Asia - Help me plan 10-12 vacation in SE Asia: beach (5-6d), culture (5-6d)

My friend and I want to go to SE Asia for 10-12 days vacation in Feb 2013.

Goal:
1. 5-6 days of not doing anything on exotic beach. So far, we are considering Maldives and Koh Samui.
2. 5-6 cultural/adventure trip. So far, I am thinking about Cambodia (Siem Riep/Angkor Wat), but open to suggestions.

Constraints:
Should be relatively easy to access from NYC by StarAlliance. Alternatively, there should be cheap local flights.

There should be Hyatt/Hilton/Starwood property or relatively cheap luxury boutique hotel.

Right now, I have following in mind, but hasn't checked how much time is wasted on connections.

Day 0, evening - Day 2 morning: NYC - BKK flight
Day 2, morning: land in BKK, transfer to Koh Samui
Day 2 afternoon - Day 8 morning: Koh Samui (6 nights)
Day 8 morning: flight to Siem Riep
Day 8 afternoon - Day 10: Angkor Wat and nearby sightseeing
Day 11 morning: Siem Riep - Saigon flight
Day 11 evening-Day 12: Saigon - NYC flight

I don't think you want to go to Saigon in Feb - Feb is Tet in Vietnam (which means very heavy demand, crowding and higher prices). You can fly directly out of REP via Korea to the USA (Asiana and Korean). Personally, I would also include a stop in Luang Prabang on that itinerary, but you have so little time.

By the way, how would you rate Buenos Aires (maybe next year for me).

Asiana (Star Alliance) is your best/most comfortable option for that trip in my opinion if booked in advance (this airline has heavy demand, and price increases considerably if you wait).

(BKK-REP is fairly expensive due to no competition - Bangkok Airways is the sole carrier)

Just a thought: There are plenty of exotic beaches in the world, but there's only one Angkor Wat. We spent five days there and it wasn't enough. It's a very special place that really shouldn't be rushed.

I didn't want to fly REP-ICN-JFK because REP-ICN leg is on Asiana A320. From what I understand business class seats are just regular recliners. :td: I would rather do a short hop back to SGN or BKK and fly more comfortably from there.

BKK-REP round trip is just $200. That's fine.

I was/am considering Luang Prabang. ^

Buenos Aires is definitely worth visiting. I wouldn't say it blew my mind, but there is enough to do for a week: great food, music, and culture. You can make day trips to Uruguay and Tigres Delta. Mendoza vineyards are only 2-3 hours away by flight. I didn't have any incidents, but felt the city was less safe than similar metropolitan areas elsewhere.

Just a thought: There are plenty of exotic beaches in the world, but there's only one Angkor Wat. We spent five days there and it wasn't enough. It's a very special place that really shouldn't be rushed.

I would be interested to hear a bit more. Can you recommend a good tour guide/company?

I would be interested to hear a bit more. Can you recommend a good tour guide/company?

Your itinerary sounds good, 6 nights in Samui or Maldives will be perfect and the balance in REP with the kicker in HCMC is ideal. You will no doubt be staying at the Park Hyatts, REP will be open, they will organise a sunrise tour, bringing you home for breakfast then taking you back mid morning. This style of touring is not demanding, if it is too hot they will whisk you back to the pool, splash around a bit, couple of juices and you will be invigourated. You will not be doing any touring on the 8th. By the time you get into your hotel there will not be much left of the day, so it will be planned for the 9th and 10th day, with late afternoons spent in tha spa or around the markets. Saigon is hellishly busy over the holiday weekend 9/10th February otherwise is is normal chaotic shambles, which I am confident you will enjoy. The breakfast at the Park Hyatt here are memorable and the hotel is situated between new shopping centres and the classic walking streets with french shoe shops, ending at the River, and although you will not have much time, do set aside an hour for a drink at sunset on top of the Rex Hotel. I would give LPQ a miss, it is delightful, but difficult to reach on a tight schedule.Good for your money also as Cambodia and Vietnam love the American dollar, so bring a wad. enjoy

Ko Samui isn't the greatest place IMO. 5-6 days of it? Ugh. Maldives is more of a couples-type of place if that's what you're looking for. Also it's expensive. I'm rarely recommending Phuket anymore and definitely not during Chinese New Year time. But Khao Lak, further up the coast, might be a good option. (Using HKT as the airport access point). Angkor for the culture part would be great, though if you want those decent Bangkok Airways fares (which I think are a bit over $200), you need to book early on their website. Wait too long and you'll be looking at $400 per person round trip for that little excursion.

Ko Samui isn't the greatest place IMO. 5-6 days of it? Ugh. Maldives is more of a couples-type of place if that's what you're looking for. Also it's expensive. I'm rarely recommending Phuket anymore and definitely not during Chinese New Year time. But Khao Lak, further up the coast, might be a good option. (Using HKT as the airport access point). Angkor for the culture part would be great, though if you want those decent Bangkok Airways fares (which I think are a bit over $200), you need to book early on their website. Wait too long and you'll be looking at $400 per person round trip for that little excursion.

Why do you think Koh Samui is not the greatest place? Touristy?

A friend of mine, who was born in Thailand, recommended to research Krabi, Koh Chang, Koh Tao, and Koh Samet.

Why do you think Koh Samui is not the greatest place? Touristy?

A friend of mine, who was born in Thailand, recommended to research Krabi, Koh Chang, Koh Tao, and Koh Samet.

Most of Thailand's beaches except for the very remote are touristy, so it's not that. I just don't think Samui's beaches are that nice and I don't care for the locals anywhere in that particular group of islands. I'm not a person who can just sit on the beach all day, day after day, and need some other activities to mix in. On Samui, one quickly runs out of things to do, although sea kayaking at Angthong Marine Park is good for a day (or overnight). In summary, I find the place claustrophobic and limiting. YMMV

I would be interested to hear a bit more. Can you recommend a good tour guide/company?

The "company" we used was the guy hanging out at the entrance of the Shinta Mani hotel the day we arrived :D. Pirum was his name. Honestly I have no idea how to contact him, but he was only our driver, not a guide. To each his/her own, but I find it much more enjoyable and meaningful to get a good guide book and wander on my own. You can always hang around and "overhear" other groups if you're that keen on hearing.

The temples are really unlike anything on earth. What struck us was how different they were. We must have seen a dozen and could have spent another week, easy, without getting bored. Some temples, like Angkor Wat itself, have been largely reconstructed, so you get a sense of what they looked like back in the day. Others have been left in their runied state, in the middle of the jungle, giving a moody, freaky experience. It's as close to real-life Indiana Jones as I'm ever likely to get! Some are easy to get to...others, like Kbal Spean -- carvings in the rock on the bottom of a riverbed! -- required an uphill hike. So really you get to do as much or as little as you like. While Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom get the bulk of the tourists, at many of the others, we were virtually alone. Amazing!

What made Siem Reap such a lovely place to visit, though, is that you've got some top-end resorts to relax (and have cocktails :cool:) at and a wide variety of fabulous Cambodian (and other) restaurants. All the benefits of being in the middle of nowhere with none of the downsides. True, there's no beach, but our resort's pool more than made up for that. It was a truly special trip...