Transfer from Meritel Hotel Hanoi to Ha Long Bay and then our Cruise on the beautiful Scarlett Pearl.

We were greeted at 8.30pm by our driver and his top of the line Camry for our 90 minute trip along the fantastic motorways here in Vietnam. The traffic in departing the amazing old Centre of Hanoi can only be described as amazing with everyone going in different directions and thousands of scooters and motor bikes.

The drive in just fine with our driver being careful and exacting and although he speaks little con English apart from “Hello” we get by. The road system is simply amazing with a 3 lane motor way most of the way.

Ha Lon Bay is now a centre for tourist activity and the township of Ha long is growing with many high rise hotels d and a stark reminder of the pandemic with many buildings only finished to the shell stage. We are deposited at a wharf with a berth for the Stunning new Catherine Cruises and it is our staring point. Catherine Cruises is a larger boat than our Scarlett Pearl and can accommodate up to 50 people although today will have something like 20-25 people ( about half capacity). We are asked to ride our to the Scarlett Pearl on a speed boat with 5 of us on board. We have to make the effort to get on board across a rickety plank type and then down stairs, pit on life jackets. We depart the city and take 30 minutes to find the Scarlett Pearl at anchor with many other boats.

This is a stunning vessel and we are welcomed with the crew greeting us at the back of the vessel throwing rose petals in welcome. We are greeted with watermelon drinks and then escorted to the main dining room and restaurant area. We proceed to enjoy a special 6 course luncheon including 2 superb amiojncourses and French red wine. The fittings are just beautiful and we are in a world of our own.

Following lunch we check into our suites (205) and have some freee time before the afternoon excusrion. At this stage there are no other passengers and we wonder where they are?

The suite is a large glass walled room with an enormous king bed, separate ensuite are and a large verandah. We are very pleased.

We depart at 3.45pm for a short distance and we board wooden boats to take us through a series of caves. The small boat is rowed by a young fellow who is stretched by the four adults. We go through several caves with our heads only just below the stalactites and stalagmites. It is a very enjoyable experience. We are out for almost 2 hours before returning and then changing for dinner. We find that another 20 people have returned from the Catamaran cruise and excursion to a local village. We then enjoy a spectacular feast with another 5 courses for dinner including a superb steak. This has been something special.

Following dinner there is a musical presentation and then we follow guidance as to the itinerary for tomorrow. The guests who were back from their excursion on the Catamaran have all enjoyed 2nights and 3 days, whereas we are doing 2 days and 1 night.

The morning involves a Catamaran visit to a local village departing at 7.30am and returning at 9.30am , where we must pack have bags outside our door and then be ready to exit the vessel at 11.30 after another 25 minute cruise back to the township. We are amazed at the rice fields and the plateaus of rice being grown right as cross the drive when we have departed Hanoi. WE have seven and learned more of the culture and history and tomorrow we pawn a trip to Minh Binh and will explore of the history and culture of the Vietnamese people over the 4,000 years and the amalgamation from the 12 tribes.

Suffice to say that this trip to Ha long Bay whilst somewhat too short has recreated the magic of the limestone rock faces and the amazing traffic of the boats on the Bay. during this period of the year, which is shoulder season there are about 220 boats out on the water from the luxurious like ours to far more traditional and spartan vessels. during the peak summer and then the peak winter period there can be up to 450-500 boats out on the Bay with between 5-40 passengers all doing 1-3 day tours of the Bay, usually visiting the caves and enjoying this wonder of the world.

Our driver awaits and he is all excited to see us and we are pleased that he is there . He says in some English that the Beer and Coca Colas are cold for us to enjoy on our return to Hanoi and the Meritel hotel. He is a reliable and safe driver and the car “limo” is very comfortable.

We have a quick and safe trip back to Hanoi and arrive at our hotel at approximately 2.15pm. We are greeted by the staff as lost friends and our luggage is collected and we are again escorted across the narrow but busy thoroughfare with all the scooters and motor bikes. We have upgraded to a larger suite for these two days. It is Suite 804 and is just lovely. It has a large balcony and all the mod cons required.

Tonight we decide to dine in and have a lovely meal of local Vietnamese food and drinks (including) Chilean Wines. We are served by two stewards. This is a special Hotel, clearly one of the best 4.5 stars here in Hanoi with wonderful facilities a great decoration framework and unbelievable service standards. The hotel is frequented by wealthy Asian people from a variety of countries and a few Australians and people from Russian and Scandinavia and Europe. Clearly a cosmopolitan cross section of travellers. Surprisingly we haven’t seen many Americans at the hotel or in the streets. That is a surprise but we are told that the Americans haven’t resumed international travel at this stage.

The staff here at the Meritel go out of their way to assist. They are friendly, courteous and just want to assist.

We have had an amazing experience in the visit over 2 days to Ha Long Bay. The vessel was just magical , the food out of this world and the excursions and experiences were terrific. We also enjoyed a 30 minute foot spa on the Scarlett Pearl and we both enjoyed that experience although we had several laughs afterwards.

We sleep very well and are excited by the planned excursion to Nimb Binh tomorrow.

The first part of this holiday has passed quickly and been very enjoyable.

The photos from Halong bay will provide memories for a long time as to the natural wonder.

We thoroughly enjoyed our short time on the Scarlett Pearl a beautiful 5 star experience.

We then transferred back to the Meritel hotel and upgraded to a Suirte for the remaining 2 days prior to joining the Viking tour at the Lotte Hotel.

We dine in tonight and then are transferred to the UNESCO World heritage site of Nimb Binh , the former capital.of Vietnam in the period of 890-2250 AD.