We were quite overwhelmed with how many travel agents and travel companies there are offering Halong Bay overnight cruises and so we spent the best part of a day walking around Hanoi Old Quarter getting quotes from random travel agents and taking down the names of the cruise companies. We turned to trusty tripadvisor to see that Alova was rated no. 5 out of 100 or so others, so we just went for it! And it wasn’t a decision we regretted!

Our tour guide, Kim, was fantastic, couldn’t speak of him more highly! He took the time to get to know everyone in the group (of about 10) and even spent some time trying to help my boyfriend and I with our Vietnamese! The food on the boat was delicious, they even went to the trouble of making special dishes for me as I don’t eat seafood. Our cabin was extremely clean and wonderfully decorated and most importantly comfortable – my boyfriend and I agreed that it was the best night’s sleep we’ve had on our whole trip so far!

The extra entertainment of the cooking class and fishing in the evening were great fun and we certainly took advantage of ‘happy hour’ by trying a few of the barman’s amazing cocktails!

Halong Bay is certainly a must see when travelling in North Vietnam, and if you want to experience it in luxury (and at a very reasonable price) then go for the Alova Gold Cruise!

Visited January 2013

– Reviewed by Victoria C –