Violet Cruise

There were three of us on the Violet Cruise – me, my husband and our 16-year old boy. We had the Dragon Suite at the bow of the boat, which was simply incredible! We added a third bed for our son, which was certainly not the most comfortable to sleep on, but this ended up being the only small grievance we had. The food was actual 5 star quality and would not stop coming out of that kitchen! It was presented beautifully, which is what I think put our teenaged son off it, as he prefers the standard western teen fare – burgers and chips. The staff were very polite and friendly with everyone, and actually outnumbered the guests! I went for a very relaxing foot massage during the cooking demonstration. There are only 6 cabins on board, so it felt very much like an intimate experience and that you were treated like a king or queen! Splash the cash on the Violet Cruise for sure, you will not regret it!

It was a bit of an ominous sign when we were driving to Halong Bay, that there was a gigantic thunderstorm for the entire 3.5 hour drive. We were relieved when we got to the security of the waiting lounge I won’t go into every small detail, but I’ll say that we had the water suite and were on the 1 night itinerary. Onboard with us, we only had one other couple, so the entire thing felt like a private cruise – even more so when we had become friends with the other couple. As with most other reviews I’ve read since returning, I found the staff to be absolutely superb and super enthusiastic about our good time, doing everything that could to make our trip special. Tourism is still budding in Vietnam, compared to many other countries, but the hospitality we’ve experienced here has been some of the warmest and most memorable from our trips around the world. They were excellent at knowing the boundaries of when to be helpful and when to leave you to your own devices, and they all operated in a naturally charming way, without any over-the-top showiness that some companies make their employees do. We hadn’t even considered the food before booking as we were focusing on other points such as itinerary and size of the boat. We were taken aback by how good the food was, considering we were on a boat in the middle of the ocean. We started with a superb five course lunch, which set us off nicely and filled us thoroughly. There is usually a starter, 3 mains and a dessert. My wife even got a gluten-free alternative for every single course, which was incredible and something we would struggle to get in the West, even though no one gives a toss about gluten in Vietnam. The gluten-free dessert she had for dinner was the best she’s ever eaten, beating her previous favourite which was cooked at a Michelin-starred restaurant! The boat was great, it felt very much like something out of the 1920s in terms of its aesthetics, but with all of the modern comforts. I read a review that stated that the finishing was a bit worn, which I can understand, but with the daily comings and goings of guests with heavy luggage, along with all the workings of a boat requiring timbers, metals, ropes and battling storms and humidity, I think this is fair enough! Honestly I felt like the slight fading added something quite charming to the Violet Cruise. We have nothing but good words for the Violet Cruise and we really regret not spending the extra night with them. The overnight itinerary was great, but another day in Halong Bay would have been perfect. A special way to see a special landscape – thanks for everything!

We were absolutely bowled over by the amazing service that we received on the Violet Cruise. The staff, the food, the room, the activities – everything was top class and I wouldn’t have changed any part of it. We’ve been on some excellent cruises before, but what really set this one apart was Mr Big, the cruise manager. His English is as fluent as mine and he has such a positive attitude about everything that it was impossible not to love him. He gave us a thorough briefing of the itinerary and its alternatives, then for the rest of the time, he was like an old friend – friendly, funny and considerate, but also still a tour guide in his professionalism, knowledge and organisation. It was even a couple’s honeymoon on the boat and he sang them a couple of songs. He’s a really great asset for the Violet Cruise! It was hard to fault the boat to be honest – everything was pretty luxurious. The beds were especially comfortable and the décor was very well done. Unfortunately I am incredibly sensitive to sea sickness, and even on this very smooth ride, there were a few times where I felt nauseous and had to lie down. Of course, this was in no way the fault of the company, but it is something to look out for if you are like me. All of the food was outstanding. They were very considerate of our dietary requirements and fed us incredibly well – we had neglected to bring snacks so we were worried that there wouldn’t be enough, but we were very wrong in this respect! Each meal was at least three courses and the quality was just sublime – many compliments to the chef. We did the activities in a very relaxed way, probably because there were so few people on board, meaning they didn’t have to ensure that 60 guests were accounted for, like with other cruises. The Violet Cruise really had everything we were looking for a lots of extra little things that we didn’t know we were looking for! An amazing cruise.

Me and my husband booked onto the 3 day itinerary of the Violet Cruise – which was a surreal experience! I’m not sure what we expected, but the cruise delivered SO much more than we thought. We booked into the Moon Suite. It was pure luxury, let me tell you; it even had a jacuzzi to go with the large balcony with sun loungers! It was also enormous and that was a big surprise when we first walked in. We would have been happy with the room in a Western hotel, when you consider that it was on a boat in Vietnam, it becomes something really special. The whole of the appearance of the boat was very attractive – like cruising on the set of a Miss Marple! The upper deck was a really nice space to watch the bay as you sail through it. A typical meal was about 5 courses, which was great as we got to try lots of new things. By the time the fourth rolled around, we usually had to tell them not to make the last one for us as there was no way we’d be able to finish it! They also have a very impressive wine list on board considering the size of the boat. Everything was decently priced. The staff were really excellent – shoutouts in particular go to Mr. Big, Sammy and Tony. They were so lovely to us and really made the cruise special. You could tell that they genuinely just wanted us to enjoy ourselves, which is a very refreshing attitude! and genuinely just wanted to make sure we had a nice time. First day’s activities – We departed on the boat at 12.30 and did our first activity around 2pm. We went to a small cave to learn about the geography, then to a small fishing village to learn how the locals live in the bay. There is the sampan boat road by a local, who doesn’t seem to speak any English but is very smiley nonetheless, or you can opt for the kayaking for $15 per person. We did the second one and got to explore around ourselves, which was definitely worth it. Second day’s activities – We got up for sunrise at 6.30 and had tea and coffee before our tai chi class. After that, around 8, we left for the day boat and had breakfast there. We went to a bigger cave, did some more kayaking and had a swim. We had a great lunch then visited a pearl farm. We had already visited a touristy pearl place before on the way to the bay, so this trip just killed a bit of time really. We arrived back on the main boat before sunset and joined a new set of passengers. Third day’s activities - another tai chi session and breakfast before we went to Titop island. We climbed to the top, quite slowly as its 400 steps, but the view from the top was so worth it. We went swimming down below after that, but it was quite busy and there are a lot of boats waiting for their passengers to finish, so it’s not quite the picture of paradise that we had in our heads (the second day was much closer to that). We returned to the boat for showering, packing and eating brunch before we left. I feel that 3 days is the perfect amount of time for cruising – 2 would have been too rushed but 4 would have been a little tedious! As it was, we got off the Violet Cruise fully happy with the experience! We paid our bar tab at the end and it was pretty darn high, but that was more because we were partying with some honeymooning Mexicans than it was because of the price of the drinks! A long review, I know, but this was the complete experience on the Violet Cruise and it was so near to perfect that I felt I had to do it justice. Simply amazing – you won’t know for sure until you go!

We were very excited for our two-night sailing on the Violet Cruise, but about 5 days before the departure date, someone phoned us and told us that the Violet Cruise would not be available for the second evening, meaning that we would conclude our day on the Jasmine Cruise instead. We were disappointed of course, but were still able to enjoy our holiday and were very glad that it wasn’t cancelled due to a storm! The staff were very apologetic and tried their best to ensure our transition was flawless. Our first day with Violet was stunning. We spent much of it in disbelief as to how beautiful Halong Bay really is in the flesh. The service from the crew was excellent and we had some very tasty meals and fun activities. For the second day, all of our luggage was taken to the Jasmine Cruise (they even offered to help us pack!) and we were dropped off on the Violet Cruise’s day boat. We had the entire boat to ourselves, with the company of a friendly captain, chef and tour guide. They told us to feel like the king and queen of the boat for the day – and it didn’t feel anything other than that! We had a great lunch on this boat and went to a floating village and cave. As we were the only ones on the boat, the itinerary was a lot more relaxed and we were able to proceed through activities at our own pace. Between all of these activities, we sipped on wine and relaxed on sun loungers in absolute paradise. Our original disappointment was turned right on its head. We spent the final evening and morning on the Jasmine Cruise, which I have left a separate review for. Excellent service. Big props to Violet Cruise!