Most tourist literature says that Halong Bay in Vietnam is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thus adding to its appeal as a “must-see” destination. After exploring the UNESCO website, I found that the Halong Bay – Cat Ba archipelago qualified because of its stunning natural beauty and a notable example of karst terrain shaped by the sea”. (Karst terrain consists of limestone weathered by sea water). In Halong Bay this takes the shape of nearly 2000 mountainous islands rising from the sea of which only half have been named so far.

Halong bay is about 200 kilometres East of Hanoi. After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel in Hanoi we set out for the Tran Chau Harbour to board the Luxury Ship Catherine -The Halong Bay Super Yacht. We were speedily checked in to a large well furnished cabin with a balcony which afforded us a panoramic view of the Bay. The high point of the stay was the warmth and hospitality of the staff and the delectable food. The food experience started with an elaborate buffet spread for lunch catering to both the continental and eastern palates. Dinner was an elaborate seven course menu served with clockwork like precision reminding me of “Regimental Dinner nights” of my military days. An early breakfast and brunch before we disembarked the next day were equally delightful- More so due to the great care and attention of our designated butler for the stay on board .

The various activities on board and of course the elaborate meals were adequate to keep us busy but there were excursions as well. The first excursion was to the Sung Sot caves. The repeated cautionary warnings of the steep climb to Sung Sot caves made both Malati and I assess the status of our limbs and almost called it off. We embarked on a smaller boat Catherine 1 to Bo Hon island where the caves are located.

Sung Sot caves were discovered in 1901 by the French and named the Cave of Surprises. It is the largest and most popular of the many caves on the islands. From the pier it is a steep climb of about 500 steps to the entrance of the cave. The caves are large in size both in height and width and a comfortable walk of about 30 minutes takes you through the caves to descend on the other side of the island. Combine the imagination of your tour guide with your own and you can visualize figures of kings and dragons, princesses and lovers and soldiers in the various stalactite and stalagmite formation and spin more yarns around them! There is yet another not so frequented cave on the other side of the island but of you have seen one you have seen them all!

Back on the Catherine, the next excursion was a kayaking experience around the Luon island. We chose to skip that tour and enjoy the natural beauty and watch the harbour craft pass by our large balcony. And spent time at the bar on the large open deck. The next morning was a excursion(?) to Ti Top island, rated as another must visit island in the bay. The name is derived from Gherman Titov, the second Russian cosmonaut who visited the island in 1962. Do read up about the interesting life of Titov whose passion for wine, women and fast cars was attributed to the after effects of his time in space !!! That is story for another time.

While on the one hand we simply enjoyed the super luxury of the yacht, the great food experience and the hospitality of the staff this trip did not fit in to my perception of cruise. I expected some cruising in the high seas past many islands but instead the ship was more in anchor than on the move. In hind sight I would suggest that if you have the time stay in a hotel either in the mainland or on one of the islands and plan an itinerary of your choice at your pace and time. You can even do a more hectic same day return to Hanoi with a half day cruise. There are many options that you can figure out including longer “cruises” on luxury yachts. And if beaches and water sports are your fancy do weigh the Halong Bay option against the many other resorts/beaches in Vietnam.

We returned to Hanoi in quick time and prepared ourselves for the next day’s journey to Sa Pa a mountain town in the Northern highlands of Vietnam Bordering China Do follow us through our journey through Vietnam,