"Pros: We had an amazing experience at the floating farm stay. We met many people who had negative cat ba experiences due to the mega resort construction, so we feel SO lucky to have found this floating farm stay. We loved the service, the meals, and especially the blue plankton night kayak trip! Cons: We loved everything, but make sure you have the appropriate expectations going into any home stay - shared washrooms and showers, small rooms, limited air flow, most space shared with other guests." ~Andrea

"Pros: I normally don't recommend package tours, but I fully recommend booking Daiichi for this experience! There are dozens of options that all look very similar (and many are a little cheaper); however, Daiichi is an outstanding operation and it's just the right size to enjoy the tour. With approximately 6 couples on board, it's intimate without being too small and the small-ish group size allows for a very efficient operation (boarding, activities, meals, etc.). Our lead guide (Sun) was amazing and ensured everyone was taken care of and knew exactly what to expect; he lead us in kayaking, cycling, summer roll food prep, squid fishing, tai-chi, etc. All meals (from the arrival lunch through the departure lunch) were excellent; plenty of food and they accommodate requests (vegetarian for one guest; no fish for me) and the onboard bar is well stocked. Our room had a full balcony (sliding glass doors for access, with a full window out the other side of the room so you could see both ways. Finally, after booking through Booking.com, we were able to arrange round-trip transportation (through the same tour company as the boat) from our hotel in Hanoi and back at a very reasonable price. Expect a pick-up by mini-bus between 0700 and 0800 with a transfer to a tour bus at their main office before heading to Cat Ba. Along the way you'll disembark the bus for a quick boat ride to the Cat Ba island and then another 30 minutes tour bus. The return is similar (with our arrival back at the main office around 1530); most important, they were great about communicating with us after booking (through WhatsApp) to include the day before and day of pick-up." ~Rm-r

"Pros: This place is quite simply flawless. The staff are amazing and the facilities are great. But the location is the most amazing thing about this stay. You can book tours through them, but we found it equally amazing to just sit at the home stay and soak up the views. Well worth the price." ~Eleanor