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Help Fang Plan Our SE Asia Holiday

Hi Guys me and crosseyed Mandi fancy going to SE Asia next year.

Basically we want to do something like this:-

Fly to :-
Bangkok
Beach resort
Phenom Penn
Saigon
Beach resort
Fly Home

We are going for about 3 weeks so can anyone recommend any:-

Great places to visit including beach resorts
Good cheap hotels
How long we should stay in each location
Rough costs of accomodation
Best value and cheapest direct flight costs + internal flights Should we fly internally or take trains
Visas we may require
Any injections / malaria tabs we may need etc
Scams we should watch out for

Cheers

FANG
«13

Comments

  • Mr_Wang
    Mr_Wang Posts: 1,302 Forumite
    FANG wrote: »
    Hi Guys me and crosseyed Mandi fancy going to SE Asia next year.

    Basically we want to do something like this:-

    Fly to :-
    Bangkok
    Beach resort
    Phenom Penn
    Saigon
    Beach resort
    Fly Home

    We are going for about 3 weeks so can anyone recommend any:-

    Great places to visit including beach resorts
    Good cheap hotels
    How long we should stay in each location
    Rough costs of accomodation
    Best value and cheapest direct flight costs + internal flights Should we fly internally or take trains
    Visas we may require
    Any injections / malaria tabs we may need etc
    Scams we should watch out for

    Cheers

    FANG

    Yep - And if you PM your mums/sisters/brothers/kids/fathers birthdays Ill make sure they get a card.
  • Mr_Wang
    Mr_Wang Posts: 1,302 Forumite
    edited 16 July 2012 at 9:36AM
    One thing I have learnt is that no matter how many people tell you where you should go, what you will do and how you should do it - You will always find out too late that there was something else you should have done.
    Must admit though re planning, with just 7 days to go I am sick to the back teeth of it!

    OP - Get on Amazon and buy SE Asia on a shoe string.
  • Incapuppy
    Incapuppy Posts: 5,713 Forumite
    Mr_Wang wrote: »
    Must admit though re planning, with just 7 days to go I am sick to the back teeth of it!

    Ooh, just 7 days until I can get you out of my hair for a few months?

    I was going to pop a bottle of fizz in the fridge to get ready to celebrate until I realised that some darn fool invented international phone calls and the internet! :D
  • Voyager2002
    Voyager2002 Posts: 16,349 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Bangkok: tuk-tuk drivers are a good source of tourist information, and give reliable tips on shopping.

    If a Thai person smiles at you, it means they genuinely like you and you can almost certainly trust them.

    Government gem shops often have sales, and you can buy jewels for less than the resale value in England.

    Massage parlours offer a healthy and wholesome experience suitable for all the family.

    The Thermae Coffee Shop serves wonderful latte, but be careful of getting too friendly with your fellow-customers, since it is a well-known meeting place for missionaries and enthusiastic evangelical Christians.

    Oh: and British people do NOT need a visa for Vietnam. A well-known scam involves attempting to get you to pay for an unnecessary visa. The best way to respond to this is to shout and show obvious signs of anger: the villain will quickly get the message.
  • Bob_the_Saver
    Bob_the_Saver Posts: 5,610 Forumite
    Top Tip.

    Planning is everything and history is your window on the world today.

    Pop down to the British Museum reading room and do your research, and
    don't forget to try out the world famous echo in there.
  • fifeken
    fifeken Posts: 2,758 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Hire a jet ski when you're at your beach resort and don't be afraid to thrash it about. The vendor will be fully covered by insurance in the unlikely event there's any damage.
  • FANG
    FANG Posts: 23 Forumite
    Guys Ive never been to SE Asia and im crap at planning that is why i need your help.

    Is my itinerary do able

    thanks for your support
  • Mr_Wang
    Mr_Wang Posts: 1,302 Forumite
    edited 9 July 2012 at 8:08PM
    FANG wrote: »
    Guys Ive never been to SE Asia and im crap at planning that is why i need your help.

    Is my itinerary do able

    thanks for your support

    The short of it is - Not really.

    You'd be buying a Visa for Cambodia and for Vietnam for just a few days. Vietnam has to be bought in the UK, Cambodia at the border.

    Buy SE Asia on a shoe string, get your flights return to Bangkok, spend your first night at Khao San rd and you'll be placed in one of the best/worst backpacker areas in SE Asia.
    I would spend about 2 weeks mooching around Thailand and maybe take the train to the border then taxi to Siem Reap for Angkor.
    I wouldnt bother with Vietnam at all on your time scale. Or Malaysia for that matter.

    Most places in Thailand are easily reached by train/bus/boat, but if you can;t be arsed sitting that hangover out on a 12 hour jolly then use airasia for all flights.
  • Saz888
    Saz888 Posts: 14 Forumite
    edited 10 July 2012 at 11:11AM
    Less is always more! All the places you wish to see are wonderful & I got to see them all but had 3 months to do it! If you don't mind running round then of course it is do-able but you won't give anywhere any justice.

    Bangkok is fabulous and Thailand is such a great place. Cambodia is fab (recommend Siem Reap over Phnomh Penh) and Vietnam is great too (so much more to see than Saigon) but a flying visit to each is so sad - do you just want to tick them off a list or experience them proper? If you still want to do all three flying is recommended check out AirAsia for internal flights & ThaiAir.

    Check out the travel forums on Lonely Planet & Tripadvisor websites - lots of people asking same questions - read and research, research, research decide what you really want to see and make a plan around that! Only you know what your interests are!

    You could easy spend those 3 weeks taking in Thailand at your leisure then return to SE Asia in future?

    £800 (plus flights) for 2 adults for 3 weeks could go a long way if spent wisely. More than that you will be not far off luxury!
    The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your action. :)
  • FANG
    FANG Posts: 23 Forumite
    FANG bows down to Mr Wang and Saz888 and thanks them for their superior knowledge of SE Asia.

    Right change of plan Cambodia ditched therefore:-

    Bangkok
    Beach resort
    Saigon
    Beach resort
    Home

    We are going for 3 weeks so how long should we spend in each place

    Can you recommend some good hotels

    Also can you recommend the best beach resorts near to Bangkok and Saigon that are not too far away from these cities and how can I get to them without ripped off or mugged by taxi drivers or the locals

    Cheers

    FANG
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