Vietnam forum
North Vietnam - Hanoi
Have questions? Jump to our menu of forum quicklinks
Add your reply
You need to be logged in to add a reply.
Not a member? you can join here.
Welcome to Travelfish, original Asia travel intelligence you can trust
Menu
ViajeroJacq-
ues
Joined Travelfish
6th March, 2013
Posts 1
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
Hi everyone, I'm embarking on a trip to Hanoi in April and main intent would definitely be Halong Bay (don't we all?). This trip will take only a week but I do not wish to rush everything in as there's always a next. I've got some queries and please do advise.
1) Which tour operators or cruise operators do you all recommend? I saw a lot of good reviews of Paradise Cruise and Paloma Cruise. Prefer one with good service and in-depth exploration of Halong Bay.
2) Thinking of visiting the caves in central Vietnam, Phong Nha-ke Bang. But saw many reviews of mixed information about visiting the caves. Trekking will be tough but saw that exploration is just brief. Son Doong cave, 8 lady cave and paradise cave are in my list. Any advise on this?
Thank you in advance for your recommendations and advice!
#1 Posted: 6/3/2013 - 08:37
brendon_pham
Joined Travelfish
4th April, 2013
Posts 3
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
About Halong Bay Cruise, you should choose Paradise Cruise for some reasons:
- It's one of the most luxury cruise in Halong Bay.
- Service & Activity: Beauty Services and Massage (not many cruise has this kind of service), Kayaking, Swimming, morning Taichi lesson, cooking demonstration, Bicycle or Motorbike trip through untouched forests and wildlife at Viet Hai Jetty.
- Visit: Sung Sot Cave, Dark Cave & Light Cave, Cat Ba Island.
Many tour operators buy Paradise Cruise Tours with different price like http://paradisecruises.vn/ (offical website of Paradise Cruise), http://www.agoda.com/, http://www.bestpricevn.com/, http://www.visitwonders.com/. You can ask them for the good price, and please notice about what the price included and excluded.
#2 Posted: 4/4/2013 - 12:33
Advertisement
Hanoibiker
Joined Travelfish
1st April, 2013
Posts 2
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
I traveled to Ha Long sometimes on both Paradise Cruise and Paloma Cruise. They are both good cruises in Ha Long Bay but I prefer to choose Paradise Cruise although it is a little bit more expensive. I am sure you will get more with the Paradise - more kayaking time, Taichi, better food...
My suggestion is 3 days/2 night trip. You will see the quite part of Halong Bay( different bay from touristic Halong bay) especially you will see more caves and beaches...
Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park is great to visit. The best way to is to take a motorbike ride on Ho CHi Minh trail from Hanoi . You can join a motorbike tour from Hanoi at http://motorbiketourexpert.com/
#3 Posted: 11/4/2013 - 22:54
Geer1
Joined Travelfish
14th September, 2012
Posts 163
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
Paradise cave is awesome, I enjoyed it more then Halong Bay. Son Doong Cave isn't open to visitors yet so can only see Paradise cave and or Phong Nha Cave. I didn't see Phong Nha cave but like I say Paradise cave was awesome.
There are many ways to see the caves. The way I went and it was quite enjoyable and relatively cheap. I stayed in Dong Hoi and rented a scooter to ride out to the cave and back. You could do both caves in a long day this way or just one cave in an average day. It is a nice ride there with some beautiful scenery along the way.
If you aren't into using a scooter there are tours available although they are a little bit pricey. I recommend anyone going to Vietnam see Paradise cave though, it was the highlight of Vietnam for me.
#4 Posted: 11/4/2013 - 23:43
BruceHaydon
Joined Travelfish
18th May, 2013
Posts 4
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
Paradise cave would be my choice to visit again .
#5 Posted: 18/5/2013 - 04:04