UK & London trip reviews ( email)

Hi 

I'm looking for tips/itineraries for a 8-9 days trip to England, Scotland and Wales via Antilog Vacations after a decent tour to Asian destinations

Am planning to travel in early Aug.

Any help/pointers would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Kshitij'

Hi ,

2 days in London enough to strike off all the Touristy things to do ...rest of England ka no clue ! Heard Scotland trip esp. drive through is a much better thing to do than spend time in London !

Also in/around London there are lots of touristy places one can skip ...esp if you are patriotic types... lots of places where your blood will boil looking at the armory, jewels which the Brits looted from the erstwhile divided India... war memorials in the memory of Indian soldiers killed in the wars where they were forced to fight in alien countries to project Her Majesty's pride ...statues in the memory of Legends who successfully colonized us etc.

Varun Bhateja from Antilog-Mumbai chapter had been to london. He can answer any queries about london and UK

Phuket v/s Krabi v/s Koh Samu (Email) Reviews

Hi All,

Don't mean to spam, but I am planning a vacation with Antilog to Thailand in the first week of October. Please suggest, which of the 3 places Phuket/ KohSamui/ Krabi will be ideal, given that October is an off season month...

Ideally I would like to spend 3-4 days on whichever of the 3 places has some nightlife, but is not super crowded, and has natural beauty as well..clean beaches..water sports and the likes..

Regards,

Supriya

 

Hi ,

Phuket - Biggest island of Thailand and also the most commercial one. Good nightlife as well as option of visiting nearby islands on day trips - you'll find lots of desi janta there. Go if you have not been to thailand before.

Koh Samui - 2nd biggest island - spectacular natural beauty - less commercial than phuket - wont find much desi janta - go if you're looking for a chilliing out. nightlife options are full moon party in near by islands - apart from that not much night life (as in not after 11 pm) - otherwise a very beautiful place to go.

 Krabi - best beaches among the three... Railay is spectacular....less nightlife compared to the other two but enough to keep you busy... rock climbing options... similar to phuket you can make day trips to other islands..

In Krabi, if you guys don't mind splurging a bit, try the Rayavadee resort there, it's on Railay beach itself. Absolutely spectacular location with great water sports, lovely food, lots of Other amenities in the resort. Even the cottages are probably the best you would ever see in a beach resort. You can also watch Thai Kickboxing nearby which happens 2-3 days a week, moderate quality but for a first time watch with friends is fun, especially with noisy crowd, lots of betting and beer.

Only problem is that Krabi does not have too much nightlife outside the resort barring few places to go for dinner.

Had gone for a Antilog Group Tour in March and everyone fell in love with the resort.

bangkok - absolutely worth going there! shop a lot - esp if you wanna buy a BIG TV. amazing city - super night life (rooftop bars/clubs etc) 

pattaya - mainly for going in a 'boys gang' - wont recommend for a family trip

Vietnam Tips

Hi.. Need some travel tips for vietnam for trip of approx 8 days in december
In specific:
1. How good is vietnam airlines for internal transit?
2. Does it make more sense to take separate packages for north and south vietnam?
3. Any must-do/ recommended things?

Thanks
Prerna 

Hi,

Hope this helps

1. How good is vietnam airlines for internal transit?

Its decent enough. I took three flights and each one of them was on time. The aircrafts were also well maintained and its unlikely that they will start coming apart mid-air.

2. Does it make more sense to take separate packages for north and south vietnam?

Don't know what you mean by this. Please clarify

3. Any must-do/ recommended things?

I would recommend a trip to Hoi-An. Its recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO. The town comes alive in the evenings with traditional chinese lanterns everywhere and almost no traffic. Good for walking around the streets and some excellent gourmet restaurants which are quite affordable.

The other activity of course is a halong bay cruise in a traditonal vietnamese junk....

Makes sense to take package tours focusing on the mekong delta...though river is dirty, diesel fumes everywhere and the guides will spend an inordinate amount of time at local handicraft shops which you can get dime-a-dozen in india :)

Vietnam Airlines is good for internal travel. There are many good places in Vietnam and N to S, it is a big country. Do not miss Halong Bay, which in itself may need 1-2 days.

Shopping for lacquer items in Hanoi is worthwhile and anything else you may like. while driving from Hanoi to Halong bay, there is a kind of good arts craft emporium, where you can get good stuff. 

Food wise: be careful on where you eat. Veg food may sometimes be a challenge, but if you are ok with fried rice, tofu, veg soup, etc, it can be manageable.

cheers

Kerala & Himanchal Reviews/dos and don'ts from parikshit (email)

Hi

Here are a few tips for kerala & himanchal pradesh & considering that Antilog arranges a lot of tours to these places

KERALA

My experience: Stayed in kerala as part of a role for 3 months.

The trouble with Kerala is that there are only a few months when the weather is really tolerable. This would be Oct to Feb, as the rest of the year is too humid for any kind of relaxation.

Kerala being a very small state (you can go from the northernmost tip to the southernmost in less than 12 hours), travel time is hardly an issue. And there are certain things here you'll see nowhere else! 

Places you must absolutely see:

Kumarakom in Kottayam district: For the backwaters. "God of Small Things" is based in this town!

Allepey/Allapuzha: Again for the backwaters, people use ferries and boats to go from one part of the town to another.

Kovalam beach: Near Trivandrum, one of the most sought after beach locations in the world. You'll see a large number of firangs here during the Dec-Jan season.

Varkala beach: 40kms from Trivandrum, but quieter, more serene and more beautiful (my perception!) than Kovalam. Also home to a 2000 yr old temple with a very interesting legend. 

Munnar: The guided tour in the Tata Tea Estates is something you shouldn't miss.

Then there are the art forms - Kalaripayattu, Theyyam, etc. You can ask the hotel you might stay in to arrange some of these for you, or they'd atleast know where these events occur.

Places you can avoid: 

Fort Kochi: purane zamane ke Dutch settlements and palaces blah blah etc

North Kerala: I found the northern parts extremely drab, boring and depressing at times.

HIMACHAL PRADESH:

My experience: Backpacked across the state solo, last summer

This is my favourite place in the country. Its amazingly beautiful with great, hospitable people. One of the best ways to stay here is to book with HTDC hotels, which are pocket friendly as well as clean and hygienic. 

Places you absolutely must see:

McLeodganj: Don't think I have to elaborate on this. Great place. B-E-A-Utiful people. Fantastic vibe. Interesting culture. (Shamelessly plugging an answer on Quora - http://qr.ae/242Vr)

Spiti: One of the most pristine places in the country, alongside Sikkim and Ladakh. Some would argue its better than Ladakh!

Toy Train from Kalka to Shimla: One of the best train journeys you will ever take, ever!

Old Manali: Lot quieter than Manali, a couple of ancient temples with interesting legends, some really good cafes, and a small trail that leads you to the banks of the Beas, with no human around for atleast 8-10 kms - Bliss!

Paragliding at McGanj is amazing, you'll be hovering over the Dh'Sala cricket ground. There are a number of ancient, beautiful temples spread across the state, as there are equally enchanting monasteries. 

In case you have any specific queries, just lemme know. Would love to help AV commuters from the experiences

Pratikshit.

Srinagar Trip Experience ( Email)

Hi Abhishek

Jst been to Srinagar, so sharing experience..Did few stuff myself and few from AV

1) Hotels: Depending on the places u want to visit in/around Srinagar, u can choose the hotels... Ideally ppl make Srinagar as their base andtravel to places from Srinagar everyday, which is wastage of time.... some hotels cud be Habitat, etc near Dal Lake (having basis amenties like wifi,TV but not lavish)

2) Houseboat: Even if you book the a particular houseboat, u might not get the same due to non-availability (peak season) or if the person dupes you

3) Travelling- The drivers/locals wont help you and they would tell you the most expensive options (connecting cabs, boots, pony rides, etc). It purely depends on ur ability/knowledge abt the things which can save you.... (eg. boots were frented to ppl for 5 times the actual rates)..the driver was a svaer nd treated us well

Pahalgam - dont take pony rides (dangerous and costs ranges from rs.300-1500 depending on bargaining ability); there is a beautiful way for trekking or a broad road available for walking also (not known to ppl)

Gulmarg- Avoid pony rides, go for cable car rides to both levels....

Sonmarg- Ferrys would charge you exorbitant Rs. 4000 for a 2 km ride for visiting a glacier (which is not there) whereas it can be done within Rs.1000. Walking option also available..

Other places u must visit: Aharbal, betaab valley

Let me know in case u want more details on places to visit/ best options for readers benefit

Best source of gathering local information: Talk to the police/traffic police personnel at various places

Regards

Karan

Antilog Vacations Group Tour

Group Trekking - 12-18 Aug - Leh ,Nubra,Valley of flowers with Everest Returned junta !

Some people have  booked the group  trip through Antilog Vacations for a Himanchal Campsite & Leh.It looks that few of them are mountaineers as well and have taken the trekking package

The advantage of this group is that they have their own campsite (and tents is the best way to stay there) at the Ghangaria and at least that year they were the only campsite which had attached toilets in the tents. Other campsites has common toilet blocks. If you are travelling with family (wife) this is a big advantage. 

Interested folks can message at group's email id for details .Only Antilog Vacations community members are welcome.Medical exam mandatory before travel.All gear included

( pls check spam folder for details as few members arent getting emails in the desired format)