Tom_Parr

Hello... Found this forum very helpful in the past and wanted to get some input on our upcoming trip. My wife and i are planning a 15 day SE Asia trip over Christmas. We have travelled extensively, but never to Asia. Having been to Peru and Guatemala this year to see lots of mayan and incan ruins, we are very interested in Cambodia. The question is: for our first time in asia, would you start in Thailand or start in Vietnam? We don't think we can do both in 15 days if we go to Cambodia. We have a sizeable budget and don't mindany aspects of third world travel. What would you do for your first trip in SE Asia?

rhkkmk

i would plan on 3-4 days minimum for angkor wat area... so that leaves you about 10 days...

hanoi is a fantastic city, but bangkok is more fantastic imo.

i would plan to visit either one country or the other.... do you want some beach time? if so thailand is probably better.

depending on where you are coming from thailand (bangkok) is usually easier to get to.... VN has more limited flight options.

if it were me, i would fly to bkk and spend 5 days, fly to siem reap and spend 4.5 days, then back to bkk and go to hua hin for 4 days and finish with another day in bkk

Kathie

I agree with your assessment that you should choose either Thailand or VN since you are going to Cambodia. I'd choose Thailand over VN for a first trip, as it has much better developed infrastructure.

Get a copy of Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor: A Guide to Cambodia's Wondrous Temples to prepare for Angkor. This will help you choose how much time to spend at Angkor. It takes three full days just to visit the "major" temples. If you are really interested in the temples, you'll want more time (we spent a week, loved every minute).

I'd spend a fair amount of time in Bangkok - an amazing city - my favorite city in the world. Then decide what else you want to experience in Thailand - do you want to go norther to the hill country or south to the beaches?

gmoz

I agree that I would skip Vietnam and concentrate on Thailand and Cambodia. I would fly to Bangkok and stay for a few days to adjust, perhaps vist Golden Palace, Wat Arun and other sights and a bit of shopping and eating. Then fly to Sien Reap for 3/4 days for Angkor Wat. Then I would catch the boat down to Phnom Pehn (one day trip) and spend a day in Phnom Penh then fly back to Bangkok. In the last few days in Bkk you could fit in a trip to Ayudtthaya to see the ruins as you like ruins.
Like Kathie my favourite city is also Bangkok.

Tom_Parr

Appreciate the great feedback. Booked the tickets to Bangkok today! Very excited!

rhkkmk

now you can plan in earnest

Tom_Parr

Rhkkmk- tell me about hua hin... I have heard people talk about it. Fly or train from bangkok? What are the pros/cons compared to say krabi or ko samui? We don't want anything to do with phuket because it is just too touristy.

Where do you stay in hua hin?

Kathie

Hua Hin is a beach area south of bangkok. You get a car and driver to take you, about 2.5 hours. It's a pleasant beach with some lovely properties. A lot of Thais use Hua Hin as a getaway.

The beaches are not as spectacular as Krabi (or Koh Lak, etc) or Koh Samui.

rhkkmk

kathie is correct.... it is in fact where the current king spent much of the last 10 years before he bacame hospitalized..

you can take a taxi there, or go by bus or by train....

i love the hyatt hotel there...is is south of town and has fantastic facilities and a nice beach with huge pools as well. food is very good there...

the marriott also has a decent hotel there but it is older..

the sheraton is north of town and quite isolated, but is very nice...

there is a new intercontinental hotel in the center of town that gets good reviews...

there are also many thai hotels in the area... i do not like the hilton there...

there is a night market and many restaurants in the downtown area...there is a medium sized mall near the marriott with good services and lots of restaurants...

i often go there for 4-5 days of relazation...

there is great golf in the area, water activities of all kinds, limited elephant experiences and other things..

i really like khoa lak in the south too....fly to phuket and then drive 1 hour north... i like the jw marriott there or the le meridien, but there are many other cheaper choices too..

krabi is another fav of mine... i like the sheraton krabi very much...

none of the above would be considered sleezy or touristy...