Asia - Ideas Needed for What to See Around Malaysia, Thailand, Bali

I've been doing quite a bit of research on what other cities to see on my latest south east Asia trip and am having a real tough time on deciding what to do. So far my itinerary consists of me arriving in Singapore on 1/17, spending 3 nights there and then it's all free til the evening of 1/24 when I need to be back in Singapore to catch an early flight to the United States.

I have been looking at the possibility of spending 2 nights in KUL and then finding my way over to Bangkok or Bali, but at this point it becomes difficult deciding what to do since I'll waste half a day in transit and if I book an award ticket I have to go through SIN if I start in KUL and theoretically return there unless I get 2 award tickets or head to BKK for $170 RT. My other ideas have consisted of either spending 4 days in Bali and skipping KUL and BKK for this trip.

Previously I have seen BKK for 3 days and got to see the Grand Palace, night bazaars, and assorted temples. Is there anything else to do in the area and is something like 2 nights in BKK and 2 in Pattaya a worth while thing to do?

Also is Bali worth going to for 2 or 4 days and is it just a nice resort area or are there a lot of tourist sites to see there?

And with KUL, how much time is worth spending there and what nice cities can be seen within a 2 hour drive or cheap star alliance flight?

My simple requirments are I like $120 or less 4-5 star hotels, I want to relax and have some places to shop and if I have to fly some place I want to spend less than $300. From what I have seen I can easily get a RT flight to BKK from SIN for $170, but have a tough time deciding if it's worth taking a trip there again when I've already been there. My final thing is I have a ton of miles on United and American, so if there is another reccomended south east Asia destination from SIN I'm all ears and simply put I wouldn't be dissapointed if I delayed seeing any of these cities before I go back to HKG or SIN this summer. Previously I have travelled to HKG, SIN, and BKK in south east Asia. Thanks for any suggestions because I am racking my brains planning this trip and only have 40 days left.

Since you've already had a taste of Bangkok, I would recommend a few days up north in Chiang Mai. It's very different from Bangkok, and 3 or 4 days is a reasonable amount of time to visit Doi Suthep and Doi Inthanon, see a waterfall or two, check out the markets (the Sunday market at Thapae Gate is very good) and factory outlets, visit an elephant camp and do some bamboo rafting. As an alternative, you may also want to consider a visit to Angkhor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Angkhor really is one of the world's treasures, and 3 or 4 days is just about right.

I didnt find Chiang Mai all that exciting; Angkor (Siem Reap), Halong Bay (Hanoi) and Bali are more interesting destinations, but its raining season in Bali in January. I would either do Angkor or Halong Bay for this time of year.

I didnt find Chiang Mai all that exciting; Angkor (Siem Reap), Halong Bay (Hanoi) and Bali are more interesting destinations, but its raining season in Bali in January. I would either do Angkor or Halong Bay for this time of year.


Second this. I just got back last weekend from Angkor Wat. It is just a 45-minute flight from BKK. In the time frame you are describing you easily can see all the sites there -- you can get a 3-day pass.

you can fly directly to Koh Samui from Singapore.
Kuala Lumpur- personally I found this my least favourite far east city but there are really good hotels there and plenty of shopping opportunities. Touble with Chiang Mai is that you would fly into BKK and then need another flight out. That eats up into your time. Mind you, someone may put me right and tell me there is a flight directly to CM.
Bali is just beautiful. Go inland and stay in Ubud. Not sure what the weather is like then but it did rain for us in July this year and didn't put us off. Loads of wonderful shops in Ubud!:)

Mr. Megatop and I did three days/two nights in Siem Reap visiting Angkor in July. I would highly recommend it, and three days is just about the right amount of time. The beauty, complexity, and sheer size of Angkor and surrounding temples is really overwhelming and should not be missed by anyone who wants to explore Asian cultures.

That said, there are tons of things to do in Bali besides just hanging out at the resorts. Bali is culturally very rich, with scores of temples, a distinct architectural motif of its own, unique music and dance, and all kinds of artisans, tremendous natural beauty, and very warm people. Five days in Bali on my first trip was barely enough to scratch the surface. I've been back once already, and have plans to go back again. It is by far my favorite resorty destination in Asia because it has so much to offer in addition to the great resorts.

I spent 9 days in Bangkok on my first trip six years ago. That was barely enough to see the high points in Bangkok and around it-- lots of things to see in the areas around Bangkok. I've been back 11 times and still never tire of it. (I'll allow, though, that Mr. Megatop lives and works in Bangkok, so my situation is a bit different from the typical visitor, even if we live and act like visitors when I'm there.) I'm made many posts in the Thailand forum about things to do in and around Bangkok.

KUL probably doesn't have the best that Malaysia has on offer. Residents and regulars can chime in with far greater experience than I have, but KL seemed quite a lot like Singapore to me. Malaysia's countryside is another story, I understand. In your shoes, I'd sooner spend more time in Bangkok, visit Siem Reap, or start exploring Bali.

Thanks for the Suggestions. I decided on simply doing SIN-Bali-Bangkok-SIN for the trip with 3 whole days in Bali and 2 days in Singapore and Bangkok.

Thanks for the Suggestions. I decided on simply doing SIN-Bali-Bangkok-SIN for the trip with 3 whole days in Bali and 2 days in Singapore and Bangkok.
Singapore - Black Pepper Crab, Little India@ Serangoon, Chinatown, Night
Safari,Nightlife, Shopping

Bali - Anywhere but Kuta, like Ubud,Seminyak,Tanah Lot

Bangkok - Chatuchak Weekend Market,Pratunam,Palace

List go on and on..

Enjoy your trip...

Cheers!

Try Indus for dinner -- amazing setting overlooking the river and the valley and the food is incredible. My wife and I ate there four times on our three day trip.

You can see the website below http://www.casalunabali.com/indus.html

Bringing along an umbrella or a raincoat..
It is the monsoon season here in these parts...
But still .. you can still enjoy your holiday here..

Have a good and safe trip..

Cheers!