Weekend away, any suggestions?

[nicjim]

Hi,
has any one got any suggestions for a long weekend away. I will be coming to Singapore in July to be with my partner who is working there. We have two older children who dont really do pools but prefer exploring. We are looking for somewhere either to drive to or take a short flight.
Thanks in advance.

[Karioka]

yes - try Villa Inara in Phuket - a short flight away - great beach, you can drive south and take boats out to go diving and snorkling, and all the sea sports are in easy reach at the big hotels that are all nearby - it is fabulous...i think the website is villa-inara.com

[Karioka]

oh yes - and of course you can go explore the james bond island etc...

[pakjohn]

If you want something interesting, and a really good bargain, go to Bangkok. Choose one of the bouquete hotels in Sukhumvit, (easy place to stay because it has a lot of expats) The cabs are pretty good, should you need one, but you can get to almost everywhere by very modern sky train or MRT.
From your hotel you can arrange cheap but very interesting guided tours to Ayutthya, the original capital of Thailand with all it's magnificent ruins; ride elephants, take river excursions, go shopping at the river market, night market or the biggest outdoor market in Asia. You can go up the river to see the Bridge over the river Kwai and cap it off with a massage at the famous massage school and temples at Watpo. You'll come home with a million pictures and lots of exotic memories.

Alternatively, take a JetStar flight to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. (Borneo) Stay at the Shangrila near the airport, (there is another up the coast but it's a bit secluded and boring) Go hike to the summit of Kota Kinabalu, trek in the rain forest, see the orang utans, white water rafting, see the worlds largest flower, visit the mineral baths fed by underground hot water fissures. KK is cheap right now also, a great 3 day weekend trip.

I agree with previous poster about Phuket... nice beach town with a lot of water activities. Our favorite was kayaking around the sea caves, most of the activities are water sports, so if you're up for that, Phuket is great.

[nicjim]

Thanks guys,
really appreciate all information as everything is very new to us and we welcome anything that helps to get us familiar with our new surroundings!

[ching]

We enjoyed the time we spent in Phuket.

Bali can be a lot of fun too, depending on where you stay. Bangkok is a little too crowded for me sometimes...

Siem Reap in Cambodia was awesome, Angkor Wat is really amazing.

We've got a page up with a list of our favorite weekend breaks destinations. I've personally been to all but 2 or 3 of those places (the remainder are on my "to visit" list for 2009 and 2010).

I wouldn't suggest Bintan (since your kids aren't into pools) but the rest of the list should be great![/url]