Ha Long Bay Cruise - Vietnam (Paradise)

An awesome 2 day, 1 night Ha Long Bay cruise. We booked our cruise on Golden Bay cruises via our hostel (Hanoi Pho Hostel) https://www.facebook.com/hanoiphopub/ Cost of Cruise: 1.6 million vnd ($72 usd)p/p, which includes: Day 1 - pickup at your hotel, transfer by bus to Bai Chay harbor, where you board Golden Bay boat; - Lunch on arrival, which was reasonably good; - Visit the limestone caves; - 45 minute kayaking session; - Dinner, which was good food. Things which were not as advertised: - The pictures we were shown of the boat does not match up. The boat does not look that great, but considering it was only a 1 night sleep, we didn't bother to complain; - The sunset wine and fruits, is merely a sip of wine and a slice of fruit; - We did not drop anchor to enjoy a swim; - The 2 hour free beer, was only 1 hour and the beer was so foamy (not great). Day 2 - Breakfast, which was really terrible; - Visit Pearl farm to see the real pearl products and understand process of pearl making in Ha Long; - Head back to the boat for a cooking session, making spring rolls; - Lunch, which was terrible; - Transfer by bus back to your hotel. Another thing to note is that there are no drinks included in the price, not even with any of the meals. The price of a small bottle of water on board was 22 000 vnd, which was quite terrible and all guest complained about this. Everything was incredibly expensive, therefore as a tip, bring along tons of water. If you bring anything other than water on board, you will be charged a service charge. Despite all the Cons listed above, the experience and views were absolutely amazing and we would highly recommend that you include a Ha Long Bay cruise in your Vietnam trip, it really is spectacular and a well deserved spot as one of the "7 natural wonders". Maybe research some other boats if you looking for a bit more luxury. Visit http://coupletravelmoments.com/ for more on our travels through South East Asia.