Just got back from Vietnam. I booked a 3 Day, 2 Night Halong Bay tour through Columbus Cruise (also known as Pinta Cruise). The weather in December was very nice clear, sunny and around 72F. There was however fog in the morning, but you are on the Ocean so a early Marine Layer is to be expected.
http://www.pintacruiser.com/introduction
My experience though Halong Bay with this Company was fantastic. I would recommend them to everyone traveling to Halong Bay. The staff was very friendly, and the food was great. The Junk Boat was refurbished, so its pretty new looking and very nice. The rooms are clean, the bed is comfortable and they have AC. The only complaint about the room is that the sink, toilet and shower are all packed into this small single room. There is no seperation. Was very strange, so we didn't shower until the next morning until we reached the second night at a hotel on Cat Ba Island. The rooms are small but we mananged to get two large suitcases and two small backpacks in there. But you are in Halong Bay so its simply a place to sleep. The guest rooms are on the first level, the honeymoon suite is on the second level. On the Second level is the bar and dinning area. The third (top level) is the sun deck which has a several lounge chairs.
The Tour Guide... She was so friendly and full energy. Spoke English pretty well and had a good sense of humor. Made the trip very fun.
The Kayaking through Halong Bay was really fun, recommend it. I'm from the Northwest so tend to like the outdoors. The currents are very strong through Halong Bay. It does take some strengh, we had no problems but a few other people including our guide had to get towed by a local boat since they could overcome the current. When in the Caves and Lagoons its very easy to paddle. Try to stay away from major Ship Lanes and Small Island since they had the strongest of currents. There are two options for Kayaking one is to Caves (strong currents) the other is to Kayak around in the Lagoon which has a rather large fishing village the water is very calm.
Now for the Trekking. I liked the trekking. It's about 3 hours long. Must be noted that the first half of the trek is not your basic tourist trail. The trail was made by a local that lives on the islands lots of short climbs and rocks. But was really beatiful. The last 30 minutes is a paved road back to a pickup point. We got to try local fruits from a farmer that lives on his own in the Jungle.
The tours through the Caves are very nice. Sun Sot Cave was the best of the lot.
The Private Lunch on the Beach was great. If you like seafood your in for a treat. My only complaint is that we stayed on the Private Beach to long. So we checked into our Hotel on Cat Ba Island very late. But enough time for a SPA Treament and Dinner. My other complaint is that we had to leave at 8am to head back to the boat. So we had no time at all to enjoy the Island. That is partially our fault, partially the fault of the Guide. There is a 2pm speed boat that will take you to Haiphong then back to Hanoi. It's much quicker and will give you time to enjoy the beach and relax. So if you take 1 Night on the Ship and 1 Night on Cat Ba make sure to tell the guide that you are taking the speed boat back so that you can enjoy your stay on Cat Ba Island. They can arrange your transfer.
When I return to Vietnam in the Future... I plan to visit Halong Bay again, and will be sure to book with Colubus Cruise again.
