Halong 01 day with kayak, cave, buffet and sunset party

Posted By : Explore43572003815
This was a great experience for the family and we enjoyed all the stops and the fresh seafood onboard. Alright the crew and especially Rosie were wonderful hosts and took great care of everyone.

My oldest got stung by a jellyfish and they all took good care of him onboard and went and got him extra medicine after we returned to shore.
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Posted On : 2024-03-27 01:05:42

Posted By : FernieSimon
So, we had an amazing 3 day 2 night experience on board Romantic Sails where we found the staff all very helpful albeit the bar staff a bit slow. Opted for the collection from Old Town Hanoi for $20 return per person which was excellent value and arrived at the ship after the 3 hour drive. Communications from Annie were very good especially the news of our upgrade on board.

Due to their cancelling our original cruise we were upgraded to a deluxe double with large patio doors, balcony and jacuzzi bath which was must welcome. The cabin was generous in size with large double and waking up each morning to see the islands was exceptional.

The food generally was of a high standard, very tasty expect for the Russian salad on day two. Happy hour 5 - 7 (3 for 2) helped the bar bill which tbh wasn’t high ( glass of wine or cocktail for 126k vnd which is just over £4. The cave trips both days were stunning and both guides very good. Kayaking both days was great fun as was the cookery making spring rolls.

Okay the ship is looking a tad tired but we had an amazing 3 day experience sailing through the islands, and it’s so far been a holiday highlight and would recommend the 3 day 2 nights to see both the caves in the local vicinity.
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Posted On : 2020-01-15 09:38:59

Posted By : dawn3014
I write this review with mixed feelings, because we had a great time in Halong Bay on our Lavender Cruise, but at the same time the cruise was not up to expectations.
1) The pictures on the tripadvisor website are for a different boat. Lavender apparently has a few boats, and to get the "nice" boat you have to book a Lavender ELEGANCE cruise. The boat we had was VERY tired and not nearly as elegant as the boat as advertised on tripadvisor.
2) The schedule on the final day of the cruise (doesn't matter if you are on a 2 day or 3 day) is not very good. After breakfast at 7:00 am, they send you to secret cave at 8:00, and you get back to the boat at 9:30. Then you pack up and exit your room (this makes sense, they have to get ready for the next passengers). Then they serve you lunch at 10:00. Then, they bring you to shore and you disembark at 11:30. Finally, you wait until 1:00 for the bus to bring you back to Hanoi. Seems they could let you stay on the boat to enjoy Halong bay a bit longer so that you don't need to eat an unnaturally early lunch and wait at Halong harbor for 1.5 hrs.
3) They charge for drinking water, but are refilling bottles. So this was a surprise, as the tripadvisor site indicated that drinking water was included. Turns out only 1/2 liter is included per person per day, you need to buy the rest. Except that halfway through the cruise we figured out that they were reusing the bottles and filling them from a larger container.

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Posted On : 2020-01-02 14:03:02

Posted By : 716emilb
Beautiful boat, amazing staff, great food and the activities are amazing, kayaking, swimming in the jade water, cave exploring pearl farm.. everything was overwhelmingly beautiful
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Posted On : 2019-11-11 23:31:01

Posted By : louisehC5301DG
Fantastic stay in Halong Bay on the lavender cruise. Peter, Bobby and all the crew looked after us incredibly well. We had one night on the 4* boat and one night on the 3* boat, both were fantastic, the food was amazing and the excursions were very interesting. All in all I thoroughly recommend!!
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Posted On : 2019-09-10 01:41:58

Posted By : Evan S
Lavender Cruises exceeded my expectations in all categories and I would definitely book them again.

For those looking to book, staying two nights on the boat is a must, and opt for the deluxe/3 person room.

Food, staff, and activities were all excelent.

The bus ride from and to the hotel in Hanoi made everything extremely easy for us, especially with reliable Wifi and AC.

Most importantly, I think the deluxe room with HUGE windows on two walls made for an umbelievable morning sunrise. I don't think I've ever quite had that great of a view from bed, and I didn't see a single other boat on the bay quite the same setup.

Ti Top island was crowded, but every cruise takes you there because the view is worth the stairs.

I would have probably prefered the small speed boats over the Pearl Farm on day 2, but for booking Lavender the day before from a cafe, I really was impressed.

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Posted On : 2019-08-31 21:43:32

Posted By : Guide426928
The food on this cruise was exceptional. The barman was excellent. During the day we transferred to a day boat and the guide on it (Lam) was lovely and the activities were not crowded. Activities from the main boat were too crowded. I would recommend doing two nights as you get to do more interesting things on the second day than on the first or last.
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Posted On : 2019-06-10 01:06:32

Posted By : LPC89
Great time spent with Lavender. Our guide Arrow was very kind and really made this trip amazing! I would recommend the 2 nights if you got enough time
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Posted On : 2019-04-10 04:00:45

Posted By : joeyq794
The cruise in Halong Bay was an amazing experience and Arrow has been very knowledgeable! Would recommend to anyone looking to go!
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Posted On : 2019-04-10 03:55:15

Posted By : Christina L
We chose the 3 days 2 nights tour on lavender cruises. We were picked up in our hostel in Hanoi by our guide Hien.
We had a great time here. We had plenty of good food. The timetable was full but it was a good programm.
Kayaking, karaoke and squid fishing.

Hien was very nice and helpful. We enjoyed our stay here.
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Posted On : 2019-03-28 10:08:44