Oh, the debauchery. Let me start off by stating that both of these tours are glorified binge drinking olympics on a private island. If that sounds like a nightmare to you, then steer clear of these two booze cruises. If you’re enticed, read on!
Both of these tours are offered by competing hostels in Hanoi, Vietnam. Vietnam Backpackers Hostel (a big chain throughout all of Vietnam) offers Castaways and Central Backpackers Hostel (a smaller chain) offers Hideaway. Both are pretty similar in activities and how they’re executed but there are still some significant differences. I personally had a better experience at Hideaway but I know people who are ride or die Castaways fans. In the end, it all comes down to the vibe of your group/staff….because as the saying goes, “it’s not where you are but who you’re with!” (cheeesy but true).
Hideaway
1 night/2 day= $95.
2 night/3 day = $143
On my first solo backpacking trip to SE Asia in 2018, I did Hideaway. I went in the very beginning of my trip so I had all that youthful new energy going for me. I knew nobody going beforehand but everyone was super talkative and friendly. I made a bus buddy and he introduced me to his group of friends. We drove for a few hours until we reached the port where we boarded a little boat that took us to Cat Ba Island. From there we got onto another bus that drove us across the island until we reached another port where we got on to our private boat. The boat was loaded with alch and loud speakers for a “peaceful” cruise through Ha Long Bay. As everyone is drinking and mingling, the scenery only gets more beautiful. Ha Long Bay is actually a UNESCO world heritage site and is one of the most visited destinations in Vietnam.
The boat takes you through gorgeous limestone rock formations and lush islets before stopping for lunch at a floating fishing village. After some mediocre fried rice, the boat dropped anchor and everyone jumped off the roof deck into the water. We had about an hour of swimming and drinking until we all boarded the boat again and arrived at Hideaway’s Island.
The accommodations were actually pretty decent and right on the beach. There are a bunch of different bungalows with bunk beds and a communal bathroom. My bungalow even had a giant stone shower…I was impressed. We then spent the late afternoon playing beach volleyball or swimming before a BBQ dinner was prepared buffet style. The structure and design of the dining area was made entirely out of bamboo and it was architecturally very pleasing to look at.
Once it was nighttime the real drinking began. Lots of beer pong, sweaty dancing, and getting on tables. Of course, a late night dip with bioluminescent plankton accompanied the night. The next morning, the whole group was collectively hungover as we tried to eat some breakfast.
We had the option to kayak around Ha Long Bay or just chill on the beach. I opted to kayak to see some of the beauty up close, and was not disappointed. Later in the afternoon the boat came to pick us up and take us back to Hanoi. If you wanted to extend your trip and make it 2 nights versus 1, you had the option to do so. I almost took this deal but I had a friend I was meeting back on the mainland so I couldn’t. Those staying the extra day had the opportunity to do some jungle trekking and mountain biking (which I heard was extremely difficult in the heat).
Overall, I thought Hideaway was the bees knees. The staff were all really friendly and welcoming, the accommodations were clean/right on the water, and the food was pretty decent. The people that were on my tour were all super vibey and everyone got along so it made for great energy the whole time.
Castaways
2 night/3 day = $200
I did Castaways on my most recent backpacking trip in 2020. It was towards the middle of my trip so I was a bit pooped out on the constant drinking. But my best friend Erin came to visit me and she had never been to Ha Long Bay so I wanted to show her a good time! Since I had already done Hideaways, I wanted to switch it up so I didn’t do the exact same thing again. We stayed at Vietnam Backpackers Hostel for a night and left for Castaways in the morning.
Due to the time of year/ random day we decided to go, there weren’t a lot of people signed up. All the pictures you see of Castaways on their Instagram show a huge turnout, but for our trip we had a group of 7. Yeesh. After the bus ride to the port, we boarded the boat to sail along Ha Long Bay’s unique scenery…it was just as beautiful as I remember.
But this time the booze cruise was way too forced. The hostel staff were really pushy and trying too hard to make a party happen. Perhaps it’s due to my issue with authority or my ego complex, but when someone tells me to do something…all I wanna do is the opposite. The staff had all these rules that forced you to drink if you broke them. One example being that you can only drink with your left hand. When someone drinks with their right, you have to shout BUFFALO! and they have to chug their whole drink (even if it’s a full liter of water). If they don’t, you have to do ten pushups. Another rule was you’re not allowed to say the word ten. You have to spell it out instead: T-E-N. If you say it, you gotta chug your entire drink.
I played along in the beginning but after a while it got old. I’m plenty capable of getting myself drunk, thank you very much. I’m all for drinking games but it was just so obvious they created these rules as a sales tactic to get you to chug your drink and buy a new one as quickly as possible. They also give you bracelets that you can electronically load all your money into, so it’s that much easier to buy buy buy.
Once we got to the Castaways private island, we met the other group who had been on the island since the day before. FYI how Castaways works is each group gets the island to themselves for one night, and then a new group comes the next day and everyone is together. After group 1 leaves the following day, group 2 gets the island to themselves. Did that make sense? I tried to make the explanation less wordy but got lazy. Oh well.
Once we met everyone, we settled into our bungalows which were half inside half outside double-decker structures. The half outside concept was really pretty to wake up to but it also meant mosquitos biting you all night long. Nooo thank you. It also means a drunk Scottish man pissing on the floor directly next to your bed because he was so wasted he thought he was outside. Yup, that happened to me. He was “very sorry” the next morning.
The activities offered were rock climbing, tubing, and kayaking. We did all three and I’d say it was the best part of the whole experience. They had a rock climbing instructor who was really encouraging when everyone got stuck half way up. Honestly it was a pretty hard climb and I felt very accomplished when I rang the bell at the top!
After, we went tubing off the back of a boat and the driver yanked us all around trying to get us to fall off. Tubing always makes you feel like a little kid again as you cackle laugh the whole time trying to hang on. We also kayaked to another little island that had an abandoned resort on it. We explored a bit and then made our way back to our island for sunset.
After the activities came…MORE DRINKING! I know, who saw that one coming. The first night the “party” was so forced it was cringe city. The staff was constantly making you drink and whenever you walked away they legit interrogated you asking where you were going. I once left to pee and they stopped me in my tracks to ensure I was coming back. Like jesus christ, relax people.
The next day we took a booze cruise around the bay, played drinking games, and went swimming. When we got back we had another party night with just our small group which ended up being a lot chiller than the staff would have wanted. They kept trying to convince us to ring the bell (which meant buying a drink for every person there)… more groundbreaking sales strategies. The next day we left and returned to Hanoi.
So clearly based on my experience at Castaways, I much preferred Hideaway. I do think my time at Castaways was skewed due to our small group size. If there were more people, then less of the drinking pressure would have been on me/Erin and we would have had a better time. All of the activities were great though and the island was beautiful… we just didn’t have the group size to create the party they advertise. Whereas Hideaway has such a good impression in my memory because the group size was huge so the energy was natural. I also preferred the accommodations, food options, and cheaper price at Hideaways.
So if you are trying to decide which tour to choose, check the group size before booking! I’m sure you will have an amazing time no matter what. Also if you don’t want to drink your way through Ha Long Bay, there are other chiller options too. You can stay at a hostel on Cat Ba island and take a normal boat tour around Ha Long Bay (which is the cheapest option).
TIPS
-There are no ATMs on the islands so make sure you bring enough cash. I underestimated how much I would spend on drinks so I had to borrow money from a very trusting Canadian.
-Although you’re not supposed to, sneak in your own alcohol you pre-purchased from Hanoi if you want to save money. The drink prices ain’t cheap.
–Most people leave their bigger backpacks in storage at the hostels and just pack an overnight bag.
–Bring sunscreen, Advil, or anything else you think you will need! There are no stores since it’s a tiny island so make sure everything you want is with you.
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