I prefer northern Thailand to any other part of it and find it much more interesting than the beaches. I like Chiang Mai, but there are differing opinions and it is no longer the small charming town it was decades ago. However, I'd say that in your time frame, it might not be doable. I wouldn't bother heading up north unless you can spend 4 full days up in the area (much of the attraction is outside the city of CM itself). If your 18 days' duration is fixed in stone, then how will you rejuggle the itinerary? Assuming you still feel as in your original post, that you don't want to move around too much. Shaving a day off of everything else to stick North Thailand in there just seems too forced and frenetic. What you need is 21 days. :D

I forgot to mention that I would be able to extend my trip to be able to spend 3 or 4 nights in Chiang Mai. :)

I would be doing Bangkok (5 nights)/Chiang Mai (4 nights)/Phuket (7 nights)/Hong Kong (5 nights).

I'm also wondering if I should switch my flights to arrive first in Hong Kong and then fly home from Bangkok. My logic is that the weather in HK should be better/warmer in early November while the weather in Thailand will be better in mid/late November. I'm not sure if that makes sense lol.

Here's a real challenge. If you did ONE trip to Asia to ONE destination, where would it be. I do want to go there, but I doubt it will be the beginning of a long series of trips. Too old for that.

OK change of plans: I will be flying in and out of Hong Kong and I now have 26 nights to spend. I will be flying between each destination using Air Asia. I just can't decide between the following itineraries:

Option 1
4 nights in Hong Kong
2 nights in Kuala Lumpur
2 nights in Singapore
5 nights in Bangkok
4 nights in Chiang Mai
4 nights in Phuket
4 nights in Ko Phi Phi
1 night in Hong Kong

Option 2
4 nights in Hong Kong
1 night in Kuala Lumpur
3 nights in Siem Reap
5 nights in Bangkok
4 nights in Chiang Mai
4 nights in Phuket
4 nights in Ko Phi Phi
1 night in Hong Kong

Should I consider substituing any destination for something else? Spend more or less time in each place? The last night in HK can't be changed though. It was much cheaper to fly back home from there than from anywhere else I will visit.

Thanks again!

Generally, Option 2. With one caveat: I think you are going to be disappointed with Ko Phi Phi. You are 15-20 years too late for the glory days and it's now an environmental nightmare. I can't imagine what anybody would do with 4 nights there. Assuming that you have an uncontrollable Phi Phi itch to scratch, I'd tweak as follows:

HK--2 nights (pick up additional at the end)
KL--1
Siem Reap--4 (minimum)
<overland day>
Bangkok--5
Chiang Mai--4
Phuket--5 (do a Sea Canoe daytrip on Phangnga Bay)
Phi Phi--2
HK--3 (You'll be better rested for trip home vs a 1-nt stand, and can bat cleanup on any shopping. Stick a daytrip to Macau in there, 1/2 historic part and 1/2 casino gawking)

If you take my advice and give Phi Phi a miss (or do as a daytrip out of Phuket), you can put those 2 days to better use in:
(a) Singapore (if you want to add another big city), or
(b) Phnom Penh (rough around the edges, but different from any of the other places above and easily workable prior to Siem Reap). Or
(c) Just add to places already on the itinerary like KL, if you want to minimize moving about. The old Dutch port of Melaka is accessible by daytrip from KL and worthwhile, or better yet, stay overnight there then return to KL. Or add to Phuket--maybe move to a different part of the island with a different ambiance.

PNH would be my choice for alternative view of Asia + inexpensive, fly Air Asia KL-PNH, then do PNH-REP by luxury bus $8 to $10, 4.5 hrs. You can fly this route also if you have spare cash. I would go overland from REP-BKK rather than fool around on Air Asia flying REP-KUL-BKK and subject yourself to delays or cancellations. This can be set up at any agency in Siem Reap, just walk-in day or so before you need to head out and they'll get you a ticket. November is reasonably busy in Siem Reap so there will be plenty of transport heading to BKK. Overland will take you about 7-8 hours including border formalities, it is safe to do, and the road is now great. Cost for the overland can be as low as $10 but I'd budget $30-40. At any rate, you'll end up in the middle of the city rather than at BKK airport. The Air Asia flights with connections will take the same amount, assuming flights are ontime, and will be a lot more cost. Note: at the Thai border overland, you will only get a 15 day visa-free stamp rather than the 30 days you get when arriving at an airport. With your plans, this is not good. The solution is before you head off on trip, get a Thai visa (60 days) in your passport from Thai Embassy or Consulate. This will expedite your border crossing and will trump the 15-day limit for people without visas. Thai tourist visas are FREE until March 2011 so this is a no-brainer.

BTW: Congrats on getting 26 days!

Thanks. That's a lot of information to digest haha. In Ko Phi Phi, I would be staying at the Holiday Inn, which is more isolated. I am not really interested in the main town and all the partying that happens there. I just want a few days at the end of my trip where I can do nothing but swim in the ocean and relax under a palm tree reading a book.

As for Kuala Lumpur, I know it gets a lot of flack, but for some reason I am drawn to it. I'd like to spend a day visiting the city proper and then using my second day to do a day trip, perhaps to the Batu Caves.

Oh and also, I would be flying from Siem Reap to Bangkok on Bangkok Air. It's expensive but I don't have to spend too many hours traveling overland.

Do Canadians need a visa to enter Thailand? I thought we didn't need one.

Good idea to split my time in HK between the beginning and the end of my trip!

Canadians get visa-free entry into Thailand. 30 days if you arrive at an airport, 15 days if you arrive at a land border. The only reason I mentioned getting a visa is if you were to do the overland REP-BKK thing, your itinerary would put you over the 15 days and you'd have to go for an extension (pain in the butt) or risk being fined. In this circumstance, getting the standard tourist visa (60 day) beforehand while still in Canada would be smart. But since you are flying the direct Bangkok Airways flight, you don't need to do anything, you'll get 30 days when you arrive and that is enough for your visit.

5 days in BKK seems quite long.
But maybe that's just me. :)

If u like Malaysia, maybe a day or so in Penang or Genting Highlands.

I would suggest a few changes.
(1) Instead of Ko Phi Phi, go to railay Bay. Same area, but less developed. You have to take a long tail boat from Krabi and all the development are low rise so all you see is the beach and palm trees as you approach. Railay is known for rock climing in addition to the beaches. i'd suggest a lesson...it is fun.

I would also suggest less time in bangkok, 5 nights sounds like forever to me when there are so many other great places. I would suggest 3 nights there or 4 max. Make sure to get the fresh orange juice in Chatuchat market.

You could do non stops to Luang Prabang (Laos) then non stop to Siem Reap. I purchased an air pass from bangkok air which I assume they still offer. Example scenario from a few years ago:
> 1 PG 945V 01JAN M BKK-LPQ HK3 1240 1440
> 2 FT 634V 04JAN Q LPQ-REP HK3 1230 1455
> 3 PG 906V 07JAN S REP-BKK HK3 1300 1410

Luang Prabang is a beautiful city that I'd highly recommend. (great place to relax and see villages that haven't evolved for 100s of years. Villages tend to specialize in a product. one does Lao Lao (whisky) and others do Sa Paper (handmade paper with in-laid flowers). Luang Prabang is more developed, but we had breakfast in a "restaurant" a few houses from our hotel...it was someone's living room and grandpa was getting ready for the day. Another neighbor was plucking a chicken with the kids in the front yard and preparing to cook it in the outdoor grill. All meals seem to be made in those outdoor "ovens." French influence and great wine lists at all real restaurants. There are 1000s of monks)

For Hong Kong, the YMCA Kowloon has harbor views and sufficiently nice rooms.

IF you don't mind me asking.... How much is this costing ? On avg. Areyou traveling up front or back of the bus ?

For the whole trip? I'll be flying economy to HK so that's 1000 $ CAN. I'm budgeting around 2000$ for my hotels and maybe another 1000-1500 $ for my daily expenses like meals, transportation, etc. I could probably do it for a lot less money but I personally prefer to stay in nice-ish hotels.

Thanks for the recommendations everyone. I've been obsessing over this trip for the past few weeks and I have decided to go with Option 2 with some tweaking. I really am a big city kind of person and while I would love to see Cambodia and Laos, I'd rather leave those for another trip.

I am currently planning on doing the following itinerary:


Option 1
4 nights in Hong Kong
1 night in Macau
3 nights in Kuala Lumpur
3 nights in Singapore
4 nights in Bangkok
4 nights in Chiang Mai
4 nights in Phuket
4 nights in Ko Phi Phi
1 night in Hong Kong

I will consider staying in Krabi instead of Koh Phi Phi for my last 4 nights. I will have to check what's available in terms of accomodation and if it's affordable.

I took a similar trip to Thailand last year and stayed stayed on both Krabi and Koh Phi Phi...if possible I suggest splitting your stay for 2 nights at each location. They aren't that big and the travel time isn't too bad so 2 days is enough to explore both places.