Last week, Luxury travel team had opportunity to experience pristine Bai Tu Long Bay on luxury cruise – Emperor Cruises.
Located in the Gulf of Tonkin, in the Northeast of Vietnam, Bai Tu Long Bay includes a part of Halong City’s sea area, Cam Pha town and Van Don Island district. Bai Tu Long Bay which is adjacent to, but smaller and quieter than its more famous neighbor, Halong Bay.
Bai Tu Long is a hidden gem, and its beauty surpasses that of Halong in my opinion. The name means “the place where the dragon children descended”. Rich in biodiversity, with a pristine environment and blessed with a spectacular landscape, the Bay is dominated by thousands of limestone karsts and islets which rise out of the water. Dotted with floating villages, unspoiled beaches, caves, grottoes and tiny coves. Here, you can hide and be Robinson Crusoe for a day.
Emperor Cruises is built in classic traditional junk style and the decoration reflects the style of the 1930s. The ship features three decks that house a lavish open restaurant, two lounge bars and clubs, a small library, two Jacuzzis, saunas, two massage rooms, a kids’ club, gymnasium along with eight luxurious en-suite cabins with ocean views and private balconies.
With a totally different concept in Halong Bay, Emperor Cruises offers five-star experiential travel on an exclusively designed boat, on an all-inclusive basis with ultra-personalized service. Emperor Cruise has two luxury cruisers in Nha Trang and Halong Bay. The trip brought to us great experiences that we will never forget in our life.
The first day
Our private chauffeur picked us up at our hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter to travel to Halong Bay at 8 am. After 1 hour 45 minutes, the driver stopped at Hong Ngoc handcraft shop in Hai Duong province in order to us relax and visit around. It mainly sells embroidery, fine art stone that made by people with disability, and catering services…
We arrived at the Emperor Cruises Harbor in Hon Gai Port after 2 hour. We were welcomed by the friendly crew before boarding, assisted by our Experience Manager, Richard Park. The beats of drums warmly welcomed us and we were served towel and a cool cocktail as soon as stepping on board. The Experience Manager explained the safety regulations and introduce about staffs, schedules of our 2 days 1 night voyage along with a brief history of the Emperor Cruises vessel. Inspired by the lavish lifestyle of Emperor Bao Dai, the last Emperor of Vietnam, it is designed to reflect the style of the 1930s. The boat displays many paintings of Pham Luc, a master of Vietnamese art.
We enjoyed our lunch at the Can Chanh Palace Royal Restaurant on the main deck while admiring the grace of the bay. Diverse menu with dishes with traditional flavor of Vietnamese cuisine such as abalone soup, banana flower salad, roasted crab, musk duck meat with egg noodles, desserts, optional drinks.
Following lunch, we rested comfortably in our room about 45 minutes for the next exciting schedule of our itinerary. We visited the Grass Cave, also known as Thien Canh Son within 15 minutes. We admired the breathtaking view of Bai Tu Long bay from up high, as well as the glorious white sandy beach at Hon Co Island when stepped more than 100 stone steps and hike and climb up to the entrance of the cave.
As active people, we did some kayaking and then took afternoon tea, watching the sky change color as the sun set over the Bay. We enjoyed wine tasting and a masterclass by the chef as he demonstrated how to cook a traditional Vietnamese dish. After that, we took part in a cookery class, learned how to make Spring Rolls with the help of the chef, then we also enjoyed our own product. I felt my Spring Rolls was delicious because the physical activities made me very hungry. In the meantime, they introduced us to the Kim Giao chopsticks that only for the Kings. It is said that Kim Giao chopstick will show bubbles and turn red when it touches poisoned food.
We could not wait for the ‘a la carte’ menu to experience Royal dining in the Can Chanh Palace, a multi-course, sensory experience featuring the best in Vietnamese cuisine. Evening activities on offer included taking in a movie, playing board games, indulging in the massage and spa services, and even going squid fishing. We chose massage service and watch some blockbuster movies on 49-inch Smart TV’s, and with popcorn and drinks in hand, we enjoyed immensely.
The last day
The first sunlight shone in the window that made us awake, and a new day began. Before a light breakfast, followed by cookies, milk and fruit juice, we tried a Vovinam class as morning exercise (Vietnamese Martial Arts) on the sundeck as the sun rose slowly over Bai Tu Long Bay. Because the visiting area of Bai Tu Long Bay has no place for bathing so we can not swim in the clear turquoise sea water of this pristine bay.
We visited Vung Vieng Fishing Village, a famous pearl-growing town, to view the fishing practices of the local people. We had time to observe the process of feeding pearls as well as learning a little about the life of the local inhabitants. Proceeding to Vung Vieng Floating Village, we boarded bamboo boats, and the local fishermen rowed us around their village and oyster pearl farming plots.
The guider of the farm explained, “These pearls considered to be some of the best in the world. Despite changes throughout history, the pearl farming village is famous, and known as ‘The Kingdom of Pearls.”
Afterward, returning to the cruise by speedboat, we arranged our luggage and begrudgingly checked out. There was still some time to take brunch on board while we cruised back to the mainland. Arriving back at the dock close to Halong City, we disembarked, where our driver was waiting to take us back to Hanoi City.
On our way back to Hanoi, we dropped in Dai Viet Company to relax. The stopover mainly served catering, shopping some embroidery and fine arts and making clothes.
A member of our team shared: “We have the best time highlight of our trip on Luxury 5 star Emperor Cruise-8 suite cabins only, boutique style. From check in at the port to return next day experience was amazing. The staff were so attentive, the food was superb, our room was delightful, really comfortable bed. The massage was of a high quality. We had an excellent time because of the staff. They are so very friendly & nothing was trouble. Thank you Truong & Ms Nguyet & all the wonderful staff & guides. No worry about extra charge cause all the services included even drink on all meals. Definitely use Emperor Cruise again”
The voyage on the Emperor Cruises brought us unforgettable experience. For the first time, we discovered Bai Tu Long Bay on such a luxurious and artfully boat. Emperor’s services are excellent from limousine transportation, food, entertainment to the friendliness and professionalism of staffs.
About Lux Travel DMC Co., Ltd:
With more than 12 years of experiences in luxury travel industry, we plan and conduct any Vietnam holiday packages including Hanoi, Halong Bay and other beautiful places in Vietnam. We are award winning DMC, specialized in Indochina luxury holidays and cover any trip within Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand. Contact us when traveling to Vietnam if you need any assistance.
