knycx_journeying

Halong Bay is a Unesco World Heritage near Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, and travelers from all over the world came here for the breathtaking and unique landscape. Before I went, I thought Halong Bay is just one “spot”. From the photos that I’ve seen from the internet, they all seem to be taken from the same angle from a hill top. In fact, the entire area covers approximately over 1,500 square kilometers and there are lots to explore. That’s why I ended up joining a 2-day cruise at Halong Bay to have a full experience of the beauty and serenity of the site has to offer. It is common to visit Halong Bay from Hanoi in 1 day. A typical day trip usually departs from Hanoi really early in the morning and it takes about 6 hours driving both ways. Visitors would have around 4 hours at Halong Bay for a short boat trip or a short hike to the hilltop viewpoint. Honestly, I don’t think that’s enough time to appreciate the sit at a different time of the day.

More pictures about the cruise and Halong Bay is my blog! @ http://wp.me/p5Lw9a-1pq

We selected a good cruise operator. Hopping on a comfortable van we departed from our Hotel in Hanoi and arrived at Tuan Chau Pier by lunch, and there we saw a line of Cruises in different styles and sizes, and the one we stayed is a medium sized cruise with 3 levels and 24 guest rooms. As we were boarding the cruise, we were welcome by a flower petal shower at the entrance and our 24-hour boat trip began.

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Route: Tuan Chau Pier > Fighting Cocks, Surprise Grotto, Dark and Bright Cave, Staying overnight at Drum Cave > Titov Island > return to Tuan Chaiu Pier

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Lunch was served at the third-floor restaurant and the food was nice. After an orientation of the crew, we had a good taste of some Vietnamese dishes, cheerful drinks and an amazing view of rugged islands. Guests wasted no time after lunch and sunbathing on the roof-top decks before our afternoon activity started. The program included two options: The “Surprise Cave” or “Ban Chan Beach”. It was supposed to be one out of two but we ended up doing both with a small surcharge as time permitted.

I was surprised for my little detour to the surprised cave. Once we arrived at the so-called “Surprise Cave” by the connecting boat, I thought it would be quite usual. We were seeing Stalagmites and stalactites – things that I have seen. As we were walking and my friend kept calling it a “Magic Cave”, “Secret Cave” or “Wonder Cave”, and just when I was trying to figure out what was the right name of the cave walking through a narrow passage, I gasped and wow-ed (literally) as I got out the passage and entered a colossal cave and the guide (a.k.a. manager of the boat”) asked “are you surprised?”

Yeah, it was my “surprise!” moment. So, it’s called the “Surprise Cave” for a reason and it caught me by surprise, and it was fun to walk through as the guide pointed out funny shaped rocks and named it as an animal. Towards the end of the tour, we walked up to a high point in the cave where we could overlook the nearby area.

We had some time left before dinner and a big group in the cruise requested to go to the beach. Luckily, the manager said okay but we have to pay the entrance fee ourselves. “Sure!” we thought. The Ban Chan Beach was actually small and crowded, but it was quite an “experience” swimming among the cruises and rocks.

All refreshed and cleaned up from the beach, it was time for the cooking demonstration. I was told Halong Bay’s beauty varies according to one’s location, the time of day and one’s emotions. I think it was right. As the sun went down the water and sky changed color and the view was amazing. We mingled and chatted at the deck before the cooking demonstration. At night we tried squid fishing, but since it was not exactly the right season, we only spotted one or two squids floating around to the light but had no luck. So, we lied down and look at the infinite stars instead.

I saw a different side of Halong Bay, yet again, waking up to the absolute tranquility as the boat was floating through the islands. The environment was so quiet that I could see the reflections of each island and each boat from the water. It was just refreshing and – what an amazing way to start the day with this positive energy?

Although I skipped the 6 am Tai chi Session, I definitely would not miss the kayaking fun in the fishing village (especially it’s included in our en suite package). It was quite hot that day but we enjoyed a great deal of sunshine and scenery paddling through the fishing villages and islands. All in all, the idea of spending a night on a boat decorated in traditional wooden style was amazing. I was glad that I went for a 2-day cruise and saw may sides of Halong Bay at a different time of the day.
Welcome to visit my blog for Halong Bay's photos ~ @ http://wp.me/p5Lw9a-1pq

CaliNurse

Thank you for this report. I too did an overnight boat trip and recommend it. Very true that seeing the light change over 24 hour hours was part of the enjoyment.

Gypsy8

Thank you, as well, for this report. I am going to Hang Bay at the end of January. I have not booked my cruise yet. Did you book in advance online, or from your Hanoi hotel? What cruise line did you choose and why? What hotel did you stay at?
Any tips for the cruise that you could pass on? i.e. tipping, clothing etc.

Shanghainese

Thanks for your TR, the Bay is stunning, and 1 night/2 days in just right.

Gypsy8: We went to Baitulong Bay, which is the quieter side of Halong Bay, you pay more but it's well worth it due to much less junks and the serenity. You should book your cruise asap, we booked 2 months in advance with Indochina Junk on the 10 bedroom Dragon Pearl 3, itinerary similar to knycx's expect for a delightful water puppet show in a village the 2nd day 1/2 way back to Hanoi. If you just want to go to Halong Bay, your hotel can book it for you.
Bring layers, cap and rain jacket, tips are not required but we tipped our amazing guide. I'm a senior citizen who doesn't swim but he personally went kayaking with me, it was the highlight of my life!

We stayed at the Marvellous Hotel in the old quarter and it was truly marvellous, a year old and great service.

CaliNurse

I booked with the same company as Shanghainese--Indochina Junk Company. I was on Dragon Legend. Beautiful boat, excellent service and food (and LOTS of it) great fellow passengers, and gorgeous scenery. It sails BaiTuLongBay (adjacent to HaLongBay). The only other boat we saw was a small fishing boat. The only thing to avoid is the on-board massage---my friend said it was really disappointing.
The company picks you up at your hotel. The small van has wifi in it. The ride to the departure point from the hotel was about 4 hours, including a thirty minute stop for bathroom and shopping.

Shanghainese

CaliNurse: I think we live not far from each other and it's storming now, you GTG with Faina, right?

knycx_journeying

@Gypsy8 I did email them beforehand as I want to make sure the rooms are available. There are only two rooms with balcony for that cruise. So it depends on what cruises are available and I think it's better to reserve them first. Hope it helps.

knycx_journeying

Thanks Shanghaiese and CaliBurse for stopping by; happy to know that you guys enjoyed your boat trips as well.
I was surprised as the boat and program exceeded my expectation and actually there are quite a lot of fun things to see and do. I agree the food, people, service and rooms are good (on top of the stunning scenery), and luckily I was kept busy so I didn't go for the massage (I believe it depends on the masseur) but we could do that back in Hanoi ~

Shanghainese

Because we stayed 4 nights at the Marvellous Hotel, they gave us 2 free 1 hour massages, the masseur was fine; and the car service from and to the airport was 1/2 price of the regular $18.00. My hotel review is on TR under CASmile.