Post: #1

I don't really know much about Asia except for the large metropoles, so for the Asia experts out there, what are the most beautiful cities/towns in Asia relatively unspoiled by mass tourism where a $6000-7000 USD monthly budget could let you live "like a king"? I'm interested in a one month stay at this point.

I know the usual names like Bali, Phuket, etc. but am personally more interested in finding the hidden gems where on could rent a beautiful villa (mansion?) near a lush tropical forest, pristine coast, or historically gorgeous city; be close to a large variety of amazingly fresh and delicious native food; have interesting sights and locales to explore; and a friendly populace.

By the way, women are not a concern in choosing this location as I'll have a hot European chick traveling with me. In other words, I'm looking for an inspiring honeymoon-style shag location, and not a pick-up location.

Things I'd like to avoid: Massive high-rise development (I hate this shit); Long rows of western hotels catering to package tourists (again, I hate this shit); Ugly, concrete modern architecture (I really hate places like this, which is unfortunately all too common in Asia); Dirty/scrubby backpackers hangouts.

I guess I'm thinking the undiscovered Tuscany, Provence, or Cote d'azur of Asia.

Post: #2

Tagbilaran, bohol (stay at or check out bbc there)
el nido, palawan

both in philippines

Post: #3

According to wikipedia, Tagbilaran is considered one of the 8 Philippine Dream cities, along with: Samal San Fernando La Union, Cebu City, Iloilo City, Marikina, Naga, Calbayog City and Surigao City.

They might be worth your time checking out if they fit your criteria.

Post: #4

I've heard good things about Hoi An, Vietnam:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/vietnam/cent...nam/hoi-an

Although it does attract tourists, it's not overrun by them. The town appears to have tons of character and cultural gems. It's right on the coast, and there's a big national park not too far away:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/vietnam/cent...ional-park

-LS

Post: #5

Playboy you need to hit the Maldives and corresponding atolls....It's within your budget and fits the parameters of what your looking for....Maldives are beautiful...more so than the caribbean or anything else on earth.(south pacific is on par)...

Things to know
-Male- is a muslim country so no liquor and hooking up with the locals unless it's at the hotel/resort..definitely not a thumping party scene...but the natural beauty is breathtaking...Kind of shocked more of you haven't tried to visit...the resorts are managed by western own companies...usually a bungalow over the ocean/lagoon...you can scuba, fish, hang out on the beaches, boat on crystal clear blue water...hit flickr and type maldives and watch your mouth drop...about a few hours due south of India...so you will have to fly in from carrier to the main island...

You can do the maldives and then bounce either to India, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore....stay the fuck out of malyasia...ex gf rolled thru with a mini skirt and almost got beat down by the locals..(muslims)..

you will see the local women and be blown away....dark skin, long hair, green eyes...crazy natural beauty...

Post: #6

Thanks for the ideas guys.

Hearing good things about Luang Prabang as well:

Post: #7

(06-26-2010 05:59 PM)Caramel Communist Wrote:  Playboy you need to hit the Maldives and corresponding atolls....It's within your budget and fits the parameters of what your looking for....Maldives are beautiful...more so than the caribbean or anything else on earth.(south pacific is on par)...

Things to know
-Male- is a muslim country so no liquor and hooking up with the locals unless it's at the hotel/resort..definitely not a thumping party scene...but the natural beauty is breathtaking...Kind of shocked more of you haven't tried to visit...the resorts are managed by western own companies...usually a bungalow over the ocean/lagoon...you can scuba, fish, hang out on the beaches, boat on crystal clear blue water...hit flickr and type maldives and watch your mouth drop...about a few hours due south of India...so you will have to fly in from carrier to the main island...

You can do the maldives and then bounce either to India, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore....stay the fuck out of malyasia...ex gf rolled thru with a mini skirt and almost got beat down by the locals..(muslims)..

you will see the local women and be blown away....dark skin, long hair, green eyes...crazy natural beauty...

Weird that you mention Maldives as a tourist unspoiled destination. Over 90% of their economy is from tourism. But to what the OP is looking for, a resort like Conrad would be a pretty good fit.

I agree that it's a very pretty country (except Male), but fairly boring if you're not into diving. Not much surfing going on either, there is a spot close to Male (right by the military island) but nothing really to write home about.

I find Maldivian women to be very hot, exponentially better than Srilanka and India.
They have an interesting mix of genes including Arabian.

For dudes rolling dolo on a flag capture mission, skip resorts. Guests are mostly couples on a honeymoon, waiters often half-retarded Srilankan cockblocking males, and Filipino/Indo/Thai masseuses. It would be pretty hard to get a Maldivian flag at a resort, unless you import one in from Male.

Male is one dirty and overpopulated dump. There is no nightlife, lots of sex starved Bangladeshi construction workers everywhere, and no readily available alcohol. On the plus side, their women fuck like rabbits. It's a day gamers paradise (unless you're from Bangladesh or Srilanka). Lots of young women dressed in tight shirts and jeans. Even their traditional Muslim outfit can be Very form fitting. Best places to meet them are cafes/eateries all over Male. Also check out weddings. Most of them take place at a hotel where you can easily crash it. As a foreigner you will stick out in a good way.

Overall, I'd rather go somewhere else,

Post: #8

Try the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. Just google the images.

I had to go here to escape the heat of KL and took my girl with me. Stayed in a mountain chalet, chilled on the veranda in the cool mountain air and thought "Damn, this is paradise"

For your budget you would be king no doubt.

Post: #9

(06-26-2010 06:04 PM)kindredspirit Wrote:  Thanks for the ideas guys.

Hearing good things about Luang Prabang as well:

I've been to Luang Prabang, and it's an absolutely beautiful, peaceful place...that said, I wouldn't recommend it if you are going to be staying too long. It's not a place I would want to rent a house for a few months. It's just really dead there, whether or not you have a girl with you already.

There is 12am curfew last time I checked, at which point everyone is supposed to be off the streets. You can still usually get a tuk tuk to pick you up and bring you somewhere, but the only available places are a bowling alley that stays open until about 5am and a laos disco or two, which can be fun for getting wasted in another language on your way through town but would get really old really quick if it was all you had.

Occaissonal temple party too.

Ditto for shopping, restaurants, etc. There's surely some good local spots to eat that you could discover, but....I'd say unless you guys are looking for a really really really quiet time then keep your visit short. Real cool place to unwind though - they say it's the best prerserved city in Asia, and it really feels like you're stepping into another century.

As a disclaimer, I was only there about a week and the town could be a lot bigger than the impression I got from it. Just make a visit or do some major research before deciding to stay long-term.

Personally, I'd look for something by the ocean if that's what you're looking for.

I'm sure you could find something FAR less Westenized, but I really recommend Koh Tao, Thailand. I'm really the kind of guy who likes to get away from the tourists, backpackers, and Westernized areas where traveling. But I stayed on Koh Tao for about two months, and I've said since that it's the one Westernized island where they "got it right," if that makes any sense.

The reason being that most people who go there are there for either the scuba diving or the rock climbing (it's supposedly the cheapest place in the world to get your dive certification). So the end result is you get a pretty laid back crowd that is their to enjoy nature and goes to bed relatively early on most nights.

Don't get me wrong, there are tons of beach parties and raves if and when you want them, but they are also easy to avoid, and much of the island is nice and peaceful. That said, undiscovered it is not.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #10

(06-26-2010 06:04 PM)kindredspirit Wrote:  Thanks for the ideas guys.

Hearing good things about Luang Prabang as well:

That photo really is amazing though; makes me want to go back for a visit soon.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #11

(08-30-2011 08:58 AM)shaneyward Wrote:  Van Don in Vietnam

Wow - googled some images of Van Don and it looks pretty epic there. What's the infrastructure like there? Living wise...?

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #12

Luang Prabong is nice and all, but I wouldn't recommend it. There are TONS of tourists in that city. when I went up the mountain to watch the sunset, I've never seen so many tourists in my life.. LP is definitely spoiled by tourism... But it is beautiful, and the food is GREAT. If you want to spend time in Laos, it would be interesting to stay up north.. Check out Nong Khiaw or PHONGSALI. I doubt either of these places meet your criteria, but they are both extremely beautiful. Phongsali was one of the coolest places i've ever seen... just don't expect to meet too many locals... People don't speak English too well north of Luang Prabong.

I'd recommend Da Nang, Vietnam. I spent my birthday there with this broad. Great times. I wish I could have spent more time there... The beach is beautiful, it's cheap as Hell, and there aren't many tourists at all. I think there is a small expat community too, if that interests you. I had some of the best (and cheapest) seafood of my life in Da Nang. Thinking about that meal makes me hungry. The main beach is very chill, and has an incredible mountain backdrop. If you want a deserted beach, you can take a 10-15 minute trip down the coast to China Beach. You can probably fuck your chick out in the open on China Beach if you go to the right spot.. that beach was so quiet it was depressing. I'm not sure about renting a villa in Da Nang, but I think a lot of the upper class Vietnamese live in the area, so if you do some research you can figure it out. Da Nang is only a 25 minute bus ride away from Hoi An (it's a local bus, the fare was something like $0.75), so it's a good place to base yourself to explore Vietnam.

Post: #13

I was not aware that Luang Prabang is such beautiful place.Now am planning to move there next weekend.

Post: #14

Luang Prabang is a town with just 3 parallel roads and a bus station

Its just a tourist town were people go to get hammered and go tubing on the mekong

Fun as hell but 3 or 4 days of that is enough unless your really like getting hammered with (mostly irish) tourists

Post: #15

(09-01-2011 08:01 AM)Lumiere Wrote:  Luang Prabang is a town with just 3 parallel roads and a bus station

Its just a tourist town were people go to get hammered and go tubing on the mekong

Fun as hell but 3 or 4 days of that is enough unless your really like getting hammered with (mostly irish) tourists

You're thinking of Vang Viang..
Nowhere to go tubing in Luang Prabong. LP is a historic city with beautiful mountain scenery and delicious food (and loads of tourists).

Post: #16

Yep - I second that. Lumiere is definitely confusing Viang Vieng with Luang Prabang. Beautiful caves around Viang Vieng but certainly not a place for escaping the tourists....

As far as the tourists in Luang Prabang, I guess it was just really dead when I went there. There were certainly tourists milling around but it was really quiet and everyone seemed to stick around pretty much one area from what I could see. Most were just passing through on the way to Viang Vieng. The late night disco I went to only had one other foreigner in the spot.

Which brings up a pretty interesting thing that should be noted too. Even when you go to the most touristy destinations, it's not that hard to get away from that. You can go to Bangkok and Chiang Mai in Thailand and head in pretty much any direction and it won't be long until you end up the only foreigner.

Not that I'm recommending BKK as a romantic getaway.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #17

I wouldn't call it the most beautiful but Nanjing the capital of Jiangsu province, China is a large (8 million+) city 2-3 hours by bus from Shanghai. It's one China's four great Imperial capitals, and was the capital of numerous dynasties and Dr Sun Yat-sen's republic before the communist revolution. It's full of tons of Ming dynasty relics such as tombs, the Nanking Massacre Memorial, Sun Yat-sen's mausoleum and a lot more and not many tourists visit it. I lived there for more than a month. It's definitely worth a few days trip if your visiting Shanghai.

Post: #18

Anyone know anything about Sa Pa, Vietnam? Looks stunning. Nice place to chill out with a girl or lay low and get some work done?

Post: #19

I spent time in Sa Pa. I told a story about a trip I took...
/thread-25448-...#pid483410

It is a interesting place. It has a decent amount of tourist. Most everyone is doing hikes through the mountains. It is kind of a joke if you take a hike from Sa Pa as this hill tribe people just surround you and try to sell you crap. If you get on a motorcycle and go just 30 minutes away you reach places where they rarely see foreigners.

The tourist are usually in and out of Sa Pa in 3 or 4 days and don't stay long. I was not impressed with the local talent as most are hills tribe people and they are not really great at hygiene or making themselves attractive by our standards. It was certainly not the same quality you would find in Ha Noi.

I think it is worth a visit but I would not be setting up shop their for more than a week or so, certainly not to live.

Post: #20

(07-10-2013 06:51 PM)DirectDanger Wrote:  I spent time in Sa Pa. I told a story about a trip I took...
/thread-25448-...#pid483410

It is a interesting place. It has a decent amount of tourist. Most everyone is doing hikes through the mountains. It is kind of a joke if you take a hike from Sa Pa as this hill tribe people just surround you and try to sell you crap. If you get on a motorcycle and go just 30 minutes away you reach places where they rarely see foreigners.

The tourist are usually in and out of Sa Pa in 3 or 4 days and don't stay long. I was not impressed with the local talent as most are hills tribe people and they are not really great at hygiene or making themselves attractive by our standards. It was certainly not the same quality you would find in Ha Noi.

I think it is worth a visit but I would not be setting up shop their for more than a week or so, certainly not to live.

Ah, I read that but didn't remember it was around Sa Pa (didn't turn up in a forum search for "Sa Pa".) Really cool story. Are there lots and lots of tourists that go there? Would you consider it a tourist town, say like Luang Prabang mentioned above? The tribe thing I'm guessing is similar to the ones around Chiang Mai - throw on their traditional clothes for a half hour then go back to watching footy in jeans and t-shirts. In the spirit of the OP, completely ignoring the no local talent issue and even lack of nightlife in Sa Pa, would it be a nice place to stay for a month, e.g. with imported talent or grinding out work?

Post: #21

(06-26-2010 10:05 AM)Lumiere Wrote:  Tagbilaran, bohol (stay at or check out bbc there)
el nido, palawan

both in philippines

I wouldn't recommend staying right in Tagbilaran, I'd stay at Alona Beach, which is about a 40 minute drive away, posted data on both spots a few months ago that you can find here. I also hit up El Nido for a few days and that place was great, I highly recommend checking it out, although its a bit small, so I wouldn't stay too long in that one spot, I did a ten day trip on Palawan and hit up Puerto Princesa and Coron as well, here's the data I dropped: PPC, El Nido, Coron.

Post: #22

Yes it is a tourist town but not as many tourist as Luang Prabang. The hill tribe thing is very similar to the Chiang Mai or Pai where it's all for show but that is what the tourist all seem to do.

I wouldn't choose to live their. If you play poker, day-trade, do video conferencing, or anything that needs stable internet you might be pushing your luck. I think it's one of those places that is interesting to visit but I couldn't see myself staying for a month.

I would much rather get a villa in Ubud Bali if your goal is to relax and get some work done.

Post: #23

Emei Shan, Near Leshan, Sichuan, China. One of the most striking places on earth if you dig mountains. Very toursity in chinese travellers, but the town itself its pretty chill. I saw very few foreigners, and most of them are gone the same day. So though transited, the town itself its pretty mellow.

I've been there twice, excellent food with Indian influences, hotsprings, and temples built on top of mountains. The clouds clash against the mountain like waves of the sea.Stunning scenery though, and wild monkeys. Your really gotta see it to believe it.

You could stay on a monastery on a mountain for $10 a night, though it will be spartan. It would be cool to get your freak on while the monks chant...

Second also the recco for Nanjing. Great food, very pretty downtown, but its a big city. Might get 'too much' quickly.

Id consider surrounds of Kunming, its supposed to have the best, balmiest weather in China.

Post: #24

In terms of big cities, Taipei

Amazingly this huge Asian city get's almost no tourists due to more favorable destinations being far more accessible and 'appealing' (Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore....). Taipei has nothing to offer for tourists apart from a few nightmarkets which aren't worth an expensive plane ride onto the island.

I live here and I see barely any tourists, apart from the odd Singaporian. There are some foreigners here but the last time I went out to a club next to Taipei 101 I was the ONLY foreigner in it. This was in the centre of the city.

Taipei is a very westernised city, but despite this it does not have many westerners at all compared to it's huge population

Post: #25

I think Lombok would be a great option. The unspoiled Bali. Still plenty of tourist options, but quiet and clean. You could rent a beautiful villa on the beach.