Paradise Elegance: The Best Halong Bay Luxury Cruise
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We absolutely loved taking a Halong Bay luxury cruise around this stunning and iconic wonder of nature. It truly is astounding how much you can get for your money in Vietnam and so if you have ever wanted to experience a luxury cruise, this is the perfect place in which to do so.
Ha Long Bay translates to Bay of the Descending Dragon was officially recognised by New7wonders as one of the new 7 wonders of world nature in 2011 and it’s immediately evident on arrival why.
A stunning, mystical landscape characterised by stunning limestone islands bursting breathtakingly skywards, carpeted with green vegetation from the depths of the mesmerising, emerald-green South China Sea.
Photos simply do not do this place justice and it’s a destination you certainly won’t want to miss on your Vietnam itinerary.
What is the best Halong Bay luxury cruise?
There are many Halong Bay cruise companies to choose from, but as far as luxury Halong Bay cruises go, you don’t get much better than Paradise Elegance – and after all, this blog is all about affordable luxury travel.
I appreciate the finer things in life, on a budget of course. Before I dive into that, let me tell you all about this incredible Halong Bay luxury cruise..
How many nights should I book the Paradise Elegance Cruise for?
The majority of people book the one night/two day Paradise Elegance Halong Bay luxury cruise, as I guess that’s what most travel agents offer as a default. Sure, if you’re limited on time or simply want to tick Halong Bay off your bucket list, then one night might be sufficient for you.
I would highly recommend booking a two night/three day Halong Bay luxury cruise for a couple of reasons. Firstly, one night would most definitely not be enough time out there and I personally don’t like squeezing too many things in to a South East Asia Itinerary without factoring in some down time to relax too. I also don’t like the thought of packing and repacking my suitcase every day as I keep moving around.
The main reason I chose the two night Paradise Elegance cruise was because you get to see more of Halong Bay on day two and after all, that was the whole purpose of this visit.
The highlight for me was kayaking through Cua Van floating fishing village; one of Halong Bay’s four traditional floating fishing villages.
For those that aren’t into kayaking, you have the option of sitting in a bamboo boat with a man doing all the hard work for you, so you get a similar experience in a different way.
The one night and two day Halong Bay luxury cruise misses this activity out completely which is a massive shame. There are two main activities on day one – visiting Titop island to either hike up a mountain for the picture perfect view of Halong Bay or to swim in the sea instead.
The second activity is visiting Luon Cave, a natural wonder that is supposedly inhabited by monkeys. We didn’t see any and quite frankly, this was a slightly underwhelming experience.
If you’ve visited The Philippines, these caves don’t really compare and with hindsight, I’d rather have spent that time in the jacuzzi on the sun deck of the boat instead.
How To Book the Paradise Elegance Ha Long Bay Cruise
I’m going to be really honest here and say that my trip to Maasai Mara in Kenya taught me a lot. I discovered that it was eye-wateringly expensive to book a safari from the UK.. I’m talking a staggering £5k plus for two people for two nights. Thankfully, my dad has friends in Kenya who gave him details of local recommended travel agents and tour companies. After shopping around and a lot of research, I booked the exact same package on the same dates for just under £500 in total. This is obviously a disgusting saving, and so much more palatable for the experience of a lifetime.
Sure, I use a combination of get your guide, klook or viator when booking all of my excursions abroad to save on the huge premiums hotels charge for booking through them. Side note – we saved around £150 booking a boat tour in El Nido online compared to the hotel price which to me is absolutely crazy.
Luxury cruises however, are a different ball game entirely.
After extensive research, I discovered UK travel agents charge double the price that Vietnamese agents charge for exactly the same experiences.
Sure, it’s hard to know who to trust and their websites look far from professional which can make it look even more scammy. However, they all have a mobile phone number for you to contact them through WhatsApp which is really useful. I spoke to numerous companies over text and a few voice calls to find the right one.
This took some time ahead of our trip, but I found a company that seemed legitimate after checking reviews as you usually would and took the plunge and booked our trip with Inside Travel. They are based in Hanoi and specialise in Halong Bay luxury cruises along with other experiences across Asia.
How much does a Halong Bay luxury cruise cost?
We paid $710 USD for a two night and three day Halong Bay luxury cruise, which works out to just shy of £600 for two people. All excursions and meals are included in the cost. Drinks aren’t included and you have the option of hiring a second kayak on day two for $15, but you can ride the bamboo boat for free if you don’t want to kayak again.
I have also factored in that we paid an additional $80 for our transfer to and from our hotel in Hanoi, which was such a great call instead of organising a taxi for ourselves which would have cost similar. The company sent a very luxurious van, complete with VIP seats. With only 2 other pick ups at nearby hotels, we didn’t feel as though we spent a lot of unnecessary time sitting in the van. The whole operation was very efficient and ran smoothly.
The transfer from Hanoi to the boat takes around 2.5 hours with one stop at a service station mid way.
Tips are not expected on Halong Bay luxury cruises, though I’m sure you will want to tip once you experience the incredibly attentive service on board.
Overall this is incredibly affordable for any cruise, never mind a Halong Bay luxury cruise, if you ask me.
Food On The Paradise Elegance Halong Bay Luxury Cruise
One of the reasons I booked this particular cruise is because I’d seen rave reviews online about how well they cater for vegetarians, vegans and those with any other dietary requirements.
As a mostly vegan myself, I can honestly say that the food on this Halong Bay luxury cruise did not disappoint.
The staff went above and beyond to check and double check the things I can eat – serving me with a multitude of plates at the arrival lunch, while everyone else helped themselves to the buffet.
It was only mildly embarrassing when everyone got back to their tables to see me surrounded by 8 dishes precariously balanced along the edges of the table.
But honestly, what a feast!
I got to try the jellyfish salad (which sounds as revolting as it looked tbh) without the jellyfish, of course.. and it was incredible. The dressing really made it, as is the case with most salads.
The Russian potato salad was served to me without the mayonnaise and bacon, so really it was just roasted, cubed potatoes without any seasoning but I cannot complain. A for effort at least!
Dinner on both nights was a more sophisticated affair – you are handed a menu at lunchtime and asked to select your meal from a list of options. Together with making a reservation for a specific time. It’s a slightly dressier affair, with the staff dressed in black formal wear and you have the option of sitting inside the restaurant or out on the deck.
The variety of offerings was wonderful on day 1, however it was a bit disappointing to see the same vegan/vegetarian menu on the second night too.
As great as the corn soup and vegetable curry were, I felt like I’d been eating my own leftovers for 4 days having had both of them for lunches and dinners.
I have to say it did get a little boring and repetitive.
People with no dietary requirements had a lot more choice though, with different menus on both nights. I kept hearing from everyone that the steak and lobster were outstanding – but I mean, this was a Halong Bay luxury cruise after all, so I’m not surprised.
If like me, you are vegan or vegetarian and are travelling to Halong Bay, here’s a list of the best vegan restaurants in Hanoi that you won’t want to miss!
Happy Hour On The Paradise Elegance Cruise
Happy hour on the Paradise Elegance Halong Bay luxury cruise runs from 5 – 6.30pm and the cocktails are excellent. They cost under £7 each and are buy one get one free on selected cocktails, wine, beer and soft drinks.
Beer costs about £2, which is pricey for Vietnam, but of course not for the rest of the world.
As I mentioned earlier, drinks are not included in the cost of this Halong Bay luxury cruise, but with these prices, you can most certainly afford to splurge.
Our Paradise Elegance Cabin
We had two wonderful night’s sleep in our cute little cabin which was far more spacious than either of us had anticipated. Of course, this is always a pleasant surprise.
The bathroom was decent with a nice shower, but the seal had gone, so water went everywhere when I had a shower.
Yes, I may quite possibly have been the first person to flood a boat – is that even possible?
The balcony was delightful and it was such a joy to sit out there both watching the sunrise in the morning and while docked in the evenings. The best view of the sunrise however, was definitely from the upper deck at 6am.
Women in bamboo boats come by the all the Halong Bay luxury cruise boats every evening while docked, selling snacks and drinks. It’s quite fascinating watching how they sell items to people on the upper deck, using a fishing net to pass the items up and collect the money.
Wi-Fi on Paradise Elegance
There is little to no wi-fi on board, which is completely understandable given that you’re out at sea. As we are doing a 3 week Indochina trip in Vietnam and Cambodia as well as Laos, we purchased an Airalo eSim before we left home and it has been a godsend. No faffing around switching sim cards in each country you arrive in and it’s simple enough to set up through an app on your phone. You have a choice of plans to select and the app shows you how much data you have remaining too which is always useful to know.
You can get $3 off your first eSIM with my code NISHI9255 using this link.
My overall Paradise Elegance Halong Bay luxury cruise experience
We had the best time on the Paradise Elegance Halong Bay luxury cruise. Right from the beginning, with the check in process, everything ran really smoothly.
Wristbands were handed out, bags taken to the boat for you and then a short a golf buggy ride from the waiting area to the boat.
The staff were very warm and welcoming and the cabins much more spacious that I had anticipated.
The itinerary was executed in a military fashion, with smaller boats for excursions departing on the dot or often earlier than the times stated. Whilst understandable, this did lead to the whole affair feeling very rushed and not as relaxed as it might otherwise have been. People were rushing around up and down the stairs, back and forth to their rooms in order to be ready for the next event.
Small niggle; I would have expected a slightly calmer Halong Bay luxury cruise experience with the excursions. Let’s just say that communication wasn’t stellar and in line with the printed itineraries in our room.
There are optional activities such as sunrise tai chi on the deck and squid fishing at night, neither of which I participated in. I did sit through part of the cooking class one evening, but the Vietnamese spring roll recipe was quite simplistic (and also not vegetarian), so I chose to head to the bar for happy hour instead.
The jacuzzi on board was fabulous, of course. Not just because we timed it so well and had it to ourselves, but it was generally pretty empty anyway. With such a packed itinerary full of activities and excursions, there wasn’t a lot of down time in between.
Drinks were expensive by Hanoi standards but really nothing to complain about.
I reckon there were much fewer than 100 people on board, which made for a lovely, intimate experience. It was great chatting to and getting to know all the others and then seeing them all around the boat. I’ve been on a much bigger cruise ship before and this hasn’t been the case; you see different people all the time and it’s a very different experience.
We disembarked on day 3 at 10.30am and to my surprise there was a buffet lunch provided at the hotel we were brought back to to await our transfer back to Hanoi. I hadn’t anticipated this being included, and they even provided me with a menu of vegan meal options which was wonderful.
Once again, this Halong Bay luxury cruise experience was executed extremely well all throughout.
My only criticism of this Halong Bay luxury cruise would be that the staff are a bit too attentive, which can quickly become irritating. As soon as you sit down for lunch, they come and recite the remaining itinerary for the day in quite a robotic manner and then proceed to offer you a menu to immediately make your choices for dinner.
I wasn’t alone in just wanting some peace while having lunch as others around were also commenting on how this is all a bit much.
Nevertheless, would I go on this Paradise Elegance Halong Bay luxury cruise again?
Absolutely, yes!
My top Halong Bay travel planning tip
If you’re planning a Halong Bay luxury cruise, just be aware that typhoons in Vietnam are a regular occurrence in the summer season (May to October). They generally arrive and disappear in one day. However, the authorities will not let any boats go out until the winds have passed.
So when you’re booking a Halong Bay luxury cruise as part of your Vietnam itinerary, don’t plan it for the day before you travel elsewhere, just in case. Give yourself time to re-schedule if typhoons hit.
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Watch my vlog below for a closer look at our experience
If you’re planning to travel throughout Vietnam, don’t miss these posts:
- Paradise Elegance: The Best Halong Bay Luxury Cruise
- Ultimate 2 Week Vietnam And Cambodia Itinerary
- The Best Vegan Restaurants in Hanoi, Vietnam
- The Best Restaurants In Hoi An For Vegans & Vegetarians
- The Best Vegetarian Restaurants In Ho Chi Minh City
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