Hi folks,

My husband and I are planning a 2 week tour in SE Asia in November. The trip as it stands includes:

Fly from London to Vietnam via HK
-Saigon 2 nights (magestic hotel)
-Siem Reap 3 nights (hotel de la paix)
-Luang Prabang 2 nights (grand hotel)
-Bangkok 4 nights (Centara Grand BK at City center)
-Hong Kong 3 nights (Langham place)
Fly home

What do people think about the hotels we are planning to stay at-- are they nice? Specifically, the Grand Hotel in LP, Laos-- would you stay there? How does it compare to the La Residence Phou Vou but alas I think it is closed for remodelling.....

Also, would you upgrade to the Peninsula in Bangkok-- or is the Centara grand also quite luxurious. One thing that puts me off is that some of the other luxury hotels are beside the river which somehow seems a lot more tranquil-- what do you think? I would also love to stay at the Mandarin oriental in hong kong-- is it worth the upgrade from the Langham?

I would appreciate any comments, suggestions for the itinerary but we are almost ready to book it all, so please reply soon.

Thanks so much!

Personally we really don't like jumping around beween countries like you are doing. I don't think you can get any feel for a country by flying in & out of a major city. Even with two weeks in a country in Asia it is hard to scratch the surface. Why not just go to one country, like Thailand, with a side trip to Luang Prabang or Siam Reap.

I'm going to assume that you've already booked the flights in Asia to make your trip happen. If so, you'll have a great time, even if you're a little bushed.

Your question about hotels should be controlled by your budget. If you're budget can absorb it, I would upgrade the hotels. With the amount of jumping arouind that you're doing, I think having a very nice hotel will be an advantage. It can be like a restful oasis.

Have great time

If it were me (and it isn't) I'd cut at least one location. You'll have a much better trip if you do. You have almost no time in some very interesting places. Remember, it takes time to get from one location to another, and it often eats up almost the whole day. So with two nights in LP, you'll have one day, 3 nights in Siem Reap, you'll have two days, etc.

Also, eliminating one stop will reduce your airfares.

If you can afford it, I'd definitiely upgrade to the Penn. Staying on the river makes a huge difference in your experience of Bangkok.

Personally, I would not stay at the Grand in LP... it's about 20 minutes outside of town. If you can't get La Residence Phou Vao, opt for a small place in town (or, better yet, save this stop for another trip).

PS, if you haven't purchased the air tickets yet, I'd reconsider flying into VN where you spend a mere two nights. Fly into Bangkok instead and you'll save yourself some flights (and your VN visa fees of US$65 each).

Rodash17 said you were ALMOST ready to book it all, and asked for comments about your itinerary as well as the hotels so I was assuming you had not yet finalized your plans, which was the reason for my suggestion that you consider spending more time in Thailand (which is many people's favorite destination in Asia, with so much to see & do). Luang Prabang or Siem Reap are also great destinations for 2 - 3 nights, and either fit in easily with a trip to Thailand. But, I think Vietnam is a destination of its own since many of the highlights are in areas other than Saigon - the Mekong, Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi-An, etc. Just my opinion, and of course it is your trip and your interests and travel style that count.

Hi there,

It would be easy to spend the whole two weeks in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam or Hong Kong (with maybe a mainland destination or two thrown in)! Obviously you don't want to do that, but to go for 5 destinations is one too many.

I'd skip Saigon. Imho it's the least appealing of the five. Add a day to LP, a day to Siem Reap and leave Vietnam for another trip.

I'm thinking an open-jaw into Hong Kong and out of BKK, flying HK - SR - LP - BKK with Bangkok Airways would be a cannier use of time.

Can't comment on the hotels.

Cheers.

centara is a horrible location, way outside the main part of town....do not stay there....

stay in town someplace...

personally the penninsula is a magnificent place....look at the penn site for some special deals this fall....there is a sliding offer most often at the top of the site as you sign on...

i too think you are considering tooo many places...i would skip saigon or change it to hanoi...looking at your schedule i would skip VN totally and visit HK, laos and SR plus bkk....with such a short visit i think i might cut one of those places as well....

i would do HK for up to 5 nites, maybe 3 at front at 2 at end...

i would fly from there to bkk for 4 nites, then fly from there to either LP or SR but not both...then i would return to bkk for a nite or two and then back to bkk....i did not count up the nites but i would work with this outline...

otherwise you are travelling all the time and experiencing very little...

here is how i would decide on SR or LP:

if i want and like ruins of old civilizations, and nothing more, then SR is my place...

if i wanted an interesting laid back place with local people and a place to slow down a bit and relax then LP is my place----BUT BEFORE DECIDING CHECK OUT RESERVATION POSSIBILITIES, BECAUSE I BET ALL THE GOOD HOTELS ARE NOW FULL FOR THIS NOV....this might answer your question...

the grand in LP is good, but no pool and as said above about 20 minutes outside the town...

Thank you all very much for your (valuable) input. No CFW and Kathie, we haven't booked the trip yet-- the flights are only on hold.

I actually made a mistake on the first post, we have 3 nights in Saigon as we were hoping to visit the cu chi tunnels and maybe go to the mekong. But...in light of all your comments, maybe we'll save Vietnam for another trip perhaps when the weather is better and we can visit the north, south and stop over at the beach...

In hindsight when you say 5 countries in 14 nights, it does sound a bit mad. So..I will take your advice and probably drop a destination (saigon) which gives us 3 nights to play with. Originally, we were hoping to a small tour of Vietnam plus a side trip to see Angkor and my husband wanted to stopover en-route to HK. But then I was reading many of your threads on Laos etc and thought I'd add that on!! We have never been to Asia before and I think I am getting a bit carried away.

Thanks for the hotel comments too. -- thanks you saved us from staying at the centara and the grand in LP. GP and Kathie--I think we will go for it and upgrade to the Pen in BKK.

OK. Thanks so much for all your help and advice.

Will let you know where we decide to go.

Travel in Asia is very different from travel in, say, Europe. It lends itself best to slow travel. Even 4 countries in 14 days is really too much (though better than 5 countries in 14 days). Don't forget you'll have some jetlag, and the heat will likely slow you down.

I'd suggest you reconsider your stop in Hong Kong. I love Hong Kong, it's a great place to visit... but it's another flight, and a longer flight. Save it for your next trip. If you confine yourselves to "just" Bangkok, Siem Reap and Luang Prabang you'll have lots of news experiences. Remember, you are visiting three different countries with three different cultures - there will be lots of absorb.

By the way, do you really have 14 days on the ground in Asia? (Don't forget the time you lose in your transcontinential flights).

I'm glad you are reconsidering your itinerary. I'm afraid your first try was one of those trips where you "see everything and experience nothing."

you will love the penn!!