My girlfriend and I did the 3 day 2 night tour with Alova Gold Cruises after much debate about which Boat operator to use. We had heard many horror stories of people paying for one thing and getting something completely different.This was not the case here thankfully.

The boat was everything the brochure said it would be, and more! Our cabin was on the lower deck and was very pleasantly decorated with very nice bathroom and shower attached. The seating / meeting area on the 1st floor was a really nice touch and opened up to the restaurant and bar which was also really nice. On the top was a large sun deck with plenty of comfy sun loungers and other seats. 

We had absolutely amazing weather for the whole time we were there which made the trip EEEEEven more amazing. 

The boat staff inculding our 2 different guides, the kitchen staff and bar staff all made the experience that much better. 

Halong Bay itself if stunning and we were happy we didnt go to Cat Ba Island as this is where most the other boats go and we’d heard the island is just ruined by group after group of people coming off the boats to spend the night and use the beach. We were glad that instead of spending 1 night on boat and 1 night on the island, we would be spending 2 nights on the boat. On the 2nd day we were transferred onto the ‘day boat’ and taken out further and deeper into Halong Bay where we stopped in a remote location for some more amazing and stunningly presented food. We were able to jump off the boat here and go swimming for a few hours. We swam around one of the limestone outcrops and just found ourselves floating, completely by ourselves in the middle of Halong Bay…1 of the most memorable and enjoyable experiences of our entire 3 month trip to South East Asia. 

We stopped at a Pearl farm and saw floating fishing villages etc whilst we were cruising around. 

The whole trip was perfect, and because the boat only has 8 or 9 cabins it never feels like it is too crowded or like you were on ‘package holiday tour’. 

We would definately recommend Alova Gold Cruises to anyone going to Halong Bay, no matter what your budget. It is definately worth it. Yes there are cheaper, much cheaper tours you could pick, but then you wont be seeing Halong Bay at its best because you will be shoved around with 200 other people, 50 other boats all fighting too see and do the same thing, and all being hungry because there wont be enough food to go around. We came back off the trip a few punds heavier as they feed you so well.

Jealous to anyone going on this cruise!