Which place for a 4 day stop-over from Thailand?
Dec 8th, 2007, 09:19 AM
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Which place for a 4 day stop-over from Thailand?
My husband and I (30-ish, active i.e. snorkel etc.; love the relax on beautiful beaches; get spa treatments; enjoy culture/people; don't mind paying for luxury resorts/hotels)
We will be traveling from Thailand back to the US and have a chance to do a stop over anywhere in Asia/Pacific for four days. Where would you go?
Options we have thought of are:
Bali
Vietnam
China
Malaysia
Indonesia
Maldives
Other Suggestions...?
Thanks!!
We will be traveling from Thailand back to the US and have a chance to do a stop over anywhere in Asia/Pacific for four days. Where would you go?
Options we have thought of are:
Bali
Vietnam
China
Malaysia
Indonesia
Maldives
Other Suggestions...?
Thanks!!
Dec 8th, 2007, 02:22 PM
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All of the places on your list would be good choices, but it would help to know (i) the time of year of your trip, and (ii) where in the US you need to fly back to. I had thought from your other posts that your trip was in Nov/Dec, but as you are posting this on Dec 8 about a future trip, I am not so sure.
For example the Maldives, which are stunning, may not make a good choice for only 4 days. Once you land at the airport in Male, you will need to either take another plane flight or a boat to your hotel, and sometimes a combination of the two. If you arrive too late to make the connecting flight to your island, then you have to overnight in Male. This will eat into your 4 days. On the departure, as flights leaving Male tend to do so in the very late evening hours, you may need to overnight at Male airport as well. Not sure this is worth it for 4 days. IMO the resorts very close into Male, like 20 minutes or less by boat, do not have the best beaches or snorkeling and you can usually see the lights of Male from them which affects the feeling that you are in an isolated spot. (The Soneva Gili is an exception to this, and if you don’t mind spending money on hotels, this is a good place not to mind doing so, but IMO I still think for 4 days only and that long a flight it may not be worth it. )
Weather is another issue as there are two monsoon patterns moving in SE Asia in the winter and in the summer. That makes the gorgeous east coast of Malaysia unattractive for travel from about late Oct to late Jan, and Vietnam beach areas are quite rainy in the fall months. Take a look at weatherbase.com for rainfall info.
It is hard to “do” China in 4 days, but if you picked a city like Beijing which has good air service that may work and there is a lot to do and see there in 4 days. No beaches, but certainly an interesting place. Again, weather is an issue as if you go in January Beijing is freezing, perfectly fine if you are dressed for it, but coming from Thailand you may not want to lug winter clothes. As you may know, the Olympics are being held there in August, so obviously unless you want to attend the games, going in August is not a great idea.
Coming from Thailand, you may want to consider someplace like Luang Prabang which would make a very nice 4 day trip, and you could fly in and out of Bangkok to the US which may work well. A very interesting place, again no beach, but the river trips may make up for that.
I love Bali, but again for 4 days only it might feel rushed with trying to coordinate a trip back to the US. I have done a 4 day trip with friends who came from the US (and we in fact flew from Bangkok to Bali), and I think it worked and they enjoyed it; but I know Bali very well and so planned everything in advance and knew where to go and what to do (and not do) and so we did not have a lot of wasted time, but even then I felt it was a bit rushed.
You might consider Hong Kong, there is a lot to do here and some really lovely beaches if you get out to the New Territories and while IMO I would not bother with the snorkeling and scuba (although people do do it, and there is marine park), you can kayak and hike and hire boats or take ferries, and there are other options beyond the conventional, and then there are the great hotels and great restaurants and interesting culture as well. Jan and Feb would be a bit cool for laying on a beach, but good for walks. Hong Kong is also a hub for flights, so would make an easy flight back to the US in most cases.
For example the Maldives, which are stunning, may not make a good choice for only 4 days. Once you land at the airport in Male, you will need to either take another plane flight or a boat to your hotel, and sometimes a combination of the two. If you arrive too late to make the connecting flight to your island, then you have to overnight in Male. This will eat into your 4 days. On the departure, as flights leaving Male tend to do so in the very late evening hours, you may need to overnight at Male airport as well. Not sure this is worth it for 4 days. IMO the resorts very close into Male, like 20 minutes or less by boat, do not have the best beaches or snorkeling and you can usually see the lights of Male from them which affects the feeling that you are in an isolated spot. (The Soneva Gili is an exception to this, and if you don’t mind spending money on hotels, this is a good place not to mind doing so, but IMO I still think for 4 days only and that long a flight it may not be worth it. )
Weather is another issue as there are two monsoon patterns moving in SE Asia in the winter and in the summer. That makes the gorgeous east coast of Malaysia unattractive for travel from about late Oct to late Jan, and Vietnam beach areas are quite rainy in the fall months. Take a look at weatherbase.com for rainfall info.
It is hard to “do” China in 4 days, but if you picked a city like Beijing which has good air service that may work and there is a lot to do and see there in 4 days. No beaches, but certainly an interesting place. Again, weather is an issue as if you go in January Beijing is freezing, perfectly fine if you are dressed for it, but coming from Thailand you may not want to lug winter clothes. As you may know, the Olympics are being held there in August, so obviously unless you want to attend the games, going in August is not a great idea.
Coming from Thailand, you may want to consider someplace like Luang Prabang which would make a very nice 4 day trip, and you could fly in and out of Bangkok to the US which may work well. A very interesting place, again no beach, but the river trips may make up for that.
I love Bali, but again for 4 days only it might feel rushed with trying to coordinate a trip back to the US. I have done a 4 day trip with friends who came from the US (and we in fact flew from Bangkok to Bali), and I think it worked and they enjoyed it; but I know Bali very well and so planned everything in advance and knew where to go and what to do (and not do) and so we did not have a lot of wasted time, but even then I felt it was a bit rushed.
You might consider Hong Kong, there is a lot to do here and some really lovely beaches if you get out to the New Territories and while IMO I would not bother with the snorkeling and scuba (although people do do it, and there is marine park), you can kayak and hike and hire boats or take ferries, and there are other options beyond the conventional, and then there are the great hotels and great restaurants and interesting culture as well. Jan and Feb would be a bit cool for laying on a beach, but good for walks. Hong Kong is also a hub for flights, so would make an easy flight back to the US in most cases.
Dec 9th, 2007, 01:26 PM
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Thanks for the reply's so far. Sorry...forgot to mention the time of year for the trip. We will be there end of March beginning of April. We will be flying from our stop over place to Singapore and then from Singapore back to SFO.
Dec 9th, 2007, 01:45 PM
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Hi,
I would have a look at the shangri la resort tanjung aru on kota kinabalu,borneo,its a great place,where you will find everything you are looking for,you could even have a whole little island to yourselves for the day.Temps are perfect[very hot and sunny] mar/apr time.I have stayed there twice at that time of year,it is one of my fav hol destinations,so much to see and do,you really could do with alot more time than four days.
Flights are really easy,we fly with airasia,and when you land at kk airport the resort is very close.
Have fun
Suzi
I would have a look at the shangri la resort tanjung aru on kota kinabalu,borneo,its a great place,where you will find everything you are looking for,you could even have a whole little island to yourselves for the day.Temps are perfect[very hot and sunny] mar/apr time.I have stayed there twice at that time of year,it is one of my fav hol destinations,so much to see and do,you really could do with alot more time than four days.
Flights are really easy,we fly with airasia,and when you land at kk airport the resort is very close.
Have fun
Suzi
Dec 9th, 2007, 03:46 PM
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From Singapore you can easily do four days in Bali. Since Bali's beaches may not be up to standard in comparison with Thailand, I'd concentrate on the inland area around Ubud -- profound natural beauty, fascinating culture, worldclass resorts with unbelievably good spas. Not enough time for an indepth visit, but you'd get a nice introduction for next time.
A little more strenuous but also fascinating would be Central Java with a visit to Borobudur monument. You can fly from Singapore non-stop to Yogyakarta or Solo (Surakarta) but the flights don't operate every day. Again, fascinating culture in a beautiful setting and the Amanjiwo is one of the world's great destination resorts. Spiritual, mystical, serene.
A little more strenuous but also fascinating would be Central Java with a visit to Borobudur monument. You can fly from Singapore non-stop to Yogyakarta or Solo (Surakarta) but the flights don't operate every day. Again, fascinating culture in a beautiful setting and the Amanjiwo is one of the world's great destination resorts. Spiritual, mystical, serene.
Dec 9th, 2007, 09:50 PM
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Helps to know your dates. I would not come to Hong Kong in March and April, two of our least good months weather-wise, damp, cool and often foggy.
I like the both the Kota Kinabalu (i.e. "Borneo" or correct name: Kalimantan) in Malaysia. The Java suggestion is good as well. I think Borbadour, Prambanan plus the city of Yogya area so interesting and that part of Java just so green and beautiful and very underrated and undertravled. The suggestion to just go to the Ubud area of Bali is good too; although I still think with the longish flight from Bangkok, or more especially Phuket, this may be hard to do with 4 days (you will most likely have to transit through Bangkok or Singapore), but look into flight times; this may be the case with any of the above suggestions.
You could also rent a car in Singapore and drive up the west coast of Malaysia to a place like Malacca which is quite an interesting little town, or drive a bit up the east coast and see some of the islands there, weather is good at that time of year, IMO the little island of Rawa off of Mersing has one of the most beautiful beaches anywhere (including the Maldives), the hotel is quite basic, but the beach and lovely surrounding waters make up for it, take a look at rawasfr.com. Easy to reach from Singapore, you can even just hire a taxi to take you up. You could also go to island in the Gulf of Thailand like Koh Samui, Koh Chang or Koh Samet, don't know if you feel you will have had enough of beaches. I think that the Redang area off of Kuala Terengganu is really really beautiful for snorkeling, probably the best anywhere other than the Maldives, there is a Berjaya resort that is just going to reopen in Feb, I think the redo will be nice. You can fly there from Kuala Lumpur or Singapore on their little airline, take a look at http://www.berjayahotels-resorts.com/redangresort.htm. (Note that if you fly from Singapore, the flight is out of Selator airport which is the old military airport in the north of the island, this would be about 15 minutes by taxi from Changi; if you fly from KL flights are out of the old airport, which I think is about a 40 minute drive from the new international airport.) I am supposed to go this resort myself for Chinese New Year in Feb, so I don't know anything currently about the hotel; in general I am not crazy about Berjaya hotels as I think the quality is average, but as it will be brand new I have my hopes. I have done boat charters to the island and the area and can say that the beaches on the island are really beautiful and the off shore snorkeling and diving are superb. If you wanted a very nice hotel on the mainland in Kuala Terrenganu take a look at the Tangjong Jara Resort at http://www.tanjongjararesort.com. While the hotel is lovely, the beaches and water are not nearly as nice as you get offshore, but you can hire boats to go out for the day. This would be a bit far to do as a driving trip from Singapore, I would fly into Kuala Terrenganu, you could hire a car and drive around the little villages for a day if you wanted.
I like the both the Kota Kinabalu (i.e. "Borneo" or correct name: Kalimantan) in Malaysia. The Java suggestion is good as well. I think Borbadour, Prambanan plus the city of Yogya area so interesting and that part of Java just so green and beautiful and very underrated and undertravled. The suggestion to just go to the Ubud area of Bali is good too; although I still think with the longish flight from Bangkok, or more especially Phuket, this may be hard to do with 4 days (you will most likely have to transit through Bangkok or Singapore), but look into flight times; this may be the case with any of the above suggestions.
You could also rent a car in Singapore and drive up the west coast of Malaysia to a place like Malacca which is quite an interesting little town, or drive a bit up the east coast and see some of the islands there, weather is good at that time of year, IMO the little island of Rawa off of Mersing has one of the most beautiful beaches anywhere (including the Maldives), the hotel is quite basic, but the beach and lovely surrounding waters make up for it, take a look at rawasfr.com. Easy to reach from Singapore, you can even just hire a taxi to take you up. You could also go to island in the Gulf of Thailand like Koh Samui, Koh Chang or Koh Samet, don't know if you feel you will have had enough of beaches. I think that the Redang area off of Kuala Terengganu is really really beautiful for snorkeling, probably the best anywhere other than the Maldives, there is a Berjaya resort that is just going to reopen in Feb, I think the redo will be nice. You can fly there from Kuala Lumpur or Singapore on their little airline, take a look at http://www.berjayahotels-resorts.com/redangresort.htm. (Note that if you fly from Singapore, the flight is out of Selator airport which is the old military airport in the north of the island, this would be about 15 minutes by taxi from Changi; if you fly from KL flights are out of the old airport, which I think is about a 40 minute drive from the new international airport.) I am supposed to go this resort myself for Chinese New Year in Feb, so I don't know anything currently about the hotel; in general I am not crazy about Berjaya hotels as I think the quality is average, but as it will be brand new I have my hopes. I have done boat charters to the island and the area and can say that the beaches on the island are really beautiful and the off shore snorkeling and diving are superb. If you wanted a very nice hotel on the mainland in Kuala Terrenganu take a look at the Tangjong Jara Resort at http://www.tanjongjararesort.com. While the hotel is lovely, the beaches and water are not nearly as nice as you get offshore, but you can hire boats to go out for the day. This would be a bit far to do as a driving trip from Singapore, I would fly into Kuala Terrenganu, you could hire a car and drive around the little villages for a day if you wanted.
