PTravel

I'm not sure if this is what you had in mind, but my wife and I just returned from Vietnam where, among other things, we took a 3-day, 2-night cruise of Halong Bay. We were on Paradise Cruises, and recommend it highly -- great ambiance, friendly and helpful crew, comfortable boat, fun itinerary and, most of all, the beauty of Halong Bay is simply stunning. I'll do a complete trip report when we get back but, meanwhile, here's a photo we took. Our cruise boat was the brown and white one slightly left of center (it's bigger than it looks in this photo). If you want more information about Paradise, let me know:

smn

My gf and I are taking a trip in June to Vietnam/Thailand. We are planning on a 2 day/1 night cruise in the Halong Bay. I have spent hours doing research and it seems there are hundreds of options for the cruises that are basically hit-or-miss. Does anyone have any recommendations based on experience for a company that we know to expect good things from? Here are some specific's we're interested in:

-Transfer from Hanoi
-Price: $60 - $120 (basically Middle Range or Lower range of Luxury)
-GF is a foodie so amazing food is a plus!

Thank you.

paul2

I suggest you search this forum for 'halong bay' or 'vietnam' and you will get plenty of reading hopefully.

Heres one with a recommendation when you scroll down : http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cruis...m-cruises.html

smn

I will add that I have searched the forums. The link you sent is for longer "cruises" not specific to halong bay (in fact there wasn't much info in there). The other forumn on halong bay is quite old and outdated.

I'm not asking for a travel agent, just some recommendations from people that have done this before. Thanks!

dsquared37

I've taken 2 of the cruises you're looking for (2 day/1night) in the past 4 years, both from Handspan Travel. If memory serves they are on May Ma or Ma May St in the Old Quarter. With many different boats in their arsenal there will be something to suit your price range.

The food was decent and there was plenty. Bring your own bottle though.

WannaFlyJ

Stayed on the IndoChina Sails 3 during our Christmas vacation last month for 3 days and 2 nights. Had a regular room and a suite which was very comfortable. Food was excellent and very tasty selection of Vietnamese and Western buffet. Looking at the less expensive junks and speaking to people that went on them, we are very happy that we choose the more expensive one. Management was very attentive and the staff was amazing which made for a wonderful time in a truly beautiful place.

The trip to Haloing Bay from Hanoi can be a nail biting experience. Would recommend going out to Halong Bay in the afternoon, spend a night at the new Novotel and then you are not rushed with at 4.5 hour drive to catch a 12pm departure.

PTravel

I just got back from a trip that included a cruise on Halong Bay. Here's a link to where I mentioned it:

<post now in this thread>

georgiastrick

i am going in may with my boyfriend and we are going on the bai tho junk. this was a recommendation from a friend who lives in hanoi and the owner of a small asian market in town. the guy in hanoi also suggested the annam junk. when are you going?

BangkokTraveler

MissKok and I will be there in mid-April (getting out of Thailand for Songkran) and we are considering one of these two:

Pinta Cruiser Junk - 3 day 2 night (Price quoted: $175pp)
http://www.pintacruiser.com/features.dhtml

The Prince Junk - 3 day 2 night (Price quoted: approx $250pp)
http://www.indochina-junk.com/Defaul...ise-Itinerary/

There are a few differences, and Prince is a smaller boat, not sure that is worth the 40% higher price, so we are leaning towards the Pinta Cruiser.

Funny sidebar: When I emailed Columbus Adventures to ask about their boat the Pinta Gold, here is the reply:

"We are sorry to inform that our Pinta Gold is retired from now on. As you know, on Christmas day, New Year and Valentine day, our Pinta Gold went with a lot of dear tourists to discover hidden charming beauty of Halong bay. However, like a hardworking bee needs time for relaxing, so we offer her a rest to welcome her return in the future."

I wonder how that would go over with customers if an airline used this kind of language when canceling a flight!

jimbo99

The airline would be told to buzz off!

BangkokTraveler

Like this:

#1: "We are sorry to inform that UA flight 895 is retired today. As you know, on many special occasions, UA 895 went with a lot of dear tourists to discover hidden charming beauty of Hong Kong. However, like a hardworking bee needs time for relaxing, so we offer her a rest to welcome her return in the future."

Sounds nicer than:

#2: "UA 895 is canceled. Too bad for you."

CPHBob

Me and the my g/f did a 3/2. in 2007. The then tour organiser, is now the manager of hanoi boutique hotel, so ill vouch that they run decent tours.

BangkokTraveler

Just to follow up, we ended up going with Prince Junk. Had a good trip, plenty of kayaking, and there were only 4 people on the boat (capacity is 8). We got along well with the other 2 people so this was fine, but even if we didn't get along, it's a big enough boat (if there are 4 people). Service was outstanding, and most of the time, we were alone in the bays we were in. I would go on this boat again and I recommend them. It was a great trip, and MissKok had just flown from the US to Bangkok the night before so relaxing on a boat is a good way to get over jetlag.

Prince Junk would be outstanding for a group of 4-8 people that know each other.

The other couple payed slightly less than the $250 pp we paid, but I think they also booked a bunch of other things with their agent, so that might have contributed to their discount. YMMV.

When leaving Halong City to return to Hanoi on the last day, we had a flight out that same evening. The ordinary schedule is to leave Halong City about 1:00pm and arrive Hanoi about 4:30-5:00pm. Our flight was 8:30pm. So instead of going into Hanoi, then getting a taxi ($10) to HAN airport, we asked the van driver about a way to go to the airport without going into Hanoi. He dropped us off at a point about 20km from Hanoi, roughly where the road turns SW to go towards Hanoi, or NW to go to HAN airport. We got into a taxi there, and about 20 minutes ($18) later, we were at the airport (very early). This probably shaved 1.5 hours off the total travel time, as we didn't have to fight traffic into and out of Hanoi. We killed time in the "food court" at the airport having a few beers and catching up on email with their free wifi.

One additional note: We needed to be online here and there for the 3 days / 2 nights and the Mobifone SIM came in very handy. Used it in the iPhone to tether to the PC and get Internet access most of the time.

Finally, when departing HAN airport, before you pass through immigration, they were weighing carry-ons (of non-Vietnamese passengers) and sending people back to the ticket counter to check those that were too heavy (7-8 kilo limit, I think). We were on TG so no problem for us, but those on Air Asia or Tiger Airways where they have to pay more for bags not pre-reserved and prepaid, it was a hassle. So plan accordingly.

mario33

Transfering from one vehicle to another near a highway intersection may not be a good idea, I doubt you actually saved much time on the road. It usually takes me slightly more than half an hour to get from Tay Ho District in Hanoi to Noi Bai.

BTW how was the weather in Halong Bay during your trip in April ? Halong Bay can be stunningly beautiful if the sky is clear.

Condition One

I'm not a boat person, nor am I terribly keen on spending 11 hours on a tour, especially with stops to buy gifts and such. This seems to be a better option for me. Any thoughts?