I’m looking for recomendations for places in Asia to spend Christmas week. I am in Aceh, Indonesia so it has to be somewhere that won’t have too many travel days. Bali is rainy in December, but what about Thailand? Singapore for a week sounds kind of boring, but maybe I’m wrong. Let the IMHOing commence, thanks.
I did Xmas in Phuket the year before the Tsunami with my family. IIRC, weather was fine and a good time had by all. The hotel we stayed at had a giant xmas buffet complete with ice sculptures that melted pretty quickly and Santa Claus arriving by longtail boat.
HK, China, Korea and Japan would be pretty lame at Xmas unless you’re really into those countries at winter. Maybe if you want to snowboard in Japan or Korea…
the other really wild place to go would be Australia.
Thanks CG, I’m saving Australia for when I have two weeks of vacation in January or February. China is on my list, but with just one week, I wouldn’t be able to do it right.
I had Xmas in Hainan Island one year. That was… odd. There was one place doing a “Christmas” buffet but it was bizarre as anything.
HK is OK, lots going on in the western bars (Lan Kwai Fong) and islands. Thailand would be good too, I think. There were huge Xmas parties that people were sleeping off when the tsunami hit. Just bear in mind that the 26th is a solemn day on the west coast now - as it would be in Acheh, mind you. Perhaps go to the eastern Thai islands or beaches, rather than the Andaman Sea area, if you want to get away from the mourning and commemoration?
China sucks in the winter too. Only come here in the spring or the fall.
I always say you can’t go wrong on a Thai beach
Another thought: I’ve never been but I bet the Philippines do a good Xmas, them being Catholic and all.
Welcome to Goa ,India … Excellent beach … Plenty of tourists…Lot of churches and great goan people… 
Enjoy !!!
Thanks all, I’ve been in the Philippines on Xmas. To be honest, I don’t care about any kind of Christmas celebrations, I just want to get away for the week, and yeah I could do without tsunami grief on the 26th.
Best Christmas ever: Thai beach!
Weather was plenty warm if a little overcast. The food was wonderful as was the hospitality.
Best of all was the complete exemption from the whole western commercialization thing. No mall shopping, no horrid crowds. It was wonderful.
Our Thai hosts were making a charming effort to make ‘Christmas’ for us. Their every gesture was warm and sincere and I have often reflected on how our most ‘Christian’ spirit filled holiday was in a Buddhist country.
Our gifts were trinkets from the market, some chocolates etc. We had champaign and 0J on the beach with breakfast.
There is a point each year, as I grow weary of the marathon nature of our Christmas celebrations here in the west, when I think about throwing it all over and heading back to that Thai beach.
Hope you have a wonderful one where ever you land!
Thanks everyone. It looks like we are headed to Thailand in November for a scheduled R&R. I think for xmas week we might try either Thailand again (depending on how we like it) or head over to Palau (tough life, eh). Everything is still up in the air though, so if anyone else has an idea I’d love to hear it.