Halong is it gonna take for me to find a good tour company?
December 2, 2011 11:47 AM Subscribe
A friend and I will be in Hanoi in January. We want to do an awesome trip in Halong Bay. How?
I found this old question, and looked at Handspan. It seems perfect--amazing looking trip, socially conscious company, not too touristy, fair price--but, alas, they are not available on our dates (January 29-Feb 2).
Any other suggestions? Ideally, we'd like a 2 day/1 night thing, on a smallish boat. We are both pretty serious food people, and we both like to see the off-the-beaten-path parts of locales. Ideas?
I looked at Intrepid, the other company suggested in the previous question, and they look good too, but they are quite a bit more expensive than the (superior looking) Handspan, and I can't seem to find any real reviews or pics of the Intrepid trip.
So, HiveMind, what say you?
I found this old question, and looked at Handspan. It seems perfect--amazing looking trip, socially conscious company, not too touristy, fair price--but, alas, they are not available on our dates (January 29-Feb 2).
Any other suggestions? Ideally, we'd like a 2 day/1 night thing, on a smallish boat. We are both pretty serious food people, and we both like to see the off-the-beaten-path parts of locales. Ideas?
I looked at Intrepid, the other company suggested in the previous question, and they look good too, but they are quite a bit more expensive than the (superior looking) Handspan, and I can't seem to find any real reviews or pics of the Intrepid trip.
So, HiveMind, what say you?
I agree with booking it once you get to Hanoi (I did this when I went there). You'll find something for the next day no problem. Also while it might be possible to find something "non-touristy" the reality is that Halong bay is a touristy place. My particular tour was definitely touristy but I enjoyed the food and the people I met regardless.
posted by MillMan at 2:10 PM on December 2, 2011
posted by MillMan at 2:10 PM on December 2, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions! We considered it, but booking once there is probably not a good idea; it is a very busy season, and the decent companies seem to book up quickly. Also, since we are looking for an overnight trip, we need to book it in advance so we can know what nights to book our hotel in Hanoi for.
And, of course, I know that Halong is a huge tourist area. But, if you look at companies like Handspan and Intrepid, it is clear that there are at least a handful of outfits offering a much less touristy experience. What I am looking for is recommendations for those sorts of outfits.
posted by broadway bill at 2:21 PM on December 2, 2011
And, of course, I know that Halong is a huge tourist area. But, if you look at companies like Handspan and Intrepid, it is clear that there are at least a handful of outfits offering a much less touristy experience. What I am looking for is recommendations for those sorts of outfits.
posted by broadway bill at 2:21 PM on December 2, 2011
We took an overnight cruise on Halong Bay in late 2010, and I believe booked it in advance on-line before leaving but I'm afraid I don't have the details any more.
Perhaps you know this already, but in February one of the overnight boats sank and killed about 19 passengers, mostly tourists. Immediately after that, the fleet was prohibited from doing overnight cruises, but perhaps some or all of them are back out now. You might want to look into this before you go.
posted by hawkeye at 3:38 PM on December 2, 2011
Perhaps you know this already, but in February one of the overnight boats sank and killed about 19 passengers, mostly tourists. Immediately after that, the fleet was prohibited from doing overnight cruises, but perhaps some or all of them are back out now. You might want to look into this before you go.
posted by hawkeye at 3:38 PM on December 2, 2011
But, if you look at companies like Handspan and Intrepid, it is clear that there are at least a handful of outfits offering a much less touristy experience.
Looking at their websites, their tours describe the same tour I took, and the boats all look the same. I'll be blunt - those tour companies know who they're marketing to. It's possible you'll actually get away from the "touristy areas" as they claim but I wouldn't count on it. Again, I still really enjoyed it. I still met locals. I loved the food. I went dancing at a Vietnamese night club on Cat Ba island which wound up being one of the more interesting cultural experiences I had on my (quite long) backpacking trip.
You could be right on the pre-booking thing. I was there in late March which isn't peak season but still right on the edge. I booked through my hostel and was on a bus to the coast the next morning.
posted by MillMan at 3:56 PM on December 2, 2011
Looking at their websites, their tours describe the same tour I took, and the boats all look the same. I'll be blunt - those tour companies know who they're marketing to. It's possible you'll actually get away from the "touristy areas" as they claim but I wouldn't count on it. Again, I still really enjoyed it. I still met locals. I loved the food. I went dancing at a Vietnamese night club on Cat Ba island which wound up being one of the more interesting cultural experiences I had on my (quite long) backpacking trip.
You could be right on the pre-booking thing. I was there in late March which isn't peak season but still right on the edge. I booked through my hostel and was on a bus to the coast the next morning.
posted by MillMan at 3:56 PM on December 2, 2011
I also booked when I arrived in Hanoi. There was tons of boats to choose from, and lots of different itineraries. Wait until you can assess the full range of trips available.
posted by roofus at 4:23 AM on December 3, 2011
posted by roofus at 4:23 AM on December 3, 2011
Response by poster: Just a quick update, in case future mefites are going to Halong:
We ended up booking in advance with Eco-Friendly Vietnam. Our trip was amazing--totally private boat (me, her, captain, chef), beautiful cabin, absolutely amazing meals (and fishing leading up to the meals), great wines, and not a single hassle. We spent about 36 hours on the boat for about $100 each including all meals.
The booking experience was a little weird, and I definitely thought I might get ripped off--sending a $220 USD bank transfer to some dude in Vietnam seemed sketchy as Hell--but it was absolutely legit. We only saw other tourist boats (hundreds of them, it seemed) for about the first 2 hours of our trip as we left the docks. Once we were on the move, we saw maybe 4 other tourist boats in 36 hours. We also did a lot of kayaking around in the coves, and Eco Friendly provided us with all the crafts and gear for that.
Plus, our captain was a former NVA officer and was really really interesting and his wife sent him out with 2 gallons of homemade rice wine that he shared liberally with us.
posted by broadway bill at 4:52 PM on July 10, 2012 [2 favorites]
We ended up booking in advance with Eco-Friendly Vietnam. Our trip was amazing--totally private boat (me, her, captain, chef), beautiful cabin, absolutely amazing meals (and fishing leading up to the meals), great wines, and not a single hassle. We spent about 36 hours on the boat for about $100 each including all meals.
The booking experience was a little weird, and I definitely thought I might get ripped off--sending a $220 USD bank transfer to some dude in Vietnam seemed sketchy as Hell--but it was absolutely legit. We only saw other tourist boats (hundreds of them, it seemed) for about the first 2 hours of our trip as we left the docks. Once we were on the move, we saw maybe 4 other tourist boats in 36 hours. We also did a lot of kayaking around in the coves, and Eco Friendly provided us with all the crafts and gear for that.
Plus, our captain was a former NVA officer and was really really interesting and his wife sent him out with 2 gallons of homemade rice wine that he shared liberally with us.
posted by broadway bill at 4:52 PM on July 10, 2012 [2 favorites]
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posted by toddst at 1:14 PM on December 2, 2011