Originally Posted by
ClipperJCM
Very good point on the 3/16 day of silence, PresRDC. Unfortunately, no CX flights back to HKG that day (and our return leaves the morning of the 17th), so we would have to head back the previous evening--3/15--and spend the next day in Hong Kong.
Thanks to all for the very helpful feedback. I'm beginning to lean toward Bali, which (even for just three days) sounds fantastic. I'd love to see Singapore, but I spend plenty of time in a city as it is.
Any perspectives on doing Singapore and Penang in one trip? Can do a cheap JetStar flight to connect the two, but I wonder whether the additional travel time is worth the effort...
I agree with others above, Bali is not really a great beach destination as SE Asia goes--cultural and surfing, yes. The more I think about it, the more I think you'd be better off to skip Bali this time due to lack of time.
You might indeed consider flying HKG-SIN and then PEN-HKG (or KUL-HKG). If you spend a lot of time in cities already, Singapore really isn't worth more than 2 partial days and an overnight. If timing allows you to connect in HKG to SIN flight without staying overnight in HKG, do it. If you want to limit yourself to 2 places, a couple days/nights in Singapore and the rest in Penang would work. You can fly between SIN and PEN cheaply (or possibly even more cheaply from Johor Bahru airport in Malaysia). I like Penang, especially Old Penang. Another option is to go overland--infrastructure and public or private transport is good and fast. Make an overnight stop in Melaka and continue onward to KL, leaving out of KUL. In this case, I'd probably skip Penang but research for other activities/sites enroute. Depending on when your HKG-JFK flight leaves, you might be able to get a morning flight back to HKG on the 17th in time to connect. Unless you specifically want/need a night in HKG.