HANOI: 10 Reasons Why I Love this Halong Bay Luxury Day Tour

May 24, 2018


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. 

This is the toilet stop


6. They limit the number of passengers riding the van and the boat. So we weren't crowded.

Inside the van

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


Bamboo boat ride or Kayak to the inner islands of Halong Bay




Dau Go Cave Tour 






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.


THIS  IS  A  VIDEO  OF  US  CRUISING  HALONG  BAY  

UP DILIMAN: Where to Find the Notary Public

UP DILIMAN: Where to Find the Notary Public

LOCATION 
The office of the notary public is located at the back of the UP Kamagong Centennial Dormitories near the Jacinto Street entrance of UP Diliman.


The Jacinto Street entrance is at the right. 

REQUIREMENTS FOR NOTARIZATION OF DOCUMENTS


OFFICE HOURS 


PRICE:

Just to give you an idea of rates: 150 pesos for an ordinary affidavit. Call them to find out other rates. 


MANILA: Gloriamaris Greenhills Restaurant: What to Order

May 20, 2018

MANILA: Gloriamaris Greenhills Restaurant: What to Order 

Our favorite Chinese restaurant in Manila is Gloriamaris Greenhills restaurant. They serve very good quality Chinese food but it's a bit expensive. So we go there only on special occasions, or when there's a 50% off promo from credit cards. 

Usually, the 50% discount only covers the food bill including VAT (value added tax), and doesn't cover drinks and service charge. But that's already a lot. Our food bill for what we ordered (shown below) amounted to only a little less than 5000 pesos, when it should have been a little less than 9000 pesos. 

We usually reserve our seats at the fine dining section so we can also order from the dimsum and hotpot menu, aside from ordering from the fine dining menu. 

These are the iconic dishes we ordered. 


Sautéed Sweet and sour pork
(Medium, 990 pesos) 

Hot Prawn Salad
(Medium - 1630 pesos)
Note: They used real prawns and not shrimps like other smaller restaurants do) 

Peking Duck whole served 2 ways
(3,600 pesos) 

This is the Peking Duck first way:
You wrap the skin and meat in a thin pancake, with hoisin sauce and leeks then fold it.

The second way:
You have a choice between minced duck wrapped in lettuce or just chopped duck seasoned with salt and pepper.

We usually choose minced duck. Sorry. I forgot to take a photo of the minced duck 

Hakaw
(198 pesos)
Their Hakaw is really great. Instead of just one shrimp, they put 2 shrimps inside the dumpling 


Ma Po Tofu
(Small - 600 pesos)
We usually request very spicy Ma Po Tofu. 

 THE PRICE LIST FOR WHAT WE ORDERED

(Note: the small size plate is usually good for 5-6 persons) 





My tip: Dine at Gloriamaris when there is a 50% credit card promo. To know when there's a promo, like their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OfficialGloriaMarisGH/

You can text them at +63 998 570 0921 for reservations.

Here is a sample of the terms of  50% off promo: