Where to go in Southeast Asia?!
 

My family (6 people total) and I are planning a trip to Southeast Asia in December of 2016 and are struggling to pick which countries to travel to. We have a little over 2 weeks (December 17-January 1 including travel days) and don't want to feel rushed but would still like to experience much of the region. Currently we are considering starting off the trip with 4-5 days in Luang Prabang and then flying into Siem Reap for 4 days and then heading to Koh Rong or another island in the Gluf of Thailand. We also considered spending the entirety of our trip just in Thailand (hitting Bangkok, the north for 4-5 days and then heading south to some beaches) or Vietnam (starting in Hanoi, heading to Sapa, Hoi Ann, and then maybe south if time allows?)

We would love to see some authentic culture, colorful street and floating markets, palaces and temple ruins, rice terraces, elephants and other wildlife, mountains with excellent treks, waterfalls, karst scenery, streets at night lit with lanterns, and just experience real Southeast Asia. I know we have a long wish list but hopefully we can find a few places that can somewhat accommodate all these wants! I would love to avoid places that are overrun with tourism or massive amounts of tourists that is, however I do know that, traveling in peak season, we may experience some of that in some places. We would also like to dedicate at least 5 days to and island or beach.

Please...we need suggestions!! At this point we are open to any and all places! I am worried that in some places we won't be able to find accommodations for 6 without blowing our budget as well as paying for safe intercontinental flights with international flights tacked on to that. Any ideas or suggestied itineraries would be much appreciated!! Thank you!!

With your long wish list and not a lot of time, my initial response must be to consider limiting your moves, which eat up time, especially for a large group. I suggest you reduce the plan to the beach plus 1 additional destination from which you can take day trips for a variety of sightseeing.

SE Asia has plenty of opportunities for groups such as yours to rent houses/villas, rather than multiple hotel rooms, at very reasonable prices through sites like Airbnb. If you're having trouble making a decision, you might look on the site and see which locales are particularly rich in such choices. I think it'll help you to narrow down the possibilities.

Lastly, have you considered Bali? You could stay in villas in 2 locations, 1 at the beach and another inland, Ubud for instance. It's one of the few places that may provide a majority of items on your list, it's inexpensive, beautiful, varied and easy to move from one location to another. Many villas come with a housekeeper/cook, another great advantage. I suggest you seriously consider it as it would greatly simplify your trip so you could make the most of the short time you have.

"elephants and other wildlife" If you see elephants, they won't be wild. And none of the places you list are known for wildlife viewing.

"streets at night lit with lanterns" I don't know where you think you are going, but in dozens of trips to SE Asia over 30+ years, I've never seen this.

"avoid places that are overrun with tourism" You will encounter tourists everywhere - over run depends on your definition. And you are traveling at the absolutely busiest - and most expensive - time of the year.

You want to be located on the Andaman Sea, not on Koh Rong or any other island in the Gulf of Thailand if you are looking for good weather.

Remember that it takes 6 nights in a place to give you 5 full days.

Your idea of Luang Prabang, Siem Reap and a beach is a good one. It will take most of a day to get from place to place. And at this point, you may have trouble getting accommodations in Luang Prabang and at a beach location.

That said, MmePerdu's Idea of Bali is a good one. It may be hard to book villas this late, but it is certainly worth looking into.

Kathie...what I have read online suggests that December is not an ideal time to be traveling to Bali. Would you disagree with this? We would really love a rain free, warm, and sunny vacation wherever we end up. Also...what I had in mind were the lanterns I have seen pictured all over the internet and throughout many guide books of places like Hoi Ann and Chiang Mai during the November Yi Peng festival. I am well aware of the region I am headed to. My apologies, I guess I need to be much more specific. Thank you for your suggestions.

Rain showers in the tropics are lovely, don't last long and are more romantic and refreshing than inconvenient. Have no fear, Bali will be warm, rain or no rain.

If you are looking for rain-free, you may not want anywhere in the tropics. Yes, it is the rainy season in Bali, but I have been there a number of times at that time of the year and didn't find that the rain took away from the experience. The rains are usually brief, but intense.

You aren't going to SE Asia at the time of the lantern festival, so you wan't see that no matter where you go.

Hoi An is definitely lit up lanterns after dusk every night. With lots of music and dancing to accompany. Magical.

Re Bali in December: It's hard to predict how the rain season will impact your time at the beach. Last year, 2015, December was almost entirely dry and sunny. Hard to say if this year will be the same or wetter. Some days are 50/50 rain/sun, some are grey and overcast with intermittent showers all day. If you want sun, sand and sea the east coast of Thailand is your safest bet.

Once you get inland in Bali, the rain won't slow you down too much, though it's not the best time for serious mountain trekking. Rain just makes the rice paddies and forests greener and more lush.

There's a lot to see and do in Bali and you don't have to deal with airports to get a variety of experiences. You can cover just about everything on your wishlist (except elephants, though you can find the imported variety there too).

A villa at the beach and a villa in the Ubud area sounds like a good plan for six people -- both economical and luxurious. If you want to go farther afield you could add a stop in Central Java -- Yogyakarta and Borobudur.

You will definitely feel the crunch of the high tourist season in Bali as well as in other parts of Asia, but it's fairly easy to avoid the crowds.

If you really would "love to avoid places that are overrun with tourism" avoid Hoi An, Halong Bay, Luang Prabang and Siem Reap because there is no getting away from it in those places, especially at that time of year.

It is a peak season but that tends to affect the mid to high ranges properties more than lower end places. It would still be possible to find plenty of decent places to stay in most countries now in $25-100 range. But no harm in firming up some reservations and flights as soon as you have decided.


"You want to be located on the Andaman Sea, not on Koh Rong or any other island in the Gulf of Thailand if you are looking for good weather."

Actually Kathie, November an ideal time for the Cambodian coast and that part of the northern Gulf. Some nice islands, beaches and resorts in that part of the world. I certainly wouldn't discount it out of hand, especially if combining with elsewhere in Cambodia.

One Idea!
Super touristy Angkor Wat is a must see for many and you could get your temple and antiquities fill there in 3 days before heading to Phnom Penh for a couple of days to explore the city, palaces, markets and some of the modern (and tragic) historical site of Cambodias recent history. Then head off to the beach at Koh Rong or one of the other islands ( just avoid Sihanoukville!) . Maybe stop a couple of nights at the lovely riverside town of Kampot. Lots to see in that area.

Another

Vietnam is great but does lack the beach resorts of Thailand. You do not have time to do the north, central and south regions justice, so I would just stick to the north. Hanoi is the place to enjoy street life, food, markets and a wealth of historical sights , some ancient some modern.
For hiking, amazing countryside we took a 5 day trip from Mai Chau to the inland karst area of Ninh Binh, staying at homestays in the villages we passed through along the way. A terrific experience I highly recommend. You could combine that with a beach somewhere (I would suggest somewhere within striking distance of your flight home.

An another

Give the time you have and the ease of travelling in Thailand, I would consider a few nights in Bangkok, a couple in Chiang Mai followed by a drive around the Mai Hong Sorn loop ( takes around 3-4 days. Beautiful scenery, great hikes) . Fly south to one of the beach resorts from CM.

The important thing is to start narrowing down your choices asap and at least get the flights booked before prices start their inexorable rise the closer it gets to peak season.

We spent 2 nights in Luang Prabang (basically one day) and 3 nights in Siem Reap. We saw everything we intended to see and loved both cities. The Angkor complex is amazing and a must see. But with travel and all that it basically ate up a week. We spent 5 days in Bangkok; there is so much to see there. The we spent another 7 days between Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. Hopefully this will give you an idea of the time required. Bangkok lodging is expensive but in Laos and Cambodia we didn't pay over $30 a night, some less.

Correction: I meant to write the West Coast of Bali, not East Coast. I would also note that the beaches in Bali are quite different from Thailand and presumably Koh Rong in Cambodia. Bali's beaches can be quite beautiful, especially the bigwave surfing beaches, but they're not the white sand, calm turquoise water variety. You get closer to that ideal in Lombok and the Gili Islands.

"Actually Kathie, November an ideal time for the Cambodian coast and that part of the northern Gulf. "

Thanks for the correction, crellston, I was unaware that that portion of the Gulf was not subject to the same weather patterns as the area farther to the south and west.

I like crellston's idea of an all-Cambodia trip: Siem Reap, PP, and Cambodian beach.

Also, how much time you need somewhere depends on your interests. sdtravels was happy with 1 full day in Luang Prabang and two days in Siem Reap. I spent a week in each place and would have enjoyed even more time in Siem Reap. Do enough reading so you have an idea of how much time you want in a place. I always recommend Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor: A Guide to Cambodia's Wondrous temples.

Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions! will definitely have to consider Bali! To answer your question Kathie, we like to spend enough time in a destination to really get a feel for the place and take our time exploring. That being said, we wouldn't mind skipping out on a few attractions of a place to maybe see more of a different destination.

Thank you Crellston for your ideas! Super helpful and they will definitely be considered!