Hi Everyone;
I am planning my first trip to South east asia with a girlfriend. We are both female, 25 years old and we will be spending 3 -4 weeks exploring SE asia in May, 2013. We havent nailed down all of our destinations yet, but thought we would start with what beach we want to hit ( for about a week) and then plan around that since the beach portion is probably the most important part!
a little about what we want:
nice hotel/resort with a nice pool (clean is very important as my friend is terrified of bugs...we will obviously be running into some anyways)
something right on the beach
hotel with a nice/inexpensive spa
close proximity to good restaurants/bars (note we are not interested in partying like crazy but something close to some night life so we can go out when we feel like it)
our budget is flexible but I guess we probably dont want to spend anything more than $150 ish per night, although less would be great! If we had to stretch the budget a bit for a nice place we could...
a few people recommended ko Samui and I have read about Krabi. Any thoughts on these places? and more specifically, which beach to stay at?
If I have missed any information that might be helpful please let me know. We will be flying in and out of Hong Kong if that makes a difference in selecting a location. We will visit thailand for sure, and then we were contemplating between which other countreis between cambodia/laos/vietnam given the time limit of 4 weeks max.
thanks for all your help as always 
Looking for a great beach getaway in SE asia!
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thailand and vietnam probably have the best beaches.. i prefer thailand..
we love khao lak, which is a 1 hour drive north of phuket airport... taxi or hotel car---i prefer to rent a car---pure car rentals..
the jw marriott is our fav followed by le meridien
the car helps to get into town where there are reasonable restaurants and bars... there are however some beach bars/restaurants near each hotel... get a car..
samui is nice too as is krabi---we like the sheraton outside krabi and nthe amari vogue... both are a bit issolated..
hua hin might fit your bill.. no flt necessary.. s. of bkk by car.. hyatt is fab, also intercontinental... lots to do in town..
I like the Andaman Sea side of Thailand best - Phuket, PhiPhI, Krabi, Khoa Lak, and many more. The problem is that in May, it is rainy in that area. The weather websites say that the area gets an average of 13 inches of rain in May. If you don't mind the rain, and plan to swim in the pool anyway, you can get great prices at lovely resorts. Check www.agoda.com and www.sawasdee.com for prices. Note that while it doesn't typically rain all day, the beaches are often red-flagged.
Koh Samui only gets half as much rain in May on average, and Hua Hin gets half as much as Samui.
My first thought was/is Samui. Weather is one reason and the other is that there is plenty to do. Krabi and Khao Lak are both beautiful, but more for a laid back type of vacation at the pool or on the beach. Samui has the beach plus shopping plus lots of dining and night life, if you are looking for it.
Thanks for the replies! does anyone have suggestions for what beach to stay on samui? more specifically, any hotels that would be a good price/location?
after looking at Khao Lak I am definitely interested! Maybe I could squeeze both destinations in my trip! Any suggestions for hotels there would be great!
I'm an advocate for choosing one beach location. You get time to settle in and relax rather than wasting a most of a day getting from one beach to the other.
Chaweng or Lamai Beach on Samui would probably offer the most to do, and within walking distance. I have not stayed ay Poppie's (on Chaweng) but have dined there. Very nice. Not your typical 7-floor "motel" kind of place. It is more spread out, with nice grounds for walking. The beach here is nice too.
the jw marriott is our favorite and le meridien is second...
i prefer to rent a car so we can go into town for dinner some nights.. the candle is our favorite restaurant... on that same street there are others too.