Amazing Halong Bay tour

We just got back from an amazing tour of Halong Bay. It is truly one of those see-before-you-die places. After searching and searching for a cruise company with good reviews, I finally found Mr.Tung with Cat Ba Ventures. Four of us rented a private sail/gunk/motor boat for three days at $110 per person. Our cook prepared simple yet delicious dishes for us for every meal, using fish caught each morning. Since it was a private boat, we were able to avoid the crowds (we only saw one other tourist boat the whole time) and take alternate routes. Lots of kayaking through caves that open up into stunning turquoise lagoons. Magical! We heard so many terrible stories about other cruise companies, so we feel very fortunate to have found Mr. Tung and Cat Ba Ventures. (Apparently another company keeps copying his reviews and posting them on their own site, so beware).

Amazing Halong Bay tour

Hi sansguide,

Could you also tell us of your other experiences during your travel in Vietnam.

Please do not get me wrong but as this is your first post in this forum and one which glowingly endorses a tour operator, I cannot help but think whether this report is true.

Just my thought.

Amazing Halong Bay tour

My apologies for my enthusiasm! Though one%26#39;s experience is probably 50% or more dependant on the atitude you bring, I arrived in Halong Bay dragging my feet a bit, not wanting to be stuck on some mis-advertised boat tour like I had been reading about. Mr. Tung turned out to be an honest man and we got what was advertised and more. As for the rest of my time in Vietnam, we spent a few more days in hectic but beautiful Hanoi (oh, the delicious street food! I%26#39;m still dreaming of it) and then took the night train (clean and basic and a lovely way to wake up in the morning, with a new landscape outside the window) to Hue and then to Hoi An. We liked Hoi An so much, despite the tourists (visitors seem to politely ignore one another), that we stayed for five days. If I were to come back, I would go in a season with better weather, as the rain came down so hard that we weren%26#39;t able to rent a motorcycle and tour the surrounding region like we originally had planned. However, Halong Bay was still the winner on our short 2-week trip, and I would recommend that anyone go.

Hey sansguide....... thanks for your impressions %26amp;amp; advice. I am in the early stages of planning a trip for next spring to include Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.

ONTHEROADTONOWHERE.......... good point, thanks for bringing it up. Darned shame we have to be so cautious.

Sansguide,

Are you able to let me know the name of the cruise that you did with Cat Ba Ventures.

You can email me on debbiewilson74@optusnet.com.au.

Thank you.

We just did a 3-day, two night cruise on a private boat (you stay on the boat). Mr. Tung%26#39;s e-mail is: admin@catbaventures.com

Just tell him what you are looking to do and he%26#39;ll propose a couple of different tours for you.

Have fun!

Thank you very much. I have just emailed him as I was looking for 2 days/1 night so will wait for his reply.

Debbie.

Hello there

Was impressed by the reviews given to this company %26amp; arranged for a tour next Christmas.

However, when I attempted to send my deposit via Western Union I was advised that they would not complete the transaction, they wouldn%26#39;t tell me why this was and the also said if they were me they wouldn%26#39;t be sendig any money out!

Any ideas what is going on - all sounds a bit sinister!

I have just finished booking a 3 day Halong Bay Explorer %26amp; Kayak Discovery through Handspan for later this year, and have had nothing but excellent communication with Annie who gets back to me very promptly and answers all my questions thoroughly. I have read fantastic reviews about this tour, and have been told by many hotels (that I have booked already) that Handspan is a very reputable company in Vietnam. Can highly recommend so far.

We used Handspan a couple of years ago for 2 day/1 night Halong Bay tour and were very please. I would highly recommend them also.

I can vouch for Handspan too - they refunded me 100% of my deposits when we had to cancel our trip to vietnam a day before departure (a death in the family). At a very stressful time it was such a relief to get the money back without any hassles.

pores