HANOI: 10 Reasons Why I Love this Halong Bay Luxury Day Tour
If you don't have time to stay overnight in Halong Bay, this is a day tour I highly recommend. The cheapest day tour I could find is only half the price of this tour but they have a lot of problems like cramped vans, overbooked boats, a long and bumpy van ride, hanging out too long in souvenir shops instead of a longer stay at Halong Bay. Since it's only a day, comfort and maximized time is essential. Comfort is essential because if you don't feel well after the 3 hour van ride, you end up not enjoying the short stay at Halong Bay. It's also important to maximize time by avoiding long wait times in boats and in souvenir shops because as I said, it takes away time spent at Halong Bay if you spend it on these unimportant activities that can be avoided.
Here are 10 reasons why I love the Halong Bay Luxury Day Tour
1. Late hotel pick-up time
We were picked up 9:00 AM so we need not wake up too early (We're on vacation, right? 😊). We were also able to enjoy a long and hearty breakfast.
Despite the late pick up time, we arrived ahead of a lot of tourists. I will explain later.
2. The luxury van is spacious and is limited to a comfortable number of passengers.
The luxury van is very spacious and comfortable, it has spacious leather seats that can be reclined, has free WiFi, charging port and complimentary bottled water. The 3 hour ride was fast and comfortable. We were able to rest well so we were able to enjoy cruising Halong Bay.
3. Our guide, Choung, is very well-informed, attentive and entertaining.
Our guide, Chuong took care of us very well. He was very attentive to our needs. He is well informed and shared with us a wealth of information about Vietnamese life and culture from a personal perspective which gave us an insider's view of Hanoi life.
4. The route of this tour uses the highway so travel time is faster.
They picked us up 9 am but we were able to arrive ahead of the other tours. We rode the boat immediately and visit the caves without the crowd of tourists because we arrived ahead of them because our van used the faster route.
Other cheaper tour groups avoid paying the toll for the highway, so they use the longer, less paved route.
5. We stopped briefly to use the toilet and weren't brought to any souvenir shops.
We liked that we stopped just a few minutes to use the toilet so we were able to save time and maximize our stay at Halong Bay.
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| This is the toilet stop |
6. They limit the number of passengers riding the van and the boat. So we weren't crowded.
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| Inside the van |
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| Inside the boat |
7. Waiting time to board the boat is only brief.
8. Food is delicious. Drinks are included in the rate.
9. The bamboo boat or kayak ride (you have a choice between the two) used to explore the inner islands of Halong Bay is included in the rate
10. The tour's pace is perfect and not tiring but we loved that it included the right combination of highlights on the must see and experience at Halong Bay.
Major highlights:
A cruise along Halong bay
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Bamboo boat ride or Kayak to the inner islands of Halong Bay
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Dau Go Cave Tour
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In conclusion:
Despite it being more expensive than other day tours, I consider it value for money and will highly recommend it to others. The additional expense is worth it because it gave us a very enjoyable, comfortable and comprehensive day tour of Halong Bay and a quick peek on Vietnamese life and culture through the personal perspective of our guide, Chuong.
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