Let’s just put it this way: our cruise through Halong Bay was not quite what we expected it to be from the brochure they showed us at the ticket office. We got lucky with a really nice group though, and therefore, did enjoy the 2-days-1-night tour and the beautiful and stunning nature of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Halong Bay, which means “descending dragon” in the Vietnamese language . Such an impressive and unique landscape – nature at its best.
We also, somehow, imagined our ship to look just a little different. And maybe dinner, too. We had actually booked a pretty decent tour (Golden Bay Tours) at one of the offices in the city, which was a bit more expensive than the other offers, as we thought that we would just treat ourselves to a nice trip, and we’d already heard about some pretty bad stories about getting ripped off with these tours. Unfortunately, even all our caution and the higher price didn’t keep us from stepping into the tourist trap of an overpriced and underperforming Halong Bay Cruise. We also came to the conclusion that, unless you pay significantly more for one of the 5-star tours, all boats looked like they were in the same bad shape and that, therefore, all tours seemed to more or less offer the same package. If you really want to avoid such a disappointment regarding the ship and service, you should go for one of the more expensive options (no guarantee that it’ll be any better though). However, if you’re fine with a little lower standard, it sure isn’t anything you couldn’t handle for two days and one night. And the incredible nature of Halong Bay will definitely more than make up for the other shortcomings of the tour. We had a great time and can really recommend, not necessarily the tour, but Halong Bay itself. Don’t miss out on this wonderful piece of nature!
lenacatherine 