Garden Bay Cruise 2 days

My partner and I stayed with Garden Bay cruises for 1 night as organised by Legend Travel Group.

Our tour guide Hoa was very friendly and helpful. Her English was not fantastic, but she made every effort to make sure every guest felt welcome and was having a good time.

The cruise itself was lovely - our room had a nice view of the bay (we were on the bottom deck) and the top deck was nicely decorated so you could enjoy a relaxing drink or two. The room we were in was quite small but given that we had a great view it didn't seem to matter. The bed was comfortable and the amenities were great.

The food was authentic and delicious. We all took part in a cooking class - if you're like my partner and me who would prefer to take a back seat, don't worry. It was just rolling some spring rolls ;)

As part of the tour you could choose to kayak around the islands or be taken around on a boat driven by the locals. My partner and I chose to kayak, which was quite enjoyable. One thing I would mention is that there wasn't much of a safety induction or anything prior to getting into the kayak. I hadn't kayaked before, but my partner had and we were fine. I would suggest that if you're considering it and you're having any concerns, maybe do some research prior to the trip.

Unfortunately it was quite overcast when we went, so we did not get to see Ha Long Bay in its full glory. That being said, the experience itself was still enjoyable.

One thing to note is the transport of your luggage after you disembark from the cruise -- the cruise should take your luggage and transport it back to the harbour, but it is your responsibility to make sure it makes it to your assigned bus. Unfortunately, a family on our bus discovered when they were dropped off (a four hour ride from Ha Long Bay to Hanoi) that their bags hadn't been loaded. I'm inclined to think that they assumed it would be on the bus, but nevertheless, make sure you actually witness them load it on!

I have cruised Halong Bay twice before and was pleasantly surprised to see how much better this boat was than those previous. I was even more surprised - rather delighted - when we sat down to our first lunch. The food was sensational and presented in a manner that made it almost a shame to destroy the picture. Our itinerary included cruising the karsts of this fantastic landscape, a landing on Ban Chan Beach for a swim, but as it was low tide we passed, a visit to Thien Canh Son Cave and a visit to Cua Van fishing village with a bamboo boat ride through yet more karsts. We also had early morning Tai Chi lessons and a cooking class learning to make Vietnamese spring rolls. The crew of this boat were exceptionally helpful and friendly and nothing was too much trouble.

We booked this cruise after out Hanoi hotel reccommended it and it did not disappoint. From start to end the trip ran smoothly, our guide was fantastic and all the activities spaced out nicely. The meals on board were amazing (lots of food!) and special compliments to the chef for the fruit and vegetable art! All the staff were amazing, always friendly and helpful. We paid a little extra for a cabin with a balcony which was so worth it. All health and safety was sound and we felt completely relaxed. We made some lifelong friends and would recommend Garden Bay cruise to anyone.