"A Place to relax" Cat Ba by cafank

I arrived at Cat Ba after touring Halong Bay and immediately fell in love with the place. Many of the HaLong Bay tourist boats use Cat Ba as the overnight stop if you are not staying on the water.

It's a quiet island but quickly being overrun with large hotels and tourist trimmings....so not the totally quiet place.

There are many bars, cafes, restaurants and the night life is great if that's what you want.

It is easy to walk around and there are plenty of beaches. I loves sitting in the sidewalk cafes and looking at the harbour. The National Park is lovely and you may see the civet cats and oriental giant squirrels if you are lucky.

Accomodation ranges from budget to luxury and homestays are pretty easy to find.

If you want to go into HaNoi there are plenty of ferries to take you back to the mainland and to bus connections.

The island is a national park of Vietnam and was recognized by UNESCO in December 2004 as a Biosphere reserve of the world.

• Pros:Quiet, relaxing, island getaway
• Cons:Development is taking away the peace and tranquility
• In a nutshell:I love Cat Ba and can't wait to visit again