Hanoi/Halong Bay advice
Jan 6th, 2006, 11:11 AM
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Hanoi/Halong Bay advice
I just posted this question in another post (it's a little hidden though)... I will be in Hanoi in March for my honeymoon, and we were interested in going to Halong Bay for a day trip - I gather that it is possible to leave in the morning and be back by dinnertime that evening if you take your own car (no tour bus). Does anyone have any recommendations of drivers/guides in the area or should I have the hotel desk (at the Metropole) set one up??? Thanks everyone!!
Ken
Ken
Jan 6th, 2006, 11:52 AM
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we took a car to hyphong and stayed overnite there and then did the halong bay for the day and back to that hotel for the nite and then back to hanoi the next day....
would seem way too far for one day on your own and see any of halong bay, imo
would seem way too far for one day on your own and see any of halong bay, imo
Jan 6th, 2006, 01:00 PM
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We did Halong Bay for the day last January. It was about 2-3 hours each way, but the drive there was very pretty, and we slept on the way home (they took a faster route) and were back in plenty of time to have a nice dinner in Hanoi. We used Long, at Vidotours. He was terrific, and this is his contact info:
[email protected]. We had a very nice boat all to ourselves, and a delicious lunch. Unless you are planning to do a sea kayaking type excusion, I don't think its worth spending the night.
[email protected]. We had a very nice boat all to ourselves, and a delicious lunch. Unless you are planning to do a sea kayaking type excusion, I don't think its worth spending the night.
Jan 6th, 2006, 01:42 PM
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Everything was taken care of (the driver, the boat, the admission to the caves). I should clarify-- Long was a guide (we used him in Hanoi) and he arranged everything. He came with us to Halong Bay, which probably isn't totally necessary. If I remember correctly, it was about $150 or so for my husband and I.
Let me know if you have other questions.
Heather
Let me know if you have other questions.
Heather
Jan 8th, 2006, 04:26 PM
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Regarding a trip to Halong, its a long long trip via bus. I'd say 3+ hrs.
What i'd recomend doing is going to the old quarter of hanoi (not hard to find) and walking into a travel agent and seeing what type of tours they can offer you.
The standard type deal is:
* Bus pickup from your hotel
* Transport to Halong Bay with lunch on the side
* Boat cruise around the bay with a sleep over on the boat (1st night)
* A tour guide to show you around
* 1 night in Halong (nothing special)
* on the 3rd day a return trip (via boat-then bus) back to Hanoi
* All food included.
Something like this should cost you around 60$US to 160 US depending on how luxurious you want the trip to be.
Just a bit of warning about Hanoi, if you are there for your honeymoon, stay away from the Old Quater, its very chaotic and noisy. (Moto-bi's beeping from 6am in the morning).
I found around the Opera House to be very nice and quiet with only a 10 minute walk into town. I highly recommend the Military Hotel near the opera house (about 35$ US per night)
There are heaps of competing travel agency's in hanoi, i recommend visiting a few and seeing what they have to offer then comparing. Just remember you get what you pay for (ie if its cheap, it'll be cheap!)
cheers
What i'd recomend doing is going to the old quarter of hanoi (not hard to find) and walking into a travel agent and seeing what type of tours they can offer you.
The standard type deal is:
* Bus pickup from your hotel
* Transport to Halong Bay with lunch on the side
* Boat cruise around the bay with a sleep over on the boat (1st night)
* A tour guide to show you around
* 1 night in Halong (nothing special)
* on the 3rd day a return trip (via boat-then bus) back to Hanoi
* All food included.
Something like this should cost you around 60$US to 160 US depending on how luxurious you want the trip to be.
Just a bit of warning about Hanoi, if you are there for your honeymoon, stay away from the Old Quater, its very chaotic and noisy. (Moto-bi's beeping from 6am in the morning).
I found around the Opera House to be very nice and quiet with only a 10 minute walk into town. I highly recommend the Military Hotel near the opera house (about 35$ US per night)
There are heaps of competing travel agency's in hanoi, i recommend visiting a few and seeing what they have to offer then comparing. Just remember you get what you pay for (ie if its cheap, it'll be cheap!)
cheers
Jan 9th, 2006, 11:48 AM
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I would recommend spending the night in Halong Bay on a junk ship, we went on the Dragon Pearl through Handspan tours, it was very nice and the food was excellent. Halong Bay is an interesting place that I think takes more time to see than 6-8 hours on a bus and a quick look in one day.
We went kayaking from the ship, it was great.
We went kayaking from the ship, it was great.
Jan 10th, 2006, 05:43 AM
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Ken-
I thought it was definitely worthwhile to have a guide in Hanoi. Long was recommended to us by a friend and I would definitely recommend him. He's young and fun, his English is excellent, and he is very knowledgable. We wandered around the Lake, the Old Quarter and the Cathedral district to shop on our own, but we had Long and driver for probably 5-6 hours and saw all the sights we wanted to see in the city, plus one museum that he suggested.
I thought it was definitely worthwhile to have a guide in Hanoi. Long was recommended to us by a friend and I would definitely recommend him. He's young and fun, his English is excellent, and he is very knowledgable. We wandered around the Lake, the Old Quarter and the Cathedral district to shop on our own, but we had Long and driver for probably 5-6 hours and saw all the sights we wanted to see in the city, plus one museum that he suggested.
Jan 10th, 2006, 06:51 AM
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Answer depends on whether you want to "see" Halong Bay or "experience" Halong Bay. We saw it in one day and it was not a great experience. But many people who stayed overnight on a junk found it magical.
Throughout Viet Nam, Sinh Cafe is the very best agency for planning excursions. You have to be very careful that it is the authentic Sinh Cafe as there are many other fly-by-night agencies that use the name--we used a Sinh Cafe wannabe and got very ripped off. Their excursions are very inexpensive and well planned--bet you can do a two-day to Halong for under $20 a person.
Our favorite parts of Viet Nam were visiting the minority peoples in the mountains north of Hanoi (can get there by train) and the Mekong Delta (Sinh Cafe's two-day trip there was great and cost $15 per person with hotel upgrade.)
You'll love Viet Nam--it's magical.
Throughout Viet Nam, Sinh Cafe is the very best agency for planning excursions. You have to be very careful that it is the authentic Sinh Cafe as there are many other fly-by-night agencies that use the name--we used a Sinh Cafe wannabe and got very ripped off. Their excursions are very inexpensive and well planned--bet you can do a two-day to Halong for under $20 a person.
Our favorite parts of Viet Nam were visiting the minority peoples in the mountains north of Hanoi (can get there by train) and the Mekong Delta (Sinh Cafe's two-day trip there was great and cost $15 per person with hotel upgrade.)
You'll love Viet Nam--it's magical.
