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To Malaysia... and beyond!
Comments
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Sale fares with Malaysia Airlines at present, could be worth checking out.
Trailfinders advertising free onward flights here:
http://www.trailfinders.com/latestoffers.nsf/offers/FDABAD1183E1A39C8025780E00527F430 -
Thanks for all the input, it's been really helpful with planning out my trip.PompeyPete wrote: »A week in Myanmar would be a minimum, and you could definately get an impression of part of the country. You could have 3 days in Yangon, and then you'd have to decide whether to fly up to places like Bagan or Inle Lake, or stay in the south and hire a driver/guide for a few days.
We visited Myanmar for 3 weeks last February, and hired a taxi/driver/guide for 2 weeks. The taxi cost US$ 800 inclusive of petrol, tolls, and the drivers accommodation/food. It was an adventure as a lot of the roads are primitive, and the taxi was a 20 year old beat-up toyota saloon. Right hand drive (they drive on the right - or are supposed to!), no seat belts or A/C! All standard sort of stuff for Myanmar, but great fun, beautiful country and fantastic people.
If I were you I'd go onto the Myanmar Trip Advisor forum, and get an idea of what other people do. The local forum experts are very knowledgeable.
Don't discount Cambodia either for a few days.
Wow that sounds great! But, yeah, I think you're right about allowing enough time to experience an area properly, so I reckon I'll leave Myanmar to another trip when I can explore the country properly.You could fly to Borneo instead of going to Taman Negara and the Cameron highlands. Have a good look at Air Asia. You can fly for instance KL to Kuching and back to Penang or Singapore to Kuching and back to KL. Kuching is great, you can visit Bako national park and the Orangutan sanctuary.
I've done quite a bit of reading and Sarawak and Sabah look great. I think I could very easily spend two weeks there, so, again, I'm going to have to save this for another time!Try to get to Perhentian Islands if you can, Awesome place.Back this up 1000000%. Best beaches we have ever been on.. ever!The islands off the East coast are fantastic, just look at some pictures on the net and April would be a good month to visit. The beaches in Penang are not up to much.Doshwaster wrote: »The beaches of Penang aren't great but you can take the ferry to Langkawi which is your perfect tropical island where nothing ever happens. One of the best places in the world for doing absolutely nothing.
Thanks for the advice guys. I did check out the Langkawi, The Perhentian Islands and Tioman Island as possibilities and they look pretty spectacular. However, the more I think about it, the more I think that I'd prefer to spend my time on the mainland, or allowing time for flying elsewhere. Hmmm... perhaps I'll regret it.Kl is not that different to Singapore, I prefer Singapore so I wouldn't spend to long there. Melaka is great, last year we went direct from KL airport by taxi to Melaka.Doshwaster wrote: »KL is interesting enough but 2-3 days is usually enough for most people.
I'm planning to allow about 3 days for Kuala Lumpur. I'm sure I'll easily be able to fill my time, but I'll leave a day trip to Melaka as an option if I get fed up of the city!Doshwaster wrote: »My favourite place in Malaysia is Georgetown, Penang. It's a fantastic melting pot of Malay, Thai, Indian, Chinese and Colonial influences and has some of the best food anywhere in the world.
I was planning to allow about 2 full days for Penang... maybe more if I decide I can skip Cameron Highlands or Teman Negara. As I won't be there very long, I was going to spend pretty much all my time in Georgetown. Is it worth trying to extend my stay? Should I allow more time for Georgetown and the rest of Penang?Doshwaster wrote: »In Thailand, Phuket is expensive and over developed but is a great base for exploring the area including islands such as Phi-Phi.
Everyone has a love-hate relationship with Bangkok. For 2 days it's one of the most exciting cities on the planet but after that most people want to get the hell out of the place in search of some peace and quiet. My most recent discovery has been Northern Thailand where the scenery is fantastic and the cost of living much lower.
At the moment, I'm thinking that, after Penang, I'll spend my last week in Bangkok, including an overnight visit to Ayutthaya (travel by boat). I would love to visit the north, but I think this warrants a more extensive visit... Add it to the list!Doshwaster wrote: »What you are looking for is an "open jaw" ticket. They are usually no more expensive - and sometimes even cheaper - than a single return. That you need is an airline which serves both SIN and BKK. BA is one choice but I would suggest looking at Emirates via Dubai.As has been mentioned, check Singapore Airlines, they will do free stopovers in Singapore, plus they are the best airline I have flown with.
It might be an idea to have a chat with a broker, I have used Dial-a-Flight several times before and they have always been super helpful.Sale fares with Malaysia Airlines at present, could be worth checking out.
Trailfinders advertising free onward flights here:
http://www.trailfinders.com/latestoffers.nsf/offers/FDABAD1183E1A39C8025780E00527F43
Thanks for the tips. If possible, I'd really rather avoid indirect flights, so I think that puts Emirates and Malaysia Airlines out of it. I just need to check whether Singapore Airlines and British Airways can do direct flights London > Singapore and Bangkok > London.I would like to get my main flights booked as soon as possible as I understand they tend to be rather expensive unless booked will in advance. However, as you can tell, I'm still not decided on where I will be ending my holiday. I was thinking I could just book a return flight to Singapore (as I know I will be starting here), then organising internal flights later on when I know exactly what I will be doing (e.g. Penang > Bangkok > Singapore). Does this sound sensible? Would I notice much difference booking, say, a month from now? Also, am I correct in assuming internal flights are still reasonably cheap when booked at short notice?
I'm now fairly sure that I want to spend two weeks in Singapore/Malaysia, then my last week in Bangkok. As I said, I would like to spend some time thinking about it some more, but I'm a little worried I'll leaving booking too late (mainly flights) and either having to pay ridiculous prices or not have anything available. Bearing in mind I'll be travelling over the Easter holiday (15 April - 6 May), when do I need to fix my main flights? Can take my time to plan out the trip, or should I be rushing to book ASAP? Is risky leaving bookings to last minute? But, yeah, if I decide I do need to book a Singapore return flight soon, it looks as though I can book internal flights pretty late on... Right?!There are so many possible itineries I'm sure you will have a great time whatever you decide.
Yup... so much to see... just need the time! Really looking forward to it!0 -
Just thought I would jump in here, 3 weeks is decent time in asia, but you probably wish you had 6 weeks when you're there! As said a lot to ponder as you want to visit 3 countries and many places within those countries. Like me, you dont like cities then staying in KL for 2 days, 1 night is enough.
Make a list of the places you want to visit and perhaps be flexible when you are actually there ie stay a one place longer/shorter if u enjoy it or want to move on or squeeze in another place for a day trip etc. I have not been to malaysia or singapore myself but am going there next month and already have flight tickets for these places booked via air asia. I got it from the sale last summer as I know I will definitely visit malaysia this year. I haven't booked my flight from here (england) yet, 1 stop over, cost between £480-540 on the dates i'm travelling to KL. You date is still 3 months away, so maybe not too rush into booking tickets now, do more reading and research and have some form of itinery of places and dates before booking.
I have a guide in malaysia so getting around isn't so much of a problem. These places are where I'm going to go, although I do have a much longer time there than you.
Singapore at chinese new year in early feb!
Langkawi - Beautiful beaches
Penang - Famous for food
Tawau - Sabah (Borneo) beautiful beaches/coast
Teman Negara - National Park
There will be other places that I can squeeze in as a day trip too. I will be staying in Tunes hotel, operated by Air Asia, they are good value. Yes exchange rates has been poor for the £, but you will still get great value for british pound spending wise in asia. Although you may find you probably would spend a lot on many things as they are cheap, they will add up. I know you have the 3 countries in mind
already, but if you can ever visit Vietnam them jump at it! I was there 3 years ago and had an unforgettable experience, beautiful places, beaches, people :T Finally, have a great trip when the time comes!0 -
I was planning to allow about 2 full days for Penang... maybe more if I decide I can skip Cameron Highlands or Teman Negara. As I won't be there very long, I was going to spend pretty much all my time in Georgetown. Is it worth trying to extend my stay? Should I allow more time for Georgetown and the rest of Penang?
There is the "resort" of Batu Ferringhi which is basically a long strip of large hotels, restaurants and bars. I spent 4 nights there and it was probably 2 nights too many. The beach is fairly poor (it gets a lot of Georgetown's pollution) and I have no real desire to go back.Thanks for the tips. If possible, I'd really rather avoid indirect flights, so I think that puts Emirates and Malaysia Airlines out of it. I just need to check whether Singapore Airlines and British Airways can do direct flights London > Singapore and Bangkok > London.
For LHR-SIN, BKK-LHR non-stop you would be looking at BA/Qantas. Open Jaws only work with airlines of the same alliance. Try a "multiple destination" search on a booking engine such as Expedia or Ebookers- you are probably looking at something like £800. The advantages of indirect flights via the Middle East (Emirates, Ethiad etc) is that the tickets are cheaper and it gives you chance to stretch your legs half way. Saving £200-300 on the flight means a lot of extra spending money!0 -
I'll spend my last week in Bangkok, including an overnight visit to Ayutthaya (travel by boat).
A week in Bangkok! Gridlock city, and you'll probably choke on the pollution. Make sure you stay either near the river, or near a skytrain (BTS) station. Don't use taxis unless you have to, and stay clear of scamming tuk-tuks!
If I were you I'd have a couple of nights in Bangkok to start and finish up with. In between I'd get the train from Thonburi train station to Kanchanaburi (Bridge of the River Kwai, and Death Railway) fame). The train only takes about 3 hours, it's 3rd Class only, wooden seats, dirt cheap, and one of the worlds great little rail journeys). Stay in a cheap guesthouse on the Kanchanaburi strip (Noble Night g/h is excellent). While in Kanchanabuuri you can easily spend 3 days exploring the area by local bus (Hellfire Pass, Erawan Falls, the superb Commonwealth War Graves and museums). You could also have a trip on the Death Railway to Namtok and back. At the end get the train back to Bangkok. It really is a great side-trip, easy to do and inexpensive.0 -
These places are where I'm going to go, although I do have a much longer time there than you.
Singapore at chinese new year in early feb!
Langkawi - Beautiful beaches
Penang - Famous for food
Tawau - Sabah (Borneo) beautiful beaches/coast
Teman Negara - National Park
There will be other places that I can squeeze in as a day trip too.
Thanks for your comments. Please let me know if you have any further thoughts. I would love to hear how you get on out there.Make a list of the places you want to visit and perhaps be flexible when you are actually there ie stay a one place longer/shorter if u enjoy it or want to move on or squeeze in another place for a day trip etc.
Yup, I think that's the sensible thing to do. After Singapore, I reckon I'll have about 10-11 days in Malaysia. Here are key places that I have identified...
Kuala Lumpur (possible day trip to Meleka)
Cameron Highlands or Teman Negara (both if possible!)
Georgetown Penang (possible day trip to Batu Ferringhi beach area)
In order to decide how long I can spend in each place I just need to sort out how to get from one place to another. For example... Can I catch an overnight train in to Teman Negara from Kuala Lumpur? After a couple of days touring, will it be possible to travel west into the Cameron Highlands by bus or taxi, or will I have to to return to Kuala Lumpor region first? How long should I allow for each of these places? From Cameron Highlands how long should I allow to get to Georgetown Penang? Is it worth stopping over anywhere en route? These are some of the things I need to think about.Doshwaster wrote: »There is the "resort" of Batu Ferringhi which is basically a long strip of large hotels, restaurants and bars. I spent 4 nights there and it was probably 2 nights too many. The beach is fairly poor (it gets a lot of Georgetown's pollution) and I have no real desire to go back.
Thanks for the information. It sounds as though, for me anyway, the beach area is probably not more than a day visit from Georgetown. Maybe I could fit this in as part of a tour around the island coastline. Does anyone happen to know if it would be possible to hire a bicycle/scooter/motorbike for a day if I wanted to do this? As well as a couple of evenings, this would probably give me just one full day for exploring Georgetown... should I allow more time?You date is still 3 months away, so maybe not too rush into booking tickets now, do more reading and research and have some form of itinery of places and dates before booking.
OK, I guess I'll make sure I have at least a rough plan before I start booking.Doshwaster wrote: »For LHR-SIN, BKK-LHR non-stop you would be looking at BA/Qantas. Open Jaws only work with airlines of the same alliance. Try a "multiple destination" search on a booking engine such as Expedia or Ebookers- you are probably looking at something like £800. The advantages of indirect flights via the Middle East (Emirates, Ethiad etc) is that the tickets are cheaper and it gives you chance to stretch your legs half way. Saving £200-300 on the flight means a lot of extra spending money!
Hmmm... that certainly is something to think about! The thing is, with such a long flight time (12 hours?), and limited actual "holiday" time, I really can't stand the idea of hanging around some random airport for another 10 hours! It sounds as though you're pretty familiar with this route... Would you mind detailing your usual departure/arrival times? Is a short stopover flight ever an option?PompeyPete wrote: »A week in Bangkok! Gridlock city, and you'll probably choke on the pollution. Make sure you stay either near the river, or near a skytrain (BTS) station. Don't use taxis unless you have to, and stay clear of scamming tuk-tuks!
If I were you I'd have a couple of nights in Bangkok to start and finish up with. In between I'd get the train from Thonburi train station to Kanchanaburi (Bridge of the River Kwai, and Death Railway) fame). The train only takes about 3 hours, it's 3rd Class only, wooden seats, dirt cheap, and one of the worlds great little rail journeys). Stay in a cheap guesthouse on the Kanchanaburi strip (Noble Night g/h is excellent). While in Kanchanabuuri you can easily spend 3 days exploring the area by local bus (Hellfire Pass, Erawan Falls, the superb Commonwealth War Graves and museums). You could also have a trip on the Death Railway to Namtok and back. At the end get the train back to Bangkok. It really is a great side-trip, easy to do and inexpensive.
Some great advice here... Thanks! OK, so when I said a week in Bangkok, I did include possible trips outside of the city. From what you said, rail journey to the Kanchanaburi area is certainly worth considering. As I said, I was hoping to have an overnight visit to Ayutthaya. I really like the sound of hiring a bicycle to cycle around the area, and an evening boat tour. Perhaps a day trip by train would be a better idea to allow time for a day trip elsewhere. Any thoughts?!I know you have the 3 countries in mind
already, but if you can ever visit Vietnam them jump at it! I was there 3 years ago and had an unforgettable experience, beautiful places, beaches, people Finally, have a great trip when the time comes!
Yup, Vietnam looks amazing. Again, not somewhere I want to tag on the end of this visit. I certainly intent to explore the country more thoroughly at some point in the future.
Keep posting if you have any more advice. I really is useful in helping me to sort out some of the things I need think through.0 -
Hmmm... that certainly is something to think about! The thing is, with such a long flight time (12 hours?), and limited actual "holiday" time, I really can't stand the idea of hanging around some random airport for another 10 hours! It sounds as though you're pretty familiar with this route... Would you mind detailing your usual departure/arrival times? Is a short stopover flight ever an option?
I have done BKK and KUL via Dubai on Emirates. The schedules are really good and there is typically only a 2-3 hour stopover. By time you have gone through security, freshened up, had a wander around and grabbed something to eat/drink then it's over in no time. Personally I'd rather do that than be stuck in a pressurised metal tube for 12 hours without a break. Only you can decide if the extra time is worth the saving in cost.
Typically, I would take the evening flight out of Heathrow, sleep as much as possible which lands at dawn Dubai time then get a flight a few hours later to BKK/KUL which typically lands early evening local time. Have something to eat then collapse. Coming back take a very late flight out which gets back to Heathrow early afternoon.
Emirates are a great airline which fly from regional airports in the UK and Dubai is an excellent airport. Plus, if you are flying from LHR and work the schedules properly, you can get on one of their Airbus A380 services which are fantastic.0 -
Doshwaster wrote: »I have done BKK and KUL via Dubai on Emirates. The schedules are really good and there is typically only a 2-3 hour stopover. By time you have gone through security, freshened up, had a wander around and grabbed something to eat/drink then it's over in no time. Personally I'd rather do that than be stuck in a pressurised metal tube for 12 hours without a break. Only you can decide if the extra time is worth the saving in cost.
Typically, I would take the evening flight out of Heathrow, sleep as much as possible which lands at dawn Dubai time then get a flight a few hours later to BKK/KUL which typically lands early evening local time. Have something to eat then collapse. Coming back take a very late flight out which gets back to Heathrow early afternoon.
Emirates are a great airline which fly from regional airports in the UK and Dubai is an excellent airport. Plus, if you are flying from LHR and work the schedules properly, you can get on one of their Airbus A380 services which are fantastic.
This was really useful information, so thanks a lot for taking the time to reply. I'll spend a while tonight looking at the various options for direct/indirect flights. The more I think about it, a halfway break for a couple of hours might actually be quite welcome!0 -
The more I think about it, a halfway break for a couple of hours might actually be quite welcome!
Sometimes it doesn't feel like a break.
Dubai can feel like a mega-airport full of zombies. Have your break at Abu Dhabi, and you'll wish you were at Dubai!
If your first flight arrives late, then you might not have much time to get your senses together.
Then again, if you've had a few hours kip on your first flight, and it arrives on time, then it's quite a pleasant experience.
There's pros and cons on all long haul flights, and one great experience doesn't mean it'll be repeated the next time you go, and visa-versa.
My best flight from LHR to BKK was direct on EVA airways, but only because I slept quite well.0 -
PompeyPete wrote: »My best flight from LHR to BKK was direct on EVA airways, but only because I slept quite well.
I have never used Eva but I have friends who go to BKK regularly and they swear by them. They are non-stop but can have prices comparable to Emirates/Ethiad/Gulf etc.
They tend not to appear on price comparison sites so you have to go to them direct. Unfortunately they don't fly from the UK to SIN or KUL.0
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