Halong Bay- Halong Violet- Feb. 21 to 22, 2011

After a 3 hour journey we expected to be wowed- since this boat was sold as the most luxurious and expensive  boat. All I can say is GROSS!! The only good thing was the food and halong bay. I hope never to board the Violet again. Not worth the price we paid and the hygiene was a major issue.

This boat was only 2 years old but was rusted like a 10 year old ship and then the towels and surfaces were dirty. In fact we found out if you threw a dirty towel on the floor they would pick it up and refold it and then put it on top of the clean towels.

I ended up breaking 2 rollaways- I should mention I paid a 1 person charge and was given a rollaway for a 70 pound child. I am NOT that and unlike other rollaways there was no part in the middle to connect the two pieces together. Weirdly, the bed was split into two mattresses.  The final resolution was an uncomfortable matress on the floor and glassy look in their eyes(in Vietnam this translates to we speak English but really only know 3 words, Nobody really speaks or understands English).

The food was excellent and we wanted to steal their chef. Especially because her food deserves a better environment to showcase the quality and beauty.

Our First meal consisted of traditional Vietnamese dishes (Not the only one we know PHO):

Spring Rolls: Wonderfully presented and done- a favourite of my family

Clear Crab Soup: Something that appears to be served at most Vietnamese meals

Grilled Shrimp on Mango Salad- for those that know my mother she makes the best mango salad. However, she conceded this Chef made a better one.

Our Main course was Sea Bass- beautifully prepared but not as tasty as the previous dishes.

For dessert they stepped away from the traditional Vietnamese to Cheesecake. We had brought our own fresh jackfruit, so I admit to not trying this dish.

The rest of our day was sailing along Halong Bay area, visiting a floating village (that actually had nothing to sell but had people doing real work) and then having a wonderful dinner in a Cave. This Cave dinner was not part of our itineray, however our company found the cave in December. As a result they could host private dinners in it with permission from the government.

Our Cave Dinner: This was the highlight of our trip and made up for how gross the boat was.

Day 2: We only had the morning on the boat then back to Hanoi for our cyclo tour and water puppet show.

That morning we learnt how to make fresh spring rolls. I have to say it was a tie between my dad and myself how made the best ones.

Verdict: The boat was not worth the money however the food, Halong Bay and the Cave were wonderful experiences.