Singlepoint

Happy Holidays, everyone :-)

I've been scouring the forums with little success. However, I'm wondering if anyone can assist me with a nice dilemma to have.

Mrs. Singlepoint and I have the option of traveling with our children to one of the aforementioned destinations for a period of three weeks this upcoming summer. Being Plats, we would stay exclusively in Starwood properties (probably using points). Most of the trip reports I've viewed have been for singles or couples (which doesn't quite fit our demographic).

My question is, "In your collective opinions, which cities (listed above) or individual properties using those cities as gateways, would be best for a family consisting of two adults and two children ?" I'd be looking at best upgrade opportunities (think spacious rooms or suites with separate bedrooms etc) coupled with activities for families.

Thanks for any insights; I appreciate it. If I didn't provide enough detail, let me know and I'll try to elaborate.

Cheers and have a safe and enjoyable holiday,

Singlepoint

Braindrain

Personally, I would not choose any of those 3 for the summer.

However, to answer your Q, it depends on how small your kids are.

IMO, as Plats, the Sheraton HKG does often upgrade to non-city view suites - although you might have to press for it. The W HKG also has a good record of suite upgrades for Plats.

However, the ppties in BKK are far lower in category but suites are less certain (IMO). You may have to use points to guarantee a suite upgrade - which negates the lower Cat advantage. However, BKK is not a city I'd feel comfortable bringing small children to.

As for TYO, the Westin is your only choice for a higher-end hotel but is a Cat 6 - and a suite upgrade isn't necessarily guaranteed there, either. However, no problem with small children as it's a super safe city.

snaffled

Depending on when in summer (because of rainy season) I would say definitely Bangkok. Great city, but more importantly a gateway to some wonderful destinations and a great selection of SPG hotels.

Hong Kong is a cool city, but with kids for 3 weeks I don't think it is appropriate. You could always go to Macau for a day (ok-ish Westin) but apart from that HK is geographically limited and there is only so many times that you could go to the Ocean Park and Disneyland There are other nice islands, but the infrastructure isn't great on them and you would want to travel back to the Sheraton, W or LM each day. The other option would be to travel in Southern China but if it is your first time in this region and with kids, I'd say it is not worth the hassle.

Tokyo is a great place also, but madly expensive and limited SPG options. You could jump on the train to other cities and there are some SPG hotels around but again not huge options. I haven't been there for a while so couldn't tell you about suite upgrade options.

Bangkok is a full-on frenetic city, but really great, loads to do and as I said, a great gateway to other destinations in Thailand. You can drive to Hua Hin or Pattaya, or fly north to ChiangMai/ChiangRai or south to Phuket, Krabi etc. There are loads of internal flights to these places.

SPG has loads of options in Bangkok and all very high standards. At that time of year, I think your upgrade options are pretty good. They are certainly good in HuaHin and Pattaya as it is not peak season. Both nice Sheratons. There are heaps of up to date threads here on the various hotels so maybe have a look at them for more info. If you narrow it down a bit, I can happily give my opinions also.

The heat in Bangkok and surrounds at that time of year is pretty intense, and it is in rainy season so there is a large chance of rain, but then this is balanced against a much higher possibility of good upgrades etc.

VWE

iiiiiiiiw kids

bdraco

I can't comment on HKG, however between Bangkok and Tokyo/Japan I would take the kids to Japan.

Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka w/day trip to Nara (kids love to see the deer) would probably be my preference with kids (its probably cheaper to fly from HND-OSA then train). It won't be cheap, but they will remember it forever! However, this is more of a guess given you have not posted ages of the kids or how mobile the kids are.

Tokyo:
The Sheraton & The Westin are both great properties
Take them to Odaiba
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odaiba

Kyoto:
The Westin Miyako is a bit dated, however perfectly acceptable.

Osaka:
Had many good stays at the Westin here (avoid the Sheraton). The St. Regis is new.. might want to check that out.

Nara (Day trip from osaka):
Make sure they see the deer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nara,_Nara#Deer_in_Nara

schoflyer

Three weeks in HKG too long.
Three weeks in Japan too spendy.
Three weeks in Bangkok too hot.

I'd do some of everything. Or at least 2/3.

I'd look at the Miyako in TYO and the WGS/SGS in BKK.

Leumas

Echoing schoflyer's comment...

With 3 weeks, you can do all 3 cities and in great details.

Alternatively, aim for BKK and up to the the resorts nearby for a week or two?

nfg05

Agree, 3 weeks is plenty of time to do it all. Tough to keep busy for more than 3 DAYS in Hong Kong, much less 3 weeks.

yosithezet

You may want to read my trip report. 2 Adult/2 Kids (7 and 10 at the time) in Thailand for 3 weeks at SPG properties.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thail...k-bangkok.html

Life_Platinum

The weather is as important as the destination. Of your 3 choices, Japan is the coolest, but it is still very warm in Tokyo in the summer. I remember those days in the summer in Hong Kong and Bangkok when it was over 100 degrees F in the shade and we did everything we could to stay inside. Also remember that the chances of obtaining a large suite is not very great in Tokyo, as the Miyako in Tokyo as recommended by Schoflyer does not have any suites. The Disneyland property does however. Kyoto and Osaka's Starwood properties have suites, but it is a tad warmer in summer in comparison to Tokyo.

mtacchi

I live in HKG

I own a vacation home in Thailand.

Our kids (3) spend a month in Thailand once a year..

do a week in Chiang Mai, a week in Bangkok.. and a week on a island..
Phuket, or Le Meridian Koh Lak.

I've stayed at virtually every SPG in that part of the world..
PM me for more info.

The only choice in Thailand.

Singlepoint

Thanks yosithezet,

I missed your post so I'll have to take a look.

Cheers,

Singlepoint

evergrn

We're contemplating going to a new place in Asia for 1 week this year. We're in Japan and Hong Kong all the time, but have never toured around anywhere else in Asia.

We're thinking about Bangkok and Taipei, and I have a feeling we'll like Taipei better. But Bangkok is so much cheaper for everything. We have small kids, and we're mainly interested in the local ambiance, food, shopping, parks, interesting walks and generally taking it easy at the hotel. We only want to stay in one hotel the entire week. We like clean places (Japan and HKG certainly qualify).

I've looked at wikitravel a bit, but we're not really into temples and Buddha statues. To give you an idea, in HKG with kids, we eat, go to Ocean Park, go to the beach, hang out at parks, go for short hikes, do street markets, and hang out at malls.

Do you think we'll enjoy Bangkok? Or is Bangkok a place that appeals to someone who's more adventurous?

yosithezet

How old are the kids? I think you'll love Bangkok. You have malls and markets, boat trips on the river, huge oceanarium, Siam Niramit show, IMAX, Madame Tussaud, amusement park, tons of street food, funky temples like the three-headed elephant, day trip to a floating market, etc.

geminidreams

I leave this week for Thailand and meeting my kids there. 5 days in Phuket and 5 days in Bangkok. Hotels are good value, lots of entertainment/sightseeing options and great food.