When we made our plan to visit Vietnam earlier this May, Ha Long Bay had to be in the itinerary. So we chose to fly into Hanoi and spend a couple of days exploring the city before heading to Ha Long to explore the beautiful bay.
Here’s how we divided our 5 Days between the two locations:
Day 1 – 2: Exploring Hanoi
We arrived in Hanoi in the morning, took a taxi from the airport and checked into a hotel called La Siesta Trendy. The room was quite spacious and comfortable with a balcony looking down over Hanoi and service here was excellent as well.
Then we spent some time exploring Hanoi’s, old quarter. As the hotel was located in the old quarter, it was very easy to walk around and explore the bars, cafes and restaurants which are in abundance in this part of town along with streets and buildings from colonial times entrenched between newer structures.
In the evening we spent some time around Hoan Kiem Lake. Although Hanoi is quite crowded the area around the lake is very well maintained with neat pavements, benches, beautiful flower beds and street lamps installed. This is where you see local life in action. Families with kids and their pets mucking around in the grass, people jogging, playing traditional games, chilling on the benches by the water and local peddlers selling cut fruits and street snacks. On the weekend, the roads were cordoned off and the traffic diverted. It felt like the whole town had congregated around the lake. There were lights, music, stalls and street performances and the whole place had a fun festive vibe to it.
We are vegetarian but that didn’t stop us from trying out local vietnamese food. We discovered some great vegetarian options in Hanoi, such as baguette sandwiches paired with amazing local coffee at Banh Mi 25, rice spring rolls and omelette at Banh Cuon Ba Hanh and pho and fried mushroom spring rolls at Aubergine Cafe.
Day 3 – 5: Hanoi – Ha Long Bay – Hanoi
After watching some vlogs and talking to friends who had been there, we decided that a cruise was the best way to enjoy this natural wonder. We shortlisted Orchid Cruises for a 3D2N Ha Long Bay Cruise. It costed us US$ 685 for two people, in which everything was included. And by this we mean pick-up and drop-off from Hanoi, one balcony suite double cabin, all meals and even the activities.
The cruise was excellent and the hospitality from the crew was wonderful. The rooms were quite spacious with a comfortable bed, a private balcony and even a bathtub. Breakfast, lunch and dinner (vegetarian available on request) was included and a couple of dinners were quite impressive 5 course meals.
In terms of activities, here is what was included:
- Kayaking and swimming on Day 1 and Day 2
- Cycling and village tour at Cat ba island on Day 2
- Cave tour on bamboo boats Day 3
- Tai chi every morning
- Spring roll making on Day 1 and Day 2, in the evenings
Below is what you can additionally purchase:
- Drinks and snacks. Happy hour every evening!
- Massages. There is a spa!
We really enjoyed the tour with beautiful views from the windows and the sun deck, even from the dining room. It was surreal to wake up to views in the bay and goto bed with the moonlight shining in the middle of nowhere. Even though a short one, it was one of the best luxurious relaxed vacations we’ve ever had.
Thanks for stopping by and we hope this post gives you some inspiration to plan your own trip to this stunning natural wonder. And if you have any questions, leave them in the comments and we’ll try to answer as best as we can.
