Where to fly to get to halong bay
HALONG BAY Know BEFORE YOU GO | Little Grey Box
Hey you guys, Phoebe here from Little Grey Box
Are you planning a trip to Halong Bay?
If you are, here are a few things I think you really need to know before you go
Before I started planning my trip
I was really overwhelmed because so many people told me it was touristy and crowded
Halong Bay is a popular destination but I think that's for really good reason
I've never been anywhere else quite like it and it is absolutely beautiful
You will see lots of other tourists of course
but for the most part, you're on your boat and they're on theirs
you might see them when you get off but it's really no big deal and at night
all those other junk ships come alive with beautiful colours
from the lights that they all put on and it looks amazing
Matt and I visited twice in October and both times we've experienced a typhoon
but both times we've been told that was really out of character for that time of year
October and November are a great time of year to visit
You might find that there are more tropical storms
from May to September, but I wouldn't really let that put you off
They say that February through to April is a little bit cooler
but it can be a little bit drizzly and foggy
I would just say when you're booking make sure that your company has some kind
of a cancellation or refund policy so if your cruise
is cancelled due to bad weather you don't lose your money
The journey from Hanoi to Halong Bay is about 180 kilometres and in my experience
it takes around 3.5 to 4 hours to get there
Now each time we've done it
the transfer has been included in the cost of the booking
typically we have been picked up from our hotel
at around 7:30am and arrive in Halong Bay about 11:30am.
On the way back, we leave about 12:00pm from the port and
get back to Hanoi around 4:00pm
One thing I would recommend is to pack some headphones
if you can so you can listen to some music
to make the time pass cause there is likely no entertainment on your bus
if you have something like Netflix
I would download some of your favourite shows and watch those as you go along
just to make it a little easier
I am one of those people that always get boat sick
so I was really worried about Halong Bay
and I was nervous that if I started throwing up
it would just ruin my entire trip
...but here's the thing
it is flat, there are no waves there's none of this motion or anything like that
I didn't so much as get a whisper of an upset tummy
if you are worried, of course, pack some ginger tablets
or some sea sickness tablets
but I would be really surprised if you needed them
So you may be thinking what the heck am I going to do when I get out there?
Just sit on the boat and stare off into the distance for three days?
Luckily the cruise ships have plenty of activities organised
and they're optional, so if you do just want to sit on the deck for three days
you're more than welcome to
The kind of excursions that I've experienced are things like
kayaking, visiting a floating village
there was a pearl farm, we explored a few caves, there was a beach trip
you could go up to the top of the mountain for amazing views
on one tour we hopped onto a smaller boat and went out for the day
and we were jumping off the boat, swimming stand up paddle boarding, it was so much fun
We also had some great experiences with Karaoke and amazing live music
so it's really really fun
and if you are up for it you are going to get to meet
some really interesting people from all over the world
But if you're an introvert, you can just spend the whole time in your room
It's your holiday
Typically you'll find cruises offer two options you can do 2 days, 1-night which is the most popular
or 3 days, 2 nights
Matt and I have done both and I have to say I really recommend you do the 3 days, 2 nights
if you have the time When we did the 3 day, 2 night cruise
we saw people who were getting off the 2-day, 1-night cruise
so they all got off the boat and we stayed on
and I just remember thinking
that was not enough time
that extra day that we got we saw so many more things
and it felt like we had a real Halong Bay experience
and for the amount of time that it takes to get out there and back
4 hours each way...
2 days 1-night...it's just not enough time
Matt and I have done it both ways When we were booking the trip ourselves as
part of our honeymoon we didn't have a really big budget to work with
so we went with something budget, but not super budget
and we had a great time, it was really nice
recently for a work trip, we got to do the luxury version
and I have to say... it was phenomenal
I would recommend booking the best cruise
that you can within your budget I've heard some horror experiences of people
who have gone really really low budget and had a terrible time
and that's just not what you need when you're over there having a great holiday
of course, if you don't have the budget to go luxury
I totally understand the difference between the luxe and the less
for me was really in the detail
I mean the room was bigger, the bed was really comfortable
the shower worked, the air-conditioning worked food was amazing, there was more entertainment
it was just a classier experience but, then again there was really nothing wrong
with the less option either
When I first starting researching our cruise
I was really overwhelmed There are so many companies out there
and a lot of them don't have the most reliable looking websites
and not only that but all the reviews are really mixed
and every time I found a company I thought I liked
people had just given it terrible reviews and it really turned me off
In the end, I turned to some of my friends for their recommendations
and that's how we found our first budget cruise so here's what I would say
don't let online reviews totally cloud your judgement
a lot of the time people tend to be more motivated to write a review when they had a bad experience
than when they had a good one so it may not be a true reflection of that
company's actual reputation I think it's important just to look for a
cruise company that fits within your budget
has some activities that you're interested in
goes to the places you want to go to seems like it has some good food
includes a transfer has a cancellation policy in case there is
some bad weather and, has a seemingly good reputation
just remember you are never going to find a cruise company with a 10/10 perfect reputation
at the end of the day, go with your gut instinct that's what we did and our first budget cruise was fantastic
Now look what you pack is also going to depend
on whether you are going luxe or less when we were on the fancy boat I felt like
I should be a little more dressed up for dinner and stuff
so I would just put on a nice dress nothing too crazy no heels or anything like that
with the budget cruise, I was just shorts
and t-shirts the whole time it was super comfortable, super laid back
either way, you are going to need some clothes that are light and breathable
shorts, cotton skirts, little dresses, that kind of thing
we wore our swimwear a lot as we were on and off the boat
just some gear that dries kind of quickly is perfect
that you can pull over your wet swimmers of course, I would recommend that you bring
sunscreen and a hat, mosquito repellant of course
and in terms of footwear, I was fine in flats, sandals, flip flops
if you want you can bring some sneakers but you probably won't need them
it was lovely and warm when we visited so I never felt the need to have anything like
a jumper it was just the perfect temperature
Matt and I are both vegetarians and we had no problem whatsoever
there was plenty of food for us to choose from
and when I spoke to the people that run the cruise company
they said to me they cater for a whole range of dietary requirements and food preferences
I would just recommend checking with the company before you book and then reminding them a
few times before you get there
I've done two experiences, luxe and less
for the luxe option, we went with Paradise Elegance Cruises
Now these guys were my dream cruise company when I was first researching our honeymoon
and had to go with the budget option so I was really excited to get to experience it myself
it was just phenomenal honestly it was phenomenal
the ship was beautiful, the staff were incredible the food was so, so good
I loved, loved, loved it
For the budget option, we went with Paloma Cruise
and I really can't say anything about it,
it was fine, there were no issues with safety, the food was great
the service was lovely, they were just really
wonderful people. We made the extra effort and paid a little bit more
to get a room with its own balcony and I would really recommend you do that
cause I saw the rooms without and they were teeny tiny
But again, if that's what your budget can afford
you're still going to have a good time
Everything on board the Paloma was great, the people were lovely
it's just if you can afford it, I would go with the luxe option
because it's so special and we just had the most memorable experience
But like i keep saying, if that's not what your budget allows
that's totally cool, Paloma or something similar will do you well
Thank you so much for watching I hope you found this video useful
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Have a great weekend you guys and I will see you next week
Love ya!
