Sitting on the Dock of Halong Bay...

Yesterday morning we got picked up bright and early at 7:30am to go on a 2 day/1 night cruise at Halong Bay.  Our company, Alisa Premier Cruise picked us up and the van was a good indicator that we chose well.  There are so many Halong Bay cruises in every budget but considering you're stuck on the boat with limited entertainment and food, Will and I decided it was worth the splurge to be comfortable and have a clean, modern boat.  The ride out to the port is about 3.5 hours from Hanoi but it was a comfortable ride and we made a couple pit stops.  We made a bathroom stop as a mega store that sold all types of handicrafts and souvenirs but aside from the clean bathrooms, that was lame.  We also stopped at a pearl farm which was pretty interesting because I had no idea how pearls were cultivated.

From there, we arrived at the port where we go on our boat which would be our hotel for the night.  We were immediately served lunch before we got settled into our room which was NICE.  The Halong Bay boats are pretty small, about 15-20 rooms max and every room on our boat had a balcony with the most beautiful view.  The room was super modern and clean and our bathroom had two showers! 

 

After settling in our room for a bit, we took a small boat to Thien Cung Cave.  It was pretty cool inside.  Apparently a lot like Luray Caverns at home, but I've never been there so I was impressed.  After that, we went kayaking which was so pretty because the sun was setting!  Will was so exhausted that he was a little cranky about kayaking but I thought it was awesome. 

 

  

 

 Once we were back on the boat, we showered before a fun little happy hour on the deck where we got to do a mini cooking class making spring rolls as our appetizer.  Again, Will was super tired so he could barely keep his eyes open during our 3-course dinner.  HA!  Needless to say, while dinner was delicious, we went straight to bed afterwards.  The next morning we got up and the boat slowly made it's way back to the port.  While there was an offered stop at Tip Top Island, it was pouring out so no laying out or hiking to the lookout point for us.  While this was a bummer, it is rainy season so we knew there was a likely chance of rain and I was actually super grateful that we had a gorgeous clear day yesterday when most of our activities were happening so I wasn't too disappointed about the rain today.  We got a chance to relax in the room in luxury before a final brunch before arriving at the dock.  Overall, we really enjoyed our Halong Bay Cruise.  The company we went with was awesome.  It was super nice and seemed so much nicer than the other boats we passed.  The food was delicious and it was a nice break from the city.

 

 

 

Once we arrived, it was back on the bus to head back to Hanoi.  It was already pretty late in the afternoon but we had a relaxing evening planned.  We dropped off our stuff and made our way to a local spa, Urban Oasis Spa.  Spa treatments are so cheap here, like they are in Thailand so we definitely took advantage!  Will opted for a 2-hour massage while I did a one hour massage and a manicure and pedicure.  Our massages were great and my manicure was great, but my pedicure was TERRIBLE.  Like terrible.  lol.  It was actually a funny experience but yup, not so good.  And considering everyone in Vietnam is obsessed with positive TripAdvisor reviews, I had to be honest with the receptionist that my review wasn't going to be great.

From there, we were starving and went to our reservation at Ngon Villa.  This restaurant was on every list of top restaurants in Hanoi and it had multiple sister restaurants all over Vietnam.  The decor was modern and beautiful and the menu was basically Vietnamese tapas from different regions around the entire country.  The restaurant is categories as "expensive- $$$$" according to Trip Advisor but it was basically $15USD for an unlimited amount of most items on the menu.  So while that might be expensive by Vietnamese standards, it was so cheap to us and the food was delicious.  After dinner, we were relaxed and full and ready to go to bed!