Arcady Boutique Cruise

Triple room is small but has everything you need, including a nice bathroom and shower. The views are truly hard to beat, although we were disappointed with the state of the Bay, which is sadly highly polluted. The viewing decks on the boat are great and activities are good. We had enough time at each place, although it could have been nice to do more things and/or go to less crowded places (but I guess that is hard in Ha Long Bay). We did the one night option, which felt quite short for the price, but I am not sure we would do longer (due to the state of the Bay). The buffet lunch and breakfast/brunch were nice.

The boat took us to VERY crowded places. It would be nice to go to less touched areas or regulate the amount of tourists on the Bay (I know this is not in the companys control). Check in was a very time consuming process and the wait at the port was awful. We left Hanoi at 9AM and only got on the boat at 13h Points to improve: - Sit down dinner was not very tasty - Non alcoholic drinks should be included, considering the price we pay - 3% card fee should not be charged (most hotels in Vietnam do not charge this) - The experience doesnt feel unique at all, as there are so many people doing exactly the same thing - Boat is a bit old and could use some renovations - More outside the boat activities rather than on the boat activities (karaoke was very forced)

I am aware that most criticisms down here are likely universal to all cruises on Halong Bay. This was a very very disappointing experience, for the value of it. We paid $760 AUD for a presidential suite with a private balcony and a private sundeck. The room was very nice, but several things about the experience did not justify the cost, not even close. First the quilt in our room has several small bloodstains, and the replacement one we got had a couple too. I suspect these are very frequent as both my partner and I cut our fingers locking the bathroom deadbolt. Second, the presidential suite is supposed to come with wine or champagne, neither were offered, not that we care. We were only offered wine after we expressed our disappointment with the tour. Furthermore, breakfast is served at 6:45 am! You snooze you loose. The cruise part of this is the most disappointing thing ever, due to restrictions, the boats essentially sail for about 4.5-5 km offshore in a straight line and thats it! They move a couple of time within a 500m radius and that all you get to see of Halong Bay. Your view out of any room, cheap or expensive will be another cruise ship. Also, the room is advertised to have sound proofing, which doesnt exists. We were woken up by the sound of sliding chairs from the restaurant above at 6:30 am, and we could hear the party cruises anchored nearby for most of the night. The food was good for the most part, and abundant. Given they are catering to a wide variety of tastes it is hard to please everyone, but for the price of the VIP rooms, I wouldve expected a more personalised experience and slightly better food. And after being lectured on single use plastics, whose ban I wholeheartedly support, we were served desert in single use plastic containers. Finally, we had to checkout of our rooms at 9:30, not 11:30 as per the advert.