Day 3 of our Vietnam trip started early in the morning but was filled with loads of excitement and the reason for that was, We were going on a cruise. Yayyyyyy!! I was so looking forward to this part of the trip. Ok now let me give you some insights into our cruising trip to Halong Bay.
Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in northeastern Vietnam. It is known for its breathtaking scenery and thousands of limestone islands and islets that rise from the water. To explore Halong Bay, cruises are the best choice. They are on a little expensive side but for someone like me who has never been on a cruise, it was an experience must having. You could look into other alternatives like Cat Ba Island if you don’t want to splurge over the cruise.
Most cruise companies provide two kinds of tours: A day tour and a night stay tour. We had booked one night-stay tour with Athena Royal Cruise. It cost us 330 dollars for two people and it included:
- Pickup and drop from Hanoi Old Quarter.
- 1-night stay in the cabin
- All meals while aboard
- Entrance and sightseeing fees
- Surprise Cave, Ti Top Island Visit
- Kayaking
- Cooking Class and Fishing
So at around 8 in the morning cab driver picked us up from our hotel and took us to a limousine bus. The bus was nice and quite comfortable. We started our ride from Hanoi toward Halong International Port. It was a pleasant journey through the countryside of Vietnam. We made two stops on our way, the first one was just a refreshment break and the other one was to visit a Pearl Farm. They show you different types of pearls and how they are cultured. There is a Pearl Showroom called Legend Pearl where you can buy pearl jewelry. You can also grab a cup of coffee from Legend Coffee.
We reached the port at around 11:30 in the morning. After completing all the formalities we were guided toward the boat which took us to our cruise. We were a group of around 30 people from different parts of the world who were staying there. Once we boarded the cruise we were welcomed with refreshing drinks and taken directly to the dining hall where we had lunch. It was a big buffet with different types of dishes and desserts. You can watch the other ships sailing away on the bay while you eat your food. It was quite an amazing experience. We were given basic instructions, an itinerary, and room keys.
We then proceeded to check out our rooms and explore the rest of the yacht. The rooms were super pretty with a black and gold theme going on. We had a little balcony attached to the room overlooking the waters. The ship had 3 floors, the lowest one had around 10 rooms, the next floor had 5 rooms, and the dining hall and the top floor was the deck with a bar and hot tub which was not working when we were there. You could relax and read a book here while soaking in the views of the bay. Overall the boat didn’t feel like it was packed, in fact, everybody had their own space. We never felt like we were on top of each other but it was also compact enough to easily talk to people and make new friends. We actually befriended a nice couple from Malaysia.
We relaxed for a bit on the deck and then proceeded to get ready for the sightseeing. We disembarked the ship, got on a boat, and started for our first stop which was Sung Sot Cave also known as “Surprising Cave” or “Amazing Cave”. The cave is known for its impressive rock formations and large chambers. The cave is believed to have formed around 500 million years ago. The boat dropped us at the entrance and the view from there was spectacular. We had to climb around 700-900 steps to reach the cave entrance. The pathway to the entrance is very beautiful and green. The cave itself is divided into three chambers which are lit by different colored lights. There are beautiful rock formations inside. It felt like we were in a large museum. We covered the whole cave and exited at another point where our boat was waiting for us to take us to our next destination i.e. Ti Top Island.
Ti Top Island is a small island located in Ha Long Bay. The island is known for its beautiful beaches and crystal-clear waters, as well as its panoramic views of the surrounding bay. Ti Top Island is a popular spot for swimming, sunbathing, and enjoying the scenery. Once we reached there, we had two options either to take a dip and enjoy the beach or to hike to the top of the lighthouse for a great view of the bay. We chose to do the latter. It is a 91 meters hike which is all covered in stairs. To be honest it was not an easy task for me but after a lot of effort we reached the top and the view from there was absolutely worth all the pain. It was absolutely stunning. It felt like we are watching a scene from a James Bond movie 😛We caught our breath, clicked amazing pictures, and then started our descent. There is a small cafe on the island where you can enjoy some refreshments with a view.
We came back to the cruise from the island and by the time it was almost time for sunset. Guys, the one regret I have for this whole trip is missing that stunningly beautiful sunset because I went to my room. So if you are there please don’t do the same mistake which I did. Head straight to the deck after coming back. I and my husband are sunset lovers and when he showed me the pictures and told me that I missed one of the best sunsets that he witnessed I was very sad. So do plan to watch this unmissable sunset from the deck.
Anyways, There was a cooking class planned where the chef showed us how to make Vietnamese Spring Rolls. After the class, the happy hour started. It was the perfect time to relax, have some drinks, and mingle with people. Everyone present there was enjoying the time in their own sweet way. We went for dinner after some time. The dinner was served as a four-course meal. I enjoyed the appetizers very much but the main courses were a little bland for me. I am a girl who loves her spices so it was a little underwhelming for me. But my husband enjoyed it very much. Fruits were served as dessert and they were delicious.
Once we were done with the dinner, there was squid fishing planned but we skipped that as we wanted to just chill. So we went on the deck, as I was hungry we asked the crew if anything can be done and they were kind enough to fry up a plate of fries for us. We ate, danced, laughed, listened to music, and enjoyed our own private time. It is the most cherished memory of the trip in my heart to date.
The next morning we were up early to have a light breakfast and then go Kayaking around Luon Cave. Being on the kayak in vast waters, paddling around the beautiful islands, and passing through stunning caves was such a surreal experience. We kayaked around for about an hour. Once back on the cruise, we finished up the packing, had one last brunch on the cruise, and disembarked at Halong International Port. We waited there for some time before getting on a bus back to Hanoi.
Overall I would say that it was truly an amazing experience, completely worth having. For the cruise all other things were exceptional but for me, the food quality could have been better. I would recommend you guys to book the cruise in advance before going there by researching about prices of multiple cruise companies. As we booked super last minute we could not compare the prices but all in all, we thought that we got a good deal.
I hope this blog gave you an insight into what to expect in a cruise stay and will help you decide if you want to do it or not. Thanks for reading.
See you soon!!
TheTorchedSpace 