Hello folks:
Here is the continuation to my last post. As I mentioned before, I decided on a 2 day 1 night excursion out on Ha Long Bay.
There are several companies that offer tours to Ha Long Bay. They range from day tours, 2 day-1 night tours, and even 3 day-2 nights. In my opinion, the 2 day 1 night option is perfect. I used the boating company that my hotel (Hanoi Cristina Hotel) recommended. The hotel also served as a small travel agency. I emailed them ahead of time to ask for the prices of the tours. They offered three boats which ranged in luxury. The higher end boat was the Viola Cruise which was $160, then the Diamond cruise which was $150, and the boat I took was the Lemon cruise for $125. These initial prices were for double occupancy (two people). Since I was traveling alone, the prices were slightly higher: $210, $190, and $150 respectively. That’s one of the downfalls of solo travel.
You can also wait until you are in Hanoi and visit any of the many travel agencies in the Old Quarter to seek their prices. I saw signs for pricing that was much lower, but I am not sure of the quality of the boats.
Now, about my tour.
The host was the one who came to get me from the hotel around 8am of day 1. There ended up being only 5 other people on the tour with me which was perfect. We set out on the 4 hour ride from Hanoi to Ha Long. We stopped midway for a bathroom and snack break. All of the buses stop at this same place, which also sells souvenirs. We spent about 30 minutes there before finishing out the journey.
When we arrived at the port, we had to transport our bags from the bus to a smaller boat (our tender boat). Some of the higher end boats had carts to help you transfer your luggage, but the walk was less than 2 minutes to the boat. We took the smaller boat out to meet our larger boat since it could not dock directly at the port.
Once on the boat, we were assigned our rooms and given our keys. We were told to check our rooms for any issues and to report back around 1:45 for lunch. The room that I was assigned to was pretty simple. It had a comfy double bed and it’s on bathroom with shower. There were no T.V.s but there was air con. ( It only worked for a portion of the trip due to the small generator on the boat)
At 1:45 we met for our first meal on the main deck of the boat. The staff made more than enough for the six of us on board so you had the option to have more.
After lunch, we prepared to head out to our main excursion for that day. First we would kayak through the Bay and a small floating village. We kayaked for about 45 minutes. The scenary was very beautiful. Our boat was the only boat out kayaking at the time, so it was also very peaceful. We got pretty wet, so be prepared for that.
After kayaking, we went to a local pearl farm which was very close to the entry point for kayaking. The pearl farm was very small and not that interesting. (Hey I’m honest)
From there we loaded up again on our tender boat to head out to a beach on one of the over 2,000 small islands that make up Ha Long Bay. Initially we were one of the only boats there, but halfway through our time several other tour boats came to the small beach. The beach was cute and you also had the option to play some volleyball. (I played and had fun.) We spent about an hour there before getting back on the tender boat and heading out the the large boat.
Once on the large boat, we had some down time until our dinner. Our dinner that night was a large spread of various meats served on the large bamboo plate which is customary in Vietnam. We had a few side dishes such as rice, salad, and some vegetables. Fresh fruit was always served after each meal as dessert. On the boat, drinks were not included in the tour price, but the drinks were very cheap. (they also had a small bar on the boat if you wanted to order alcohol. Beer was about $2 and cocktails were $5)
We were scheduled to do some night fishing but it began to rain. I was pretty tired, so I headed in to my room for the night.
Day 2:
The morning started very early. Breakfast was served at 7am. Breakfast was pretty simple: toast, eggs, and fruit.
Our tour that morning was to a cave. The cave wasn’t very big and all of the boats came at the same time, so it was a bit crowded. After going through the cave, our host gave us some time on a small beach next to the cave for pictures.
We loaded up onto the tender boat one more time and then on to the large boat. At this point we started the check out process and closed out any drink tabs. We were making our way back to the main port. I simply took in the scenary on the way back just like I did on the way there. Around 11:30 am we had lunch which was another assortment of various Vietnamese dishes and noodles. We made it back to the port right around noon and set back out to Hanoi the same way we came. (with the same stop at the midway point.)
All in all, the cruise was great. The price was a little steep for a single person, but again you may be able to get cheaper prices once you actually get into Hanoi. The scenary was absolutely breathtaking so I don’t regret it one bit. You actually do alot in the short 2 day period. The food was always hot and fresh and there was always plenty. The crew was very friendly and willing to help with anything you needed. As I mentioned before, I highly recommend an overnight cruise versus just going there and back in a day. The four-hour ride each way isn’t worth it for just a day trip. If you are already closer to Ha Long, you may be able to do the day tour on your own, but coming from Hanoi overnight is best.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. As always, thanks for reading and happy traveling!
Broke And Abroad 