40th birthday - where to go? Recommendations please!

[december2020]

I’m turning 40 soon and want to do a nice holiday for it and looking for recommendations.

We will likely travel around the end of March - start of April for 10-12 days.

I’m currently thinking South East Asia, with Singapore as a first stop off for 4-5 nights.

We have already done Langkawi, so looking for something new. I’ve spent a lot of time in Asia growing up but DH and DS have not. Not wedded to Asia but I love it there so it’s definitely high up for my 40th. Travelling with DH and DS who would be 6 at the time.

Any amazing places and recommendations?

(Also -anticipating any comments - it’s during DS’s school holidays, his school gives a longer break during that half term, so we’re not taking him out during term time).

Vietnam was my fave holiday ever! Amazing scenery, history, food, variety of surroundings, lovely people, easy to travel around ❤️

This sounds lovely! Where in Vietnam did you go? @SmallGreenBabies

hopeful bump

Singapore would be fabulous. Have you been there before? Because if not, I think 4 nights won't be enough and you need a week minimum. How about a split between Hong Kong and Singapore? We got a fantastic deal on business class flights to Singapore via HK and we did a four day layover in HK, which was great but enough, then a week in Singapore, coming back in one hit, but because it was BC it wasn't too arduous. i could happily have had longer in Singapore, I loved it.

Or Vietnam would be great. Go to Hoi An and do a boat trip in Ha Long Bay and/or Sa Pa. Or a Mekong delta boat trip.

Thailand? Audley travel website has a good guide to which part is good in April. Very child friendly.

I would avoid anywhere needing antimalarials.

Borneo is great, the best place we went was Last Frontier Boutique Resort on Kinabatagan river which has boat trips through the jungle and we saw orangutans, pygmy elephants, crocodile, proboscis monkeys, other monkeys and lots of beautiful birds. Sepilok was great too saw sunbears and orangutans there in the nature resorts and stayed at Sepilok Nature Resort, the original one with the lake and tropical garden. Rainforest Discovery Centre and Agnes Newton Keith's house worth visiting.

I spent my 50th in se Asia. Briefly. Flew to Bangkok. 4 nights which was fabulous. Stayed at a hotel on the river and got the river taxi each day to see the sights.

Then flew to Cambodia to see siem reap. Angkor watt. Amazing must see place. I woukd have gone on. To Vietnam too but time meant I had to get home.

If you've done Bangkok If I were you I'd go to Cambodia and Vietnam.

I lived in China for 12 years and recommend the following:
HK - ocean park or Disney for the day, star ferry, cable car to Lantau island, temples, museum of history, lots of fabulous restaurants
vietnam- HoiAn in central Vietnam is beautiful and easy to combine with Hanoi or HCMC - best food in SE Asia imo. I’ve stayed here several times
https://lasiestaresorts.com/
Cambodia- Siem Reap - is fabulous: Angkor Wat, great crafts, fabulous food, my dcs loved travelling around by tuk tuk, easy to combine with HK or visit SR and Phnom Penh - palace, temples etc, but some of the places you may want to visit eg cheoung ek are not suitable for younger children

We flew into Ho Chi Minh then travelled North to Hoi An (most beautiful place ever), then Hue, then to Hanoi as a base to get to Sapa and Halong Bay (overnight boat trip - amazing) then flew home from Hanoi. Travelled mainly by train, including overnight train to Sapa, internal flights, and one taxi. Each place was unique and lovely, 2-3 days in each. I think I'd found the itinerary on a travel agent site but then booked everything myself.

My DD1 has just come back from Singapore with her 6/7 year old(7th birthday there) It looked amazing. They zip wired down to a beach, swam with dolphins, hand fed elephants and giraffes. Lots of temples, outdoor gardens etc. They were there for 9 days. The only down side was the daily storms and GC was petrified.
Oct 24 they had 3 weeks in Bali DD had been before, that was more low key unwinding but enjoyed it. Hope you have a great 40th when it arrives, definitely something to look forward to. 🙂