So you have come halfway around the world to Vietnam to enjoy scenery and culture and food. Then you’ve taken the 4-hour van ride from Hanoi to Halong Bay, because everybody says it is one of the world’s wonders – a reason alone to visit Vietnam. That’s all true. But for the upscale traveler, you need to do one more thing. Book your adventure to visit nearby Bai Tu Long Bay, instead of just Halong Bay. Why? I will explain.

Halong Bay is overrun with large boats that sail around the biggest of the thousands of islets (actually limestone karsts). Too often your photos are of other boats who are taking pictures of you – well, you get the drill. Large boats mean feeding great numbers of people, which means the quality of the food can be compromised. I’m suggesting there is a better alternative.

If you specify to your tour agency that you want to sail Bai Tu Long Bay on a smaller, luxury vessel, you will have an experience that is well worth a little extra money. Remember, we want upscale travel on a budget! And your money goes a long way in Vietnam.

You leave out of the same harbor as the Halong Bay boats. But your boat will take you off the beaten path to visit smaller islets, even a private island, with beach and cave. Your boat will be able to maneuver to small floating fishing villages. Your boat will only carry a maximum of 10 passengers, with nearly as many crew. You will get to know all your fellow passengers personally over the delicious food and drink prepared for such an intimate group. Now, doesn’t that sound better?

When I made this trip, I was working with Hanoi-based Custom Vietnam Travel. They booked me on the Red Dragon Junk, which is a 5-cabin semi-luxury vessel. The cabins are nice, clean, with bathroom/hot shower and air conditioning. Of course rooms are not big, but you won’t want to spend that much time below deck anyway (honeymooners can ignore that last part). If you want to shop around for other boats, I recommend you start with Trip Advisor; that’s what I do.

Now something to get straight: There are lots of different length cruises. I strongly suggest the 2-day/1-night cruise. Like Goldilocks would say, the single day cruises are too short, 3 days is too long, but 2 days is just right. I have talked to some people who tried to do Halong Bay as a day trip out of Hanoi. That results in 8 hours on the road round-trip and a few hours on the Bay. Don’t do that to yourself. It should be noted that the 2-day trip is only about 24 hours actually on the boat, but that is fine.

I was on the boat with a family from France, a couple from Canada and a couple from the U.K., who actually spend most of their time traveling. Great conversations ensued. The boat departs early afternoon and sails away from Halong to Bai Tu Long. We stopped at a private island, where our onboard tour guide led us up a hill into a nice cave. Outside was a nice vantage point for pictures. Then we spent another hour or so either relaxing on the beach or kayaking around the islet. Back in the boat, we traveled deeper into the karst-filled waters and never saw another boat until mooring for the night.

Dinner was pretty typical Vietnamese fare, including fried spring rolls, fried rice, prawns, chicken and more things than I can remember right now. It was all tasty, with the requisite food carvings to accompany the dishes. Beer and wine flowed well into the evening.

I awoke from a sound sleep to the sound of rain hitting my porthole window. But Mother Nature got it out of her system, and by breakfast there were patches of blue sky. That morning we disembarked into a couple of rowboats manned by local fisherman, who took us to their floating village. This is really quite a unique experience. We saw a schoolroom and villagers’ homes and stopped for a short while at their pearl farm. It could be argued that the pearls part was a little touristy, but hey, that’s how some of these people make a living. And I’m all for capitalism.

By late morning, it was time to journey back to the bay and time for one more meal, a nice brunch. The consensus of my new friends onboard was a big thumbs up. Honestly, I don’t do “relaxing” very well, but I was never bored; in fact, I didn’t read very much of a book I brought. I guess if you really, really wanted to get away for a while, you could skip Goldilocks’ advice and add an extra day. For me, this was just right for making memories.

A few housekeeping issues: Bring your passport. Tipping is expected, in this case about 10USD for the guide and crew. If you are a couple, double that. Alcohol is extra, which I clumsily paid at the end. Clumsily? I had been used to paying everything in USD in Vietnam, and they presented me with a bill that read “25,”. I thought, wow, I only drank 3 beers on the trip, and they charged $25? Reluctantly, I handed the crew member two $20 bills. He gave me a puzzled look. No, “25,” meant 250,000 Dong, which is less than $12. He returned $28 in change from my $40. Did I mention that your money goes a long way in Vietnam?