Hi Everyone,
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Halong Bay has been on my bucket list for a long time now and it certainly met up all expectations. Sitting on the balcony of our beautiful Ambassador cruise ship sipping a glass of chilled chardonnay, watching the mystical seascape of dramatic limestone mountains pass by is one of my many favourite memories from Vietnam.
Yes, it is true that Halong Bay is very touristic and there are many boats out there, however they don’t detract from the overall beauty of the bays. I say bays because we did two trips – a day trip in Halong Bay itself and an overnight cruise in Lan Ha Bay. If you have the time I recommend both tours as they do have different excursions. I felt that the limestone mountains in Lan Ha bay were even a little bit more spectacular than those in Halong Bay. The only thing you really have to be careful of is to choose the right cruise ship company that meets your requirements.
Nicola, the dear friend I am travelling with, and I loved and can totally recommend, the Ambassador cruise ships. Both the day cruise and overnight boats were beautifully decorated with dark wood interiors that have been impeccably maintained. The staff were super friendly and food delicious. The cabins were also beautiful. We especially loved the stand alone oval bath in our bathroom on the overnight cruise.
This post gives you a summary of what we did on both cruises as well as where to stay in Halong Bay mainland.
Enough of an introduction. Keep reading for more about “The Best Way to Experience Halong Bay, Vietnam”
The Best Way to Experience Halong Bay, Vietnam
The day cruise:
Our day began in Hanoi where we were picked up early morning by the Ambassador cruise chauffeur and driven for 2 hours to Halong harbour. Arriving around 10:00, just in time for a light breakfast served on board.
The boat set off on time and we cruised for about 30 minutes before coming to our first anchor point. Here those of us that wanted to do the first excursion were transferred to land with a smaller speed boat.
Alternatively you could decide to stay on board and simply relax watching the world float by or soak in the lovely spa pool.
Our first excursion was to explore Sung Sot Cave. The largest and most magnificent cave in the bay featuring marvellous and mysterious thousand-year-old stalactites. One of the most impressive caves I have ever seen. It took us close to an hour to get through the whole series of caves. Admittedly we did walk slowly to take everything in and stop to take photos.
The only disappointment was that Nicola wouldn’t let me buy her one of the cute seashell figurines as a precious souvenir to take home – hehe.
Next stop was Titov Island – a beautiful spot for a swim. We however chose to walk up the top of the hill to take in the beautiful view of the bay.
Back on board our main boat it was already lunch time. A fabulous buffet lunch with warm and cold options.
Something for almost every taste bud was served, from vegetarian to fish or meat barbecued on deck outside.
After lunch it was time to discover the unique Lion Cave which features a self-contained lake inside it. We had the option of sitting in a bamboo boat and being rowed by a local or kayaking.
Of course Nicola and I chose kayaking. Only a few chose this option and we soon found out why. Many of the people from other boats had their cameras/phones out. Waving and taking pictures of us as we tried to navigate our way into the main part of the cave. They obviously thought we were from a beauty pageant – hehe.
Our action packed day finished off with a short spring roll cooking class and then live music played on deck at the back of the boat.
Citadines Marina Halong:
As we were going on the overnight cruise the next day, we booked into the Citadines Marina Halong. This turned out to be a great idea as the hotel had a couple of swimming options as well as great fitness area.
We had a lovely self contained suite with sweeping views over the bay.
Our favourite part of the hotel was the bar with its fabulous views and great cocktails. This is worth visiting even if you’re not staying at the Citadines Marina Halong.
Ambassador Signature Overnight Cruise Lan Ha Bay
The Ambassador Signature Overnight Cruise was certainly a beautiful cruise which I can truly recommend…
The big boats for Lan Ha Bay can not come into the Halong Marina so we were transferred to our overnight cruise boat by speed boat.
As soon as we boarded we were shown to our beautiful corner suite with windows and balcony across two sides. The marble bathroom contained a stand alone oval bath and the water pressure in the shower was so great you would never think you were on a boat.
On this cruise we were able to relax a little more in-between excursions which was great for simply sitting on our balcony and watching the Lan Ha Bay’s islands and inlets as we floated by.
Lunch was a delicious buffet in the beautiful dining room on the 3rd floor:
Our first excursion was a gentle 18 km bike tour to visit Viet Hai Village. Riding past a famous King Kong movie scene en-route.
Viet Hai Village offers a glimpse into traditional rural life, with its simple bamboo and wooden houses and a community that still relies on fishing, farming, and animal husbandry. The locals are very friendly, welcoming visitors into their homes. There was even a local wine tasting. I drew the line at tasting the cobra spirits.
As the sun begins to set we relax on board before getting ready for dinner…
Dinner was a delicious formal meal on the sundeck with live music. You could choose between a 4 course European meal or a traditional Vietnamese menu.
We decided to go for the European option this time as it was served in individual courses over a longer space of time and we wanted to make the most of our evening…
The following morning:
Was an early morning start with a Tai Chi session on the sundeck – the perfect way to start our day whilst watching the sunrise.
This was followed by a light breakfast and then off to explore some more caves with the kayak. Once again we could have opted to sit in a bamboo boat rowed by a local instead. However Nicola and I are tough, so kayaking it was – smile!
Back on board it was time for breakfast number 2 – this time a full buffet affair. Then time to pack and leave. By 10:30 am we were off the boat and transferred to Halong International Cruise Port. Feeling as though we’ve already experienced a whole days worth of activities and impressions.
That’s it for Halong Bay. Stay tuned for Danang and Hoi An next.
For bookings see:
Ambassador Cruises
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Hi dear yvonne thank you very much your trip sound reallyvery exciting I wish that I was there to thanks again