jwurz

Hi everyone,

I am planning a special trip as a part one year anniversary celebration and a birthday to preferably SE Asia. We spent our honeymoon at the Singitas in Tanzania last summer and a year before that we experienced Indonesia (FS Sayan, Amankila, Amanjiwo).

As of now I am thinking about heading to SE Asia in early to mid October (end of rainy season?) and I am pondering a few itineraries for about 10 days or so and would like some feedback. My preference would be to stay in all Amans - except for Bangkok. Neither of us have been to Cambodia or Laos and my wife has not been to Thailand (I have been to Bangkok and Phuket). I do think it would be great to mix cultural with some relaxation and I would love to try and squeeze in a beach destination without doing to much flying - Amanpuri Phuket

• Bangkok - Siam - 2 nights
• Cambodia - Amantaka - 3 nights
• Laos - Amansara - 3 nights and/or perhaps Phuket - Amanpuri - 3 nights or
• **We are traveling from the USA so we would probably stop in London one night (BA Miles) in both directions.

It seems I can fly to all these places but it would be great if we could eliminate some of the flights and drive but it does not seems possible. I would really prefer to just stay at all Amans as opposed to mixing in some Four Seasons or others...

Is rain a consideration in early/mid October?

I also considered doing an India tour - Aman and Oberoi, but we just took Malaria meds from our trip to Africa and would prefer to avoid taking them again.

Pausanias

I combined Amantaka (3 nights) and Amansara (4 nights) two years ago and thought the split between the two was just about right. We had more to see in Angkor than there is in Luang Prabang - we just like ruins. By the way, we first went to Angkor in 1992 and stayed at the Apsara Villas which eventually became Amansara. Anyway, both hotels were truly superb and the all-inclusive deal you get at Amansara is brilliantly thought through and organised. We went in the dry season (January) and regretted it - everything was terribly parched and choking dust dust dust. In October it should be fresh and green.

For the beach in Thailand, I personally wouldn't stay at Amanpuri again. We first went there in 1983 and stayed at the Pansea, before Amanpuri was built. Then along came Amanpuri so we headed off there and we've been back twice and liked it less every time so we won't ever go back, despite the fact we had Ed Tuttle's villa last time round. Mainly we don't like sharing the beach with the old Pansea (now Chedi) and we really hated those steps down (and UP) to that beach. We also thought the food was terrible.

Phuket is way off my radar nowadays but that Trisara place looks OK.

beta1607

If you're using BA miles look into flying Cathay through HKG, it is certainly more direct then flying to London to get to Asia.

halibahs

We were in Amansara in Cambodia early October last year and found the weather quite pleasant. It generally rained at night and you may get slight overcast during mid-day. We had one huge afternoon thunderstorm which lasted for about 2 hours. But everywhere was lush and green and the temples were coated by beautiful verdant moss, moats filled with water etc.

If you time your trip correctly, you might be able to catch the lantern festival (Boun Ok Pansa) in Luang Prabang for celebration of the end of Buddhist Lent in mid October. We saw pictures of it earlier in Amantaka this year and determined to go back and see it ourselves. Amantaka is just a great resort to relax and enjoy the slow pace of Luang Prabang.

I think 4 nights at each resort is a better mix (something I believe Groombridge did earlier), if time allows...

FlyerEC

Oct is a good month for Luang Prabang & alright for Siem Reap .
The new LPQ runway is open & hopefully the new airport terminal too by then .
An Amantaka / Sara combination will be good , & relaxing on the lovely Puri beach will be a nice round up after the humidity inland.
Should not be busy if you can avoid the ' golden week ' or 1 st couple of weeks in Oct - this is critical as the airports will be chaotic.
For Puri , if you don't fancy walking, you can always have the Puri team ' buggy ' you around like what we do. Folks from The Surin - former Chedi , may sometimes stroll along the beach just as we , the Puri Amanjunkies , often stroll to the ' far ' end .
This is one of Phuket 's better beaches if not the best & even quieter in the ' shoulder ' season as it 's not crowded like in the peak periods.
Trisara has comfortable modern villas but beach is corally , best swim in their infinity beach pool or villa's.

jwurz

Good thought - I have a companion voucher though and I need to use that on BA hardware.

5khours

All good choices. I have to disagree with Pausania though. I'm a big fan of Puri. Outstanding Thai food. Great beach. Love getting the exercise of walking. Resort is incredibly beautiful. I go 4 or 5 times a year.

Might want to consider the Penn in Bangkok. Might also want to think about Saigon. Much more interesting city than Bangkok IMHO.

Pausanias

Completely agree with that - Saigon is a great city to explore, with some superb architecture, art galleries, general vibe. The Park Hyatt is an excellent base. You might also think of a beach resort in Vietnam as well - not nearly as developed as Thailand. Cambodia is also developing its beaches and now is the time to go before the hordes arrive.

My problem with Amanresorts nowadays is that they seem to be following trends and following herds rather than making them and leading them, which they used to do, though Gabon is definitely a mouthwatering prospect for people like me.

Musken

Agree with 5khours. Love Amanpuri as well. Timeless and beautiful design. Great food - both Thai and Japanese. Fantastic gym and spa and really beautiful beach. Trisara is another good option at Phuket.

Not sure about October and end of rainy season, but even with some rain, Amanpuri is great. We had quite some rain in March two years ago, which was supposed to be dry season and still loved it there.

Londonjetsetter

Malaria medication is not required for Northern India, where the Aman and Oberoi resorts are situated. I will post a trip report asap, I loved it.

MegatopLover

I'd say the OP is doing way too much moving around, especially when you add in a night in London in each direction. I would definitely recommend eliminating the London stop and just pushing through. USA-LHR-BKK really isn't bad, if you can get a short transit time in London, which may be though, particularly eastbound. Beyond that, this itinerary does not sound relaxing at all to me. Too much running around, two days here, three there, three there, two here, two more there. I'm exhausted just thinkning about it.

I would eliminate one of the side trips from Bangkok and redistribute that time. Luang Prabang and Siem Reap sound like a good pair, though I can understand (if not share) some folks' strong preference for beaches when on holiday. In that case, I'd drop either LPQ or REP. Angkor and Luang Prabang are very different experiences: ruins of a capital of an ancient empire vs. a quiet little monastic town at the confluence of two rivers. As between them, I'd suggest Siem Reap first, Luang Prabang second; weighing against that is that I'd be quicker to go for Amantaka than Amansara. As for what to do with the extra time from eliminating one side trip, I'd add it to BKK and one night to Siem Reap. If you can eliminate any nights in London, add them to Bangkok. Remember, it's your wife's first time in Bangkok, and there is tons to do.

BTW: Amantaka is the one in Luang Prabang, Amansara in Siem Reap, not vice versa.

jwurz

@Londonjetsetter - definitely interested in hearing about the trip.

@Musken and 5k - I agree and think it would be really nice to add a little beach to the trip which is why we were inclined to go to Amanpuri and maybe even at the expense of Luang Prabang.

I agree with others as well that it could be too much bouncing around - we are young - but I have definitely learned the value of remaining a few extra days so as not to feel pressured to cram everything in. Just weighing the options - I think seeing the cultural side of Siem Reap (Amansara) and then heading to Amanpuri would be more desirable if we had to eliminate Luang Prabang (Amantaka).

If I eliminated Laos...
Bangkok - two nights?
Siem Reap - three nights?
Phuket - Amanpuri - four nights?


October --- I will probably arrive in SE Asia around October 7 as of now unless I get some major push back from everyone due to rains and weather.

jwurz

Could someone also PM me the names of the current GMs at Amansara and Amanpuri. Thank you.

FlyerEC

Perhaps OP didn't get my drift ?
Was in Puri few times last year , last time was in Oct & Taka last year too. . Sara was earlier.
May PM me for info .

Kagehitokiri

http://www.amanresorts.com/exclusive...&LangType=1033
indochina past and present - 3 nts taka 3 nts sara plus puri
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...-amanpuri.html
Groombridge - "In late 2011, we spent 12 nights [4 each] at Amantaka, Amansara, and Amanpuri"

(LHR - BKK) - taka - sara - puri - (BKK/SIN - LHR) (BKK/SIN flights do line up fine, no stopovers "required")

none of the flights are long are they? VIP @ airports reduces time spent there
sounds like OP has miles, but how often do they go to asia/etc?
through london in J/F, with stopover - that will be worst airport of trip

other asian aman >
china - if lijiang is open?
pulo
dari nusa wana
kora