Well we got it right - the cruise was great. Halong Bay itself is an amazing sight and to be cruising amongst the isands in smooth waters on a luxury boat is rather special. Our cabin on the boat with its own ensuite and picture windows was brilliant. The food was so good we must have both put on weight. We had a 7 course fresh seafood banquet when we arrived on board and that was only lunch. It was so nice on the boat that when there was an opportunity to go in the tender to see a fishing village the temptation was to think it was another tourist trap and not go. Well thank goodness we did. 
The two of us ended up in a bamboo sampan being rowed around the village and between the islands by a young woman. She must have rowed for at least 30 minutes without tiring. The village we stopped at had about 250 inhabitants, the houses on floating pontoons were tiny but everyone seemed to have a TV! Apparently a boat comes from the mainland daily to deliver supplies, fresh water and take away garbage and their fish catches for market. Also the children are educated for free which was not the case anywhere else we visited in Vietnam.Back on the ship we settled down for cocktails on the sundeck before another banquet for dinner. Up at 5.30am the next morning to watch the sunrise.
All good things come to an end and we disambarked midday on day 2. The cruise had included being picked up from our hotel in Hanoi and the 5 hour bus trip to and from Halong Bay but we decided to spend our last few days in the bay area rather than go back to busy Hanoi.We found an island resort on Wotif.com and had a villa overlooking the bay in a 5 star resort for 2 nights. 2 more mornings when we set the alarm to watch the sunrise! The resort was quiet being low season but the pool was still warm enough for swimming and we walked around the island enjoying the views and the golden sandy beaches all to ourselves. The resort restaurant was a disappointment but we had eaten so well in Hanoi and on the boat that we just did not need more gourmet food.
We booked a private car to take us back to Hanoi airport and while we paid more than we had expected the car was very comfortable and the driver safe and cautious.
The journey home from the resort to Turramurra took a mere 26 hours - car, planes, train and bus.
Its nice to be home planning our next adventure.
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