Hanoi: 3D2N 6 Star Cruise Ha Long - Lan Ha | Viet Hai Cycling

Absolutely top, food, cabins, activities, clean, friendly

Went on the Lavender Cruise 2 day I Night. It was part of a Trip A Deal Tour. which we went on with another couple. The Tour consisted of another 16 people. The staff onboard were wonderful and very helpful, the cabin small but very comfortable with its own ensuite and the bed very comfortable. The food was great and I think all 20 on our tour would say they would agree that it covered a lot of activities and I could highly recommend this to any fellow travellers. They had Karaoke on the evening we were onboard and everyone got to have a laugh and get to know each other. It was a perfect way to start the two week trip together and by the end of the cruise we had all bonded as a group and became a family.

It was average, the food was nothing exceptional, the experience was marred by a very loud group. I was hoping for a different Christmas night but the entertainment was poor and the few of us who were not part of the group all retired to our cabina early. 6.15 am, Tai- chi on deck, are you aure ???

We booked Lavender Cruises but got put on Syrena Cruise without any explanation or being informed at all. The boat itself and our room was nice (and had a great bathroom!) and the activities were the same which good. The views were beautiful and we enjoyed the activities and the food. The pick up and drop off process was pretty seamless, though note that we were on the boat less than 24 hours despite the itinerary suggesting we would get off and get picked up around lunch time - we were off at 10am which was a little disappointing and meant the itinerary was quite rushed. There was a large group of French tourists on our boat (all bar 4 of us were French). This meant that they had a French translator/group leader and unfortunately for us most of the communications/instructions were given in French which made us feel quite clueless as to what was happening, and like we were not part of the group which was a bit off-putting. Some staff really made an effort to include us which was appreciated (one of the younger staff members). Mr Son (team leader?) spoke clearly and his English was good, but his manner was not great, and it felt like we were being treated like children at times.

Great experience on the Nostalgia 1 in the breath-taking Ha Long Bay. Great food, fantastic scenery, kajacking in lime caves and great trips an expeditions. I would also like to mention the crew, Martin in particular, who with his warm smile always made us feel Welcome! 5 stars from us!

Loved the beautiful old boat and our cabin, which had air con (absolutely essential). All the staff were so polite and friendly, well organised, helpful and knew their business, (also one guy was an amazing karaoke star) Food was delicious! Super tasty, fresh, presented with great pride, and very plentiful. Happy Hour was fun and drink prices were great anyway. We really loved this trip, even tho Halong Bay is crammed with so many tourist operators (we expected that). We decided not to swim in the little beach as there were so many people in there it wasn't our idea of a good time. In the morning when we kayaked, we "accidentally" went in and the water was magic. Gennie running all night was annoying, but we'd much rather that than no air con - it was very, very hot and humid. Highly recommend the Lavender if you're not wanting flashy, but appreciate other more authentic qualities.

I was lucky as this trip was cancelled on short notice, and I was moved to Mila Cruise. This happened with other guests from other ships as well having paid a much higher fee. As a solo traveller, Ha Long Bay is definitely on the more expensive and touristy side, with tens of ships constantly being in the Bay. Mila Cruise had nice staff, which ushered you from activity to activity and tried to entertain as much as possible. Squid fishing did not happen and the time at each activity, especially at TiTop Island on the last day was very rushed as we had to return to the harbour already at 10am and leave the boat by 11am. But this happens on most if not all the 2 day cruises.

Great tour, very communicative before we arrived and throughout the trip. Would recommend! Also catered really well for vegetarians/dietary restrictions

We had a brilliant time on this cruise. Alex was a fantastic tour guide with great English skills and a really friendly demeanour. The activities were a lot of fun and in terms of the food, it was delicious and they also made a real effort to accommodate my girlfriend's vegetarianism. Would thoroughly recommend, and I hope you get Alex if you go! He's excellent.

The trip was very well organized and our guide Alex was great with a good sense of humour. Halong Bay although clouded was still great.