Asia - Last Minute trip to Asia! Best Places to stay, deals etc?

Hey FT'ers, not exactly last minute, but in about 3 weeks I will head to Hong Kong, where I will change planes and go to to Manila. I have a friend there that can help me get around... a few days in Makati and maybe Boracay. I also have a ticket to Singapore. I may also have a friend meet me there and she can show me around but this is basically where the fun starts.

I want to spend about 3 days in SIN, then on to BKK for 4 days, then back to HKG for about 3 days before my flight back to the states.

I do not yet have flights or rooms from SIN onward, I was thinking about SQ for the SIN>BKK>HKG. But any advice for hotels, and best deals out there now? I usually like to stay at Hyatt but kinda need to do this trip on a budget. I know there was an Orbitz intl. $75 off deal, but think that is now gone, looking for similar things, or just places/flights that are good value for the money.

ANY help or tips are appreciated as this is my first time to any of these places and I know I should probably check FT before doing anything stooopid! (will search the archives a bit as well)


THANKS!! ^

MODS, sorry if this is posted in the wrong place, please move if so!!

Moving thread to the FT Asia Forum.
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

You probably want to post separate threads in the Thailand and Singapore Forumns. Both have a lot of experts that can help figure out some sights to see and hotel recommendations.

SQ doesn't fly BKK-HKG, so you can't take SQ the whole way unless you want to backtrack through SIN and pay through the nose. For the cheapest deals around on major airlines, check out Swiss for SIN-BKK and Emirates BKK-HKG. Lots of others fly BKK-HKG as the out-legs of two-stop flights (EK originates in DXB, of course). Drawback of those is that you've only got one or two flights per day, and if they go mechanical, you could be hosed. But the great benefit is that you can often score Business Class for a song: as low as $250 per sector. CX sometimes has good deals on SIN-BKK (even in Business), and you may be able to combine that with BKK-HKG and still get decent fares (in Economy).

Bangkok has scads of decent hotels at very good rates. But I've never stayed at any of 'em. Thailand forum will have much more information. Be aware that December 5th is the King's Birthday (and Father's Day) in Thailand. I think the King turns 80 this year, so the celebrations will be much more elaborate than normal. Quite a few businesses will be closed, but don't get taken for a ride by any scamsters telling you that temples or other sites like that are "closed" for the day (common scam every day, but more plausible on a holiday like King's Birthday).

As MegatopLover points out, there are tons of Bangkok hotels for all sorts of budgets. I haven't stayed there for awhile, but Karnmanee Palace (http://www.ethaihotel.com/karnmanee_palace_hotel.php) was one of my favorites. The downside is that some may feel that its Saphan Kwai may be a bit out of the way (but great if you plan on hitting the Chatuchak Market) and it's about a 10-minute walk from the Soi Ari Skytrain station.

My Thai friend and I often stay at the Penguin House (http://www.geocities.com/penguinhouses/) in the Sathorn area. The room feels more like an apartment than a hotel room. Not luxe, but comfortable and well-situated. Lots of nice little restaurants in the area.

Thanks all for the tips! I will be working more of this up today and post back with what I find...and probably more questions!! :D

If you do fly SQ, they have special deals on stopovers in SIN so u may want to check what they have. SIN has a whole range of hotels to choose from as well, so it will all be dependent on your budget.

There is a LCC Shenzhen to BKK, AirAsia. However, to use this route, you will probably need a visa for China.

Cebu Pacific is another LCC with a lot of routes out of Manila (and Cebu too, I presume).

LCC from Singapore mostly fly out of Johore Bahru, right across the border, and easy to get to.

Don't forget to check all the lower cost carriers, except to/from Japan, there are a bunch.