Wunderbare 2 Tage, 1 Übernachtung mit Lavender Cruises, Kajakfahren, Kochkurs, Mahlzeiten

It was average, the food was nothing exceptional, the experience was marred by a very loud group. I was hoping for a different Christmas night but the entertainment was poor and the few of us who were not part of the group all retired to our cabina early. 6.15 am, Tai- chi on deck, are you aure ???

We booked Lavender Cruises but got put on Syrena Cruise without any explanation or being informed at all. The boat itself and our room was nice (and had a great bathroom!) and the activities were the same which good. The views were beautiful and we enjoyed the activities and the food. The pick up and drop off process was pretty seamless, though note that we were on the boat less than 24 hours despite the itinerary suggesting we would get off and get picked up around lunch time - we were off at 10am which was a little disappointing and meant the itinerary was quite rushed. There was a large group of French tourists on our boat (all bar 4 of us were French). This meant that they had a French translator/group leader and unfortunately for us most of the communications/instructions were given in French which made us feel quite clueless as to what was happening, and like we were not part of the group which was a bit off-putting. Some staff really made an effort to include us which was appreciated (one of the younger staff members). Mr Son (team leader?) spoke clearly and his English was good, but his manner was not great, and it felt like we were being treated like children at times.

Great experience on the Nostalgia 1 in the breath-taking Ha Long Bay. Great food, fantastic scenery, kajacking in lime caves and great trips an expeditions. I would also like to mention the crew, Martin in particular, who with his warm smile always made us feel Welcome! 5 stars from us!