Where and when to go to Asia
 

(copied from the buzz as a better location?)

I'm thinking about going to Asia after Sept 2002 (my daughter's first year in college, freeing up 14-17 days). I will be AA platinum (2MM coming soon, fingers crossed), and need to figure out where to go, when, and on which airline.
My starting point:

Japan, Hong Kong, China (& Thailand). Is this too many countries? Any other suggestions? I am assuming that Australia is another trip. (New - delete Japan - another trip?, add Bali)? Where would you go in these countries?

I can get miles on most airlines through Starwood card. Which airlines do I use, either using free bus/first tix or upgrading coach? (have tons of AA miles now, all things being equal).

What's the best times of year for Asia?

Thanks, I really value all your input.

That was a wide open question. I guess it depends on what you'd like to see and do. The best time of year varies a lot too, since the north of Japan can be very cold, while Singapore and Malaysia sit on the equator.

Personally, I enjoyed Borneo (the Malaysian part, not the Indonesian part that has so much civil unrest) a great deal. Very interesting place, very friendly people, great food, great variety from hotel resorts to river tours to ocean trips to beaches.

If you can, use an Asian airline as they have far, far, far better service that U.S. airlines. I would take ANA to Japan or Cathay to Hong Kong. Once you get there, Asian currencies are down these days so travel in and around Asia is relatively cheap. Hotels in cities such as Tokyo and Hong Kong can be someone expensive, but other cities such as Bangkok are dirt cheap. If you are up for adventure, try Cambodia to see Angkor Wat or Pnomh Peng. Check the Trip Report forum for what others have done.

Fly to Bangkok, spend 2-3 days there. Fly up to Chaing Mai for 1-2 days. Fly down to Phuket or Koh Samui for 2-3 days. Fly over to Angkor for 1-2 days. Fly to Saigon, and then spend the next week wandering to Hanoi via car or train.

Where to go depends on what you like to do and see.

Once the strike situation is resolved, using your AA miles for a CX or oneworld award for the region may be the best bet.

Go in the early part of the year (avoiding chinese new year) as it's cooler and drier then.

Malaysia is another cheap alternative though I find KL to be boring.

GHD ? Sept in the countries mentioned above is humid,rainy and in the 80s. Japan maybe cooler. Many Asian airlines have offered AsiaPass for a song in the past - Do not know whether they'e do the same. You could use CX with AA award certs.

Since my primary interests during travels is good food,wine,architecture, in that order -
All the places above qualify for great variety of excellent food.

Enjoy, if you have specific questions, do not hesitate to ask ;-)

http://www.cathay-usa.com/offers/aap20012002.asp

You may want to consider the CX's All Asia Pass, $999 includes includes roundtrip Economy Class air transportation between New York, San Francisco or Los Angeles and Hong Kong, plus all-you-can-fly to 16 Asian cities in 30 days.

Add-ons are available for business class or extend to 60-90 days.

In SE Asia, the best time is during the winter, after the rainy season, say in late October or so, and before the summer season(March-early June). It is generally dry, sunny and relatively cool then. Same advice for South Asia and Hong Kong/Taiwan, but not for NE Asia (e.g. Japan, Korea, NE China - Beijing, etc... too cold then; Sept-Nov better).

If you know someone in any of the areas that you are considering, or can find a friend of a friend or business acquaintance that lives out here, consider visiting them, and having a 'local' show you around. IMHO that is infinitely better than dealing with paid guides, or going it alone, at least for your first trip.

with regards to the weather, the rainy season is approximately nov-jan while the hottest months are about june to sep. depending on where you plan to go, the weathe may or may not be a big consideration - in singapore, where i come from, many/most places are air-conditioned, so the heat is not a huge putoff. also i guess you'd have to consider when the festivites are, eg. the chinese and islamic new year festivals, loy krathong in thailand which is absolutely beautiful and romantic, massive sales and a food festival in singapore in june etc. not too sure about the countries further north, eg. thailand, vietnam, laos, myanmar and cambodia. diving is another thing you might want to do, i believe west malaysia (borneo), manado in indonesia and other places are phenomenal too.

As others have said, you really have to decide what you are interested in (history & culture, beauty, beaches, food, shopping, etc.).

Personally, I would spend several days in Thailand (great combo of interesting history, food, and luxurious lodgings on the cheap)and also visit northern Vietnam (Hanoi, Ha Long Bay). Angkor also if that is your interest.

Cathay Pacific award is definitely the way to go (First of Biz). Assuming they've worked out their problems.

Give us some more guidance and I'm sure you'll get plenty of good suggestions.

I didn't know about this! thanks for posting!



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Al

posted by travelem

http://www.cathay-usa.com/offers/aap20012002.asp

You may want to consider the CX's All Asia Pass, $999 includes includes roundtrip Economy Class air transportation between New York, San Francisco or Los Angeles and Hong Kong, plus all-you-can-fly to 16 Asian cities in 30 days.

Add-ons are available for business class or extend to 60-90 days.
________________________________

I was going to recommend Cathay Pacific's All Asia Pass ticket on FT a while back, but thought before I put it out there, I better read the rules. Oh my god! Talk about restrictions. They even number them. There are 36. When I saw this thread, I went back to copy some of the text for you guys before you got too excited. No. 27 states:

"All Asia Pass tickets will earn no frequent flyer mileage credit in any program (regardless of the class traveled) and may not be used to qualify for any promotional bonus offer or special offer (including Hong Kong SuperStop)."

Also, I remember something about not being able to use upgrades as some part of one of the rules ... or something ... I'm still in defined meaning shock ...

lisamcgu

[This message has been edited by lisamcgu (edited 07-18-2001).]

[This message has been edited by lisamcgu (edited 07-18-2001).]

Where do you find that weather pattern? Here in Thailand, it is just the opposite in terms of rain. It is a rare year when the monsoonal flow over the Indian Ocean lasts much beyond early November.

I don't think the mileage is such a big deal. Nowadays it is so easy to get the mileage. For a coach trip, the whole trip is probably about 20000 miles more or less which is worth about US$200. If you do a little research, calculate the costs of flying among those Asian destinations such Bali, Cebu and some Japanese cities, the benefits are way over the loss of mileage.

However, like any bargain tickets, there are restrictions and limitations. The tricks here are the time and restriction of dates. Most flights require you flying back to HK first. And you have to set all the dates when booking. Change of dates after booking is very costly.

If you are a budget traveler, the CX pass may be a good deal.

My pure business travel is running around 200k-300k miles/yr, so I would agree. However, IMHO, for most folk who are interested in FF status, and do not travel continuously on long-hauls, there is an opportunity cost associated with the loss of mileage. For many people, the amount of discretionary time they can allocate for travel during the calendar year (or other) qualifying periods is limited. In those cases, their time and the value of the status miles carries more value than the package with its associated net benefits and price.