall - all for the first time - so this list will certainly change!

laurieco

This is difficult but here's my list, subject to change after visiting Malaysia

1-Bangkok
2-Shan State/Inle Lake, Burma
3-Angkor
4-Tokyo
5-Chiang Rai/Golden Triangle
6-Vietnam, especially central
7-Luang Prabang
8-Kyoto
9-Hua Hin
10-Bali & Rangoon (tie)

simpsonc510

Had not seen this thread before! I'm afraid my list is a lot shorter than the others as I've only been to Hong Kong and Thailand (6 times to BKK).

My list:
Bangkok
Samui
Phuket
Chiang Mai
Hong Kong
Ayuttaya (sp) (have not been to Angkor...YET)

Ummmm... the top of the State Tower in Bangkok (Sky Bar)
Tawandang German Brewery, BKK
MBK in BKK
EGV Gold Class Theater, BKK
Villa Royale on Phuket, Kata Beach

Carol

Jim0884

Laurie what did you like about Shan State/Inle Lake? I'm thinking of going there myself..

laurieco

Jim, I found it to be one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to. I stayed at the Lake View Hotel, which is right on the lake, they have their own dock, and we hired boats to take us to the little villages on the lake. Being on the lake, watching the leg rowing fishermen, seeing village life, stopping off to see how handicrafts are made and buying at shops and markets, it was so pleasant. I would say it was the highlight of Burma. We almost didn't go there, a friend of mine went and said he loved it but when I asked him what there is to do there, his reply was "nothing". I was trying to decide between Inle and Mandalay, but people on this forum said to go to Inle and I'm glad we did. My friend was sort of right, it's a place to relax and see some stunning scenery, go slow, and enjoy. I only spent a couple of days there and next time, will spend a few more nights. I would stay at the Lake View Hotel again, it's beautiful, great food, great $10 massages, but if you want to stay there, beware, it's not airconditioned, only ceiling fans, which are fine during "cooler" weather (cooler being a relative term in that part of the world) but not in the heat of summer.

Jim0884

thanks for that info on Inle...i'm thinking of going in January...combining that with Bagan. Hotel sounds great!