-
I’m hoping for some destination advice. We have been lucky to secure 2 CW seats to Singapore with BA before the new pricing began. We leave mid April. The seating layout looks like Club Suite – any advice on best seats appreciated?
We have 13 nights in total and hope to do 2 nights in Singapore then fly somewhere for 5 nights, then somewhere else for 5 nights and spend the last night in Singapore before flying home.
We have been to Singapore, Vietnam, Bangkok and Hong Kong. We are considering either Bali, Borneo, Phuket, or maybe Philippines. But totally open to any advice on other destinations.
We are huge wildlife and nature fans so that must factor in. Serenity is great, but we love the entertainment, nightlife, tours, shopping and having lots of things to do.
We are titanium with Marriott and rich in Bonvoy points. We have diamond ambassador with IHG and about 100k IHG points. Similar amount of points with Hilton, but only gold status.
Any and all suggestions for destinations and hotels/resorts much appreciated. Likewise for things to do out there.
TIA
Koh Jum (aka Koh Poo), if you want dead quiet low key beach relaxation. Flight would be to Krabi (or at a push Phuket) and a boat transfer.
Koh Jum Beach Villas is where I stayed. Not a 5* resort, but a perfect beachside experience for me.
Koh Jum (aka Koh Poo), if you want dead quiet low key beach relaxation. Flight would be to Krabi (or at a push Phuket) and a boat transfer.
Koh Jum Beach Villas is where I stayed. Not a 5* resort, but a perfect beachside experience for me.
Thank you. I’ll check this out 😄
Borneo is the obvious option if you are huge nature fans. I’m more familiar with Kota Kinabalu, which has direct flights from SIN and some luxury hotels (e.g. Shangri La Rasa Ria or Gaya Island, both of which have nature reserves on their doorstep), and Sandakan which has more basic accommodation (but great wildlife along the Kinabatangan River).
Mulu national park, round the back of Brunei, was also popular on here. There is/was a good Marriott that was a decent redemption.
Langkawi and Penang are other good side trips. The former has great beach resorts (e.g. Datai), the latter is famous for its street food and has a bit more going on.
It’s quite a number of years ago now, but we flew from Bali to Sumbawa in Indonesia and then got a boat trip to the Komodo Islands. Fantastic trip and some fab swimming off the boat in various places. Stayed on the boat-so no use for you hotel points and limited night entertainment!
Bintan Indonesia, 1 hour ferry ride from Singapore.
Bintan Indonesia, 1 hour ferry ride from Singapore.
Oh dear, please no. Batam and Bintan are not even in the same league as Phuket or Langkawi which take just an additional hour to reach.
We aren’t big fans of nature / wildlife, so I’ll leave that for others to comment upon.
Bali has a decent mix of temples, culture, sightseeing, spas etc. Would suggest Ubud within Bali, but outside the main Ubud town. Some places can feel touristy, so a good local guide can be useful. It has many beach resorts, but Phuket or Krabi is a much better option for beaches.
Koh Samui probably has the most luxurious resorts, but you pay the premium for privacy as beaches aren’t vastly different from Phuket.Just as an alternative, flight to Medan, then on to Lake Toba? (there was a train…but long-distance taxi if not).
I’m also a Bali fan (although as poster above noted, not for beaches per se – just everything else!). Could do SIN-Bali-Yogyakarta-SIN, taking in the temples and Mount Merapi in Java.
Actually, you could just roam around Malaysia quite easily for 10 days, lots by train, and forget the additional flights! Tioman/Perhentian islands have beaches and nature, Taman Negara rainforest, Cameron Highland tea plantations.
Round it all off with the E&O hotel in Penang for a few days + train straight back to KL’s incredibly well-priced 5* hotels.Better get back to making the porridge before the others wake up *sigh* !
Based on your requirements I’d say Bali. 10 days would allow a decent trip “off the beaten track ” somewhere to explore the wildlife (get an appropriate driver / guide / tour) and a few days enjoying the food and luxury hotels in Seminyak or similar. Weather should be good
Check out KLM Business class for a nice option to fly there
Phuket will be getting quiet and potentially wet by then (certainly very hot)
Borneo only really ticks the wildlife element, you could combine with Penang though – Air Asia has some intra Malaysia flight options
Philippines is a longer flight from Singapore and then getting anywhere decent requires further travel. But again with 10 days this could work for you. Sure others will have recommendations on the specifics
BTW Singapore has some interesting wildlife tour options (beyond the night safari 🤣) that are worth seeking out.
Brilliant, thank you everybody for these suggestions. Plenty to work on here over the Xmas break. 😁
Could do SIN-Bali-Yogyakarta-SIN, taking in the temples and Mount Merapi in Java.
Yogyakarta is great for a short stay of 3-4 days. 2 days for the monuments and one for shopping / Ramayana show. But wasn’t sure OP had interest in monuments / historical sites. Wish I can stay at the Aman nearby. Now that’s something to plan (and save) for!
We aren’t big fans of nature / wildlife, so I’ll leave that for others to comment upon.
(But when they do I will disagree with any of the recommendations made)
I wouldn’t recommend Batam indonesia as There is not a lot to do here. ( I am here now for a week then on to Phuket)
As others have said I would also recommend Borneo to tick the wildlife and nature box. I really enjoyed the Shangri-La Rasa Ria Hotel near Kota.
To use Avois points, Malaysian Airlines has a direct service from Singapore to Kuching Borneo. Everything else is via KUL
For the entertainment, nightlife I would recommend a Thai Island.
My Bintan recommendation for the nature is based on the short amount of time that you have. Given this short period of time I would do the 5+5 as follows..
Bintan combined with a Thai Island.
For Bali I would go for the whole 10 nights . (Beach resort / Gili Islands Ubud etc)
Happy new year from Bophut Ko Samui 🙂
Thank you very much for these suggestions ☺️
If you’re interested in scuba diving, The Similans is nice trip from Khoa Lak.
Bintan Indonesia, 1 hour ferry ride from Singapore.
Oh dear, please no. Batam and Bintan are not even in the same league as Phuket or Langkawi which take just an additional hour to reach.
“We are huge wildlife and nature fans so that must factor in”
Are you recommending Phuket Zoo or the wildlife down the Bangla Road in Patong 🙂
What about Cambodia Angelamc 11? There are direct flights to Pnomh Penh and maybe other places from Singapore. We visited recently, although it was more temples etc and less wildlife. We stayed 1 night at Marina Bay Sands and 3 at the Intercon in Singapore. Both were great.
What about Cambodia Angelamc 11? There are direct flights to Pnomh Penh and maybe other places from Singapore. We visited recently, although it was more temples etc and less wildlife. We stayed 1 night at Marina Bay Sands and 3 at the Intercon in Singapore. Both were great.
Thanks I will look into this 🙂
Hi @Angelamc11
We are a family of four with similar requirements I think to you (though we don’t have the benefit of hotel status!)
We also snapped up CW tickets to Singapore in August and I asked a similar question here. Got some great responses and after much research we settled on 10 days in Bali and then a couple in Singapore.
Our plan if it helps:
Sanur 3 nights – acclimatise and chill after 25+ hours travel
Amed 2 nights – snorkelling and a bit of life off the beaten track
Ubud 5 nights – arts, culture and sights, day trips for nature and hikes, shopping
Singapore 2 nights – Gardens by the bay, Little India, City life We won’t be doing the Safari or the Zoos thoughBorneo was also a close contender in our planning – I know we would love the natural beauty and wildlife there but we’ll do that next time we are lucky enough to be in SEA
Hi @Angelamc11
We are a family of four with similar requirements I think to you (though we don’t have the benefit of hotel status!)
We also snapped up CW tickets to Singapore in August and I asked a similar question here. Got some great responses and after much research we settled on 10 days in Bali and then a couple in Singapore.
Our plan if it helps:
Sanur 3 nights – acclimatise and chill after 25+ hours travel
Amed 2 nights – snorkelling and a bit of life off the beaten track
Ubud 5 nights – arts, culture and sights, day trips for nature and hikes, shopping
Singapore 2 nights – Gardens by the bay, Little India, City life We won’t be doing the Safari or the Zoos thoughBorneo was also a close contender in our planning – I know we would love the natural beauty and wildlife there but we’ll do that next time we are lucky enough to be in SEA
Trip sounds fab!
Just btw, the ArtScience Museum is right next to the Gardens, all hands-on and fantastic for young and old!Hi @Angelamc11
We are a family of four with similar requirements I think to you (though we don’t have the benefit of hotel status!)
We also snapped up CW tickets to Singapore in August and I asked a similar question here. Got some great responses and after much research we settled on 10 days in Bali and then a couple in Singapore.
Our plan if it helps:
Sanur 3 nights – acclimatise and chill after 25+ hours travel
Amed 2 nights – snorkelling and a bit of life off the beaten track
Ubud 5 nights – arts, culture and sights, day trips for nature and hikes, shopping
Singapore 2 nights – Gardens by the bay, Little India, City life We won’t be doing the Safari or the Zoos thoughBorneo was also a close contender in our planning – I know we would love the natural beauty and wildlife there but we’ll do that next time we are lucky enough to be in SEA
I could have written this post lol. 10 days in Bali was the first plan. We are now debating doing a week in Bali with G Adventures and then 5 nights in Phucket or Borneo. Phucket is winning so far in this option. There are so many Marriotts there that look good, though I’m sold on JW Marriott 1B suite with private pool at 180k points and £700.
The other option is a week with G Adventures in Thailand as we have only been to Bangkok, then doing 5 nights in Ubud at the Westin.
This leaves us with 1 night Singapore on the first night and 2 nights at the end of the trip. Which we may go for IC or Marriott.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Popular articles this week:
