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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Cambodia or Macau?

17 replies

hazlinh · 26/12/2006 16:03

am planning next holiday for March 2007....has anyone been to either Cambodia or Macau and can anyone tell me which one I shd go to...? Will be travelling with DH and 3 yr ole DD...

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lapsedrunner · 27/12/2006 19:42

Been to Macau as part of a round trip from Hong Kong through China and back. It's tiny and not a "final" destination IYSWIM, and that was pre DS. Never been to Cambodia but suspect it has much more to offer..but suspect I would not chose either destination with a 3 year old.....?

lou33 · 27/12/2006 19:45

i'd avoid cambodia if the stories i have heard from travellers , and a few from exh before we stopped speaking, are anything to go by, esp with a child

AttilaTheMeerkat · 28/12/2006 13:47

www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029390590&a=KCountryAdvice&aid=1013618385729

The above is current Foreign Office Advice for Cambodia. It makes sobering reading, particularly the paragraph about the landmines that are still littered about the countryside.

Neither destination to my mind is suitable.

WideWebWitch · 28/12/2006 13:51

I've been to Macau on a day trip (from Hong Kong too) and it is small, I agree, I'm not sure there's tons to do there. Why does it have to be either one of these or doesn't it? I can't compare to Cambodia though, I haven't been there.

WideWebWitch · 28/12/2006 13:52

Attilla's link I think I don't fancy it from reading that!

justaphase · 28/12/2006 13:58

Have not been to Cambodia but my boss went last year and loved it. Not with a child though. For one thing you would have to take anti-malaria drugs and these are nasty even for an adult.

I would go to Thailand if I were you - same neck of the woods but a bit more child friendly. If you really wanted to you could do a trip for a couple of days to Cambodia from there to see the temples etc.

DumDiddyDum · 28/12/2006 14:06

I went to Macau on day trip from Hong Kong. I wouldnt suggest it as a family holiday destination. Not sure weather for March, so I would check that out, but it was very humid when i was there, nothing like I have experiened before.

Long flight for 3 year old too if it is just for a holiday. If it was other reasons; to see family, extended hols, maybe.

lou33 · 29/12/2006 18:08

from the info i have received, cambodia is really not for kids, exh told me ages ago the expats that live out there are reguarly held up at gun point, guns are rife, and traffic is something else in the major towns, they dont like using headlights at night either

lou33 · 29/12/2006 23:10

crazy traffic

crunchtime · 29/12/2006 23:12

do you not fancy majorca?

lou33 · 29/12/2006 23:16

thailand would be an excellent compromise

Gingerbear · 30/12/2006 01:06

hazlinh is in Malaysia, so not too long a flight. My friend and his girlfriend have been to Cambodia. The infrastructure is not brilliant, and it can be hard if you are travelling around. There is also the worry about avian flu and the terror attacks in Penomh Penh. (sp?)
this link might help But I would really do my research first before taking your DD.

Cannot comment on Macau.

Have you looked at Vietnam? I really would like to take DD there one day (she was conceived in Saigon when we were on holiday)

Gingerbear · 30/12/2006 01:09

Crazy Traffic Lou? Pah! that is tame compared to Saigon or Hanoi

lou33 · 30/12/2006 01:37

yeh it isnt the best example but i couldnt find the one i wanted

it is pretty much a free for all at junctions tho, i saw some amazing footage in the summer but i cant remember where

hazlinh · 31/12/2006 12:31

thanks for the link gingerbear! it seems to say it's ok to bring kids as long as we practice common-sense..well, we'll see. I'll deffo do my research first. Thanks!

well as gingerbear says, am in Malaysia, and they're quite near...flights to those places here can be dirt-cheap...and to vietnam too....actually gingerbear, I fancied going to Ho Chi Minh city this year, but due to my heavy heavy workload, didn't get a chance to take leave!

been to costa del sol enough times anyway when i was younger...

been to thailand and bali too many times to mention and am so bored of them and the endless beach holidays I have been taking for the past 2 years, only because that's the easiest and cheapest type of holiday around these parts! and Thailand is not that safe now anyway.probably more dangerous than cambodia in terms of terror attacks... southern thailand is full of militants and fire arms possession is also high and there's no need for a licence.. and southern thailand is where phuket is...think Malaysia actually issued a travel advisory warning its citizens not to travel to southern Thailand unless absolutely necessary.

most of my friends here have gone to cambodia and they seem to have had trouble-free holidays...i think myanmar is much more dangerous, in terms of civil strife yet my heavily preggers australian ex-boss went there recently for a holiday with a girlfriend!!

As for the leftover mines or bombs, i reckon it's ok if u just stick to well-trodden tourist areas. it's not like i'd be going to the rural areas...

The whole temple areas even outside of the main Angkor Wat are well maintained and of course, clear of mines. It has to be as foreign tourists are paying US$40 each for a 3-day pass !

as for snatch thefts, here in KL, tis sadly quite common tho i haven't had my bag snatched yet.

tho i have been pickpocketed THREE times in London. And some kids tried to pickpocket me in Barcelona 2 yrs ago!

Anyway in terms of terrorist attacks? is there a truly safe place in the world right now? London seems a favourite target at the moment...

Unless you plan to risk your life with a little so-called fun like going to one of those "camps" in Phnom Penh where a tourist can pay US$10 to throw a live hand grenade or fire an M16-machine gun, otherwise, Cambodia seems pretty safe.

as for avian flu, luckily for me, the UN encourages staff and dependents to be vaccinated against flu altho of course it's no guarantee. but i don't think i'd be traipsing around open markets with dd!

maybe I shd just go with dh ...?
gingerbear, do u reckon vietnam is a lot 'safer'?

Happy New Year to all of you!

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Gingerbear · 31/12/2006 15:07

I reckon Vietnam would be easier to travel around, as it has been open to tourism for longer than Cambodia - so is more developed in that way. There is always the possibility of a trip to Ankor Wat from Vietnam. The food in Vietnam is better than in Cambodia (after talking to my friend who has visited both).
Safer?? Hmm, not sure. There is the risk of Avian flu in both countries, and pickpocketting/ rip-offs in both. But kidnapping and terror threat? I would say looking at recent events, Cambodia is probably more risky. But if you don't intend straying off the beaten track, jungle trekking in landmined areas, or staying in the red light district (where DH and I did in Saigon, lol) you should be fine.

If you do decide to look at Vietnam, give me a shout - DH and I spent 3 weeks travelling from Saigon to Hanoi, and stopped off at lots of amazing places. The highlights were Sa Pa - staying with Black Hmong hilltribes up near the Chinese border, a 3 day boat journey around Halong Bay and a festival for children in Hoi An - a lovely old town with some fantastic cafes. We took a trip from the Kangaroo Cafe in Hanoi by train to Sa Pa.

Sigh, I want to go back there.....

hazlinh · 01/01/2007 16:24

oh dear...just talking about Thailand not being safe...did you hear about the New Year eve bombs? Several foreigners killed along with three locals...

Might consider Vietnam....tho I only really wanted to go to Cambodia for the Angkor Wat and maybe the Killing Fields and the detention centre...What's there in Vietnam? (pardon my ignorance!)

A friend who was in Cambodia last month says it was full of westerners with teeny toddlers! they even braved the rickety buses! but anyway, maybe i shd just go to good ole oz or nz!!

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