Author Topic: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?  (Read 5850 times)

MrThatsDifferent

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Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« on: October 18, 2017, 02:58:32 PM »
I’ve gone semi-mustachian, have made some major changes but not quite as committted as most. Outside of rent, our expenses are minimal and we have extraordinary salaries (I manage a business and rarely can catch my breath). So, I can afford almost any holiday but still don’t want to go crazy after learning so much here. That said, my partner and I are spending Xmas apart as I don’t want to spend it with the partner’s family and partner does, we’re ok with this. I then have 2 weeks to go somewhere (traveling is one of my passions) and can’t decide between 2 different types of trips, love any advice to help me pick:

Option A: Cambodia/Vietnam: I’ve never been and have heard great things and saw a documentary that made it look beautiful. My air miles would get me a one way flight, I’d have to pay the other way, costing around $700.  A tour would cost me around $900, with some meals and accommodations included. This would be busy, people around, not on my schedule but a helping guide and local knowledge.  I’m trying to see if I can DIY and put a cheaper itinerary together. Love the idea of seeing something new, just not sure if I want all the busyness after a rather hectic year. Total, after everything, probably $2300

Option B: Bali: Been before and love it so much, but have only gone with partner. We spoil ourselves, get a private villa with a pool, hang out naked and then go and get massages, do yoga, walk around, eat amazing food. Last year we did it and I did nothing but study MMM and changed my life in the new year. I can recreate all of that sans partner. Not sure if the time alone will be exactly what I need or I’ll feel lonely after a bit? Bright side, air miles will cover r/t fare, but taxes of $350. The private villa will be $1300. Total: after food, massages, probably $2300

Hmmm, writing this out makes both trips around the same costs and $2300 seems like a lot with this new mindset. Sigh, does mustachian mean no more cool holidays?

Thoughts (and obligatory face punching)? ;-)
« Last Edit: October 18, 2017, 03:09:26 PM by MrThatsDifferent »

MrThatsDifferent

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2017, 03:18:59 PM »
There’s also an option C: Bangkok: friend lives there and has said I can stay in his extra room. Air miles covers one way, I’d have to pay around $700 for the other way. I’ve been to Bangkok before, not the biggest fan of the city, but haven’t really explored anywhere else.  This would give me some company, friend might travel home during that time but said I can still crash. I just don’t want to be stuck in Bangkok. Total cost, around $1700.  Seems a bit more mustachian.

wordnerd

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2017, 04:41:24 PM »
There’s also an option C: Bangkok: friend lives there and has said I can stay in his extra room. Air miles covers one way, I’d have to pay around $700 for the other way. I’ve been to Bangkok before, not the biggest fan of the city, but haven’t really explored anywhere else.  This would give me some company, friend might travel home during that time but said I can still crash. I just don’t want to be stuck in Bangkok. Total cost, around $1700.  Seems a bit more mustachian.

For a 25% difference, I'd go on the trip that I wanted. Your spending a lot of hours, energy, and, yes, money, so I wouldn't go somewhere I wasn't "the biggest fan of." None of these options seem extraordinarily expensive for a two week trip if your budgeting is accurate. I'm assuming you have the money to spend, given your comment about your income, so I say go with the trip you find most appealing.

ETA: That said, if none of these options seem worth the cost to you, don't go. You probably don't have to leave the continent to get out of seeing your in-laws. ;)
« Last Edit: October 18, 2017, 04:45:31 PM by wordnerd »

MiserlyMiser

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2017, 04:45:24 PM »
I wouldn't even call those un-Mustachian holidays.  Travel is always going to be more expensive when you're working and don't have the time to slow travel. 

Also, contrast my co-worker who won't travel to Europe unless he's flying business class or better.  You're doing fine, go wherever you want. 

Blissful Biker

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2017, 04:46:31 PM »
My vote would be for Vietnam / Cambodia.  We spend a couple of months touring that region a few years ago.  It has been slow to modernize and thus a very inexpensive and cool cultural experience.  The food is amazing.  I knew the Vietnamese food would be great but was surprised by the prevalence of the french bakeries, a gift from the french occupation.  We spent our first week at a small family run beach resort to totally decompress.  With the change in time zones, every day that week I watched the sun rise over the south china sea while playing on the beach with the kids.  Some of my favorite memories.

Bali is lovely but commercial in comparison.  If you do go, I recommend Ubud, the cultural (and yoga) epicenter.

IMO Bangkok is the kind of place you have to see once.  Just once.  Ride a tuk tuk, eat some street food and get out.

Enjoy.



MrThatsDifferent

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #5 on: October 18, 2017, 05:32:36 PM »
There’s also an option C: Bangkok: friend lives there and has said I can stay in his extra room. Air miles covers one way, I’d have to pay around $700 for the other way. I’ve been to Bangkok before, not the biggest fan of the city, but haven’t really explored anywhere else.  This would give me some company, friend might travel home during that time but said I can still crash. I just don’t want to be stuck in Bangkok. Total cost, around $1700.  Seems a bit more mustachian.

For a 25% difference, I'd go on the trip that I wanted. Your spending a lot of hours, energy, and, yes, money, so I wouldn't go somewhere I wasn't "the biggest fan of." None of these options seem extraordinarily expensive for a two week trip if your budgeting is accurate. I'm assuming you have the money to spend, given your comment about your income, so I say go with the trip you find most appealing.

ETA: That said, if none of these options seem worth the cost to you, don't go. You probably don't have to leave the continent to get out of seeing your in-laws. ;)

Thanks wordnerd, lol, you’re right, I don’t have to go overseas to avoid them, I just need a proper holiday.

MrThatsDifferent

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #6 on: October 18, 2017, 05:36:26 PM »
My vote would be for Vietnam / Cambodia.  We spend a couple of months touring that region a few years ago.  It has been slow to modernize and thus a very inexpensive and cool cultural experience.  The food is amazing.  I knew the Vietnamese food would be great but was surprised by the prevalence of the french bakeries, a gift from the french occupation.  We spent our first week at a small family run beach resort to totally decompress.  With the change in time zones, every day that week I watched the sun rise over the south china sea while playing on the beach with the kids.  Some of my favorite memories.

Bali is lovely but commercial in comparison.  If you do go, I recommend Ubud, the cultural (and yoga) epicenter.

IMO Bangkok is the kind of place you have to see once.  Just once.  Ride a tuk tuk, eat some street food and get out.

Enjoy.

Thanks MiserlyMiser for the words of encouragement.

@BlissfulBiker—yes, my heart is saying Vietnam too. I love Ubud, that’s where I’d go and Bangkok I’ve been to a couple of times. It’s on the list because of cost.

Thanks everyone for putting the costs in perspective and not face punching me.  Feel less guilty now.

trix76

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #7 on: October 18, 2017, 09:51:00 PM »
Option A! Cambodia is one of my favorite places in the world. (Laos is also amazing.) Wonderful people, great food, cheap accommodation. Other than the flight, your costs should be quite reasonable. Okay now I want to go back!


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use2betrix

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #8 on: October 18, 2017, 10:58:55 PM »
All your options are entirely different vacations apart from being an Asia. Last winter my wife and I did 2 weeks Bangkok, 2 weeks Phuket, the. 1 week each of Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Bangkok was ok but I found 2 weeks to be too much. 1 week would be enough for me and no major desire to go back. Phuket was cool - I’d go back there.

Cambodia was cool - we did Angkor Wat. Great history, however I saw what I wanted and not a major desire to go back.

Vietnam was also cool - we spent a week in Ho Chi Minh. Did some tours and the museums. Very cool but also saw what I wanted. I’d maybe go back and visit north Vietnam.


Out of your choices, I’d definitely choose Bali or Cambodia/Vietnam. Bangkok was cool and a good start to get your feet wet if you’re doing a multi country trip where cost and time aren’t a huge issue.

Basically if you want site seeing -  choose Cambodia/Vietnam. If you want to relax - choose Bali.

During our whole time in Asia our rooms were all around $35-$50/ night (usually closer to $40 except Singapore) and that was for a private room with a private bathroom, usually free breakfast, a safe, Wi-Fi, etc. sure, we could’ve spent way less in uncomfortable hostels etc etc, but even 30 days in a hotel is just $1200/mo which is less than a lot of apartments/mortgage, so we were pretty content with that.

MrThatsDifferent

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2017, 11:13:00 PM »
Thanks everyone!  I’m flying into Ho Chi Minh City and out of Bangkok. Flight is only $800 (as I’m partially using air miles, not bad for Xmas).  Next is to decide: guided tour or DIY adventure. I’ll keep you posted.

Grogounet

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #10 on: October 18, 2017, 11:55:28 PM »
Why unmustachian? Every guy on this forum (or almost) has a splurge. Yours is holidays.
- same as mine -

You seem to have a need of relax, reading in between the lines of the first post. I'm DIY and mustachism is about DIY, but in your case, I seriously consider a package and a lot of massages, since you need to recharge, and maybe 2/3 days DIY to complete.

MrThatsDifferent

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #11 on: October 19, 2017, 01:15:16 AM »
Why unmustachian? Every guy on this forum (or almost) has a splurge. Yours is holidays.
- same as mine -

You seem to have a need of relax, reading in between the lines of the first post. I'm DIY and mustachism is about DIY, but in your case, I seriously consider a package and a lot of massages, since you need to recharge, and maybe 2/3 days DIY to complete.

I like how you think. Thanks.

runbikerun

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #12 on: October 19, 2017, 01:30:51 AM »
Nine hundred dollars for a tour of Vietnam is very, very expensive. A three-to-four-star hotel everywhere outside Saigon itself should cost about forty dollars a night, and it's genuinely hard to spend more than a couple of dollars on a meal. My wife and I were in Hue about six years ago, and the bar we were in was giving away a free T-shirt to anyone whose bill was over twelve dollars. Having had two mains and three cocktails between us, we had to order another round to get over the line and claim the shirt.

As far as I remember, I brought fifteen hundred euro to Vietnam. I spent an overnight in absolutely ridiculous luxury on Ha Long Bay (with two ten-course meals), bought myself two suits in Hoi An, and came home with six hundred quid left.

triangle

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #13 on: October 19, 2017, 02:00:18 AM »
If you have 2 weeks to spend between HCMC and Bangkok, that does not leave much time for site seeing. You will have some jet lag for the first few days and spend a day traveling between Saigon and Bangkok. With that itinerary I would probably try to split the difference and spend roughly a week in each city as they have a different vibe and feel.

If you had not booked that flight route I would have recommended that you visit only one country or the other, giving you more time to venture out to other parts of the countryside away from the metro area. Such as visiting the coastal area of Vietnam a little bit north of Saigon or heading north of Bangkok when in Thailand. But even a whirlwind trip will be a lot of fun and eye opening if you have never visited.

If you want to see a lot of the tourist sites with maximum efficiency then a guided tour is good. But when in Vietnam and to a slightly lesser extend when in Thailand getting help once on the ground is not difficult and often cheaper. And better tailored to your schedule and interests.

MrThatsDifferent

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #14 on: October 19, 2017, 02:19:45 AM »
Nine hundred dollars for a tour of Vietnam is very, very expensive. A three-to-four-star hotel everywhere outside Saigon itself should cost about forty dollars a night, and it's genuinely hard to spend more than a couple of dollars on a meal. My wife and I were in Hue about six years ago, and the bar we were in was giving away a free T-shirt to anyone whose bill was over twelve dollars. Having had two mains and three cocktails between us, we had to order another round to get over the line and claim the shirt.

As far as I remember, I brought fifteen hundred euro to Vietnam. I spent an overnight in absolutely ridiculous luxury on Ha Long Bay (with two ten-course meals), bought myself two suits in Hoi An, and came home with six hundred quid left.

Yeah, it seems expensive. I think I could probably arrive and find local operators. I’m not too fussed.

boarder42

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #15 on: October 19, 2017, 05:57:03 AM »
travel hack and get some extra money off

for the villa and resort fees/ massages you could knock alot off with these cards
- barclay arrival plus card - 500 off
- Capital one venture - 500 off
- capital one business miles - 500 off
- bank of america travel rewards 200 off

that just took your 2300 and made it around 600

now for the flight home.

You could travel hack and get some airline miles pretty quick.  I have an offer i could forward you to get 70k delta miles after 4k in spending. 


MrThatsDifferent

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #16 on: October 19, 2017, 06:07:21 AM »
travel hack and get some extra money off

for the villa and resort fees/ massages you could knock alot off with these cards
- barclay arrival plus card - 500 off
- Capital one venture - 500 off
- capital one business miles - 500 off
- bank of america travel rewards 200 off

that just took your 2300 and made it around 600

now for the flight home.

You could travel hack and get some airline miles pretty quick.  I have an offer i could forward you to get 70k delta miles after 4k in spending.

Thanks. I try and avoid CC’s. Years ago they got me in trouble and ever since I’ve paid them off I avoid like the plague. I’ll just suck it up and pay the money. Appreciate the advice and offer though.

ChipmunkSavings

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #17 on: October 19, 2017, 06:55:23 AM »
If you are booking hotels in advance, I find that Agoda usually has the best prices for Asian destinations. A tip I use is to get on Hotels.com, collect the night (after 10 nights, your 11th is free) and price-match with Agoda. Saved about 15% on our last trip with this.

MrThatsDifferent

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #18 on: October 19, 2017, 01:19:03 PM »
If you are booking hotels in advance, I find that Agoda usually has the best prices for Asian destinations. A tip I use is to get on Hotels.com, collect the night (after 10 nights, your 11th is free) and price-match with Agoda. Saved about 15% on our last trip with this.

Hey that is helpful. I use Agoda but didn’t know the Hotels.com thing. Are those 10 nights at same location? I’ll be hopping around. And how does Agoda price match, do I have to call them?

dougules

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #19 on: October 20, 2017, 10:39:16 AM »
Why unmustachian? Every guy on this forum (or almost) has a splurge. Yours is holidays.
- same as mine -

You seem to have a need of relax, reading in between the lines of the first post. I'm DIY and mustachism is about DIY, but in your case, I seriously consider a package and a lot of massages, since you need to recharge, and maybe 2/3 days DIY to complete.

Not everybody has a splurge.  Most of the people you'll meet on your trip to SE Asia will probably never be able to afford the splurge of taking a trip to the Western World. 

I'm not saying it's a bad thing.  I personally think travel is a luxury that is worth it, but don't forget that it is a luxury. 

iris lily

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #20 on: October 20, 2017, 11:56:03 AM »
If you gave me those choicees I would choose touring .cambodia/Vietnam hands down. Personally, beach bqcations are boring for me after about 3 days.

While I am sure Bali is a whole  lot more interesting than the Caribbean countries, really if you just eant to lay aroundd sunny beach areas and drink and swim, go local go go cheap.

See, I love Asia and it is endlessly fascinating to me.

El Gringo

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #21 on: October 20, 2017, 12:06:48 PM »
I spent a few months living in Thailand and traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia. I consider Halong Bay in Vietnam to be one of the most beautiful places in the world that I have been. I definitely recommend it. And I loved Hanoi. You can do tours of the bay, and if you do, I highly recommend not doing the most popular tour which is in these large ships that are almost like mini cruise ships. Rather, I'd recommend going with Cat Ba Ventures (http://www.catbaventures.com/), where you can hire a small junk ship with a captain, and they take you around the bay for 2-3 days, take you local floating fishing villages, make all your meals personally using fresh seafood, and provide you a kayak to explore the bay. It's more of the off-the-beaten track type of tour than the typical tours of the bay, and so much better. I did it 8 years ago, but my girlfriend just traveled there this summer and did the same thing and loved it.

JanF

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #22 on: October 20, 2017, 12:20:43 PM »
1. If RT is $900 and one way is miles + $700 for one way ticket then it would be better to do the entire thing with cash then use those points for hotels.
2. check ToursbyLocal.com for cheaper tour guides who know are about local things.
3. If you end up going to Bali, go swim with whale sharks!

MrThatsDifferent

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #23 on: October 20, 2017, 02:18:22 PM »
Thanks everyone for your help.

I picked Vietnam/Cambodia with my flight coming home via Bangkok using airmiles plus $60. I’m going to spend 2 Days in Cambodia at Siem Reap, 3 Days in Ho Chi Minh, 5 Days in Hanoi (3 on a boat and at Cat Ba), 5 days based in Hoi An and 2 Days in Bangkok, catching up with friends. I’m excited. I’m going to fly between the cities, instead of bus/train, hire local guides and stay at 3 star places. Hotels are insanely cheap and I’m picking ones that all have breakfast.

If I was retired I could have done this cheaper, but not bad considering I have to work with my work schedule and the holidays.

MrThatsDifferent

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #24 on: October 20, 2017, 02:28:00 PM »
I spent a few months living in Thailand and traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia. I consider Halong Bay in Vietnam to be one of the most beautiful places in the world that I have been. I definitely recommend it. And I loved Hanoi. You can do tours of the bay, and if you do, I highly recommend not doing the most popular tour which is in these large ships that are almost like mini cruise ships. Rather, I'd recommend going with Cat Ba Ventures (http://www.catbaventures.com/), where you can hire a small junk ship with a captain, and they take you around the bay for 2-3 days, take you local floating fishing villages, make all your meals personally using fresh seafood, and provide you a kayak to explore the bay. It's more of the off-the-beaten track type of tour than the typical tours of the bay, and so much better. I did it 8 years ago, but my girlfriend just traveled there this summer and did the same thing and loved it.

Thanks so much for this. I was about to book those cruise ships! I can’t see prices, I guess I have to contact them. What did your partner pay?

triangle

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #25 on: October 21, 2017, 11:40:50 PM »
Spending 5 days in Hoi An seems like too long given your overall plan. Based on your other choices I would have expected only 1 day in Hoi An. But if you mean Hoi An as a general area and plan to use it as a jumping off point to visit the Marble mountains just south of Danang and to drive over the top of Hai Van Pass north of Danang (a road trip _not_ to be missed IMO) on your way to Hue to visit the Imperial City and other sites then 5 days in central Vietnam then it is encouraged.

I would just think about shifting my anchor point to either Danang (because of its central location to Hue and Hoi An and providing airport access) or Hue because of its history and proximity to DMZ related sites a little further north.  You can visit Hoi An on a day trip from Danang and if you order any shirts/pants/etc from one of the many shops in the city they will deliver it to your hotel in Danang the next day if necessary.

MrThatsDifferent

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #26 on: October 21, 2017, 11:46:44 PM »
Spending 5 days in Hoi An seems like too long given your overall plan. Based on your other choices I would have expected only 1 day in Hoi An. But if you mean Hoi An as a general area and plan to use it as a jumping off point to visit the Marble mountains just south of Danang and to drive over the top of Hai Van Pass north of Danang (a road trip _not_ to be missed IMO) on your way to Hue to visit the Imperial City and other sites then 5 days in central Vietnam then it is encouraged.

I would just think about shifting my anchor point to either Danang (because of its central location to Hue and Hoi An and providing airport access) or Hue because of its history and proximity to DMZ related sites a little further north.  You can visit Hoi An on a day trip from Danang and if you order any shirts/pants/etc from one of the many shops in the city they will deliver it to your hotel in Danang the next day if necessary.

Yes, I was thinking of Hoi An as the base and visit Da nang and Hue. Hoi An looks so beautiful. I might want a day or 2 just relaxing by the beach. Great suggestions though. Thanks.

El Gringo

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #27 on: October 22, 2017, 06:26:52 PM »
Thanks so much for this. I was about to book those cruise ships! I can’t see prices, I guess I have to contact them. What did your partner pay?

That's great! I would email them and ask, because I think they tailor to your needs (how many days/nights, etc). My girlfriend doesn't remember how much she paid, but looking back at my emails, when I went 8 years ago, it was the following for 2 days/1 night:
 
     240 US$ for 3 people in a private boat Classic Sail ($80 person)
     270 US$ for 3 people in a private boat Dolphin ($90 person)

I didn't have any time to do anything on the island, but when my girlfriend went, she spent a day hiking on the island (her captain from the boat served as a tour guide that day too) and she really liked it.

Have a great time and let me know how it is!

MrThatsDifferent

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #28 on: October 22, 2017, 06:32:37 PM »
Thanks so much for this. I was about to book those cruise ships! I can’t see prices, I guess I have to contact them. What did your partner pay?

That's great! I would email them and ask, because I think they tailor to your needs (how many days/nights, etc). My girlfriend doesn't remember how much she paid, but looking back at my emails, when I went 8 years ago, it was the following for 2 days/1 night:
 
     240 US$ for 3 people in a private boat Classic Sail ($80 person)
     270 US$ for 3 people in a private boat Dolphin ($90 person)

I didn't have any time to do anything on the island, but when my girlfriend went, she spent a day hiking on the island (her captain from the boat served as a tour guide that day too) and she really liked it.

Have a great time and let me know how it is!

Awesome, thanks!

ChipmunkSavings

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #29 on: October 24, 2017, 01:28:30 PM »
If you are booking hotels in advance, I find that Agoda usually has the best prices for Asian destinations. A tip I use is to get on Hotels.com, collect the night (after 10 nights, your 11th is free) and price-match with Agoda. Saved about 15% on our last trip with this.

Hey that is helpful. I use Agoda but didn’t know the Hotels.com thing. Are those 10 nights at same location? I’ll be hopping around. And how does Agoda price match, do I have to call them?


Hotels.com allows you to collect 10% of the value of each night for an eventual free night. For example, if you stay in 100$ hotels for 10 days (does not need to be the same), you can get a 100$ night free. If you have 5 x 50$ nights + 5 x 100$, then your free night will be 75$.
Agoda is about 10% cheaper than Hotels.com for Asian countries, IME. What I did was book the nights on Hotels.com, then take a 'print screen' of Agoda's prices. Hotels.com has a form on their website, where you can put an attachment. They processed the claims within 48 hours, and I got credits and reimbursements.

MrThatsDifferent

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Re: Un-Mustachian holiday decision: Vietnam/Cambodia or Bali?
« Reply #30 on: October 24, 2017, 11:18:42 PM »
If you are booking hotels in advance, I find that Agoda usually has the best prices for Asian destinations. A tip I use is to get on Hotels.com, collect the night (after 10 nights, your 11th is free) and price-match with Agoda. Saved about 15% on our last trip with this.

Hey that is helpful. I use Agoda but didn’t know the Hotels.com thing. Are those 10 nights at same location? I’ll be hopping around. And how does Agoda price match, do I have to call them?

Gotcha! Thanks!


Hotels.com allows you to collect 10% of the value of each night for an eventual free night. For example, if you stay in 100$ hotels for 10 days (does not need to be the same), you can get a 100$ night free. If you have 5 x 50$ nights + 5 x 100$, then your free night will be 75$.
Agoda is about 10% cheaper than Hotels.com for Asian countries, IME. What I did was book the nights on Hotels.com, then take a 'print screen' of Agoda's prices. Hotels.com has a form on their website, where you can put an attachment. They processed the claims within 48 hours, and I got credits and reimbursements.