We had a very enjoyable day. The staff were extremely attentive. Tour guide Lucky Luke was a winner, professional and engaging. Food was great. Boat was clean and seemed well maintained. Bus was like new and driver did a great job picking us up outside our hotel in a very narrow street in the old quarter. Day trip was a big day. Stunning scenery, but think we would do an overnight option next time.

Picked up in Hanoi by our guide (Andy/Linh) who was really friendly and informative. Small bus was practically brand new and very comfortable. Stopped off at cultured pearl tourist attraction where we were shown how the cultured pearls are made and got the opportunity to buy some. Arrived in Ha Long and met our boat. Boat was very clean, spacious and had everything we needed. Luckily there were only 50 people on board which gave us plenty of room to spread out. First stop was the bamboo boat/kayak experience which was nice. Saw monkeys. Next stop was the surprising cave which was quite a hike to get to but worth it. Andy our guide knew so much and was keen to show/point out everything to us. Last stop was the island with Beach, but we chose to stay on board and use the small pool which we got to ourselves. Pleasant trip back. A great day out. Food was plentiful and tasty. Andy our guide was brilliant. Really friendly and made the day.

Son was an excellent guide and this tour company takes extra special care to be sure you have a perfect day. They thought of every detail and took the time and care to get the details right! The car had reclining bucket seats with excellent AC and each stop was selected to create a beautiful balance of movement and relaxation.

Our boat, the Binh Chuan isn’t the prettiest boat, but being built in the heritage style it is gorgeous inside. Miles of teak flooring and staircases combined with spacious cabins (the boat has 20 cabins, all with balconies) beautiful paintings and photos everywhere. With at least 20 staff on board, it’s a fairly good staff to passenger ration, especially when its not full. We had about 30 in our cruise. Cruise options are 1 to 3 days. We only did one overnight, but it was a full day and we were totally satisfied. There is a good-sized pool if the weather is really hot (would not recommend a sea swim as the seas is badly polluted with rubbish and oil slicks these days). The scenery, as promised, was spectacular. This was matched by the quality of food and service on board. It was truly excellent. We had a Vietnamese cooking class, a visit to the Dark & Bright Cave as well as kayaking. A great experience. The only real downside is a three hour drive each way from Hanoi.