Package? Worth or not?

Halong Bay 2D1N package and Sapa 3D2N package from Hanoi Guesthouse.Anybody try before? Worth and reliable? Or else, any other company or tour options for the particular packages? Thx!

Package? Worth or not?

Hi Mulan,

We didn%26#39;t stay at, or buy from Hanoi Guesthouse so can%26#39;t comment on the worth and reliability of its tour packages. However, we did go to Halong Bay, but only as a 1 day trip. The bay is nice, but we thought the tour was nothing spectacular. So perhaps you%26#39;ll get a better experience with your 2D1N package, where you%26#39;ll no doubt see more of the bay and visit some of the lagoons maybe.

As for the Sapa trip, we went on a 3N2D trip organized by Duc Thai Hotel in Hanoi. We paid US$100/person- this included the train rides there and back, with soft beds to sleep in, an 11km trek through the mountains and villages (~5hrs), a trip to Cat Cat (~3hrs), and stays at the Bamboo Hotel with all meals included. We had some drama organizing this tour, which I described in my review of Duc Thai Hotel, so you might want to read up what I wrote. Sapa scenery%26#39;s really nice, but note that the treks can get a little exhausting if you%26#39;re not used to walking hours at a time, even if it%26#39;s at a leisurely pace. There are certain parts where you have to be careful so you don%26#39;t slip, or fall into the water. Also, be prepared for the locals that follow you for the ENTIRE trek, and push you to buy their products at the middle and/or end of the trek- their prices are really inflated because they say ';they were with you all the way'; or that they ';helped you on the trek.';

We also came across Rose Hotel who was offering a similar package for US$85/person- I DON%26#39;T recommend that you use them because he%26#39;s a dodgy businessman, but at least you now have some prices to compare to.

By the way, are you sure your package is ';3D2N';? The one I%26#39;m talking about is 3 *nights*, 2 *days*. So we were on the train overnight, reached Sapa early morning, where we rested for a few hours before the first day of trekking began.

Package? Worth or not?

We stayed at Hanoi Guesthouse when we were in Hanoi and used their recommendations/tours and were quite happy with the results.

We did the Halong Bay tour through them and they also helped us arrange transport (bus) and accommodation for Ninh Binh. Although the bus was quite late arriving in Ninh Binh our driver was still waiting for us to take us to his hotel.

We have some pics and stories of our trip here... www.bobandjanette.com which may help.

Happy %26amp; safe travels