Need Recommendations and Advice!!

In 15 days I would suggest concentrating on one or two countries. Have you ever been to SE Asia before? By only seeing Bangkok in Thailand you are missing the old cities of Ayuttaya and Sukhuthai, the culture, shopping and trekking in Chiang Mai, the jungles and the beaches. By only seeing Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam you are again missing beaches, jungles, mountains and other interesting places.

Is there any reason why you want to see these four cities? You have to buy a visa to go to Vietnam and it's about $50. It seems a waste of money for a couple of days.

I can understand that you want to see a lot in a short time, but there is so much to see in these places.

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You look like you have too many places in too short a time. Seeing as much as you can in 15 days means seeing a lot of airports, waiting at airports, traveling to and from airports too. Everything is spread out quite a bit. Hostels are okay for kids and the younger travelers. Any single male over 50 in a hostel is probably there for the young boys (personal very biased opinion.)

Plan a budget and figure out how much per night you can spend on a hotel and then ask for suggestions mentioning that price range. This way you will get hotel rooms that match your budget.

Unless you already booked your tickets, since flying into Manila is okay check out the prices for a round trip out of Manila back to Hawaii. Many times some single one way flights cost the same as or close to round trip flights. Where were you planning on flying home from anyway? It could pay to buy round trip and just fly back to the first country. You have to do the math. This is why a round trip to Bangkok comes in handy because it is so close to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and even Malaysia. Hong Kong, Singapore and even Manila are more out of the way stops.

See Manila of course for a few days since your tickets end there anyway. From Manila to Bangkok is around $300 to $400 on Philippine Airlines. There are cheaper airlines that fly to BKK but they also may fly from remote airports and have lower weight allowances too. Know where you are flying from and your carry on and check in allowances.

In Thailand you can obtain tours through local Thai travel agencies after you arrive there; find a tour one day leave the following morning. Thailand is good at providing tours quickly and often not that expensive. Local transportation is good and you can easily purchase flights to other countries in person while in Bangkok.

On your list Singapore and Hong Kong will cost more for hotels than the Philippines, Thailand and countries close to Thailand like Laos. Maybe add Laos or Cambodia to your trip because you can get to those places cheaply from Thailand. Save Singapore and Hong Kong for another time.

With Manila (you can get tours locally if you want through Filipino travel agencies too) Bangkok and possibly a third country you already have enough on your plate. For a first time visitor to Asia Thailand is easier to do than Vietnam, more organized and cheaper than the Philippines for tourists and cheaper than Hong Kong and Singapore.

Some travelers to the Philippines and Thailand stay in those countries for a month and still not see everything they want to see. Cheapest way, as I see it is visit the Philippines and Thailand only and actually take the time to visit smaller villages, take some tours, etc.

At least you do have some time to modify your trip unless you have already purchased plane tickets. Hold off changing your dollars over to the various currencies until you get to each country. MNL and BKK have bank currency booths available at the airports 24 hours a day. If you do go to Vietnam US dollars are also a defacto currency. Don't leave Vietnam with their currency because no one outside of VN wants it! Same for Laos and Cambodia if you are interested in those countries - don't take their money out of their country because it is hard to change.


Good luck.





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So coming from HNL to MNL because it's cheaper via our miles with Hawaiian Airlines. As for visiting all those countries, not really locked into it. But, Thailand is a must!!! Looking to budget about $100/day not including airfare but does include accommodations. Hubby is not too fond of hostels so a good reliable hotel (any place to rest) will do. Hope this helps!! Thank you all for the great advice. Reply to this

You guys are great!!! Is the Khoa san Road a link? or do I have to run a search on a search engine? Reply to this

In Bangkok you can find very small hotels with air and private toilet that start around 600 baht. Khao San Road is an area that very young backpackers head for. One disadvantage is (besides lots of noisy teenagers) is that there is no access to the Skytrain. The Skytrain is an overhead rail service that can take you around Bangkok pretty easy. Anyway, in Bangkok if you use a meter taxi and only pay the meter fare the price is reasonable. Local city buses are cheap. Nearby Pattaya is a seaside city that has cheaper hotels than Bangkok. More and more tourists, couples, single women and women traveling in groups head for Pattaya for a cheap holiday. Lots of bars there but also lots of modern malls, good restaurants, cheap 10 baht transportation too! Around 2 hour bus ride from Ekamai Bus Terminal, off a Skytrain stop. Train to Chiang Mai from the national train station is at the end of a subway ride. Subway can be accessed at Asoke Skytrain stop.

The Philippines and Thailand is enough for your short time. For Bangkok you can look over these hotels.
Ibis Hotel is in an area close to malls, street vendors, nightlife, restaurants and supermarkets. Close to this hotel are several hotels even cheaper but you should look first then decide.

This hotel is right close to the Nana Skytrain stop - the On 8 Hotel. If you arrive in Bangkok during the day or early evening hours you can take the new Rail Link to the final stop at Phaya Thai and then switch to the Skytrain to go to Nana Skytrain stop. Walk down that stop and the hotel is nearby.


Next to the Phaya Thai Rail Link is the Florida Hotel. You can take the rail link from Suvarnabhumi Airport to this stop for only 15 baht until the end of December. You can walk a short way to the Skytrain stop too. Florida Hotel is at this stop.


Two hostels you can check out that have private rooms. Both are in the Sukhumvit Road area not that far from Nana Skytrain stop. Soi 1 Guest House is near Bumrungrad Hospital if you want to stop in and get some cheap dental work done while you are on holiday. They are used to tourists, they like your money!


Suk 11 Hostel is popular and often books up early. Near this hostel are other discount hotels near the Swiss Park Hotel. Bangkok Inn, President Inn and Business Inn.



MAKE SURE you know where your discount airline lands at in Bangkok! I think a few discounters still land at the older Don Muang Airport. This is no big deal if you are heading for a hotel because you can always use a meter taxi but for tight connections you have to plan on an an hour or more to travel to Suvarnabhumi. When you choose discount airlines you have more hoops to jump through!

Good luck.


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