kajonesbu

In January my wife and I are planning to take our honeymoon to Hong Kong/Thailand. Just wanted to get some experienced travelers’ take on our itinerary/hotel selections as well as any recommendations on restaurants, activities (i.e. specific elephant camps), etc. Please see below for our tentative itinerary.

1) Fly from the US to Hong Kong and 3 nights at the Grand Hyatt
2) Fly from Hong Kong to Bangkok and stay 2 nights at the Four Seasons Bangkok
3) Fly from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and stay 3 nights at the Le Meridien
4) Fly from Chiang Mai (thru Bangkok) to Koh Samui and stay 5 nights at the Four Seasons Koh Samui

As for activities we’re hoping to do a cooking school in Bangkok, visit some temples (Bangkok & Chiang Mai), visit an elephant camp (Chiang Mai), and maybe check out the Angthong National Marine Park (from Koh Samui).

Any insight, comments, recommendations, etc. would be much appreciated.

RustyC

Honeymoon in Hong Kong? Yeep...by day u can jostle with the most number of people (even vs. staying in Manhattan) and by night retire in a city famous for small rooms even in high-end hotels. I assume u know what you're getting into or are mindful of that. A daytrip to an outlying island like Cheung Chau by ferry might help. Or Macau.

Also don't forget to allow for any jet lag on the first days.

I'd say you're under-allocated vs. sights on Bangkok and over on Ko Samui, though there are other considerations in the situation. With BKK the lowest-hanging fruits are places like the Grand Palace, Wat Po and Wat Arun around the river, whereas in Chiang Mai I'd prioritize Wat Doi Suthep (and many do the cooking bit in CM, though I couldn't say where).

Ang Thong Marine Park is worth a look and quite nice, though Samui is a lot more built up than it used to be. It and Phuket are still the go-to places for those wanting to fly to an island and stay in a 5* place, with Krabi also a contender. All nice, but getting more like Waikiki than, say, Fiji or Samoa.

papyPiHi

Welcome to FT!

as RustyC highlightd above, HK is also not great for a honeymoon imho. Why not fly direct to BKK and spend more time around the area? (like day trip to Ayutthaya, Hua Hin, Khao Yai national park, river Kwai bridge, or fly for a couple of days to Angkor from BKK...)

I'm in the same conundrum as planning the honeymoon for november, we are restricting to "areas": Bangkok (with day-trip to Ayutthaya and Khao Yai), Krabi+Koh Lanta and Singapore (the latter to explore a city we might be expats in soon )

Dr. HFH

Kajonesbu, don't waste your money on FS in Bangkok. There are several other five star options which are just as nice (or nicer) and available for much less money.

glennaa11

I assumed they were using points or something since they were sticking to these chain hotels/resorts.

I wasn't a big fan of HK, but I think it's not so bad. And the hotel room I had was quite large, I thought (ICON Hotel). There are things to do to keep you busy.

Do your research on elephant camps. I am not a fan, but to each their own I guess.

I know a lot of people like beach resorts (if they didn't there wouldn't be so many of them), but it's not my thing.

I think it's a lot of flying between destinations for not much time in any of them. By the time you factor in getting to and from the airport, time in the air, etc I think it looks like a lot of time traveling and not so much time enjoying the places you are going to.

Tchiowa

I second the general take on this. I'd skip HK and spend 5 or 6 days in BKK.

kajonesbu

Thanks for all the replies.

For the flights we're using miles hence we decided tack on HK. We both lived many years in Manhattan and have had a lot of friends live in HK so we decided it would be worth a peek plus we have some free nights at the Hyatt. We're hoping to check out Victoria Peak, do a Harbor Cruise, eat some good food, and get the wife some retail therapy.

As for Bangkok thanks for the temple recommendations. Good to know that we may need a little more time in Bangkok. I'll look into scheduling the flights accordingly so we are able to maximize our 2 days there. I'll also look into cooking classes in Chiang Mai which should free up a bit more time. Are the classes typically a whole day or just a few hours? We were able to get an unreal deal on the Four Seasons Bangkok hence the decision to stay there vs. other options.

My wife is a big fan of beaches and laying out hence the 5 days planned in Samui at the end of the trip. Besides Angthong National Marine Park anything else worth seeing in Samui? Is the island pretty easy to get around via taxis? After 5 days I'm sure we'll want to venture off-property to check out other dining options.

aBroadAbroad

Welcome to FlyerTalk!

I must say that I disagree with those saying that HKG is not a suitable honeymoon locale. It may not provide the stereotypical honeymoon experience, but not everyone likes tropical islands and beaches or what have you. As with any destination, regardless of the reason for the trip, a place's suitability really depends on the travelers' interests.

That said, based on what you say about your interests and the deals you got, I think the itinerary sounds good. As people who enjoy cities, I think you will probably find Hong Kong great for a couple in love, along with a nice transition to Asia (it's one of our favorite long-weekend getaways).

The Four Seasons Bangkok is definitely nice, even if it's not the MO or Pen, with a more convenient, and still very pleasant location. Afterall, it's FS — really hard to go wrong.

Three nights in CM is just about right for most people. A nice, low-key city with a relaxed vibe and beautiful surroundings.

Five days on Samui might be too much for me, but if I expected to mostly lounge around the resort and beaches just relaxing and "being honeymooners" it would probably serve quite well

Congratulations! Have a wonderful time!

papyPiHi

In Koh Samui, I recommend the Jungle Club for the fantastic views and rustic experience, if only for a night.

kajonesbu

We have our trip booked however I have a question about transit at BKK. On the outbound leg we're flying from Koh Samui to BKK landing at approx. 6:30 PM. Our flight back to the states with a different airline was originally scheduled to leave at 11:45 PM however now leaves at 9:45 PM. Does 3 hours give us enough time to deplane, get our luggage, and check-in for our flight back to the US?

JEStarr

What accomodations would you recommend in Bangkok? Is the Grand Hyatt in Bangkok nice for honeymooners?

foofighters816

The mood actually in Chiang Mai is very ideal, especially for couples. Paak Dang has quite a romantic ambience. The resto is worth checking out. Since your wife loves beaches, staying for 5 days in Koh Samui is definitely a great plan. Getting the Thai massage, trying the jeep jungle tour and perhaps kite boarding are the must-try activities.

findendave

I've just returned from a honeymoon trip in Thailand. We used Bangkok as the base to Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Koh Lanta. All destinations was amazing. We were glad that we spent more time in one destination rather than trying to covering many.