Sharing my HLB Research

Hi guys,

I%26#39;ve taken much from this forum so I%26#39;m giving some back.

Here were some of the many cruises we considered going with. Prices are as published on the site but you should email them to see if its still valid and if you book more tours with them they may also give you a better price.

My budget I was looking for is USD80-USD100 for a 3D2N Halong Bay-Catba Island Cruise.

The similarities across each of the below are as follows:

- 1 night in Holiday View Resort (Catba Island)

- 1 night on Junk (do ask for pictures of the junk if possible! there are apparently lots of imperial junks on HLB!)

HERE GOES!!

A) KHOAVIET TRAVEL CO.,LTD

khoaviettravel.com/english/….html - USD 89/pax (Imperial Junk)

B) AN PHU HA NOI TRAVEL SERVICE TRADING COMPANY LIMITED

www.anphutour.com/anphu/… - USD 95/pax (Imperial Junk)

www.anphutravelvietnam.com/… - USD 88/pax (Dreamsea Voyage Junk)

C) VIETNAM OPENTOUR CO., LTD

vietnamopentour.com.vn/vietnam-tour/halong-b… - USD 93/pax (Imperial Junk)

D) APT EZ HOLIDAYS HOTEL

aptezholidayhotel.com/Tour.asp?Nid=1011 - USD 95/pax (Bai Tu Long Junk)

E) DIEP TRAN CO., LTD/TREKKING TRAVEL

trekkingtravelvietnam.com/… - USD 96/pax (Diep Tran Junk?)

F ) SINH CAFE

http://www.sinhcafevn.com/Tour_Detail.asp - USD 93/pax (Hoa Phuong Junk)

A friend in Hanoi said OPTION C AND D have relatively newer junks among the above few.

Seriously I spent like 100 hours on research for HLB alone! Hope you guys benefit from this! My trip is 01-08 March. :)

In the end I took up a HLB package with Hanoi Lucky Hotel.

SO FAR, the service online seems very good. I%26#39;ll be back to post about whether they%26#39;re really good. :)

Here%26#39;s the details for the one I booked with Lucky Hotel:

www.hanoiluckyhotel.com/Hotel1/Default.aspx… - USD 92 (Le Tonkin Junk)

Sharing my HLB Research

Oh yes, one more thing. Do be careful who you book the cruise with and be wary of the deposits that you may have to make with your credit card. Always research on the reputation of the holding company and if they are a licensed tour operator before parting your money with them.

For Hanoi Lucky Hotel, I did not have to give them a deposit at all except my name and I am booking my hotel through them as well. So we%26#39;ll see if everything works out. :)

Sharing my HLB Research

Thank you for passing on the benefit of all your hard work, and I hope you enjoy the trip.

Could you please come back to this thread and post your thoughts after the cruise?

It sounds inexpensive (US$92) for a 2 night cruise, I%26#39;d love to know how it turned out.

Hi annjoy

Regarding this%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;1 night on Junk

Some junk operators stop the generators at night to save on fuel,resulting in no air-con for the night sleep.

You need to comfirm with them that they do not do this???

cheers

When in Vietnam, expect the unexpected.

You cannot even trust some of the licensed tour / junk operators like Footsteps Travel (not to be confused with Footprint Travel) or Bien Ngoc Cruiser. Money is their only motivation, and they will do anything for money.

hey guys, you%26#39;re welcomed. :)

yes i will be back to post reviews! :D

Stay tuned!

http://judging-me.blogspot.com

Hope you are having great time, we will be there in April and are looking for a good tour. We would like to kayak as much as we can, appreciate any info as you noted ther are many to choose from.

Thanks