HALONG BAY CRUISE: TIPS AND EXPERIENCE

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Halong bay It is one of the great jewels of Vietnam, a landscape that looks like the imaginary setting of a science fiction movie, thanks to the thousands of islets and karst formations that splashes the gulf of tonkin. The most common way to visit it is to make a cruise of one or several days. But the options are almost endless, name of cruises, type of route, which include ... the info is so much that it can get dizzy (and that its waters are very calm). If you are here looking for info on the best Halong Bay cruise Or you're looking for advice, cool, because we're going to give you all the data you need!

As we anticipated, Halong Bay is located in the Gulf of Tonkin, in northern Vietnam, about 3 hours from Hanoi. The entire bay is dotted with almost 3,000 islets, full of caves, beaches and much, much charm. Although in reality, the Halong Bay area is formed by 3 bays: Ha Long Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay.

To make the visit, you will have three options:

Sign up for a one or several night cruise, which usually include transportation to the port, night (or cruise nights), activities and food.
Go to Cat ba for free and from there join one of the boats that make day trips around the bay. And by the way stay a few nights in the village.
Join a day tour from Hanoi, (without spending the night there), but considering that from Hanoi it takes about 3 hours to arrive, you would spend 6 hours on the road and it seems like a mess. Ideally, be at least one night there. Look at this option.

Curiosity: Did you know that there is a Vietnamese legend that explains the creation of this place? He tells that the gods, seeing that the country was about to be invaded, sent some dragons that began to spit precious gems to stop the enemies. These rocks, when they came into contact with water, became the peculiar islands that we see today. And the dragons, finished their feat, stayed to live in the waters of the bay. That is why the area is also known as "the bay of dragons."

Choosing the best Halong Bay cruise is certainly complicated, the offer is so great that travelers tend to be overwhelmed. To this we must add that, often, you read very funny things about cruise ships (that if they steal, that if they treat you fatally, that if there are cockroaches, that if they fall apart ...).

But hey, there is good news: unlike a few years ago when scams and discontents were the order of the day, the vast majority of companies have put the batteries and have understood that the best thing for the business is to have customers satisfied ... So you just have to take a look online to check the comments on websites such as tripadvisor or booking.com itself.

Normally there are three types of cruises: those of 3 stars, those of 4 stars and those of luxury. Actually all include the same, one or two nights in a private cabin with bathroom, meals and activities. The difference is usually the quality of the boat and the services, and some extra activities may be included in the most expensive ...

Apparently, the Halong Bay cruises continue different routes according to its "category". That is, the cheapest boats usually go to the Lan Ha Bay area, while the luxury cruises stay in Bay Tu Long Bay, since it is a more remote (and quiet) area…. And that pays, obviously.

You will have two ways to book the cruise: either visiting the different travel agencies that are spread around Hanoi (or other cities in Vietnam), with which you can compare prices, cruise name, type of food, etc ... Or online directly with the company or in some website like booking.com, civitatis or getyourguide.

We personally believe that it is better to book online to go on insurance. These types of pages are not played and they trust serious companies. But if you feel like it and time you may have a walk around Old Quarter agencies in Hanoi, get better deals. Of course, make sure that they are not going to give you a cat for a hare and find out well about the boat they “sell”. A trick is to pay 50% of the amount before the trip and 50% at the end of it (in this way you guarantee that they will comply with what they say). It seems like a weird method, but it works 😉 We did it that way the first time.

So which one do I choose? Well, it will basically depend on your budget and the time you want to spend: we saw a cruise that cost more than € 1,000. Of course, it is normal to spend between € 120 and € 150 per person / night To enjoy a good cruise.

We did the 2 day and 1 night cruise in Halong Bay with Paloma Cruise and spoiler! The thing was as expected.

After investigating a bit (ok, rather after stalking all the comments about this ship), we just convinced ourselves and booked the cruise. We choose the normal cabin, the 2 day and 1 night package, for which we pay close $ 300/2 people (We caught it via Airbnb since we had credits, but here the offer is better and comes out for about $ 250/2 people).

Keep in mind that even if the cruise is 2 days, you will actually spend 24 hours on board, since check-in is around 12.00 am, the same time you are “returned” to the port the next day.

We're going to see too much what we did on the cruise

DAY I

The day starts around 07.30 / 08.00am in Hanoi, when they come to you pick up with a minivan VIP The trip takes about 3 hours, with an intermediate stop of 30 minutes to stretch the legs (not the leg), go to the bathroom and little else. But the good starts when you get to Halong Bay.

There we go to the company's offices, leave the backpacks (they take them to your cabin) and wait for a half hour (there is free tea and coffee) before, with a wooden boat, we approach what would be our houseboat for the next 24 hours. That was around 1pm.

From the beginning we had a very good feeling with the staff and indeed spoiler! Both the guides and the waiters and cooks were very friendly throughout the stay (especially Morning, our guide who is also learning some Spanish).

After checking in and seeing the cabin, we went up to do what we wanted most: eat. The food, we tell you the truth, was very rich and VERY plentiful (surely we have gained some weight in those 24 hours). In Halong Bay it is forbidden to introduce plastic bottles, but we were surprised that on this cruise they give each passenger a glass bottle, which you can refill for free. Drinks are not included, but there is always drinking water available and anyway, the paid ones do not have excessive prices (beer for $ 2, for example). We leave you some pictures with the dishes we ate / had dinner. By the way, if you do not like something, you are allergic to any food or you follow a vegetarian / vegan diet, there is no problem: they will ask you before and prepare you special food.

In the afternoon we expected the first excursion: stop at Bai Tu Long Bay Island and visit his cave and a small but beautiful beach where, unfortunately, bathing is not allowed (for security reasons).

The only bad thing that we would highlight is that we were not the only ones ... come on, there were a few ships more ready to do the same (but luckily we were the first to arrive and we could enjoy the island - almost alone). And that we read that this area is much quieter and with fewer visitors than other caves and island like Ti Top, for example.

When we returned to the ship we had the time to rest for a while, to change and put the booty on a kayak to navigate the calm waters of the bay. It was the best of the trip because when we returned, we were caught in the sunset and watched as the green waters of the bay began to dye orange and violet. We also visited a pretty cool sea cave!

Upon returning to the cabin we took a lightning shower and climbed to the roof: luckily we could enjoy a little more sunset before ...party! The Paloma Cruise boys organize a happy hour with 3 × 2 drinks and a free buffet of fruit, cookies, passion fruit juice and something I swear was sangria. We had a great time, really.

And suddenly time for Dinner! Again to gain weight ... what a remedy 😉 Before going to sleep, whoever wanted to could see how the sepias are "caught", but we who are old inside (well and outside too, that we are already old), we went to snore like two grandmothers.

DAY II

At 6 in the morning there were people doing tai chi on the deck of the ship, we went up, worse to see the dawn from there. Then breakfast Rich, varied and abundant.

After the appropriate dose of caffeine and the overdose of eggs, bacon and crepes, we went to prepare for a visit to a floating village of fishermen. It was the best of the tour! We took a small wooden boat from a local woman and walked around the village. I better leave some pictures that speak for themselves.

Upon returning to the ship we made a roll competition. I didn't win doh! and I admit that the Australian who took the prize (a cold beer) looked like a professional Vietnamese roll coiler. What art! The rolls we prepared were part of the "light" brunch They served us before the trip ended. They also gave us a soup and a plate of rice with seafood in sweet and sour sauce. It was 10.30am and still everyone left their reeeelimpios dishes!

At 12.00 we went back to the boat terminal and we put an end to this trip of "only" 24 hours, but very full of activities and landscapes of dreams. Those who have the 3-day package, the second day they go on another smaller boat to continue discovering other areas of the bay, with different activities, before the boat returns again but this time, with different partners.

What we liked more of the cruise in Halong Bay

The activities were varied and we had a great time
We found the food very rich and abundant (I still dream of that pumpkin cream and Halong fish!).
The staff was very amble and made us feel super comfortable.
Although drinks were not included, there was drinking water available to everyone, at all times.

What We did not like it of the cruise in Halong Bay

We did not have Wi-Fi, what an eye, on the one hand it came to us luxury: being able to disconnect is always good and more in such an environment.
The activities are obviously not mandatory, but it is clear that being there you will want to do and see as much as possible. We had almost no time to "have time to do anything", I do not know if I explain XD

- Beyond the comments, see if includes transfers and activities (You must have at least a visit to the island with a cave, kayak, visit to a floating village and some other things to fill in the “dead” moments, such as mini-cooking classes). Sometimes the transfer is paid separately, and the price is usually about $ 15 per person round trip.

- The first time we went to Halong Bay we decided on a cheap cruise (it cost us about $ 57 / person) and the truth is that it was pretty good: the staff was nice, the food was good, the cabin was right, but the activities were very scarce (20 minutes of kayaking and ready) and of course, after making the new cruise there is no color! Much better well filled with things to do 😉

- Is it worth hiring a cruise 3 days / 2 nights? We did not do it, so we cannot comment, what we do know is that this time it was short and I wish we had the time to stay one more day (especially to enjoy the landscape with more tranquility). If you have budget and time, it may be a good option. Here you have info, prices and itinerary of the cruise of 3 days / 2 nights.

- Which is the best time to visit Halong Bay? The first time we went was February and we had a cold of hell, with gray skies and some rain. The last time was the end of October and between the good weather and the pleasant temperature, buah, we had a great time. So if you want to know what is the best time to cruise in Halong Bay, we believe that the months of March, April, October, November and December they are the best. We would avoid the summer since the rains are almost the norm and the highest temperatures.

- If you are one of those who dizzyDo not worry: the waters of Halong Bay are very calm and there are almost no waves ... it looks more like a lake than sea.

- Early morning: Seeing the sunrise over the bay deserves to wake up with some more legañas.