Singapore and then where?? 3 week trip next Easter.

[ihatethecold]

Starting in Singapore for 5 days, We really want to travel round Asia but I’m not sure of what route to go, not wanting more cities much.

Asia is such a huge area so I’m getting a bit lost trying to work out what to do and see.

We have a decent budget to get about.
wildlife and scenery plus a nice beach at some point.

how do I find a good route/ itinerary to take?
happy to fly back from a different destination or country.
just me and dh.

any ideas or websites you would recommend?
thanks.

Go to the Datai in Langkawi. Amazing.

I love the look of the Datai, I've followed it on insta and dream about visiting.

So a possible itinerary --
singapore for 5 nights
then thinking of travelling up the western coast of Malaysia.
Malaca 2 nights
Kl 3 nights
Cameron Highlands 3 nights
Peneng 3 nights then Langkawi for 4 nights

With three weeks the world is your oyster in Asia.

Options I would consider are

Khao Lak Thailand- it's beautiful and a short hope from Singapore to Phuket.

Langkawi - Malaysian island easy to fly between Singapore and Langkawi.

Lombok & the Gilli Islands east to fly from Singapore to Bali then fast ferry to Gilli islands or fly to Lombok and easy transfer. Recently featured on Race across the World.

Further a field you have HK and the Philippines and or Vietnam and Borneo as other options depending on budget and types of activities required.

Your itinerary looks fab. I've always wanted to do the Cameron Highlands (been to everywhere else on your list apart from Malacca). Penang is one of my favourite places in the world. I had the best food there and the botanical gardens are wonderful.

Personally, I'd try to squeeze in a visit to Kuching on Borneo and go to see the orangutans and possibly an evening mangrove tour. Kuching itself is an interesting place to wander around in, with lots of colonial history.

Are you going as a family or a couple? how old are your kids? The age mix would really help us recommend places that everyone will enjoy, and that won't be too daunting if the DC are young.

Sorry, just re-read your post, just you and DH (silly of me)

Some great suggestions above.

Have you thought about going to a couple of key places in China, maybe one city (Beijing or Shanghai perhaps) and one more remote place - or perhaps in and around Xian - old city, terracotta warriors and some interesting countryside?
For westerners I think China is somewhere we need to understand more, it's power on the world stage is becoming huge. I'd highly recommend a visit there.
We loved travelling in Vietnam. Best food in S E Asia (adn ltos of the food is fabulous). Best bit is the far north, beyond SaPa. Stunning terraced rice paddies, water buffalos. Very interesting tribal communities there too.

Indonesian islands, which some others have mentioned.

Thailand is lovely but very over-touristed now in many places.

Your ideas sound great OP - the highlands are well worth it - but take out malacca or Penang and see Taman Negara rainforest instead.

Have a look at the current series of Race Around the World, it's all in Asia. Lots of ideas for places to visit (or not!)

I’ve done a route similar to yours about 15 years ago. Loved Singapore, KL, and the Cameron Highlands. I remember not being hugely impressed by Malacca but I think I liked Penang. We also had stays in Bangkok and Ko Phan Ngan which was beautiful.

I love Malacca and Penang and suggest you keep them both in.

@AgentProvocateur
what did you like about those 2 places ?

Thanks for all the ideas. I’m not going to head towards Thailand, Vietnam or china on this trip.
id like to minimise plane travel and see places nearer Singapore that I can get to by train or road.

I think that will be a bit of an adventure Rather than endless airports.

we have watched ratw. It looked incredible but I’m not going on some of those bus journeys they did!!

Did you book your trips independently or use a travel agent.

They’re both really interesting in their own right. Malacca used to be dutch and Portuguese and that’s influenced in the nonya food there. If you walk up and down the streets of the old town, there are so many businesses in the street houses there still ongoing. There’s also a really interesting museum/original house with a tour and the very best Hainan chicken rice restaurant.

Penang is also fascinating. Georgetown is worth a visit to see the houses on wooden stilts where people still live. You can get the cable car (or maybe a funicular - it’s years since I’ve been) to the top of Penang hill and there’s loads of wildlife and birds to see. We also went to the spice farm and spent time at the beach. The street food in Penang is amazing.

Also, we got the bus from Singapore to Malacca. It was easy and relatively comfortable.

I did almost exactly this several years ago. (Except Malaca). It was one of my best holidays! I would probably take a night off the Cameron Highlands and add it onto Langkawi.

yes the trains look great for this journey to malaca

just realised you said bus !!