After the noise of Hanoi and 11M people coming back after holidays, we were on our way out for a few days. 2 hours north is Halong Bay, one of the more picturesque areas in the sea. Thousands of small rocky islands, in a gorgeous turquoise water – with of course, lots of tourists admiring it.

We were going to actually spend 2 nights on the bay, on a cruise. Since I was the travel organizer, I was a little nervous on committing to a cruise without seeing it, just web – lots of fake agencies or boats out there. Tip here – find a reputable US or European agency that has their itineraries posted and see who they are using – likely a solid provider – which is what I did.

Paloma Cruise nailed it. Picked us up in Hanoi in fancy van for the 2 hours drive and then took us 30 mins out to the bay to board the ship. It was a bit of a guessing game as we passed multiple ships of various and dubious quality as to which one is ours – Petr and I kept looking at each other hoping this barge is not it, keep moving – until we got to ours, Peony.

Rooms were gorgeous, spacious (only 40 rooms on board), beautiful bathroom, gowns, balconies and view. Mom and dad got the one in front which was basically the size of their apartment. Food – amazing, multi-course dinners, great breakfasts, light lunches plus snacks where we had a dedicated table for the 9 of us and our own server. Incredibly nice and efficient staff, willing to do and get you anything you need.

Program – so we weren’t just going to sit on the boat, there was planned stuff to do. First afternoon we are to see the bay areas that you can’t access any other way. Choices – kayak or a local will take you on their boat.

Notice the amazing water – truly stunning – even though it is not warm – notice we are all in jackets – it is January after all.

The images above are particularly telling and my favorite. The caves we went through made this amazing optical illusion of a large ship parked in the distance – or people just going through a cave. Our second day was a visit to the Cat Ba island – bike or bus around and walk to see how islanders live – and of course, do something local which we couldn’t resist. Snake wine! After my Taiwanese snake blood shots, this was a no brainer, of course. Would not recommend it.

Our last trip was to a cave that served as VietCong hiding place – it was gorgeous naturally, yet serene historically. Out in the middle of the woods where I can see why it would be militarily strategic – impossible to find.

Rest of the cruise – happy hour with family, fishing for squids which was hugely unsuccessful, hanging out in the hot tub and just admiring the nature.