InterContinental Halong Bay is the perfect base for a boating adventure - review

The twice-recognised UNESCO World Heritage Site of Halong Bay is worth the trip from Hanoi, especially when you're staying in the area's first luxury international hotel, discovers Carolynne Dear

InterContinental Halong Bay - legend has it dragons spat a barricade of karsts into the bay to deter invaders

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Ha Long Bay had long been on our family bucket list but somehow, I’d never pinned it down as an actual trip. I’d fretted about the crowds (eight million people visited the area last year alone, to be exact), gasped at the Instagram reels of boats battling for position in the bay, and tutted about the ensuing pollution. To be honest, it seemed easier to hire a junk for the day on Hong Kong’s Inner Port Shelter and spend the excess on a decent caterer.

And yet, I knew I was missing out. Ha Long is a stunning location, a huge jade bay littered with islands and islets, and a twice-recognised UNESCO World Heritage Site to boot. 

Ha Long translates as ‘descending dragon’ and according to local legend, the gods sent a family of dragons to assist the Vietnamese people protecting their country against invaders. The family of dragons spat out jewels that transformed into the hundreds of dramatic limestone karsts the area is famous for today, forming an impenetrable wall against the invaders.  

In total, there are almost 2,000 islets and karsts dotted around Ha Long and the neighbouring Cat Ba archipelago. And lovely as the local legend is, the distinctive islands rising from the water are actually the remaining peaks from an ancient flooded limestone massif and have taken a mind-blowing 20 million years to evolve. Ha Long Bay covers more than 1,500kmsq and its sparkling waters and dramatic geology offer endless opportunities for cruising, kayaking, cave exploration, hiking and visiting floating villages. Hence the area’s huge popularity.

InterContinental Halong Bay - a smart welcome in the lobby overlooking the bay

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My other issue had been figuring out exactly how ‘to do’ Ha Long Bay. Book a boat? Book a room on a boat? Head out for a day? Two days? Three days? Would the kids get bored? Would they fall in? So much to consider. It fried my brain so we ended up, every time, plumping for a fly ‘n’ flop weekend in Danang instead.

Eventually, an invitation to join a press trip celebrating the launch of Ha Long Bay’s first luxury international hotel solved all of my problems. Why float on a boat when you could be bedding down at one of the smartest new hotels in the region?

InterContinental Halong Bay Resort is the hotel Ha Long Bay didn’t know it needed. But now it’s here, it seems incredible that it’s only just arrived. It is a destination in itself, fronting onto a powdery white beach and with those incredible karsts silhouetted on the horizon, the perfect backdrop as you paddle up and down the lengthy outdoor pool.

InterContinental Halong Bay - lazy days by the resort pool

The journey to the hotel involves flying into Hanoi and then taking the new, six-lane highway all the way to Quang Ning Province and its world-famous bay. The journey is fast - around two hours - but of course that is part of the reason the destination is drowning in tourists. Not literally, I hasten to add, but eight million is quite a figure, more than half the amount that visited Singapore in 2025. 

Nevertheless, I appreciated the easy transfer, finally pulling up at the impressive hotel entrance. I’m led past lush greenery and trickling water features filled with wriggling koi and into a soaring lobby, vast picture windows framing that mesmerising coastal panorama. From there I am efficiently ushered to a bay view king room; it’s brand new, I admit, but still, this is one of the more impressive hotel rooms I have stayed in. The proportions of the hotel are vast, there is so much space, and it is so smartly used. Thai interior designer P49Deesign has pulled off a master stroke, meshing Vietnamese tradition with a sleek, contemporary look. Turquoise soft furnishings highlight the rippling waters of the bay and the sleek bathroom with its standalone tub flows through to the bedroom, which opens onto a generous balcony soaking up the beach and water views. I wager the snowy white bed sheets and soft-as-a-feather mattress give a night at anchor a run for its money. 

The hotel offers a mix of rooms, suites and private villas which are ideally suited for families. The beachfront villas come with private pools and are stunning - sleek and with plenty of Vietnamese influences. The palatial living area opens onto the deck, pool and beach, there’s a fully equipped kitchen and even a maid’s room should you want to bring your helper along. 

InterContinental Halong Bay - the Hidden Lagoon spa offers treatments for youngsters

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My first stop is the hotel spa, Hidden Lagoon. Again, it is beautifully laid out, windows overlooking a central courtyard of rock formations and water features (there’s a theme here). The spa partners with Australian ‘clean’ beauty brand, Sodashi, and Margaret Dabbs London and even offers children’s treatments, including a light-pressure massage for teens and a nourishing body mask experience for youngsters. 

Feeling extremely relaxed, I head to dinner at Marina Kitchen, one of six dining spots at the hotel, with general manager Jesper Larsen. A Dane with more than two decades experience in the industry, Larsen has been tasked with settling this sumptuous resort into the neighbourhood and ensuring all areas of service, from staff training to food quality, meet the stringent requirements of a high-end international hotel. He notes that the property is the first ‘destination hotel’ in Ha Long Bay. “Visitors now have a reason to linger, rather than jumping on a boat trip and leaving,” he explains. 

The food quality is sensational, with huge attention to detail, of which Larsen is justifiably proud. The dishes are beautifully presented with plenty of seafood and Vietnamese specialities. Admittedly I’m seated next to the boss, but the friendly staff spend a great deal of time explaining what I’m eating and how it was prepared. Marina Kitchen is the main dining area and also conjures up a fantastic breakfast buffet each morning. Further restaurants include a French-Vietnamese bistro, a poolside lounge bar and the lobby lounge (head there for afternoon tea). During my visit there was much talk of the soon-to-be-launched Japanese-influenced Roku & Star Bar. This rooftop destination has now opened along with an adjoining sake library. A Cantonese restaurant with an open kitchen, theatrical Peking duck carving and Kungfu tea ceremonies is slated to launch later this year.

InterContinental Halong Bay - marine-themed fun at Planet Trekkers kids' club

As with everything else, the amenities at InterContinental Halong Bay are first class. There are three outdoor pools, including a huge resort pool (heated in winter, I stayed in late autumn and temperatures were starting to taper off a little) as well as a fun water park-style pool with slides and water tipping bucket. A lot of effort has been put into the generously-sized Planet Trekkers kids’ club, with colourful soft play, a reading corner and additional activities like conical hat painting, candle making and face painting. For teens, there’s a games room with cinema, pool, darts, foosball and air hockey. The children’s club welcomes youngsters aged four to 12 years unaccompanied.

If you have the opportunity, lock-in club access. The Club InterContinental Lounge is one of the best in the region. The watery views are framed to perfection by the floor-to-ceiling windows that run the entire length of the space. The breakfast is good and the afternoon tea is not to be missed; take a seat by the picture windows and tuck into a towering tea stand of savouries, sweet treats and freshly baked scones. But the jewel in the club’s crown is its stunning indoor pool. I swam for an hour one evening, ploughing up and down next to those huge windows and enjoying the gorgeous views just as the sun was setting, casting a rosy hue over the gently rippling waters. 

The highlight of the trip, of course, was a day cruising Ha Long Bay. The hotel can organise private tours to meet your itinerary. We head to Tuan Chau Marina (around 40 minutes from the hotel) at 8.30am and are on the water by 9.30am. As we cruise out towards the karst-cluttered horizon, we are passed by tens of cruisers, on their way back to port. Apparently this is where the genius of staying in a hotel and taking a day trip lies. The overnight cruises leave port at midday, heading to the various tourist sites in the bay which consequently begin to fill up in the early afternoon. On the last day of the cruise, the boats head back to port ready for a guest turnaround and another midday departure. In short, the day cruises are able to steal a march by heading out in the early morning. 

InterContinental Halong Bay - exploring Sung Sot Cave

After sailing for around an hour-and-a-half, our day begins with a walking tour of Sung Sot Cave, the largest limestone grotto in the area and with stunning rock formations across two vast chambers. There’s a steep climb up a staircase to begin with, but then it’s an easy wander inside the cave. As we cruise on, I am stunned by how quiet it is. Our guide agrees that it’s a quiet time of year. “If you want to avoid the crowds, don’t come in the summer,” he advises. Vietnamese school holidays start in June which is when the crowds converge. The recommended time to come is autumn, when it’s slightly cooler but not too cold, and in spring. To be honest, swimming is only permitted in designated areas of the bay and a day cruise tends to be an on-the-water rather than in-the-water kind of day, so the cooler weather is probably preferable if it means fewer tourists. 

We enjoy lunch at a tiny private floating kitchen, part of Ha Long Pearl farm, and a stop I would highly recommend. The chef, Mr Thanh, conjures up a smorgasbord of tasty seafood dishes from his tiny wooden kitchen perched to one side of the main dining terrace. As I step off our boat, I’m ushered to a circular dining table that is neatly naped and draped with snowy white linen and laid with crockery and wine glasses - no plastic picnic plates here. We eat, surrounded by the lush green mountains of the bay, the water gently lapping beneath us. Each course is meticulously prepared and quite delicious, from the salty oysters to the plump, gleaming prawns, the grilled fish and a delicious dish of stir-fried mussel meat. The meal is followed by a tour of the floating pearl farm on the far side of the bay. And then it’s time for a leisurely cruise back to port.

The following day I head back down the highway to Hanoi and my flight home. InterContinental Halong Bay is indeed the perfect base from which to explore this fascinating corner of Vietnam.  

Asia Family Traveller was a guest of InterContinental Halong Bay.