Vietnam / Cambodia / Thailand next year

poor_johno

I did two weeks in Vietnam this year and it wasn't enough IMO so I couldn't imagine doing Vietnam and Cambodia in three.

totallybored

Leanne1812 wrote: »

That is the bugbear with hubby and I when we travel, he always looks at the cheapest hotels with no regard to location or facilities. I proceed to tearing them to shreds, having a sulk and eventually getting the hotel I want as I actually research reviews, location and value for money.

Can I ask where you stayed in Kep? We're having 10 days in Cambodia and our itinery is open besides flying into Siem Reap and out of Phnom Penh. We've done them both already so will spend little time there but I'm really happy to go back to Phnom Penh for possibly 2 nights. It's probably my favourite (so far) city in SEA. PompeyPete has suggested Battambang is well worth a visit and I'm keen to go but know 10 days is not a lot of time either with plenty of travelling
.
Cheers for any advice.

I stayed at Knai Bang Chatt in Kep, there are loads of pics on tripadvisor. I was in the first floor front room of the blue villa, the one that they use for their website. The view was stunning. There is no beach and the sea isn't turquoise but it was so relaxing. I had the entire pool to myself one afternoon. The sailing club next door is also a lovely setting for dinner. I booked that on agoda as it was much cheaper than direct.

In Kampot I stayed at Rikitikitavi which is nice, no pool though. I wanted to swim at the waterfall when we went up the mountain there but the weather wasn't great.

For PP I loved the Plantation, it's got a great pool area. I also stayed at the Rambuhtan which was good but not in a touristy area. In Siem Reap I love the bungalow rooms around the pool at the Golden Banana boutique resort (resort not hotel as they have a couple if hotels next door to each other). In Battambang I stayed at the Bambu which has lovely rooms.

I booked everything direct with the hotels as I found that was the cheapest apart from KBC and my Bangkok hotel which was through small luxury hotels of the world as you get a free upgrade to the next level of suite.

claire16c

PompeyPete wrote: »

Claire. What would be your ideal itinerary for a total of 3 weeks?

I need to get my travel diary out!

I'd probably do what we did before, but swap Nha Trang for somewhere else.

jazz

claire16c wrote: »

I need to get my travel diary out!

I'd probably do what we did before, but swap Nha Trang for somewhere else.

We went to Vietnam in 1991 and were not allowed out on our own or into shops without and escort - they turned lights out on us if they did not want us to see things in museums etc.


If you change your mind about Nha Trang - have a look at Carpe DM Hotel - no 1 hotel in Nha Trang on TA. We stayed there a couple of years ago and it has to be the best value for money in Asia.

lovesgshp

jazz wrote: »

We went to Vietnam in 1991 and were not allowed out on our own or into shops without and escort - they turned lights out on us if they did not want us to see things in museums etc.


If you change your mind about Nha Trang - have a look at Carpe DM Hotel - no 1 hotel in Nha Trang on TA. We stayed there a couple of years ago and it has to be the best value for money in Asia.

Our experience also, although the shops or museums issue was not so much a problem. Will have to look in my old passport for the dates that we were there. Did not like the 3x entry fees to Europeans for their museums etc, or their not accepting slightly torn $ bills. But then, it is a communist country, so you have to stick to the old rules.
Do not think I would ever go back to Vietnam, it is still too controlled, as found Cambodia much easier to get around.
Laos and Burma, are now the places not so exploited, where you will get a better idea of culture and at the moment still getting more into the tourist scene. Not a idea I like so much, as prefer to see the country as it tries to evolve, then give it a miss if it gets too much like Phuket, Bali etc.

claire16c

jazz wrote: »

We went to Vietnam in 1991 and were not allowed out on our own or into shops without and escort - they turned lights out on us if they did not want us to see things in museums etc.


If you change your mind about Nha Trang - have a look at Carpe DM Hotel - no 1 hotel in Nha Trang on TA. We stayed there a couple of years ago and it has to be the best value for money in Asia.

Amazing how much it's changed then.

You can wander about where you want now.

Oaktree555

Thank you all for all the advice so far in this thread. I am new to this and it is my first post I appologise if I do anything wrong.
I am male 60 years old and my male friend from my health club spent last night booking return flights to Bkk, 2 nights hotel in Bkk, coach to Heathrow, ordered some Thai Baht.
We are going for 2 months and hope to visit Vietnam and Cambodia as well as Thailand.
We will have Thai baht, English pounds and credit cards.
What is the best way to pay for stuff in Vietnam and Cambodia please?
We are leaving in just over 1 weeks time, we are up to date with vaccinations but not sure what to do about taking anti maleria pills?
Apart from being a holiday I have recently communicated with a Filopino lady who has worked full time in Bkk as a teacher and will meet with her. I have almost no family here in the UK and so I will also be thinking if I would wish to live in Thailand.
Thanks in advance

Voyager2002

Oaktree555 wrote: »

Thank you all for all the advice so far in this thread. I am new to this and it is my first post I appologise if I do anything wrong.
I am male 60 years old and my male friend from my health club spent last night booking return flights to Bkk, 2 nights hotel in Bkk, coach to Heathrow, ordered some Thai Baht.
We are going for 2 months and hope to visit Vietnam and Cambodia as well as Thailand.
We will have Thai baht, English pounds and credit cards.
What is the best way to pay for stuff in Vietnam and Cambodia please?
We are leaving in just over 1 weeks time, we are up to date with vaccinations but not sure what to do about taking anti maleria pills?
Apart from being a holiday I have recently communicated with a Filopino lady who has worked full time in Bkk as a teacher and will meet with her. I have almost no family here in the UK and so I will also be thinking if I would wish to live in Thailand.
Thanks in advance

Malaria: please see your doctor urgently.

Alternatively, check out the Centers for Disease Control (Atlanta, Georgia) for detailed information on the prevalence of malaria in different parts of the region.

Malaria is unlikely to be much of a problem in most places you are likely to visit, particularly at this time of year (dry season). However, sod's law dictates that you might pass through a remote area at the wrong time, and Southeast Asia has varieties of malaria that are resistant to most of the drugs available. So a bit of bad luck could turn into an illness that might kill you.

Another urgent thing to do is to contact your airline about whether or not you need a visa. A visa for Thailand would be needed for a stay of two months and you do not have time to get one, so the airline might insist that you can show a ticket for another country at the time you check in for your flight to Thailand. Or they might insist on a visa, in which case getting one in a week will prove challenging and expensive...

PompeyPete

Oaktree

If I were you I'd go onto the Trip Advisor discussion forum for Thailand. You'll get reliable and up to date information on there.

sarah69696pink

Wow this has been an amazingly useful thread for me. Am in the middle of planning our honeymoon. So far am doing 4 night in Hong Kong, then on to Bangkok ( for 2/3 nights - we've been before and LOVE Bangkok) am then trying to decide what to do - have 14 nights and way too may options (considering chang mai, cambodia, laos, myanmar and thai islands) before a further 2 nights in BKK before heading home.
Just wondered if others had two weeks and had to fit in 5 nights of Thail beaches would you stick to exploring more of Thailand or would you venture into Laos/Myanmar/Cambodia for a few nights?
yes ideally we would do longer in all the places but time is very limited and we don't mind just seeing highlights of a country before coming back for more another time!