Last Minute Trip to Asia - Ideas?

perez on 21/10/2014 - 13:12

Hi all,

Considering a last minute trip to Asia when I finish my job in a couple of weeks. I want to visit some friends in Hong Kong for about a week, and would like to go elsewhere for a few days as well.

The question is: where else should I consider? Would want somewhere cheap, and with amazing food to discover (street food!).

Have been to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Hong Kong in the past. A friend suggested perhaps KL? What about mainland China? Needs to be somewhere safe - I would be travelling alone.

For instance, if I decided to go to Malaysia then the flights I'd end up booking could be something like MEL -> HKG -> KUL -> MEL - prices look similar to just MEL -> HKG -> MEL.

Gentlemen/ladies, the floor is open. Any ideas?

Travel

Comments

  • jrad0 on 21/10/2014 - 13:42

    Bangkok for food, any day of the week. Been there before? I found KL dingy, dirty and quite uninteresting, but I am biased to Bangkok. Should be good enough weather in BKK too. I'll be there in a week for a month - cant wait to destroy so many amazing meals!!! and weather reports are looking pretty good. Love that city

    • perez on 21/10/2014 - 15:24

      YES YES YES to Bangkok, food is amazing there, and cheap enough accommodation available. Have been a few times though so tempted to either go somewhere completely new, or somewhere I've only been briefly, to explore more.

      • jrad0 on 21/10/2014 - 15:47

        I have also been to Penang as mentioned below and had eaten most of that kind of food in Bangkok, where it was also cheaper. Accommodation in Georgetown is quite expensive too, but I stayed in a really really cool place called Ren-i-tang. What is your accommodation budget? I can recommend a couple of nice options to stay and cheap, quality clean restaurants worth seeking out + dessert places + malls + cheap clean food courts + best massage and the best sights. Bangkok has pretty much unlimted eating options and I'm always so overwhelmed when I'm there! And don't worry, Bangkok is quite safe.

        • HAL on 21/10/2014 - 16:51

          "eaten most of that kind of food in Bangkok"?

          You are comparing Malaysian food to Thai, not sure how you are doing that comparison as both cuisines are very different.

        • jrad0 on 21/10/2014 - 17:11

          @HAL: I'm talking basic street food noodles and the like. Don't think you can find cendol as they serve it in Penang but you can find ice deserts and other things around, plus mango sticky rice is epic in Thailand! Proper thai curries for example are different to what you can actually find in the street (pad thai, charcoal cooked seafood, omlets, thai pancakes, jok etc) in Bangkok but most street stuff in Penang and Bangkok are chinese based or that there of so they aren't so different at that level - $1 to $1.5 price range. Dont get me wrong Penang is awesome for street food, but like I said I'm biased towards Bangkok.

        • Davros on 21/10/2014 - 18:28

          @jrad0:
          Food in Penang is nothing like Thai - Nonya style is distinctly Malaysian and there are several dishes are are distinctly Penang, IF you know where to go.
          Worth looking at private apartment rentals as well, I stayed in Penang Times Square last year which is a newer highrise with shopping centre under and was paying around $300/week for a 2 bedroom 12th floor apartment with views to the straights. That one was available for a 3 day minimum.
          Difficult to find at that price but they are there.

        • bunjara72 on 21/10/2014 - 18:39

          hi jrad0 , can you suggest a nice place to stay in bangkok , i m planning to go there in feb next year. thanks, and the food places as well, cheers

        • perez on 21/10/2014 - 21:56

          @bunjara72:

          If you want somewhere really nice, suggest staying at The Banyan Tree. Amazing hotel, every room is a suite and there's a skybar on the top floor which is the perfect place for a sundown cocktail before you head out for the evening! Have stayed there twice in the past and it's always been an amazing place to arrive after a long flight!

        • jrad0 on 22/10/2014 - 10:52

          @bunjara72: For something different and my particular style I'd highly recommend having a look at Arun Residence. Walking distance to the main temples (Wat Prah Kaew - Emerald Buddha, Grand Palace, Wat Po, Wat Arun), on the river, plenty of street stalls selling random stuff, not too far from Khao San road and close to the Tha Tien pier for the 15baht (50cent) chao praya river express boat (orange flag) which connected to the BTS sky train Silom line that can take you to Siam where you must eat at Seefah (fried wontons and red curry duck are my recommendations!), which is in a car park out the directly back of Siam One mall. After eating here go to After you back across the road at the back of Siam One for the most popular dessert cafe in Thailand. Also the shopping/eating in Siam paragon is top notch and a breakfast at Harrods Tea room (try the white chocolate tea!!) is quite cheap and there are so many choices in the food court floor for all kinds of tastes. For cheap, clean street food priced food go to the San Francisco food court on level 5 of Terminal 21 (BTS Asoke station) where you can find duck and rice dishes etc, fresh juice, curries, mango sticky rice style and the like desserts for around 35 baht ($1.10) each serve. There is also a seefah there but the one behind Siam One has the full menu. For a massive indulgence, go to Oishi Grand in Siam Discovery for an epic Japanese all you can eat buffet that is pretty affordable (around $25 i think)
          If you'd like to stay close to Siam area (where the hub of the Skytrain is) have a look at Siam@Siam, quite affordable and good location to the "unofficial" centre of Bangkok.

          The (arguably) best massage can be found in Health Land, easiest to get to is behind Terminal 21.

          Hope this helps. Now you can see why I love Bangkok! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!

        • jrad0 on 22/10/2014 - 10:56

          @Davros: Tried a few like Penang Laksa, char kway teow, Cendol, roti, etc a couple of those being "famous" places but like I said you can find the noodles in Bangkok, not the laksas obviously but me personally I'd take a real thai curry over a laksa.
          @perez also beware of Penang Taxis, ridiculously overpriced. Busses are a pretty good option but can be unreliable.

        • jrad0 on 22/10/2014 - 10:59

          @bunjara72: Also forgot the mention the restaurant at Arun Residence is very good and there is a little top floor bar overlooking Wat Arun across the river lit up at night, very cool.
          Lebua is the ultimate skybar in my opinion. The view, fanciness and service is second to none, but only one drink is required $$$!! For chilling go to Red SKy bar at Centara Grand, as they have beds and more chairs. Located behind Central World shopping mall. You will find an amazing restaurant area in "Groove" at central world that is awesome for eating, drinking and hanging out.

  • HAL on 21/10/2014 - 13:49
    +1

    Penang/George Town is the food capital of Malaysia, highly recommend but stay in George town not the crappy beach. Our hotel gave us a map of the best food places, because the portions were so small and cheap, I would eat at 5-6 different stalls each night!

    I found KL boring unless you are into shopping…

    China is huge… loads of history, lots to see… but most of the main tourist sites are full obnoxious domestic tourists. I have always wanted to catch a train from Beijing to Lhasa (Tibet) that would be a once in a lifetime experience! ($$$ though) I've been to most of the main cities in China so let me know which ones you are interested in :)

    How about Taiwan? Street food is plenty there… cheap, clean and polite! (Alishan is AMAZING)

    • perez on 21/10/2014 - 15:23

      All sounds good!

      Might give mainland China a miss for the time being as will probably have about a week..

      Penang maybe an idea. Didn't think that much of KL when I stopped over for a couple of nights before, but then didn't really know where to go.

      Wondering about Ho Chi Minh - can do lots of street food and then a Mekong river cruise?

      • HAL on 21/10/2014 - 15:41

        I found Ho Chi Minh was great for food and a bit of history, but I enjoyed Hanoi a lot more… Ha long Bay is breath taking, one of the most beautiful places I have ever been…

        I travelled Vietnam by myself, will never forget lying on a boat floating in Ha Long Bay looking at the stars chatting to other travellers I just met… or swimming on a island beach in the middle of bay as the sun set over the horizon…

        • perez on 22/10/2014 - 11:15

          Loved Ha Long Bay!

          My trip a couple of years ago included 10 days in Vietnam… visited Ho Chi Minh, Hue, Hanoi and did a trip to Ha Long Bay as well, stunning place!

          Street food was a highlight everywhere. Bun Cha Hanoi has to be one of my favourite meals ever - amazingly tasty! Need to go back and find the little street place I had it at!

    • zrach on 01/11/2014 - 10:05

      I also want to visit Tibet! Why the triple $ signs? Would it really be that expensive?

  • vandelay on 21/10/2014 - 13:56

    yep, taiwan

  • NancyCat on 21/10/2014 - 14:19

    Singapore? 'Stopover Holiday' with Singapore Airelines.

    http://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/special-offers/landingpage…

    KL would be my second choice.
    I don't recommend mainland China. I think you need more than a few days to be able to visit China properly.
    Been to Taiwan (Taipei) few years ago, but I don't like it….They do have some good restaurants.

    • HAL on 21/10/2014 - 14:29

      I never understood the appeal of Singapore it's an expensive Malaysia, albeit cleaner.

      I spent 1 day there and was bored out of my mind (I'm not much of a shopper though).

      Did I miss something?

      Agree with China though, to do it justice you need a few weeks… but having said that you could fly into Beijing (since its so close to HK) Forbidden City, Great Wall, Summer Palace, Olympics sites + more can be done in a few days… oh and PEKING DUCK!!!

    • perez on 21/10/2014 - 14:50

      Thanks for the suggestion… Singapore is an option although the Stopover Holiday only gives you a rate deal for the first night. I was hoping for something pretty cheap to keep costs down (got a big trip planned next year so don't want to spend too much on this trip).

      • HAL on 21/10/2014 - 14:55
        +1

        Cathay does SYD -> Seoul -> Taipei -> HKG -> SYD for ~$1.3k return…

        I always found that price amazing! (I did the trip 2-3 years ago, price hasn't changed)

  • Davros on 21/10/2014 - 15:28

    +100000 for Vietnam, action nearly 24/7
    - 100000 for Singapore (expensive) and Bali (Bogans and stuff just doesnt open early)

  • DansTubeTV on 31/10/2014 - 19:59

    Too late to reply here, but if you have chance mainland of China is worth visiting. Come to the Great Wall, summer palace etc, you will be amazed by those ancient places, it's true beauty

  • perez on 04/11/2014 - 20:56
    +1

    Thanks for the advice and ideas all! Leaving shortly for Hong Kong.. a couple of nights planned there, then heading to Hanoi with my friend for 4 days… after that I'm planning to book a trek to Bac Ha / Sapa, then another 5 nights in Hong Kong before returning home. Can't wait - so excited about the street food in Vietnam!

  • perez on 04/11/2014 - 20:56

    Duplicate - removed

  • Archi on 05/11/2014 - 11:02

    just bought tickets for the wife and daughter to Sydney - sing - HK return in Singapore airlines for $915

    thought that was pretty good deal… it only cost $100 including taxes for my 12 month old daughter,

    • NancyCat on 05/11/2014 - 14:46

      it only cost $100 including taxes for my 12 month old daughter

      Because your daughter doesn't have a seat, she sits on your lap. That's pretty much the standard price for a child less than 2 y.o. (10% of adult's fare)

      Hopefully, the flight is not full and they will give you a 'free' seat. (They usually do, but make sure you check-in at the airport early.)

      • Archi on 05/11/2014 - 16:39

        thanks nancy, I've always thought infants was 10% + tax but I guess not…

        yeah…we are flying the A380. so hopefully not a full flight and have some extra room to move around.

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