Cat Ba Island hotels & places to stay

I read some mixed reviews on this hotel, but was pleasantly surprised by how nice it is. Cat Ba downtown is a little like Myrtle Beach, honky tonk-ish. But this property was by far and away the best in the area, and secluded as well. Rooms, grounds, pool and staff were great. Food also good. Its not a 5 star hotel by world standards, but a 10 star compared to other hotels in Cat Ba. I paid $134 a night that included breakfast and dinner. Had a suite that was very nice. I stayed a month before at Intercontinental Nantrang for the same price. Much better place and beach, but this was really nice and by far the best in Cat Ba..... books your boat trip early (especially coming home). The boat fills up fast...

I had a fantastic stay at Cat Ba Island Resort and Spa during my second trip to Cat Ba. I first want to say that my girlfriend and I were overjoyed by how we were treated at this resort. Because she is Japanese and I am white, we often experienced rude racism and maltreatment in spite of neither of us being Vietnamese. Regardless, Catba Island Resort made me feel like a valued guest and looked over my relationship and respected my girlfriend and I. I can’t stress enough how much that meant to me. Furthermore, on top of the friendly treatment I received, I was very happy with how great the free breakfast was as well as the dishes I had for dinner at their restaurant. Rooms were very comfortable and I had a lovely view of the ocean. I also enjoyed the pool, although I was a little disappointed that the water slide was closed. However several areas of the were being renovated. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed my stay and will come back here in the future. Thank you so much!

i was a bit worried when we got to cat ba island and was told i had to catch a boat to the resort, and when we got there was worried there was no way off. but once meet the staff and saw our beautiful bungalow, without a/c (did have fan ) i was hooked. it was the most tranquil place i've been too. the staff were there to help and ensure you stay as comfortable as possible. the have day trips you can go on around ha long bay and over to cat ba island or you can just kayak around the bay yourself. the only disapointment was the amount of rubbish floating around in the water.

The location was the best. It was right in front of the port, which was in the central area & touristic area. Room was big and breakfast buffet was also good, considered the room cost! I and my husband really liked having a pho every morning. Even though it was hard to communicate in English with staffs and bathroom was not super-clean, but there wasn't anything to complain. And this hotel has a pool as well! We will definitely stay here again if we visit Cat ba island next time. Strongly recommend!

This place is difficult to get to. All things in life worth doing are like that in my experience. Taxi. plane, hotel in haiphong, taxi, ferry, xe om, boat. That was our journey from hcm. But it really is paradise, in the morning we ordered our food for lunch and evening and the boat went to town and the fish farm. We went back to cat ba island for the morning and MOODY the manager escorted us and mad sure we got a scooter for hire at the correct pricr, not the tourist rip off price, We are getting married in october and going to bali. If the resort in bali is same as this we will both be very happy. The service and friendly people is amazing. We were there for 3 days and all the staff called us by our first names very intimate and homely

we stayed in a bungalow for three nights with amazing views over the ocean from our window. couldn't find a better place on cat ba island. breakfast was a great choice of local and western food buffet with fresh fruit and salad. bungalows are nice, clean and cozy. bathrooms super clean, also public ones. very good location, just five minutes by foot to central passing beautiful floating fish restaurants. !!!The best though was the food at the sister hotel “le pont“ in town. my highest recommendation to go for dinner. freshest and most delicious seafood we have tasted in a long time!

I don't recommend to visit Cat Ba island after Vietnamese's new year. My Hanoi's friend told me, after the new year end, the crime is increasing and the security is not safe after all. Especially for whom planning to have solo trip. The restaurant around the city seems close due to it is not the season when local people visiting. Everything tend to be expensive and not tasty at all.

We had a great stay here; the room was very tastefully decorated, very clean, and had a brilliant view of the lake. The receptionist was very helpful, and could arrange all sorts of transport and tours (though we didn't avail of this service). It's a max 10 minute walk from the main bustle of the town (centred on the Port), which we liked, as it made the location more quiet and serene. We stayed in a few different hotels in Cat Ba, the others being in the busier part of town, and this hotel was the nicest of them all, at about half the price. Breakfast was tasty, though the setup was a big rigid in my opinion; no buffet, rather guests choose one food item and one drink item from a menu of options; would be better if the drinks at least were freely available (on-tap, so to speak). But that small issue aside, this is a very nice hotel I can strongly recommend.

I stayed in a mixed dorm for two nights. Clean, comfortable beds, shower and toilet in dorm. The free breakfast was great! Fresh fruit, coffee, juice, and choice of pancakes (with chocolate, banana, or pineapple), pho, banh mi, cereal, toast and eggs, and probably other options I’m forgetting. The hotel is close to the main road, but far enough away to be quiet at night. Also very close to Cannon Fort (a great look out spot!). I will definitely stay here again if I’m ever in Cat Ba! :)

the fantasea exceeded our expectations. we spent two nights at the hotel while exploring cat ba island and were happy with our choice. the room was spacious and the bathroom was clean (although we're still confused why the shower train was outside the shower...interesting design). there is currently construction going on next door, which is unfortunate, because they start working pretty early in the morning. also, if your room is on one of the bottom floors your balcony will likely have a view of the wall of the building next door...not much the fantasea owners can do about it though, i suppose. i appreciated the effort the staff put into our stay - they served us cake when we arrived and brought fresh pineapple to our room the second night. they also arranged for us to rent motorbikes for the day to head up into the national park (highly recommended). the only blemish on their service record was the lengthy turnaround for a friend's laundry. our friend gave them a bag of laundry, which they promised to deliver the next morning by 9am. they did not. actually, it took them an additional 24 hours to get the laundry back to him right before we left. i guess the hotel doesn't have a dryer, so they hang dry guests laundry, which is obviously a problem when it rains on cat ba island. nevertheless, i'd still recommend the hotel.

We are very impressed with this hotel.It is a great service hotel. The room is large beautiful and very comfort.The owner is very nice guy! He is a hard working guy who always welcome his customers with best tries.We really recommend this hotel to everyone who come to visit Cat ba island. The location of the hotel is great, very near to the seafood market and the pier. It is very convenient. P.S. If you can't get the warm bath, just contact the reception to switch on

This review is about the tours operating from the hotel, not the hotel itself. Even if you stay at any other hotel, we strongly recommend the services of Tony and Geoffrey, a vietnamese/french team offering what you most probably will not get from traditional vietnamese operators (poor diversity, low flexibility) or the better known other office tourist information (more expensive). They will take you to off-the-beaten-track places, by boat in Halong/Lan Ha Bay or Cat Ba beautiful inland remote areas. We will not forget the sympathy and efficiency of that team, able to organise (and improvise) tailor-made tours if you ask them to, at very good value for money. It was the difference between people just trying to make money out of the tours and guys doing their best to make you really enjoy your stay at one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Viet Bungalows (also trading as Whisper of Nature/Whispering Nature) is an awesome gem tucked away in a remote part of Cat Ba Island. There are only a handfull of small bungalows, so it is a perfect place to relax and escape the crowds and noise! Staff are friendly, speak good english and are great at organising day trips, local guides and kayak hire. We ate at the open-air bar/restaurant most nights and enjoyed the 'fixed menu' which is a selection of share plates/local dishes with rice and soup that changed each night. We also ate at some of the local village places without hassle. Make the effort to hire a guide and head into the National Park, it is an amazing place filled with jungle and rocky outcrops... and wildlife, including one of the worlds rarest monkeys the Cat Ba Langur! Definately the place to stay on Cat Ba, don;t waste your time or money staying in Cat Ba Town... it is a horrible money sucking pit!

My husband and I used Gieng Ngoc Hotel as our base during our recent visit to Vietnam and were extremely happy with the location, staff, service, breakfast and lodging. All pf the staff were extremely helpful and very attentive to needs and details. The location is in the heart of the Cat Ba Island, so it's easy to walk everywhere. The rooms are extremely clean, and very comfortable. The breakfast, which is included jn our rate, was very good. Like other reviews, I would highly recommend booking your stay in Cat Ba here.

Our stay at Thao Minh New Star was just what we wanted. A decent hotel at a reasonable price. The staff are polite and friendly and very helpful. The room was modern and well maintained, with wi-fi and cable TV (including some English channels). There was always hot water and the rooms were made up daily, usually accompanied by a nice plate of complimentary fruit. The locations if great. Lovely view of the harbour from our room and as it's right on the front strip in Cat Ba town, easy walking access to restaurants, transports, tour booking etc... The restaurant wasn't very good, but there are so many other places nearby to choose from that it really wasn't a problem. I'd happily stay here again. This time I was travelling with a friend, but I would happily choose this hotel when coming to Cat Ba with my family and children.

The "deluxe" room I got was spacious, but that was just about it's only good attribute. The room was not well maintained. The room phone was not working and all lights except the bathroom light, entryway light, and bedside lamp not working or missing bulbs. The free wifi was only barely accessible from one corner of the room. The laundry service ruined a pair of pants by getting bleach on it. The free breakfast was pretty good, but I would probably stay elsewhere if going back to Cat Ba.

The hotel is nicly situated in the center of cat ba. Next to the harbour and many restaurants. We didnt get towels until we asked. They were quitw dirty and also some hair on the bed sheets. There was no blanket. The room and bathroom were quite small. Very bad water pressure! Breakfast looked okay, but very basic. The staff was very friendly but unfortunatly their English was quite bad. The Hotel is family run so sometimes the lights are off, they sleep/eat in the lobby. The aircon and the van worked well. As the price was very cheap I think I would recommend it amyways.

We had a perfect stay at Cat Ba Central Homestay. Our host made sure we were taken care of at all times. He also helped arrange a taxi to take us around all day, for a fair price. We had laundry done as well and it was finished quickly. His wife cooks breakfast every morning and made a huge, delicious Vietnamese dinner for all the guests one night. The room was clean and large, and the street was quiet for sleeping. We were within walking distance of everything we wanted to see in Cat Ba. I would recommend this accommodation to anyone visiting the island!

Good hostel. The staff are really friendly and helpful and have exceptional English. The hostel looks over the bay and is a short walk to some really good nearby restaurants. We booked the Eco Boat tour around Ha Long Bay through the hostel. It was really cheap the the tour was great - Definite must do! Rooms are big and clean, shared bathroom facilities are clean as well. Breakfasts are in the in the hotel next door and it is a good buffet. Would stay here again and would recommend if you are staying a couple of days on Cat Ba island.