Originally Posted by
declinespecificinformation
I'd either take EY on DFW > AUH > KAT (take that $250 air flight around Everest) to Bhutan (do COMO 5 day package) and then head to Thailand (south) and back. Sse the free nights in Thailand, pay elsewhere.
Or EY DFW > AUH > Maldives (don't do the SPG hotels there) to Thailand (Bkk > Chiang Mai > REP > [great wall if you can add two extra days] > HKG (W hotel, use SNA) with SPG hotels) or Malaysia (with a trip to Borneo to see Orangutans) and then back through CX.
This is extremely helpful, thank you! My one concern is being a bit too fragmented with the trip. With a house full of young kids and a career where I am constantly in planes, I think we'll want to use most of the 2 weeks to really relax and with 4-5 destinations I think we'll be bouncing around too much. My ideal would be a week in an exotic beach destination with a week for fun exploring in 1-2 more active destinations.
Also helpful to note that we're not history or architecture buffs. We'd prioritize food over everything (we travel to eat and will eat at 10-20 places in one day). So if I'm looking at a city where we can visit temples/museums or restaurants/markets, I'd pick the latter every time. (Ideal is both)
With that, any adjustments to your itinerary? Maybe DFW-->HKG->Malaysia-->Thailand islands? Or DFW-->Maldives (through AUH) --> Malaysia/HKG? Not sure how that works with flights, but you are right, we definitely want to do this in First or Business at the minimum. By the way, why no SPG in Maldives? Is the W not any good?
Thanks!