Four whole days in Siem Reap was about right for us. Two days for the major temples in Angkor, one day out of town, one day to re-visit "best of." For enormous, intricately designed and ornamented architectural complexes like Angkor Wat and the Bagon we just needed to come back for a second look. Same for a few of the ethereal smaller temples.

Again, it really depends on the depth of your interest.

I'm not really opposed to the "sampler" approach to travel. The first time I took my husband to Asia we visited five destinations in 10 days including travel. We were exhausted, but had an exhilarating time. In the intervening 30 years we've revisited most of the places, but some are still on the to-do list.

"Alan, so how many total nights did you spend in Seam Reap?"

I had to go back and have a look at the old itinerary. I'm not sure how well this will copy from Excel, I'll re-post if it doesn't work:

5-Mar-08 Wednesday From To Dep Arr
6-Mar-08 Thursday OOL SYD 1115 1340
Same Day SYD BKK 1805 2310
7-Mar-08 Friday
8-Mar-08 Saturday BKK REP 1135 1235
9-Mar-08 Sunday
10-Mar-08Monday
11-Mar-08Tuesday REP BKK 950 1045
12-Mar-08 Wednesday BKK HKG 1130 1520
13-Mar-08 Thursday
14-Mar-08 Friday HKG 2225
15-Mar-08 Saturday DEL 215

I was two nights in Bangkok, three nights in Siem Reap and then one more night in Bangkok before flying out to Hong Kong.

I included the times because those were important to my choices. I arrived in Bangkok late at night and I also departed Hong Kong late at night.

The short stays in Bangkok and Hong Kong were because those were really only positioning points on a longer trip; my focus for that trip was ancient temples and pyramids. You reckon you'll get templed out? The trip included Angkor Wat, India's Golden Triangle, Petra, Egypt, Yucataon's mayan sites and Teotihuacan :)

Cheers, Alan, Australia

Thanks Alan. I don't want to seem sophomoric, but on our trip to Greece, after 5 days of broken columns one ruin looked about the same as the others!

We've got to make the "destination" as HKG for FF reasons.

jannan, my feeling about the ruins in Greece is that they were truly "ruined." The most of temples at Angkor are still temples. Indeed, I'd say that the most ruined temples we visited were still more intact than the best preserved ruins we saw in Greece. Still, it's a matter of individual interests. Do take a look at our photos and get the Dawn Rooney book. Those pictures are worth thousands of our words here.

I think you also have to consider that along with Angkor you get Cambodia. This should be obvious, but may be overlooked with the emphasis on temples and architecture.

By "Cambodia" I mean culture, politics, food, shopping, religion, environment all of which exist in the here and now. That Cambodia is in itself a fascinating and complex destination makes a slower longer visit invaluable, especially for the first time visitor to Asia.

You just don't want to "do" Angkor and miss Cambodia.

I spent 1 week in Bangkok and thought that was too long (part of our 5 wk vacation). I would spend 3-4 days and visit the Grand Palace (at least 1/2 day), Teak Palace (Vimanmek), Jim Thompson house, Reclining Buddha, Temple of the Dawn, get a daily massage, use the water taxis. You can get a man's suit made in that time period (women's clothing wasn't fitted as well). If you do this, know what style and fabric you would like (or bring a picture) before you go. I loved Chiang Mai -lots of handicrafts and a night market; Phuket - best beaches; and Phi Phi Islands (but I have heard that the Phi Phi's are too touristy now). It was easy to travel within the country. The best thing in Thailand is the wonderful, friendly people. Learn to bargain and bring a credit card-sized calculator.
If you go to Hong Kong, I recommend staying 4 days. Don't miss Victoria's Peak - great restaurants up there to watch the lights come on in the city. Also visit the Jade Market for inexpensive gifts and walk down Reclamation St (outdoor market) in Kowloon. We stayed in the Kowloon Hotel behind the Peninsula and loved it's compact modernity and the view of Kowloon Park.
Anywhere in Asia is very busy during Chinese New Year - I would avoid going that week. February is great time to go. I've been in Jan, Feb and June. June was unbearably humid.
Going to Siem Reap seems like too much to do in such a short time.
Have a wonderful trip, I'm jealous.

We've got the flights now on hold: Jan 17-28. That bookends our trip. 2 nights in BKK, 3 nights in SR, the 1 night in BKK, 2 nights in HKG, 1 night in NRT to position ourselves to go home. It's a lot, I know, but if we can sample we can decide where to return!

I've read the forums here and there seems to be a few guides consistently recommended for BKK. Given our short visit, this seems like a good idea.

Jannan- I think your itinerary is fine. It will leave you wanting more, but you will have time to enjoy each location if you plan out your days carefully.

I would pre-arrange a driver & guide for your first day in Siem Reap. They can take you to your hotel to drop the bags, then take you directly to the temples.

You don't mention what kind of hotels you like, but this is a great guesthouse:
www.sevencandlesguesthouse.com

There are several guides in the family that owns the guesthouse, including Ponheary Ly, who is profiled here at www.theplf.org

I've also stayed in the Hotel de le Paix, but found that Seven Candles was just as clean and comfortable. No pool, but for $3 you can use the Bopha Angkor's pool a block away.

I see you know have one night in NRT. I'd spend the evening in Narita town. You'll get a nice flavor of Japan without the time and expense of going into Tokyo.

I think you have a good plan! No doubt you'll be back to taste more of Bangkok and Hong Kong and Japan.

lcuy: Thank you for the tips. I've been able to use FF and hotel points to travel and stay for essentially free--except for Cambodia.

My next task was to find some place to stay there. Somewhere within walking distance to the town. And find a guide! I'll buy the book but a knowledgeable instructor/driver is essential for us. Thanks for you tips.