Asia - Asia stop over for couple -50+

Almost similar to this threa (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=762618)d but differing requirements


My wife I are planning a trip to Japan for May 2008
I am using a A* Award to get from the UK to Japan (KIX), and am looking for a stopover of about 3 days at the beginning of our trip, May 4-7th

My initial thoughts are Seoul (ICN) for these three days as we have never been before.
There is availability on OZ.
We are interested in culture rather than nightlife
We have been to BKK, SIN,HKG

I usually stay in priceline hotels and Seoul has a few with bidding histories

Question:

1) Is this a good stopover or have you any other ideas?
2) Is the stay too short\long.We can stay a day or two longer if needed.
3)Is Business class good on OZ?

Our trip in Japan would be for about 14 days. We plan to arrive just after the Golden week.

Any tips, help would be appreciated.

Thank you

OZ J class is fine, a little tired but understand they're undergoing upgrade to AVOD, etc.

Have you been to China? May is good weather for Beijing 3-4 day visit.

Thanks for the reply.

I've dismissed Beijing as it cost £50 for a visa and for 3-4 days IMHO that's a waste.

Unless I'm wrong of course ;)

Hi there...

Check out this thread, think somebody posted some links about Seoul.

Cheers!

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=8858436#post8858436

Thanks for the reply.

I've dismissed Beijing as it cost £50 for a visa and for 3-4 days IMHO that's a waste.

Unless I'm wrong of course ;)

We've just had my 81 year old Mum staying with us in HK and we took her up to Beijing for the weekend. She thinks the 50-quid+ was worth every penny.

I've dismissed Beijing as it cost £50 for a visa and for 3-4 days IMHO that's a waste.

Unless I'm wrong of course ;)

Yes, you are wrong ;)

Seoul doesnt come anywhere close to Beijing as far as sightseeing is concerned. If I have to rate these cities for tourists; Beijing gets 8/10, Bangkok 5/10, Hong Kong 5/10, Singapore 3/10 (at least the food is good) and Seoul ...2/10 !

The Chinese have been working very hard to destroy their historical buildings and have pretty much suceeded--part of the government's view of history. But, there is more than enough left to merit a visit to Beijing. And, Shanghai is worth a visit, too. Not so much for the history as for what you can see of modern China.

I am not happy about the wacky visa fee--apparently a slap at US and European visa charges to Chinese citizens. But, I would pay it and go. :)

The Chinese have been working very hard to destroy their historical buildings and have pretty much suceeded--part of the government's view of history.
As has Singapore and other countries.

But, there is more than enough left to merit a visit to Beijing. And, Shanghai is worth a visit, too. Not so much for the history as for what you can see of modern China.


Forbidden city, temple of heaven, summer palace to name a few non-modern sights......

Shanghai is the modern city - always was an international rather than chinese city.



I am not happy about the wacky visa fee--apparently a slap at US and European visa charges to Chinese citizens. But, I would pay it and go. :)

OP is flying F (albeit using miles) and can't fork over a few dollars for visa - for someone who hasn't visited China yet, either short sided and/or incredibly stingy .

IMHO

Yes, you are wrong ;)

Seoul doesnt come anywhere close to Beijing as far as sightseeing is concerned. If I have to rate these cities for tourists; Beijing gets 8/10, Bangkok 5/10, Hong Kong 5/10, Singapore 3/10 (at least the food is good) and Seoul ...2/10 !

Thank you for the input.

We have been to BKK, SIN,HKG

OP is flying F (albeit using miles) and can't fork over a few dollars for visa - for someone who hasn't visited China yet, either short sided and/or incredibly stingy .

IMHO

Actually I'm flying J

Obviously you are entitled to your opinion :eek:

I may be short sighted but as being stingy....

I'm using miles gained by personal cost-not because my boss sends me out to work by plane. So these miles have actually cost me money :eek:

I use priceline hotels-is that being stingy or prudent?

Everyone bangs on about getting good value for miles, if I was being stingy I'd be flying economy-surely?

To pay £100 for a 3 day visit to a country that really deserves at least 4 wekes minimum seems a little extravagent IMHO.
I'll be visiting China in 2009 (after the Olympics-it will be cheaper :) )

Each to his own:D

I would still recommend Beijing despite the visa. We came all the way from KHI for 5 days. It wasn't nearly enough time because there is so much to do. However, you must get a translator. We even had trouble ordering McDonalds without one.

Cheers,

OP is flying F (albeit using miles) and can't fork over a few dollars for visa - for someone who hasn't visited China yet, either short sided and/or incredibly stingy .


I look at the $100 visa fee as similar to getting a membership at Costco.
The fee entitiles you do getting a big discount.

ie:(taxi) Heathrow to Central London USD160, PEK to about anywhere in Beijing USD15

- Dump hotel in central London $150 per night, 5 star in central Beijing $150 per night.

-pack of Marlboro in UK 11 usd , China 1USD


so the $100 fee gets redeemed pretty quickly

TPE, KUL, PEK, are all good for 3 to 4 days.
If you want some place with more history and culture, you can try Siem Reap and the Angkor ruins.

I stayed in Seoul for about a month on a work assignment. While I enjoyed the work and the people, I kept thinking how disappointed I would have been if I had gone as a tourist. Seoul didn't have the stand-out attractions (like the Forbidden City, the Bund, or Hong Kong Harbor) that you would want if you visit someplace for 3 days. IMHO, given a region as large as Asia, there are better cities to choose for a short visit. If the miles on your ticket don't permit an extension to China or Southeast Asia, I'd just extend the length of stay in Japan and explore in more depth.

I look at the $100 visa fee as similar to getting a membership at Costco.
The fee entitiles you do getting a big discount.

ie:(taxi) Heathrow to Central London USD160, PEK to about anywhere in Beijing USD15

- Dump hotel in central London $150 per night, 5 star in central Beijing $150 per night.

-pack of Marlboro in UK 11 usd , China 1USD


so the $100 fee gets redeemed pretty quickly

LHR to London via the 'tube' 4 USD Oyster card
via Heathro Connecton 12 USD
via HEX 28 USD

4* hotel via Priceline $80

I don't smoke!

I do get your point though, thanks for the point of view.
However it's $100 x 2....:eek:

I stayed in Seoul for about a month on a work assignment. While I enjoyed the work and the people, I kept thinking how disappointed I would have been if I had gone as a tourist. Seoul didn't have the stand-out attractions (like the Forbidden City, the Bund, or Hong Kong Harbor) that you would want if you visit someplace for 3 days. IMHO, given a region as large as Asia, there are better cities to choose for a short visit. If the miles on your ticket don't permit an extension to China or Southeast Asia, I'd just extend the length of stay in Japan and explore in more depth.


Thanks.

I look at the $100 visa fee as similar to getting a membership at Costco.
The fee entitiles you do getting a big discount.


Priceless

Btw, you forgot the most important savings - at the Silk Market.

To pay £100 for a 3 day visit to a country that really deserves at least 4 wekes minimum seems a little extravagent IMHO.
I'll be visiting China in 2009 (after the Olympics-it will be cheaper :) )

Each to his own:D

China will probably give you one year multiple visa - at least they do that for the Yanks, so you'll get to use it in 2009, if you time it right.

Agree with others here that Seoul is not the greatest tourist location in the world. Just to answer the OP's question about Priceline: The better hotels (JW, Renaissance) have not come up recently (PL is generally becoming less useful in Asia thanks to the weak dollar), and the most likely win is the Ramada, which is slightly run-down. Seoul is a good city to use hotel points (the JW was an amazing deal before the devaluation & changes points purchase program), and I would probably wait and see if the IC COEX pops up on Pointbreaks again.

Yes, you are wrong ;)

Seoul doesnt come anywhere close to Beijing as far as sightseeing is concerned. If I have to rate these cities for tourists; Beijing gets 8/10, Bangkok 5/10, Hong Kong 5/10, Singapore 3/10 (at least the food is good) and Seoul ...2/10 !

Or you can include KUL in there which takes all of half a day to see it all and would not even register on the scale for being interesting and culturally stimulating, you only have to look at the KUL / Malaysia website to figure that out and trying to get info from them is non existant. Seoul really do want tourists to come, experience eveything and make the trip well worth while, Bejing well better you take a year off and really get to see it.

LHR to London via the 'tube' 4 USD Oyster card
via Heathro Connecton 12 USD
via HEX 28 USD

4* hotel via Priceline $80

I don't smoke!

I do get your point though, thanks for the point of view.
However it's $100 x 2....:eek:

We are 50+ couple too. We visited Japan for 2 weeks in October. Mind not what others gave you rude comments. I did a through research in saving money in Japan. Here is what we did: (1) make sure that you purchase 2-week JR passes with JTB before departure. The passes allow you travel on all JR railway and high-speed rail, cheap and convenient. (2) purchase flight coupons with ANA before departure. The flight vouchers cost only US$100 per each segment. It would save you lots of time between two distant cities. You would even fly to Okinawa for US$100 if you wish. You must purchase before leaving for Japan. (3) We booked everything with Youth Hostels (japanese style) in every city, cheap and clean with meals. We did not go with priceline or anything, but with Youth Hostels. We visited the hostels website, contacted the manager with email, and made the reservations so that we saved lots of booking fees with the third party.

Other questions about where to stopover for 3 days, it will be your personal choice, but for the best of using three perfect days, I would suggest some places that not visited by crowded tourists, but still decent. In this respect, I suggest Taiwan.

We are 50+ couple too. We visited Japan for 2 weeks in October. Mind not what others gave you rude comments. I did a through research in saving money in Japan. Here is what we did: (1) make sure that you purchase 2-week JR passes with JTB before departure. The passes allow you travel on all JR railway and high-speed rail, cheap and convenient. (2) purchase flight coupons with ANA before departure. The flight vouchers cost only US$100 per each segment. It would save you lots of time between two distant cities. You would even fly to Okinawa for US$100 if you wish. You must purchase before leaving for Japan. (3) We booked everything with Youth Hostels (japanese style) in every city, cheap and clean with meals. We did not go with priceline or anything, but with Youth Hostels. We visited the hostels website, contacted the manager with email, and made the reservations so that we saved lots of booking fees with the third party.

Other questions about where to stopover for 3 days, it will be your personal choice, but for the best of using three perfect days, I would suggest some places that not visited by crowded tourists, but still decent. In this respect, I suggest Taiwan.

Thank you.

Some good tips there.

Dismissing China merely because of the cost of visas (i.e. w/out further research)- I stand by my earlier comment but apologize if you or others felt it was rude.

Row3Acer has done his homework in Japan and if you do (or did) the same, you'll discover that from purely a 'cost' perspective, China (even with two visas included) is more reasonable when compared with such places as Seoul, Tokyo, HK, or even Taipei.

Notwithstanding the above, I do retract my recommendation to visit next May as it will be close to 2008 Beijing Olympics and prices will be artificially jacked up....instead head south to Bkk :p

Good luck with whatever you ultimately decide upon....

The main part of this trip is to Japan, right? A *A award allows one stopover OR open jaw and you might consider doing the open jaw to Japan instead and skipping the stopover, flying into KIX and out of NRT. That way with the standard Japan trip you will save on internal transport as you have to only buy one way train travel, which is half the price of a JR pass. You will also spend less time on trains and more time sightseeing. Just a thought.

A *A award allows one stopover OR open jaw .

This depends on what FF program you are redeeming from. AC Aeroplan allows one stop AND one open jaw on international *A awards.

This depends on what FF program you are redeeming from. AC Aeroplan allows one stop AND one open jaw on international *A awards.

Thanks for the info. That's cool, I thought it would be consistent with United's rules.

Dismissing China merely because of the cost of visas (i.e. w/out further research)- I stand by my earlier comment but apologize if you or others felt it was rude.

Row3Acer has done his homework in Japan and if you do (or did) the same, you'll discover that from purely a 'cost' perspective, China (even with two visas included) is more reasonable when compared with such places as Seoul, Tokyo, HK, or even Taipei.

Notwithstanding the above, I do retract my recommendation to visit next May as it will be close to 2008 Beijing Olympics and prices will be artificially jacked up....instead head south to Bkk :p

Good luck with whatever you ultimately decide upon....

I am doing my homework and wanted ideas from people who had been there if Seoul was a worthwhile stopover, as I had my doubts.

I have been to BKK and HK and am going to Tokyo so as a taster stopover I would consider other cities.

Thank you for the heads up re the two year visa, I will look into that.

As I understand it the BD *A allows one stopover and an Open Jaw and I will be arriving in KIX and departing from NRT.

Thank you all for the info.

Thank you for the input.

I am aware you have been to BKK, SIN and HKG but I gave a rating for these cities for your comparison with Beijing and Seoul.

As to whether the GBP50 per person visa is worth it for a 3-4 day visit, try not to look at it as a 3-4 day visit but rather a visit with 3-4 of the greatest sights in Asia. The Great Wall, Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven are easily among the top 10 monuments/historical sights in Asia. Just imagine the opportunity to see a third of the best sights in Asia for a mere GBP50 !

While doing a 4 week trip across China is definitely maximising your cost of visa and flying there, I personally would not travel to a country for the first time for more than 2 weeks especially somewhere like China. Unlike places like Australia where many visitors would be perfectly happy doing nothing but just enjoy the weather, food and the occasional sight, China isnt such a place. I would think an initial 3-4 day visit to Beijing would give you a basic idea of what China is like before you invest on a 4 week visit. BTW chinese food in much of China isnt exactly the same as what you have been experiencing in Hong Kong or from your local chinese takeaway; and its something you have to take into consideration before you embark on a 4 week long tour !

While Beijing can probably wait till 2009, I believe that one should always visit an interesting place at the first opportunity. There is just so much uncertainties around the world; be it political, economic, exchange rate fluctuations, rising costs, health risk etc. When I visited Hanoi 4-5 years ago I remember paying something like USD80-90 a night at the Hilton Hanoi Opera; I am planning a return visit soon and the same room now costs something like USD280-290 !

I am aware you have been to BKK, SIN and HKG but I gave a rating for these cities for your comparison with Beijing and Seoul.



I did realise that, I was genuine in my thanks, obviously that didn't come across that well. :eek:


As to whether the GBP50 per person visa is worth it for a 3-4 day visit, try not to look at it as a 3-4 day visit but rather a visit with 3-4 of the greatest sights in Asia. ................. I am planning a return visit soon and the same room now costs something like USD280-290


Thank you for this perspective, some good points here.(In all the reply, I've just truncated it for space).