Visiting Asia (Splitting Time Between Hong Kong and Thailand)

[fisher]

I have been reading the posts about visiting Thailand and Hong Kong.
Looking for opinions on those who visited and the recommendation on ending my trip in Hong Kong or Thailand.
I have 4 weeks (28 days) in total for flight and visiting Asia. Due to family obligation I need to allocate 4 - 5 days for a stop in China, The rest of the time is vacation and I am definitely allocating 2 weeks for relaxation in Thailand. For those that have visited Asia visiting Hong Kong and Thailand. Should I make the last part of the trip Hong Kong or should I just end my trip in Thailand to come back to Toronto.

I know some have recommended Hong Kong as a hub for travel, but from past experience in other trips I do not want to waste my time back tracking and spending 1/2 a day at the airport. If anyone had the same experience and provide some insight it would be greatly appreciated.

[i6s1]

I have been reading the posts about visiting Thailand and Hong Kong.
Looking for opinions on those who visited and the recommendation on ending my trip in Hong Kong or Thailand.
I have 4 weeks (28 days) in total for flight and visiting Asia. Due to family obligation I need to allocate 4 - 5 days for a stop in China, The rest of the time is vacation and I am definitely allocating 2 weeks for relaxation in Thailand. For those that have visited Asia visiting Hong Kong and Thailand. Should I make the last part of the trip Hong Kong or should I just end my trip in Thailand to come back to Toronto.

I know some have recommended Hong Kong as a hub for travel, but from past experience in other trips I do not want to waste my time back tracking and spending 1/2 a day at the airport. If anyone had the same experience and provide some insight it would be greatly appreciated.

If you don't really care about visiting Hong Kong, then there's no reason to make it a hub over any other city. If Cathay happens to have the best rates and connections, you may end up using it as a hub, but if Asiana, Thai, JAL, etc has cheaper rates and better connections, then any city will do.

Out of your 4 weeks
-2 weeks Thailand
-4-5 days China
-9/10 days in ????

Plan a multi-city trip using itasoftware, with the places you actually want to visit, and try it with Thailand first or last and see what has the best rates and the shortest travel time.

[Cheap]

Should I make the last part of the trip Hong Kong or should I just end my trip in Thailand to come back to Toronto.

I know some have recommended Hong Kong as a hub for travel, but from past experience in other trips I do not want to waste my time back tracking and spending 1/2 a day at the airport. If anyone had the same experience and provide some insight it would be greatly appreciated.

Since you can't fly from Thailand to Toronto direct, you are going to spend some time in an airport somewhere waiting for your connecting flight. HKG is only 2.5 hours from BKK, so it isn't much of a back track. Where are you going in China? Where are you going in Thailand? I am familiar with the routes, so with a little more info, I might be able to make some suggestions.

[fisher]

Since you can't fly from Thailand to Toronto direct, you are going to spend some time in an airport somewhere waiting for your connecting flight. HKG is only 2.5 hours from BKK, so it isn't much of a back track. Where are you going in China? Where are you going in Thailand? I am familiar with the routes, so with a little more info, I might be able to make some suggestions.

Thanks for the suggestions:

For China I have to stop in Guangzhou to meet up with a relative to vist their village (overnight) so I am assuming at least 3 nights hotel there to allow for some sight seeing around there. It was suggested from some friends that I visit Shenzhen I would assume another day there. The rest of the trip is split between HK and Thailand and most looking forward to the Thailand part to sight see and relax at some resort by the beach.
I have checked and I can book a flight coming in to Guangzhou and fly back either from Bangkok or HK. Just wondering what other travellers have done in the past when they visited Thailand and HK for the same trip.
Based on what I have read so far, unless you are visiting with relatives 4 - 5 days is enough to see most of the sights in HK and hotel is pretty expensive for extended stays.

[toisanwu]

I am not sure if it's important whether you make HK or BKK as your last stop. However, if you are into shopping and know what you want to bring back, you could figure out where you will be doing the shopping the most and make that as your final stop.

I think in general it's more costly getting multi-destination air fares than a simple round trips + separate flights by local airlines. For example, you could fly to HKG and use a discounted airline to fly to BKK.

There is not much to do or see in Shenzhen. It's a modern city and lacks culture. They have the Splendid China theme park supposedly showcasing the country, but I've found it to be boring. I would safely skip it. However, you may discover that you want to spend more time in Guangdong (Canton), the foods there are really amazing.

[Cheap]

Thanks for the suggestions:

For China I have to stop in Guangzhou to meet up with a relative to vist their village (overnight) so I am assuming at least 3 nights hotel there to allow for some sight seeing around there. It was suggested from some friends that I visit Shenzhen I would assume another day there. The rest of the trip is split between HK and Thailand and most looking forward to the Thailand part to sight see and relax at some resort by the beach.
I have checked and I can book a flight coming in to Guangzhou and fly back either from Bangkok or HK. Just wondering what other travellers have done in the past when they visited Thailand and HK for the same trip.
Based on what I have read so far, unless you are visiting with relatives 4 - 5 days is enough to see most of the sights in HK and hotel is pretty expensive for extended stays.

I am more familiar with YYZ-HKG-BKK, I have done it more times than I can remember. I fly Air Canada and you can add a stop in HKG in either direction. My problem is that I suffer from jetlag so I try to make the the stopover after I have had some time to adjust. The one time I made the stopover in HKG on the way to BKK it was a waste, I spent the most of time either sleeping or too tired to do anything. On the other hand when I stopped in HKG on the way back, I had already spent enough time in BKK that my jetlag was long gone.

There are direct flights from Guangzhou to BKK, (for as little as $150 on AirAsia) so depending on how much flexibility you want in your schedule and your budget you might think about a round trip to HKG and then make your own arrangements to get to and from Shenzen, (I think you can take a ferry from HKG to Shenzen), Guangzhou and BKK from there.

You could also price out an open jaw, arriving in HKG and then departing from BKK if you aren't sure how much time you want to spend in each city.

[fisher]

I am more familiar with YYZ-HKG-BKK, I have done it more times than I can remember. I fly Air Canada and you can add a stop in HKG in either direction. My problem is that I suffer from jetlag so I try to make the the stopover after I have had some time to adjust.

Thanks for the heads up about jetlag and it is definitely something to take into consideration. I have never taken a flight this long (13+ hours) to a destination.
If I were to go to Thailand first to relax and adjust to the time change and get rid of the jetlag would you recommend staying in Bangkok a few days before heading south to Phuket or the islands?

Stopping in HK last would make sense because the people I will be traveling with like to do a lot of shopping and I do not want to lug too many things in Thailand.

[Mulder and Scully]

I've done Hong Kong and Thailand in a single vacation twice.

If landing in HKG first and departing from BKK at the end:
- I would argue that Hong Kong has better shopping than Thailand because HKG's products are legit whereas BKK has a lot of low quality fakes. If you do any shopping in HKG your suitcase is going to be full and heavy when you're heading to Thailand.
- Thailand if you're heading to a beach or an island is very fun and relaxing. A great way to end a trip.
- Flying from Thailand to Toronto is a ~20 hour trip. I flew BKK-NRT-YYZ on my return earlier this year. My departure was at 6 AM. It was awful. I had to wake up at 3 AM, got to the airport by 4 AM and ate cold food in the BKK airport.

If landing in BKK first and departing from HKG at the end:
- ~20 hour trip and you're going to arrive around midnight. The first night is pretty much a wash as by the time you get to your hotel in Bangkok and check in it'll be 1 AM. You can stroll the streets but even the red light districts will be closed at 2 AM. Taxi drivers are even worst a**holes at night.

If staying in HKG and making a short trip to BKK but returning back to HKG:
- I would recommend this as the ideal.
- This may cost you more because you don't get the savings by booking everything on one itinerary.
- Less stressful on your body with the flights but less time efficient. You'll lose a day on time spent at the airports.
- You could bring friends from Hong Kong with you to make the trip more fun.
- If you plan on traveling throughout Thailand then you'll want more days, but if you're just heading to a beach, island or resort then 4-5 days would be enough. Maybe add another 2-3 days if you want to go to Bangkok. You may get bored with 2 full weeks just lounging whether it be at a resort or not.

[gobbledygoo]

One way to deal with jetlag is to pre-adjust to your destination time zone right before you fly. e.g. your flight leaves Toronto 11pm and arrives in Bangkok at 8am. So at the time of your departure it is 11am Bangkok time. Thus you should stay awake for first half of the long transcontinental flight and sleep during the second half of the flight. Basically you want to sleep when it's the destination time to sleep :) It's worked well so far for me for long flights (10+ hrs) and I've always been adjusted to local time right when I land and I don't lose a day being groggy and useless.

[fisher]

Thank you Mulder and Scully


I've done Hong Kong and Thailand in a single vacation twice.

If landing in BKK first and departing from HKG at the end:
- ~20 trip and you're going to arrive around midnight. The first night is pretty much a wash as by the time you get to your hotel in Bangkok and check in it'll be 1 AM. You can stroll the streets but even the red light districts will be closed at 2 AM. Taxi drivers are even worst a**holes at night.
- If you plan on traveling throughout Thailand then you'll want more days, but if you're just heading to a beach, island or resort then 4-5 days would be enough. Maybe add another 2-3 days if you want to go to Bangkok. You may get bored with 2 full weeks just lounging whether it be at a resort or not.

Going with what other posters have stated about travelling to Thailand would you recommend a first time visitor to stick with the standard locations Bangkok + Phuket + an island? I know I get kind of bored if I went to a place with just a beach. I like looking around and eating at a restaurant. I also need to keep the travel companions occupied with activities when I have to log back in to the office.

Thank you toisanwu


However, you may discover that you want to spend more time in Guangdong (Canton), the foods there are really amazing.

Taking into consideration about what you have suggested about Guangdong it may be an option to arrive here and take a couple of days to settle in and get rid of the effects of jetlag.
Any recommendations for hotel and location?
I may just spend more money and fly to BKK from HK. In the planning of this trip I was considering HK for a middle stay and a last stop for shopping and having the Thailand in the other days.

[Cheap]

Thanks for the heads up about jetlag and it is definitely something to take into consideration. I have never taken a flight this long (13+ hours) to a destination.
If I were to go to Thailand first to relax and adjust to the time change and get rid of the jetlag would you recommend staying in Bangkok a few days before heading south to Phuket or the islands?

Stopping in HK last would make sense because the people I will be traveling with like to do a lot of shopping and I do not want to lug too many things in Thailand.

For me the jetlag affects me less if I am with friends who are on the local time, it's much worse for me when I am alone. The beach is as good a place as any to get over the jetlag.


I've done Hong Kong and Thailand in a single vacation twice.

BKK has a lot of low quality fakes.

Ain't that the truth, most of it is crap

ate cold food in the BKK airport.

Wasn't the Magic Food Centre open?


If landing in BKK first and departing from HKG at the end:
- ~20 trip and you're going to arrive around midnight. The first night is pretty much a wash as by the time you get to your hotel in Bangkok and check in it'll be 1 AM. You can stroll the streets but even the red light districts will be closed at 2 AM. Taxi drivers are even worst a**holes at night.

The sidewalk bar scene has really exploded lately and goes well into the early hours although a first-timer should be a little careful on their first night.



How about something like this, I checked AC but there are probably other options that might even be cheaper

Toronto, Pearson Int'l (YYZ) Terminal 1 Beijing, Beijing Capital (PEK) Terminal 3 AC031 Tue Feb-07 14:30 16:50+1 day 0 77W Economy (lowest) , P

Beijing, Beijing Capital (PEK)Terminal 3 Guangzhou (CAN) CA13291 Wed Feb-08 21:00 00:10+1 day 0 772 Economy , L

Bangkok (BKK) Hong Kong (HKG) Terminal 1 AC61302 Mon Mar-05 10:30 14:20 0 777 Economy (lowest) , Q

Hong Kong (HKG) Terminal 1 Toronto, Pearson Int'l (YYZ) Terminal 1 AC016 Mon Mar-05 16:20 18:00 0 77L Economy (lowest) , Q

Grand Total - Canadian dollars
$1693.35

So if your friends can meet you at the airport in Guangzhou, you can hang out with them as long as you like and get over the jetlag if you have any and then when you are ready to go book yourself a flight on AirAsia to BKK and head to the beach from there. According to the fare rules you can add a free stopover in HKG on the way back, plus you leave BKK at a decent time and arrive in HKG at a decent time and the flight back to Canada leaves at the perfect time to check out of your hotel and head to the airport.

[fisher]

I am more familiar with YYZ-HKG-BKK, I have done it more times than I can remember.

I have a questions regarding cellular service in Thailand.
If I have an unlock cellphone i.e. Iphone 4 or BB will I be able to purchase a SIM and use the phone there?
Access to 3G data would be a bonus if it is possible.

[time space]

Don't underestimate Bangkok - it's a fantastic city to visit - very inexpensive with many interesting tourist attractions and delicious food to eat.

[Cheap]

I have a questions regarding cellular service in Thailand.
If I have an unlock cellphone i.e. Iphone 4 or BB will I be able to purchase a SIM and use the phone there?
Access to 3G data would be a bonus if it is possible.

Yes, a sim card will cost you about $2. You will probably only get 3G in BKK. Check out http://www.happy.co.th/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=425&Itemid=475&lang=en

Not sure when you are planning to go but AirAsia has a sale on right now, a one way from CAN to BKK is $100+++

[Mulder and Scully]

I have a questions regarding cellular service in Thailand.
If I have an unlock cellphone i.e. Iphone 4 or BB will I be able to purchase a SIM and use the phone there?
Access to 3G data would be a bonus if it is possible.

If it's an unlocked quad band phone you'll be fine. I *think* the wireless carriers in Thailand use the GSM 900 or 1800 bands. 3G doesn't really extend past Bangkok and even then it's pretty sh1t. Pick up some maps for Bangkok at the airport baggage claim before you exit. Maps for anywhere else i.e., Phuket, Samui, Hua Hin, etc. print from home/work and bring with you before you fly out. The majority of hotels in East/Southeast Asia in general have free wifi unlike our North American counterparts. I wouldn't recommend getting a prepaid data plan there which would cost ~$30 CAD for EDGE speeds.

[fisher]

Not sure when you are planning to go but AirAsia has a sale on right now, a one way from CAN to BKK is $100+++

Waiting for confirmation of when finals will be completed.
Looking at end of April or beginning of May.

[Cheap]

If it's an unlocked quad band phone you'll be fine. I *think* the wireless carriers in Thailand use the GSM 900 or 1800 bands. 3G doesn't really extend past Bangkok and even then it's pretty sh1t. Pick up some maps for Bangkok at the airport baggage claim before you exit. Maps for anywhere else i.e., Phuket, Samui, Hua Hin, etc. print from home/work and bring with you before you fly out. The majority of hotels in East/Southeast Asia in general have free wifi unlike our North American counterparts. I wouldn't recommend getting a prepaid data plan there which would cost ~$30 CAD for EDGE speeds.

I have used several phones from Canada and they all work with dtac. The only provider I had a problem with was AIS, an old Nokia phone I brought with me would not work on their network. Blackberry and iphones are very popular in Thailand so I shouldn't think there would be a problem. I have a prepaid, no contract plan with dtac, 70 hours a month of internet for $7, but I can only get EDGE where I am.

[wszeto28]

I just came back from a HK, Taiwan, Thailand trip.

I would recommend going to HK first. It is a busy city and very crowded so it generally is not as relaxing as Thailand. I spent about 4 days in Phuket and I felt that was the perfect amount of time. I was going to go to Bangkok at first but there was flooding at that time so I couldn't go. Two weeks in Thailand seems kind of long to me. If I had about 3 weeks, I'd definitely throw in a trip to Taiwan. Flights are less than $100 return trip from HKG (EVA Air) and the food there is DIRT cheap. I can't remember how many 99 cent large bubble teas I msut've drank lol.

[fisher]

I've done Hong Kong and Thailand in a single vacation twice.


Thanks to the advice of the members I have booked my Asia trip. My current travel plans is to allocate 16 days (nights) at the beginning of May to visit Thailand. I am looking for some advice on how to split the time. The only accomodation that I have booked is a 3 night voucher for the JW Marriot at Khao Lak which I can use on any of the 16 days.
Reading some of the other forum posts the recommendation seems to be start at Bangkok and work my way south to one of the islands like Phuket. Is there any benefit doing this in reverse i.e. Phuket first and end in Bangkok? Also, what is the ideal way to complement the 3 nights at the JW Marriot at Khao Lak? I am travelling with 2 other family members and I would prefer at least 4 - 5 days at one location so that I can relax and a quick connection back to the office. My preference would be some place where it can be a launching point for tours and where I can send my travel companions out on their own to go shopping and eat at local restaurants. Hong Kong is where I am flying in to Thailand and where I am flying back to for the balance of my vacation.
Any suggestions and tips from those that have done the Thailand vacation would be greatly appreciated.

[bigfred]

I fly Air Canada and you can add a stop in HKG in either direction. My problem is that I suffer from jetlag so I try to make the the stopover after I have had some time to adjust. The one time I made the stopover in HKG on the way to BKK it was a waste, I spent the most of time either sleeping or too tired to do anything. On the other hand when I stopped in HKG on the way back, I had already spent enough time in BKK that my jetlag was long gone.



This is good advise. A couple of days in HK on the way back is the way to go.
Spend a few days in BKK, although many people profess that it is a better place to come back to rather than start from.

If you are in to nice beaches, then you will need to head south and flying is the way to go. Check out Koh Lanta if you want a pretty laid back, but certainly not deserted place to hang out. I was there three weeks ago and the place really grew on me after a few days.
Koh Jum is pretty rustic, i was only there for three nights and for me that was enough. My daughter was in Koh Lipe and raved about it and her photos sure looked nice. More of a pain to get to, but worth it, i think.

My next trip will be to Penang-for the food. Man, southern Thai is good stuff.

[packardbell]

Hong Kong you need atleast 1 month to absorb some of the things it has to offer.

Been there for 6 years and still find plenty of things to do.

[gennybeans]

I'm not sure if you're still looking, but my husband and I just did a HKG and HKT trip in February of 2011. Looks like you have your day allocations all figured out. But Thailand is amazing! We went to Patong (which is more of a touristy area, which was fine since the first time I went to Phuket was with my family and in a more remote area). We stayed at the Amari Coral Beach Resort. It's an amazing place to stay that is at the end of the beach and is up a small hill so it is very set apart from the lively and busier Patong Beach area. Walk about 5 minutes and you're in the heart of it all.

First time I went with my family, we did the shooting range and the day trip to Phi Phi island, which included snorkeling. If you don't get sea sick and you enjoy swimming, I would definitely recommend this. It was a lot of fun.

This time around we opted to stay on dry land. Because the resort is so beautiful, we spent a lot of time by the pool. We also walked around A LOT. We went to to the mall that was nearby, did some shopping (shops everywhere, reminiscent of HKG's ladies' market), and an elephant ride (arranged by the resort). Also, if you're into it, there's usually boxing matches on certain nights, which I hear are great. We planned to go, but decided against it last minute due to high ticket prices. We were only there for 3 days, so we didn't get to squeeze much in, but if you get the chance, I'd definitely suggest visiting an island for a day (though, I hear the James Bond island should be avoided).

The restaurants along the beach are amazing. We ate out a lot, but did a lot of pre-trip research on restaurants.

[n3o321]

I've been to Bangkok with a pack of 20+ people lol (for a wedding)

We stayed at a condo/apartment sort of place which was 5-10 minutes walk away from 3 big malls in downtown Bangkok.

It was called Patuan House? it was roughly 50$ CAD a night for 2 bedrooms, 1 living room + fridge + washroom.
dirt cheap.

Walking distance to 3 major malls was a big plus. food there is so cheap. Best place to buy watches there...or maybe i went during a Watch Expo.

[Punky Hunky]

I've been to Bangkok with a pack of 20+ people lol (for a wedding)

We stayed at a condo/apartment sort of place which was 5-10 minutes walk away from 3 big malls in downtown Bangkok.

It was called Patuan House? it was roughly 50$ CAD a night for 2 bedrooms, 1 living room + fridge + washroom.
dirt cheap.

Walking distance to 3 major malls was a big plus. food there is so cheap. Best place to buy watches there...or maybe i went during a Watch Expo.

I'm doing that this year in June. We have a huge pack of people going as well. Can you find me the name of the condo/apartment? I tried googling Patuan house with no success. THanks,.

[eudaii]

i'd substitute hong kong for vietnam. WAY cheaper (I stayed in 4 star hotels for $40 a night in Hoi An) and much better, if you are looking for warm weather, beaches, SPECTACULAR food, and 'culture shock'. Hong Kong is just like Canada, but with Asian people. So, Toronto.

I went to Thailand via Vietnam! It was a tour thing...we went there for 5 nights/ 6 days!! It only came to about $400 per person, which is a STEAL considering it included round trip air-fare and hotel!

Have fun!