trach500

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for some suggestions on where to go in SE Asia in late December of this year during the holidays. Last year, we did Phuket/Chiang Mai & HK with the kids. We are looking for some other suggestions for a good 14-17 day itinerary. We would like to combine luxury beach in the first part of the trip, followed by a secondary stop for activities/nature/temples and a 3rd city a few days before departure back to USA. Our young kids are great travelers and had a blast on the last trip.

I have Langkawi (datai or FS) on my list, but struggling to find other places in Malaysia to go aside from Kuala Lumpur.

I was thinking about Phillipines, Laos/Cambodia plus a beach, Vietnam(I've already been) and possibly combining Sanya with a city or 2 in China? I know Sanya is an up & comer, but many new great hotels are now open or opening within the next few months. What are you thoughts and/or recommendations? Looking for some nice ideas

FlyerEC

Penang ( E & O ) plus a beach hotel at Batu Ferringhi if you must - but Langkawi is better
Malacca ( Melaka ) possibly stay at Majestic . Culture & history
MOKL

Fly on SQ to SIN & use as a base , stay on Sentosa - there is Shangri La there & also main one near Orchard Road , Valley Wing preferably . Easy flights to the ASEAN countries .
Refresh from travel in the region , Orchard Road will be quite lovely , even spectacular for the season . Some people fly in just for it !!

Siem Reap ? Amansara
Lots of other decent hotels - Belmond Residence d ' Angkor , etcetera

Places mentioned above have better weather in December .

Horror stories about Sanya .

MikeFromTokyo

There are a lot of other options, but off the top of my head:

Maybe Amantaka and/or Amansara (or other Luang Prabang/Siem Reap) combined with Amanpulo, Amanoi, or Four Seasons Nam Hai, and stopover stay in Bangkok on the river (The Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental, or The Siam).

While you may want to fly SQ, I would not waste time actually staying in Singapore, unless perhaps for a one night transit stay.

Bangkok is by far the nicest and most convenient hub city to use for a stopover is SE Asia. All of the culture, luxury hotels, shopping and entertainment you could possibly want. Connections to BKK from Noth America are so easy on Cathay Pacific through HKG, that it is almost just as good as having a direct flight.

HKTraveler

For Sanya, the villas at the MO is nice but not sure there are other options to combine it with. It is also not a cultural type of place with tourist sites to visit. As a matter of fact, I would avoid leaving the hotel since it is filled with tourist touts once you are outside.

You can potentially do Cambodia? Song Saa for beach, Angkor Wat for culture and then transit through Bangkok or Singapore.

Another alternative is Bali where you can get sun and beach together with culture by trying out the FS or different Amans there. Can then transit through Singapore or HK.

CometEE

if bent on Sanya, there is a new RC for you to check out. Hopefully you are booking with someone that will get all the extra perks in SE Asia. Don't go it alone.

surftb15

For Sanya, I recommend the Ananatara. They have amazing family pool villas.

That being said, don't go to Sanya unless you have to!

MikeFromTokyo

The thought of a family traveling a great distance being advised to go to Sanya makes me cringe. Don't do it.

Whatever the budget is, there are many far nicer options in Thailand, Vietnam, The Philippines (Amanpulo), and Malaysia.

FlyerEC

Singapore is an easy stop over or more . Changi itself is fun , lots to do for the whole family from what I hear from others .

If Malaysia , can add Pangkor Laut , but maybe interesting to get too . It's south of Penang & north of Malacca / Melaka .
Same hotel group as Melaka Majestic .

Or Sabah or Sarawak - East Malaysia ..

Hanoi can be cool & Amano'i is really amazing but might be a bit or more than breezy in December . HCMC / Saigon should be ok .
Amanpulo another wonderful destination but weather patterns have changed with a major typhoon in the vicinity just few weeks back . MacMyDay ' s stay / trip was affected & they had to cut short his CHRISTmas stay .

Was just at Amans in Bali .
While the weather being humid this time of the year isn't my preference , some may enjoy the heat & humidity .
I prefer it mid year , Southern Hemisphere winter , when we plan on returning
That being said , we had a fabulous time with brilliant sunshine .

So if it's Malaysia , Singapore will be a good jump off point .

BTW , the SIN DO is happening here now .. Must be off soon to meet other FTers at newly opened Kam ' s Roast opposite GH . Perhaps Dempsey Hill first where possibly many are still at some drinking hole ( s ) after UNESCO Heritage Botanic Gardens in the morning & lunch at Muthu ' s Curry

Kagehitokiri

in china there are 3 aman (plus tibet etc)
also bhutan - aman and como

vietnam also has six senses con dao

maldives via asia >
MLE - SIN SQ
MLE - HKG CX
MLE - BKK bangkok airways
GAN - CMB - SIN sri lankan
GAN - CMB - BKK sri lankan
(could combine sri lanka)
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...-now-open.html

edit - indonesia includes amanjiwo, airports connect to several asian cities

MikeFromTokyo

If combining Maldives with SE Asia, it could make sense to do a TATL routing on EY or EK, for example, on the outbound, and then return TPAC on CX, SQ, or through Japan.

QPRfan

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MikeFromTokyo

Vientiane is charming, but Luang Prabang is the more interesting place that has high-end resorts. Amantaka is peerless, but there are several other nice resorts to choose from as well.

QPRfan

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FlyerEC

^
+1

Gary T , ex GM Taka , is opening GM for Adrian ZECHA ' s new Azerai nearby .

MikeFromTokyo

That's good to know^

Upcoming Rosewood also looks nice.

Even at the four star level, there is Hotel de la Paix (Sofitel), La Residence, and a couple of boutique properties (some of which Virtuoso members, iirc).

The sooner the better to go toLuang Prabang, as it is already a rapidly developing destination.