Hanoi: Luxury 3-day Ninh Binh Trip And Halong 5-star Cruises

very poorly organized trip 1. after booking i sent several messages inquiring about the logistics of the trip to the tour operator over a period of a month -- i got no response 2. the pick up was supposed to be from the hotel but because they were running late and did not want to deal with traffic on our street in Hanoi , they made us walk 0.5 km to the street corner with our suitcases in mild drizzle. 3. The guide on the bus to Ninh Binh was horrible -- if i could give him a minus 5 rating I would. instead of talking about Vietnam and the excursion he spoke about how poor he was. At one point he pulled out all the money in his wallet and started telling us the value of each denomination - essentially telling us how much to tip him. Then during the walk to the river, he walked away from half the group causing them to get lost. when he reconnected with the group, instead of apologizing he started yelling at us-- totally unacceptable 4. The first lunch on the way to Ninh Binh was inedible -- it felt like day old food served in a noisy cafeteria 5. On the morning we were supposed to go to Halong bay, a van arrived at the Ninh Binh hotel to take us to the boat but with not enough seats to accommodate the group. In fact 4 of us were not even on the list to be picked up. we then had to wait for over 30 minutes at the gate for them to find another van to transport us. The entire time we were standing at the gate there was no explanation of what was going on-- very unnerving. 6. And finally the day in Halong bay was a total disaster. First they did not have enough bamboo boats to take people to the caves. because of this 2 things happened--1. we were only taken to one cave for about a total of 20 minutes and 6 people who could not get onto a bamboo boat with their own ships group had to be shuffled onto boats with passengers from other cruises. 4 of them got left behind on the way back and had to wait over an hour in the scorching sun on the dock before they were brought back to the ship. Their ride back was sitting on the floor of the tender boat as there was no room to sit. Their compensation for 3 lost hours was a free beer each! Also because of the lack of boats all other promised outings ie the medicine cave, the walk to the view point, village excursion etc did not happen. In essence the only excursion that happened was the 20 min boat ride. After that you could swim and kayak around the ship but nothing else happened all day -- a total waste of a day especially if you do not swim or kayak like myself. I did not pay $600 for a 20 min boat ride in Halong bay. here are the things that were nice 1. the boat ride in Trang An was great 2. the hike in Hang Mua was fun 3. the hotel in Ninh Binh -- rustic hideway was outstanding

The weather wasn't the best, very misty and grey, but the team still made this a great trip, The guides were great (Lee, Mike and Alex)!. Loved Ninh Binh; the overnight accommodation was in such an amazing spot . Our Cabin on La Costa Regal cruise was superb, views amazing and evening dinner excellent. Our highlight of Vietnam.

Truly professional experience top to bottom. Felt very held but without annoying pressure to be at everything offered, which was a lot!

Our trip to Halong Bay and Ninh Binh was exceptional. Right from the time of booking the trip till we completed it, everything was organised to the hilt. The people, hotels, the rooms, the food, transfers were all par excellence. The crew on board the ship Aqua of the seas was excellent. Special mention to Layla, who was more like a friend. My family truly made wonderful memories and will definitely recommend this tour to everyone.

They were so friendly and welcoming and also Alex was the best host of our drive, i will recommend to my friends to book with them

Every thing is great ,i do realy love ~~~ and very thx Alex, he is so nice,please give him a raise!!!!!! 超棒的旅程，一開始的接送，隨車人員Alex超讚的！親切、幽默、盡責且認真，拜託給他加薪！，來到船上後穿上的服務人員可愛又專業，讓人這兩天一夜真的chill，活動也很棒，在寂靜的下龍灣划著獨木舟，感受大自然的鬼斧神工，偶爾人們的笑語，與天上翱翔的老鷹，城市的繁忙喧囂都得到了釋放，真的非常非常推薦！！！

This is an really good experience. The views is beautiful and the food tastes delicious, too. Thank you for all crew members, driver, and our guide Alex! Alex is very good and nicely.

Aspira Cruises is a truly wonderful cruise company. I had booked the pick up service from Hanoi as well and Alex picked us up from our hotel on time and dropped us off as well after the cruise was over. The cruise itself was very relaxing and it was absolutely the correct choice to do the overnight cruise with them. They even upgraded us in the cruise so we had an amazing view from our room and the exclusive deck to watch the mountains of Ha Long Bay pass us by. I recommend them for anyone wanting to do a cruise at Ha Long Bay.

Very good trip, thanks partly to Alex! We will surely try to get him again if and when we find ourselves in Vietnam

Our tour guide Alex was very helpful. He guided us throughout the trip to Cruise. We really recommend his services. Definitely we would like to take his help during our next trip too 🙂

The cruise was amazing and the team was very friendly. They really took special care to get us different vegetarian menus during our trip We combined the trip with a tour to Ninh Binh beforehand We highly recommend to stay on the cruise for two nights as you see more of the changing landscape. The tour to Cat Ba Island (kajaking, swimming, visiting traditional houses) was fascinating. Lee and the driver took us back from Halong Bay to our hotel in Hanoi, overall a very comfortable drive. Everything was very well organized, thank you very much!

The room was spacious, clean and beautiful. The president suite comes with a huge sun terrace (shared between 2 president suites). The service of the crew was amazing (but only the managers could speak English). Breakfast choices are slightly limited but brunch and dinner's great! They do provide free drinking water but you have to pay for other drinks ordered. Price of drinks was reasonable. Wifi is intermittent but that is due to Ha Long Bay having limited Wifi. It is the same for all cruises. I celebrated my birthday on board and the team really made my day. Would definitely recommend Aspira Cruise to everyone!

The boat is stunning, the food is really good and the staff are delightful. If you do 3 days be aware that you will spend the whole of day 2 on a really scruffy tour boat and god help you if you have ‘David’ for the day as your guide. Given you only get one full day and have paid for a luxury cruise this is pretty naff. The much mentioned rubbish is a very real thing and is heartbreaking to see everywhere. You’ll be out off wanting to swim. Costs on board are unsurprisingly expensive, the 3 for 2 deal isn’t great for couples but ignore the crew and buy your beer or wine from the fisherman who come alongside. It is half the price and best if all you can drink your own booze in the restaurant thus avoiding the big bar prices. Be aware that they will try and add 3% to your bill for any card payment regardless of whether it’s debit or credit.

There was an wounderfull stay and a very nice Trip. The Food was very good and the chrow our Guide Minh was very nice , funny and heplfull Thanks for this Trip highly recoment

There were some absolutely stunning views, the scene at night of all the boats lit up in the bay was magical and service was great. Our guide Alex was definitely a stand out bloke and even gave us a SIM card to use the rest of the trip.

Amazing trip, many thanks to our guide Alex and the crew for being extremely welcoming as well as fantastic hospitality!

Me and my friend went to a 2 days/1 night boat cruise. First of all, the driver and the tour guide didn’t pick us at our hotel. They completely forget us. We had to call the company and then take a scooter to a travel agency. After that, we had to move on a bus with a different tour which was only for a one day at Halong Bay. We arrived later, the tour guide picked us at the harbour without any apologies. It’s a shame that we’ve paid $90 with that kind of service. No pick up, another shuttle, and no apologies. The cruise itself was pretty okay. The staff was adorable! They served us good food and were available for us when needed. They also organize a buffet and a party for New Year’s Eve. This was really cool, we had some white wine, fruits, a cake and some other snacks such as chocolate and pistachios. This attention was super nice and we didn’t expect that. The food was western and not Vietnamese food as they mentionned. There were lots of vegetables which is pretty great for the vegan. Food was not that bad but it would be better if it was local food. However, in our room, there was a cockroach in the bathroom and other insects. Furthermore, during the night, we heard many weird noises such as mouses noises. It could be better... for the price we’ve paid. The activities that we’ve done during the tour were okay. We have some many activities: kayak, hiking, cooking class, visiting a cave. The tour guide wasn’t explaining details about the cruise. No explanation at all during the visits. When he could swim in the bay, he didn’t even notice that we had to bring our swimsuits. To sum up, the cruise itself was good thanks to the amazing staff and the activities. But it could be improved.. I recommend people to visit Halong Bay but not with this company.

Great experience and Alex was a great guide!! We spent 2 days in Halong Bay and we visite the Surprise cave, really a good exprrience!!

Excellent trip on the boat.boby speak very well english and he is a very nice guy. The food is very tasty and we see very nice view

Halong Bay is a wonderful experience with the breathtaking landscape, however tge excess of boats and a worst increasing of tourism make me worried about this operation there... Alex’s is a great guide always putting the group in order and no schedules are fauled with him! Also, finally I know how to do proper Vietnam Spring Rolls, thanks to his cooking class.

Myself and my partner were very satisfied with the cruise. The food was excellent (a lot of fresh seafood), the rooms lovely and our guide (arrow) was very friendly, funny and knowledgeable. The drinks were a little expensive compared to the city, but not too much. The trip our from hanoi is around 3- 4 hours, but definitely worth it. Overall we were very satisfied and happy with our experience and would recommend this if you have the time.

We had really good trip at Halong bay, Alex was amazing tour guide on cruises. Great food, great room, great people.

Pros: The sites we visited were truly beautiful! It rained one day in Halong bay but it was still very beautiful and did not deter us from carrying on with the day. Tour was very easy- I traveled solo and was able to get around without feeling lost or alone. The hike was a hike up the mountain on a paved pathway with handrails- definitely felt safe. Rooms were spacious and clean, with a beautiful view. The boat we were on had about 10 rooms (16 people) so it didn’t feel too crowded or overwhelming. Cons: Food was average. Tour felt very rushed and was very structured (not a lot of freedom to explore what you wanted to). Everything felt very “touristy”. The boat takes you to a stop where one can hike or swim at their “beach”. The beach (appeared to be manmade) was very crowded. On the way to and back, there was a mandatory “bathroom break” (forced gift shop break) for 25 minutes. I personally just like to get to and from my destination as quickly as possible and did not appreciate being forced off the bus.

We had a very nice trip in ha long Bay with lavender cruise. The food was very good and all the staffs con the boat so friendly, especially tour guide Bobby was wonderful and funny. Than you so much for everything

On the first day we went to a very nice beach and a kayak tour. Then we enjoyed a delicious dinner! After the dinner we enjoyed the night on top of the cruise ship with cocktails. On the following day we enjoyed a visit to a spectacular cave! We had a very clean and cozy cabin and the crew was very nice and helpful. In addition their english was really good!

We had a good time at Lavender Cruises. Bobby was an excellent guide, very kind and professional. He was always in a positive mood and helped us when we needed help.Something that could be improved is the location of the meeting point, which is not accurate. Otherwise, it was an enjoyable experience and we highly recommend it.

I had a really good time with all the activities they scheduled for us, the ship was so comfortable and it’s crew was so kind too, and the food on the boat was really yummy.

The experience was amazing. I was happily surprised with all the food and the general service at the cruise. The romm was clean and bed was comfortable. I would recommend this tour.

My husband and I went on this 2 day cruise and loved everything from the moment we where pickup, Bobby was our tour guide, he was fantastic, great English and very informative, must do the canoeing and the cave tour , amazing food as well, and plenty of it .

Relaxing, interesting cruise. Brilliant scenery. Amazing food beautifully presented, great variety, generous portions. Outstanding service from Peter and the crew. Varied activities. Clean rooms.

I had a amazing trip 2 days ago, with nice room and food very delicious . We had an evening of squid fishing and karaoke together with everyone and their staff was very cute & friendly

Had a great time on the boat trip- a brilliant way to see Halong Bay! Boat was clean, friendly staff and plenty of delicious fish! Highly recommend

It's was really nice to spent time in cruise. Guide named Peter was really knowledgeable and helpful to explaining everything.

The cruise staff are all very friendly and nice. Our tourist guide, Hien is very friendly and funny. Very accommodating as well. We really enjoyed night fishing for squids! It’s a must try. Great experience to bond with your family and meet other guests.

It was a very comfortable journey, the food was delicious, and the activities on the boat were great. It made me realize my dream of canoeing. It was really great to go canoeing in the beautiful scenery of Halong Bay. There is also a small bar where you can drink. Wine is really enjoyable. The service staff are also very good, and the view from the room is also great. Overall, it gave me a great experience!

Very beautiful and took lots of photos! It's a bit like Guilin's landscape, but more spectacular. It's a pity that the weather is not very good. It should be more beautiful on a sunny day. The food on the boat was delicious and the performances were very attentive. There are also two happy hours and buy two get one free wine available. It's a very comfortable and relaxing little trip.

We are three couples and booked this company dallitalia seen the good reviews. Actually everything went well, all very nice including the staff the typical Vietnamese eating really top. I recommend it.

Good morning I'm Alessandra and with two other couples we decided to take a cruise on Halong Bay and we chose the Lavander cruiser ... I can say that the availability of Van Minh and the professionalism he had towards us was the maximum ... the ship with clean cabins .the great food and plentiful .. the guide always made by Van Minh was very positive excursions very satisfying that say everything great from the ship to the guide of Van Minh ..

Great food and great hospitality! They gave a cake to a friend of ours celebrating her birthday! Highly recommended!

Excellent stay, on the halong bay aboard the libetter cruise, meals, cabin excursions at the top, a big thank you to the team, which is always available

We were very happy with the tour. We experienced a lot and it was all well planned. Excellent food and nice crew.

We stayed 2 days 1 night with Lavender Cruise. If you like organized cruises I recommend it. The staff is very attentive and as a bonus Bobby's guide is very pleasant and likes to make jokes ( very good English). Thanks Bobby & Lavender Cruise 😀