3D2N Luxury HaLong Bay with Aspira Cruise: kayak, Cat Ba island

We had a wonderful experience with Aspira Cruise! The staff was cheerful, accommodating, and paid special attention to our dietary needs (gluten and dairy free). Bicycling Cat Ba Island was pleasurable and quite a unique experience! Morning Tai Chi with Nancy was incredibly relaxing- we actually will look to continue the practice at home. Thank you again for a memorable family vacation!

**Aspira Cruise – Halong Bay** Overall, we had a very relaxing and enjoyable experience aboard the Aspira Cruise. My biggest wish is that the itinerary hadn't felt quite so rushed. I also would have loved more actual cruising time, as the dramatic limestone karsts and rock formations are truly the highlight of Halong Bay, and I could have spent hours simply admiring them. We visited in July, which isn't peak season, so it never felt overcrowded. I was initially worried about rough waters, but that concern disappeared almost immediately—the bay was incredibly calm throughout our trip. We booked the Presidential Suite, and it was absolutely worth it. The suite was spacious, beautifully appointed, and featured floor-to-ceiling glass windows with breathtaking 180-degree views of the awe-inspiring limestone islets that took millions of years to form. Yes, it has the famous round bed, which some people might find a little cheesy, but I actually thought it was charming! My husband, on the other hand, is quite tall and spent the night with his legs hanging off the edge which gave us a good laugh. That's certainly not a criticism of the cruise just something tall travelers might want to know! Having our own private deck made the experience feel especially luxurious. The bathroom also deserves special mention. It was spacious and impeccably clean, which is one of my biggest priorities when traveling. It exceeded my expectations in every way. One disappointment was the water itself. The emerald-green waters shown in the advertisements were unfortunately quite murky during our visit, perhaps due to the tides. We chose the bamboo boat excursion to the Dark and Bright Caves, which I had been looking forward to the most. Sadly, it turned out to be rather underwhelming. Instead of the pristine grotto experience I had imagined, the water around the caves contained a noticeable amount of floating trash—plastic bottles, bags, Styrofoam, and other debris—which took away from the natural beauty. There was also an opportunity to swim near the main cruise boat, but given the condition of the water, we decided against it. Instead, we headed to the upper deck to enjoy the pool and lounge area. While the views were spectacular, I was surprised there was virtually no shade—no umbrellas, cabanas, or covered seating. In the July heat, it became difficult to stay outside for long, so I retreated to our air-conditioned suite, where the panoramic views were just as enjoyable. The food onboard didn't quite meet our expectations. That said, food is highly subjective, and I don't think it's fair to judge the cruise too harshly based on personal taste. What really stood out was the attentiveness of the staff, who repeatedly checked on us throughout the meals to make sure we had enough to eat and were comfortable. We also booked spa treatments, as we almost always enjoy massages while on vacation. Unfortunately, this was probably the weakest part of the experience. Communication was difficult because our therapist spoke very little English. We ultimately chose the complimentary 30-minute massage, and while I specifically requested foot reflexology, only a few minutes were actually spent on my feet despite asking several times. My sincere suggestion would be to have staff available who can better understand guests' requests or assist with translation so expectations can be met. The highlight of the cruise was undoubtedly the staff. Every single person we interacted with was warm, gracious, and genuinely eager to make our stay enjoyable. Although the food wasn't our favorite, dinner was still a lovely experience thanks to the wonderful atmosphere, live music, and exceptional service. Despite a few areas that could be improved, we left feeling relaxed and grateful for the experience. The Presidential Suite, the stunning scenery, the calm waters, and the kindness of the crew made for a memorable stay. With a little more cruising time, improvements to the spa experience, and greater attention to environmental cleanliness around the caves, this could easily become an exceptional cruise experience.

What a fabulous 3 days we spent on the Aspira ship, food was amazing and staff incredibly helpful especially Ha. Totally recommend

We loved every moment of our Aspira Cruise. The rooms were so luxurious, staff were so friendly, the food was delicious and always varied. The activities over the 3 days were great, we particularly enjoyed cycling around Cat Ba Island and into Viet Village. Thank you to the team on board !

Just finished a 2 night cruise with Aspira. The staff was friendly and helpful. We had a big family with several rooms and two of the rooms (202 and 204) were near inhabitable due to the smell of sewer gas or toilet fluid. WOW, these should be closed off or addressed! Some of the family had rooms across the hall , on the other side of the boat, and further up front and those didn't have the smell. We raised it with the staff the first day and they came in and added an essential oil lamp and put a plug in the shower drain, but it didn't remove it. The second morning was worse, we had to use our family's room across the hall to take a shower and stayed there until we disembarked. The chef and food were fairly good, as were the two free fruit juice options at meal time. The free coffee was weak and the extra charge egg and coconut coffees were cold, not as thick, and not the flavor of those we had in Hanoi. They provided 2 bottles of water per person, all other drinks cost extra. The day trip boat they partner with was definitely a lower level of service. Very old worn out boat and we got the privilege of killing a live cockroach 🪳 next to our dining room table. Drinks not included. The staff was friendly though. If I were to do it over, I would look for a higher quality option. And I would certainly NOT take room 202 or 204! We reached out to our tour operator to engage Aspire to request an adjustment for these two rooms. I hope the owner is fair and will reimburse accordingly.

We booked the 2 night cruise as part of our honeymoon to Vietnam and booked the presidential suite (the most expensive room). First of all, the staff are wonderful as they are everywhere in Vietnam. I have given this review 3 stars for the following reasons: 1) Our suite had significant mould in the shower 2) The bed is extremely hard. Perhaps a personal preference. 3) there were a couple of black hairs in the bath tub which put me off using the bath 4) We didn’t appreciate the sales tactics for coffee sales. They don’t tell you there is filtered coffee available, but ask “would you like coffee” in the morning. Obviously, the answer is yes. What they neglect to declare is the price, which is the equivalent of around £4 - for reference the cocktails are about £5. It was more the conduct which left a sour taste. 5) If you do the 2 nights / 3 days, there is 3 different offerings of kayaking, which is great if you love kayaking, but lacking of variety. I will say that the cycling through the village was great! 6) if you do book, avoid rooms at the back of the boat as the engine is extremely loud. 7) lack of plug sockets and mirrors in the main room. Ultimately, there are sooooo many boats in the Ha Long Bay Area. My husband was drawn into booking this cruise because of the circle bed. Beware of the 5* reviews. We watched staff stand over customers to “help” them draft a 5* review on Tripadvisor.

We had a wonderful trip on the boat of Aspira. The rooms were large and comfortable and the staff was super attentive and friendly. The activities were fun, especially the kayaking. Finally, the food was delicious and fresh, many fruits and vegetables were available.

We enjoyed the whole experience - from check-in to the return to shore. There were two different "directors" during the cruise - both were excellent and went out of their way to ensure that the guests were well-looked-after. The rooms on board were clean, comfortable and provided sufficient space for our luggage. The daily excursions were informative, well-planned, and all was done in a relaxed atmosphere. As senior citizens we appreciated the fact that we were always given a less strenuous option to every activity - an easily accessed boat in place of a kayak, a golf cart in place of a bicycle, etc. The food was excellent and the servers were attentive and injected some of their personality into the service. A sunset drink at the open-air bar was a fitting end to each wonderful day.

Ok, so firstly we did the 3 day tour, including the private return transfers from Hanoi. The driver meets is in an old and dirty 4wd, that hasn't been washed forever. He also decides to vape the entire way, also spitting out the window, and tearing down the highway, with not one other car passing us in the 2 plus hour trip. So definitely NOT the transfer you want to take to a 5 star cruise. Room was great, and as was expected.. food was good also, but you couldn't get good outside the meal times, and the bar only opened the serving. So for lunch, and then again at 5pm for their pretty lame excuse for happy hour. Buy 2 hugely overpriced cocktails, and get one free. Or 10% off basic wines, which is all they really offered, or scotch. So nothing on beers, glasses of wines or anything else. We are on holidays and often like a few drinks in the afternoon, but couldn't do this.. inclusions were ok, but nothing special, and you would want to like kayaking, as 3 activities were this, just in different areas. I have done lots of great tours back in Hanoi and HCM, so know what you get for your money, so the activities are at best maybe worth $30-$40 AUD per day. I asked for a water after one of the hour long kayaks, which wasn't lead by anyone, so a pure rental really, and told not included. So for $400 Aud per night, in a lead in room, I think there are much better options out there. Also a few double standards, crew insisted on us wearing life jackets for any and everything on the water,I get it, yet the staff didn't follow this. I come from Australia, so could easily out swim all of them put together. Often the service was too much too, and is fine line between good and overservicing. Yeah, I won't be back, nor will my travelling companions whom booked the best suite on the boat, at around $800 AUD a night.. anyone that considers this 5 star or great value, hasn't obviously done a lot of travel in Asia. Disappointing to say the least!!

We did a 2 night cruise and stayed in one of the Executive Suites. The food was good and plentiful, the tours were fun. But, the highlight for us was relaxing in our room and private sun deck soaking in the beauty!