Hanoi: 2-daagse Halong Bay Royal Palace Cruise, grot, Ti Top Island

Our Tour leader was pinky - she was amazing and very helpful and took us on short trips and gave the history of the locations. Cruise staff especially Anthony were excellent and the the food and environment excellent. Highly recommended to use as the boat was a traditional bot with loads of character and charm! Nothing was too much trouble and very accommodating.

Me and the Mrs booked the Royal Palace cruise as Halong Bay is a must see if you are in North Vietnam. That’s the first thing - no matter what company you book through, you HAVE TO take the hit on your bank account, book an overnight stay, and see this magnificent wonder of the world. Theres a whole host of companies offering different packages. What drew us to Royal Palace was a mix of the activities they set out and the fair price. Next, Royal Palace itself. A well oiled machine with friendly staff. I received messages via email and WhatsApp to confirm our spot and make sure we were ready to go. Our tour guide, Violet, was amazing and the boat manager, Alex, was very helpful. There was a typhoon the week before we had booked the cruise and many of the boats in the harbour were destroyed or badly damaged. Royal Palace had a bit of damage but nothing too noticeable. The only activity that was affected was karaoke, as the machine wasn’t working due to the storm. Talking about the activities, first we had the kayaking. This was a 10/10. You get about an hour to explore a semi-enclosed body of water as you kayak in between giant limestone cliffs. Next, Titop island, where there is a beach and a hike available. This was VERY busy. There is a hike offered to the top of a cliff which takes about 30 minutes. We actually decided against this as the line was huge. We wanted to maximise our time here, which was about an hour, as this is the only time you get to actually swim during the cruise. The Mrs swam the entire time whereas I joined the locals for a game of beach football. These were again 10/10 and a lot of fun. Onto the evening and the squid fishing. This was a little disappointing. We couldn’t see any squid, nor did we catch any. We were told that the best time for this is May/June. Also, there were only 2 fishing rods for about 15 people, making this a 0/10. The next morning we had the tai che ‘lesson’. It’s not really a lesson, more so they have a guy going through the motions and you copy him. This was a new experience and an interesting one, but it’s very early - at 5:45 am. This would be a 6/10. Penultimately, we have the cave exploration. This is a 10/10. The cave is HUGE and an incredible sight. Finally, the cooking class. Here, we learned how to roll a traditional Vietnamese rice noodle. This was a cool experience as well, though not really a lesson. You roll a noodle and eat it, which was tasty. Probably a 7/10. Last thoughts - the food is amazing. They serve a variety of dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you’re solo or in a small group you’ll be seated with other people and dishes are served and shared. This actually helps you to get to know the people you’re travelling with, making this experience a social one. We had a really fun group and all drank together for the night we were on the boat. Speaking of drink - BRING YOUR OWN ALCOHOL! Alcohol is quite expensive on the boat and the ‘happy hour’ really isn’t worth it. Instead, bring your own drinks, as they only charge a £1 ‘service fee’.