Singapore/SE Area recommendations

SerialRenter

Hey Money saving explorers,

Starting to plan my third big holiday with a couple of good friends, first being NY/Toronto, second St Anton to ski, and now we're off to explore SE Asia.

I'd love to hear other people’s experiences of the area, and any recommendations you may have for our trip.

We're all very active and are not the sorts to have a relaxing holiday, when we go to an area we typically power walk the whole city in a day or two and try and see EVERYTHING! So we’d like to visit a wide variety of countries and their cities and take advantage of anything involving climbing, diving, cycling etc.

Our plan is to use Singapore as a hub as one of the friends currently works there and conveniently has a flat we can use as a base.

What this won’t be is a “lad’s on tour” !!!! up type trip :beer:. We’re far more interested in seeing the country’s history and activities than the insides of their local Irish bar. (So it’s probably worth avoiding Bangkok?) We’re not looking for clubs or bar crawls.

Stuff from the sticky:
1) Exact Dates of Travel (if flexible, please indicate how many days each way)
Depart from Heathrow Thursday 18 September 2014 in the evening
Arrive at Singapore Changi Airport Friday 19th September 2014 in the evening

Depart from Singapore Changi Airport Sunday 5th October 2014 in the morning
Arrive at Heathrow Sunday 5th October 2014 in the evening

2) Preferred Airports
Have a friend’s accommodation in Singapore so we'll be using Singapore Changi Airport as a hub to explore.

3) Your budget
Flexible, but a grand on top of flights should hopefully cover plenty.

4) The best deal(s) you've already found
Free accommodation :j

5) Number of passengers (please mention ages if below 21)
Three 25 year old men.

6) Any other requirements (e.g. child club/crèche, minimum star rating, half/full board, etc.)
No special requirements. Don't need luxury for flights or accommodation. Quite happy with hostels to be as money saving as possible.
We'll be going to the F1 in Singapore too, probably on the Sunday 21th Sept. Due to that/jetlag we'd like to stay in Singapore until the Sunday, make sure we've seen all the sights then head off out.
Also possibly leave a few days in singapore before the flight home to goto the night zoo and universal studios.

likes:
Sporty activities
good local food
Not averse to good drink either
local history, architecture
brilliant scenery, an opportunity to use my camera

Dislikes
clubs
"slow" family orientated activities
sunbathing (burn terribly)
shopping (unless it's electrical, sim lim square etc)

What I’d like to know is:

• What countries are worth visiting and how long would you stay in each place for?
• Any specific recommendations about Singapore or any of the local countries?
• Any issues to look out for in regards to visas?
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_British_citizens
• How is transport between countries there?
• Things to look out for in regards to any local security issues?

Doshwaster

Have you got your dates the wrong way around? It looks like you are leaving before you arrive

That gives you 2 weeks to play with.

You are really spoilt for choice in SE Asia. I go there at least once a year and there is still loads of places that I haven't been.

The danger when planning a trip like this is to try to do too much and you end up spending more time travelling from A to B than actually enjoying where you are.

I'd say 2-3 nights in Singapore is probably enough mainly because it is the most expensive place in the region for hotels. From there you could work your way up the west coast of Malaysia (Malacca, Penang, Langkawi), fly to Bangkok for a couple of nights then back to Singapore.

Bangkok is so much more than fake "Irish" pubs and partying (although there is a lot of it) so it certainly worth a few days if you haven't been before and is a very different city to Singapore. Personally, I'd give Kuala Lumpur a miss unless catching a flight. It's not as fun as Bangkok or as well organised as Singapore.

As long as you have a UK/EU passport then there are no visa restrictions in Singapore, Malaysia or Thailand. There are plenty of low cost airlines in the region which give you a lot of route options. Take a look at Air Asia and Tiger Air.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

OK, so in Singapore itself....

1. Flight Experience - A Boeing airliner simulator available for hire with an instructor, from total newbie instruction of the basics of flight, all the way through to flying legendary approaches including the old checkerboard approach into kai tak for the more experienced. Located at the base of the Singapore Flyer (their version of London Eye, also worth going on). Book well in advance if you're going to be there around the GP.

2. Raffles Hotel. History, history, history. Home of the Singapore Sling and also very expensive.... But has to be done at least once.

3. The Old Ford factory museum. A bit outside the city centre. Place of the British surrender to the Japanese in WW2. Lots of history, detail and a quite moving video presentation.

4. Chinatown. Good food and beer from street stalls, get some tailored suits or shirts made inexpensively in less than 48 hours.

5. Clarke Quay. Good restaurants, bars, nightlife and atmosphere.

The whole place can be quite expensive by Asian standards, but if you've got free digs, that'll help a lot.


Kuala Lumpur -

Some people don't like it..... I've had a really good time every time I've been.

- Chinatown is good, probably better than Singapore's.

- There's a 7 story indoor rollercoaster in the Berjaya Times Square mall,

- Nightlife is surprisingly good around the Golden Triangle area.

- Petronas twin towers are properly amazing, especially at night.

- The Colonial District is also great for exploring, architecture, and history.

- 5* hotels are some of the cheapest in major Asian cities, as little as £65 a night if you hunt for bargains.

If you're into photography or architecture, KL has a lot to offer.

Doshwaster

Maybe I need to give KL another chance. It rained almost non-stop for 3 days when I was there and I spent most of time time wandering around shopping malls. And when it rains in that part of the world it really does rain.

As mentioned above, hotels are excellent value so it really isn't worth roughing it. I can't remember the name of the place I stopped but I had a room overlooking the Petronas Towers which was bigger than my house all for about £50 a night.

Expensive place to go out drinking though.

SerialRenter

Whoops! 5th of October, not september. I clearly needed more caffeine yesterday :coffee:

Thank you for your indepth replies.

You're quite right about the amount of choice, it's overwhelming!

Plan so far:
Arrive friday 5th, be confused and jetlagged.
saturday general explore of singapore.
Sunday watch the F1 all day.
from the 22nd sept to the 2nd/3rd of oct explore malaysia/thailand
train/coach up from singapore, along west coast visiting major destinations
(section to be expanded)

from 2nd/3rd to 5th, do everything there is in singapore, Raffles (just one drink!), Ford museum.
Flight experience, one of the party used to work for airbus and is a bit of a plane nerd, although being boeing it might put him off!
Universal studios, the night zoo, sim lim square (avoiding the lower floors) and a general tour of all the good finds my friend has found whilst he's been living out there, and to try lots of street food generally.

In regards to suits, is it better to go to vietnam and get them tailored and mailed directly home, or is singapore also a good price? (could save on postage). The former being what my brother did recently and i'm quite impressed with the quality.

Should we also avoid motorbiking whilst out in SE asia? (we're not copying top gear i promise!). I'm happy to do my CBT (i belive travel insurance usually demands it) before heading out, and i do have a little bit of experience on bikes. One of the group has been biking for years and years and the other is in the same position as me.

PompeyPete

You can't explore SE Asia in 2 weeks, and apart from Singapore you've only allowed 11 days. Totally unrealistic.

Just do one other country, and I reckon 11 days would allow a good snapshot of Cambodia. Fly in to Phnom Penh (3 nights). Bus to Battambang (3 nights). Bus to Siem Reap (4 nights). Fly out of Siem Reap.

Another option would be fly to Bangkok (3 nights), train to Kanchanaburi (4 nights also taking in Sangklaburi), bus to Ayutthaya (2nights), train to Bangkok (2 nights).

Infact there's loads of single country options, but don't be over-ambitious, and avoid spending too much time stuck in airport terminals.

Do your homework on the Trip Advisor discussion forums, and you'll soon find lots of suggestions of how to fill in your time at each place.

Doshwaster

Have a look at this long thread from a few years ago about planning a SE Asia trip starting in Singapore, especially the trip report on the final page.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2953372

I would totally forget about going to Vietnam for such a short period of time especially if it's just to get a suit. It's a country which deserves at least 2 weeks in it's own and you need to pay for a visa.

There is certainly enough in Singapore and Malaysia to keep you busy for two weeks. If you are aren't big on partying then you'll probably appreciate the gentler way of life in Malaysia compared to Thailand or Vietnam. It is a fantastic and fascinating country which hasn't been hit by the mass tourism that Thailand suffers from.

Also look at train routes from Singapore and through Malaysia: http://www.seat61.com/Malaysia.htm

SerialRenter

I should clarify, i agree it would be silly to try and see every country in the area!

As suggested above, the intention is to narrow down the selection and thoroughly explore within one or two countries, as their's just so much choice. Malaysia being a very good suggestion (reading through the linked thread now).

[STRIKE]So heading up the east coast of Malaysia, visiting Jerantut, Kuantan & maybe Pulau Tioman could possibly be a good start to a trip?[/STRIKE]
Probably better to follow the train routes in the link in above post on the west coast.

Train up through the country, maybe get half way through thailand, then fly back down to singapore.

List of places/train stops for me to research and narrow down significantly:
Gemas
Lines split
East coast:
Gua Musang
Khota Bharu
Tumpat
Enter thailand
Sungai kolok
yala
West coast:
Tampin
Kuala Lumpur
Ipoh
Butterworth
Penang
Langkawi
Padang Besar
Enter thailand
Lines join
Hat yai
Surat thani
Chumphon
Hua Hin
Kakon Pathom
Bangkok
Lines split in various directions

Doshwaster

SerialRenter wrote: »

I should clarify, i agree it would be silly to try and see every country in the area!

As suggested above, the intention is to narrow down the selection and thoroughly explore within one or two countries, as their's just so much choice. Malaysia being a very good suggestion (reading through the linked thread now).

[STRIKE]So heading up the east coast of Malaysia, visiting Jerantut, Kuantan & maybe Pulau Tioman could possibly be a good start to a trip?[/STRIKE]
Probably better to follow the train routes in the link in above post on the west coast.

I've never done the east cost of Malaysia (maybe next year) but the west coast is more developed and travelling will be easier.

SerialRenter wrote: »

Train up through the country, maybe get half way through thailand, then fly back down to singapore.

That is starting to sound dangerously like a plan!

You just need to be careful around the Thai/Malay border so I'd probably get as far as Penang or Langkawi by land then fly up to Bangkok if you think you have time to fit "sin city" into your trip.

SerialRenter

Doshwaster wrote: »

That is starting to sound dangerously like a plan!

:eek:

Also looking at coach travel as mentioned in the 2011 thread. Costs work out as about £25 per person from singapore to Kuala Lumpur for what looks to be a luxury option. I quite like the sound of that!

Copy pasting a post from the other thread because it seems very relevant:

See you've booked your main flights etc and visit to Thailand so won't go any further into that.

3 or 4 nights in Sing will be sufficient especially if you have friends here.

Do not miss Malacca.
I'll say again do not miss Malacca.
It's a world Heritage site and now it's become popular is being developed hand over fist.
What you see now will be gone shortly it's changed so much recently anyway.

It's a 4 hour coach from Singapore.

On train travel once you've done 2 hours on the train then that's all you need or want.
You won't see anything more than by coach probably less as the jungle has encroached alongside.
The train ain't too comfortable either imo.
As Tanjong Pagar will close in June/July and move to Woodlands we are taking our final train ride this Thursday from TP to Johor Bahru just over the causeway.

Anyway do not miss Malacca.

KL, well if you must a night or so will show you the lot.
Penang is great but keep away from the Batu Feringhee hotels.
Waste of money and well away from Georgetown. Buses and taxis are good in Penang now but make sure before you get in a taxi that it has a meter or you bargain the fare. Same all over Malaysia.
Hire a car in Penang for a day or so. Drive around the island.

Langkawi. Well until 30 years ago it was just an island. Now to us it's just an island with hotels. No real history like Malacca or Penang so nothing to see.

Bali you can do another time.
Sarawak or Sabah are imo not worth a visit unless you MUST see a Longhouse or visit the orangutans.

So you've got 4 nights each in Sing Mal and Penang and Thailand.
and a night or so in KL.
Just about does it with the travelling etc.

Make sure you are fit because the jet lag will knacker you for a week.
Oh and you won't be able to eat local food continuously for a week I reckon so space things out.

Asiarooms for hotels. Don't go for international hotels they are the same the world over.
If you find ones you like then ask again on here for confirmation.

It';s all personal. Many will disagree with my suggestions as may you.

Final tip.
Do not miss Malacca.

Places of interest so far:
Melaka/Malacca
Kuala Lumpur
Georgetown & Penang
Langkawi (best way to get there?)

I'm still unsure about bangkok, seems like it might be too busy for my liking?

SerialRenter

Eek, handbrake.

One of the friends has been to the area before and did almost an identical journey to what's mentioned above, but in reverse *facepalm*.
I'm getting him to send me a list of everywhere he's been so we can avoid any overlap.

New idea, follow PompeyPete's advice:

Just do one other country, and I reckon 11 days would allow a good snapshot of Cambodia. Fly in to Phnom Penh (3 nights). Bus to Battambang (3 nights). Bus to Siem Reap (4 nights). Fly out of Siem Reap.

Vietnam, Cambodia or maybe Borneo.

The travel around Singapore still stands of course.