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Short Cheap Break Ideas

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  1. #1

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    Short Cheap Break Ideas

    Just thought I'd scope out some other good folks (that's you) ideas on short breaks. I need to get out of HK for a few days, I will be going on my own and mid-week, but need to keep it cheap and don't really want lengthy flights or transfers. I want to go in the next month and can be flexible on how many days, but under a week feels right.

    Not, Guangzhou, Guilin, Beijing, Shanghai (been to them all more than once), or Vietnam (lived there).


  2. #2

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    Phuket will be just fine for you then.
    Air Asia does great deals too.


  3. #3

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    Taipei is a good choice


  4. #4

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    Lijiang, Songpan, Shangrila, Kunming -- all places with (or close to) great natural beauty, suitable for 2-6 day breaks. All can be done very cheaply at guesthouses.


  5. #5

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    Thanks for the fast ideas, not Phuket, I should have added most of Thailand to that list too, maybe Chiang Mai/Rai area, I haven't been up there, but spent 7 months in Thailand a few years ago, so have covered it quite extensively.

    I was thinking Taiwan, but I'd want to get out of the city, don't suppose if you know how easy it is to get out of Taipei and into the countryside as a non-mandarin speaker?

    Thanks HC, I'll go and have a look at some of those ideas, appreciate that.


  6. #6

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    Songpan looks like my kind of thing, whilst I'm picking strangers brains, any finer details that you may have for there HC?


  7. #7

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    Songpan : You can get there with a direct flight (a bit expensive) or by bus from Chengdu (very cheap). Beautiful little quaint town that is on very high altitudes. Most people go there for the horse treks.
    1 day trek == just travel around the flatlands
    2 day trek == visit the hotsprings and lakes for a dip
    3 day trek == visit the glacier, villages, see lots of yaks; no cellphones, no internet.
    There are also excursions from there to various other spots (1-3 hours away); start digging around the internet for Songpan and you'll find tons of stuff.
    If you take the bus up from Chendu, you will also be treated to some fantastic mountain scenary along with some grizzly sights of the earthquake a few years ago. Some crushed cars can still be seen from the highway.

    Take warm clothing. I was there late july/early August. Daytime temp was 28C, nighttime -2C brrrr

    If you can speak mando, its a bonus but having English only is not a problem. Lots of European tourists around.


  8. #8

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    Thanks for that, am researching now.


  9. #9

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    Second vote for Lijiang. direct flights from Shenzhen. Loved it.

    What about Macau? We go there for low cost, low hassle weekends (prefer the Westin for time away from Casinos on the beach)


  10. #10

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    Near Songpan there is Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou - two natural parks with stunning scenery, but they are quite expensive to enter - around 2-300 rmb each. Many people do horse treks in and around Songpan. I think the main problem you will have is getting there cheaply - you can fly to Chengdu, but then it is a day on the bus, or another expensive flight.

    Flying to Kunming and then seeing some of Yunnan would be a cheaper option.


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