Ever holidayed in South East Asia (Thailand, Malaysia etc)...?

Question

i used to travel a lot before i became a mummy. I keep dreaming about travelling to South East Asia when the kids are a bit older.., mainly Thailand, Malaysia, but i dont know where is good to go.

I am not really a back-packing type though, i dont mind visiting the rougher parts but i like to stay in relatively comfortable accomodation.

If you have been to South East Asia, which area(s) would you recommend staying in? ANd why? And which hotels are the nicest?

All of these answers are very good, its kinda hard to choose a best one!

Answer 1

I would recommend Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. You could visit them all in a single trip, as they are all connected to each other.

I went a few months ago, and perhaps like you was a little apprehensive. But I found the experience very rewarding and would definately go again next year.

I tried to stay in nice hotels and such, I didn't do the backpacking thing except for one week in Xua Nua...let me tell you...that was an adventure, lol.

In Thailand I went to Bangkok, and Pattaya. Bangkok I am sure you know is one of the most important cities in SE Asia. Has lots of tourist, relatively safe. Be careful where you walk if you don't want your kids to see the naughty nightlife, but for the most part everyone is respectful. Pattaya is the #1 travel destination in Thailand....the beaches are okay, but it's mostly known for the nightlife.

Laos is a very poor country, and isn't travelled as much by tourist, so here, you will find the real SE Asia. I stayed in Vientiane the capital (a very slow paced, and laid back city). Pakse (Near here are waterfalls, and dolphins), Vang Vieng (backpacker heaven, amazing tubing all day while drinking beer for $1, and jumping into the river), Luang Prabang (if you go anywhere in SE Asia, come here to really experience SE Asia. The people are friendly, it's very SE Asia, while giving tourist all they could want. More tourist than other places in Laos, but much less so than anywhere in Thailand).

In Vietnam there is Hanoi and Saigon....I would recomment those two, but the Viet hospitality leaves something to be desired. It's not that they're trying to be mean, that's just how their society operates.

I stayed in the best hotels I could find. In Luang Prabang, I paid $10 for a king bed, ac, etc in a very nice hotel. $20 at a hotel in Pakse; expensive for Laos, but the best hotel in the city. The most I sent was $40 at Jomtien Resort in Thailand in Pattaya. This is all very cheap for me, as hotels in Toronto normally cost $150 a night, and I've been accustomed to spending $300 for a suite.

Food is very cheap, $1 for a meal per person...just about anywhere in Thailand, Laos, or Vietnam. Massages (traditional) are about $3-5 in Laos, and the most $15 at the airport in Thailand...again very cheap compared to $80 for an hour in Toronto.

A typical day in Laos for me (especially because the country is so laid back) is to check into a hotel ($20), get a taxi ($1), drive to some ruins or do some hiking ($2), have lunch and dinner ($5 total), get my hairwashed (that's right, people wash your hair for you, only suckers wash their own hair, when in Rome I guess, lol. $2), have a massage ($3+tip), drinks (3 beers = $3), do some late night shopping ($10), get another massage ($3) then sleep. As you can see, it's very cheap. Thailand is maybe a little more expensive, but a great vacation can be had for very little.

I hope you enjoy planning your trip, and if you have any qustinos, e mail me or just ask again in Y/A there are lots of people willing to help.

Answer 2

You should be able to stretch the dollar very far. If planning on visiting the islands this is your best bet for cheap hut rates and sometimes even sleeping on the sand for FREEE. I spent close to 8 months traveling Asia in Dec. 1999 and returned end of August 2000. My tab was close to $25K considering I stayed at friends and family members homes. I covered almost all of SE Asia and had no problems with cash flow. This also includes splurging a bit. Considering I stayed at luxury 4-5 star hotels in all maor cities. Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia can become very expensive as they have alot of high end accomodations. Food in these countries are very cheap. Watch for what the locals are waiting in line for. Otherwise take you chances of stomach viruses. Otherwise you can also eat at established restaurants. At the same time if you dig deep you can find many excellent bargains. Laos,Vietnam and Cambodia are no brainers. I rememer eating a full course meal for almost 30 cents.Stick close to the ocean and ask the cab drivers for assistance. You can run into some very helpful people. If you plan your trip itinerary ahead of time you can calcualte your budget in advance and not get carried away. As this is very easy to do when roaming aimlesly. Good Luck!

Answer 3

Thailand is a very beautiful country and very diverse. Wherever you choose to go you will have a wonderful time. I have travelled to Bangkok and Krabi in the last 12 months and loved it there.

Northern Thailand is not as commercialised as the above but is supposed to be amazing. My brother backpacked around there with his daughter and they travelled into little villages and were welcomed with open arms. Any hotels above a 3 star should be good, but to be honest all the hotels I stayed in were a really high quality - you can't really go wrong.

I have also travelled to Singapore and found it wonderful. It is amazingly clean and has all sorts to see and do for a small island, plus you have Sentoza Island which is a theme park.

Also in Thailand other popular places are Koh Samui and Pattaya.

It's very cheap as well! But be wary of travelling in the rainy season. We went in April and it was just coming into that season yet we only saw rain twice (but boy did it rain!) then 10 mins later it is dry!

Answer 4

I visited Thailand last March and it was an awesome tour. Go to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Phuket. You can also visit Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia or Philippines.

Take budget airlines travelling between these countries to be able to save money. These are 1 to 3 hour trips in between by plane.

You can also check out my travel agent, gateonetravel.com. That is if you want a hassle free vacation. Book early to the various SE Asia destinations.

Another way to save is look for hotel deals in the internet. Make sure that the offer is cheaper than the rack rate.

You can also book your tours using a local travel agent. In Bangkok, when you get out of immigration, there are travel agent's desk, approach them and inquire, then compare these tours to the ones you saw in the internet. Mostly it is cheaper. Try to ask discounts if you are in a group.

If you are adventurous, go tour yourself. Just bring a guide book and map.

Answer 5

Haven't been to Thailand or Malaysia for several years, but we liked Thailand a lot more. The Thais seemed more amenable to tourists, tho I've heard Malaysia is striving to be more hospital to tourists and especially business travelers. Start with Bangkok, obviously. You really need to spend at least ten days to two weeks there to experience it. Accomodations can be as nice as you can afford except in more remote regions. There are really cheap places, too, with shared baths, etc. Best bet is to visit Lonely Planet's web site and then narrow down where you want to go based on your interests. Then for more upscale hotels, go to a hotels.com type site. The really cheap ones won't advertise, but you can find them once you're there--and there's no shortage of rooms. You can also buy or get at the library the Lonely Planet guide to these countries. I find they're the best tour books for the more exotic locations.

Answer 6

I'd like to suggest Sarawak (part of Malaysia)...in particular the area around Kuching (the capital of the province). It's an area largely unspoilt as yet by the excesses of modern tourism but has flora, fauna and wildlife (crocodile farms and oran-outang sanctuary) as well as beachside resorts at Damai, The local people (Iban) are both delightful and their history and culture exciting. Kuching itself is a quiet (lived in sort of place with an extensive local market and and intersting street where you can watch craftsmen making traditonal chinese furniture (for example). And of course if you need retail thereapy combine a stay there with a few days in 'Sinapore Limited' only a hour away by air.
Enjoy!

Answer 7

This year is the best year to visit Malaysia as there are many events that have been lined up in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2007. You can go to the beaches, mountains, theme parks, shopping.

There are a few hotels which are giving good promotion. Cititel is one of them.

Answer 8

Ahh, Good Journies Amigos. =]
I would say you should Visit what you get most thrills out of.
If you want Historic, Go to China or Thailand.
If you want Buildings... Go to Malaysia, They have the tallest Twin Tower in the world.
But for Water sports and General holiday, Head to China.
China is investing alot of money on Tourism. The most amazing Hotels are being built there. AND.. the best part is... ITS SO CHEAP! =P

Have fun Senorita. ^^

Answer 9

Well ive been to Laos and Thailand before..Laos is a nice place , it has this hotel called Lang Xian...or something like that...its really cheap and comforting..and Ive been to Pakse theres this hotel called The Champasak Palace..I'ts really popular..they serve breakfast and everything there..On the top of the hotel are the big rooms..And in Pakse Every restaraunt is next to eachother haha..And in Thailand..There is KFC lol and the chicken is kind of spicy..In Bankok its really hot i got to stay in Ubon and Udon too.It's pretty nice..And the airport is connected to a hotel...but the hotel is really expensive haha..So yeah and im only 10 lol

Answer 10

I'd been to most cities in South East Asia ... Bangkok, Pattaya, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Jakarta, Bali, Manila, Cebu, etc. etc.

I was robbed at knife point in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, few meters away from a police station.