Cat Ba sunrise resort

+ A thoroughly relaxing stay !

We selected this hotel because of the consistently good reviews on Tripadvisor and we were not disappointed. We had booked for four nights but were so impressed that we immediately extended our booking by an additional night.

We had a room on the 2nd floor with a balcony overlooking the pool and with a good view out to sea. The room was well-equiped and spotlessly clean. The only minor gripe was that the shower valve was not quite working properly, but not to an extent that it was worth complaning about. The mattresses are quite firm, good if you have a bad back, but possibly uncomfortable if you are used to a soft bed.

The hotel's resturant offers a good choice of Vietnamese, asian and european dishes (including pizzas) and although expensive by Vietnamese standards is still considerably cheaper than equivalent European resturants. The breakfast is very good with a range of hot and cold dishes, cereals, eggs, toast, breads, cakes and fresh fruit.

The hotel's pool is in good condition and big and deep enough to swim (although we generaly had the advantage of being the only occupants); there are also two jacuzzis. You can also swim in the sea from the beach.

We took two of the tours offered by the hotel, a half-day trek in Cat Ba National Park and a full day on a boat exploring Lan Ha and Ha Long Bays. We were the only people on each tour (I think that October is a very quite time of year as the resort as a whole was not busy); each was led by a different local guide who spoke some English, although not particularly well. We enjoyed both tours and considered them good value.

The free wireless intenet, which is available over most of the resort was very useful, but two computer terminals are also provided in the lobby, if you do not have your own computer and/or smart phone.

The hotel staff were very friendly and helpful. They picked us up from the centre of Cat Ba and took as back at the end of our stay. They went to some length to ensure that our onward journey (by bus to Ninh Binh) was correctly booked and told us to call them if we ran into difficulties (fortunately not needed).

If you were just interested in relaxing, there would be no need to leave the hotel at all, it has everything you need.

+ Sunrise Resort feels like a private hide-away !

We stayed at Sunrise Resort as part of our Phoenix Cruiser Cat Ba tour. One night at Sunrise was included in the tour, but we added an additional night. (2 nights in Sunrise) I think this is a good option if you have time and you intend to explore the island or be lazy by the beach. If taking just one night, you end up having less than 24hrs at Sunrise.

Sunrise is located on its own private beach....this feature alone makes the resort quite special. In addition the resort is in excellent shape (well maintained).

Our room had a great view of the bay, beach and pool area. (it looks like all the rooms have a view). The room was spacious with a nice balcony.
Features:
- Safe
- Kettle with tea and coffee
- King size bed
- Free fruit
- Mini bar
The room seemed sound proof and was very clean
Water temperature and pressure were excellent
AirCon worked well
TV had quite a few english channels (movies too), however we didn't watch it

The beach area has a bar and plenty of lounge chairs.
We saw staff constantly keeping the beach clean.

The lobby has a couple of free computer terminals.
Breakfast was extensive, with quite a few healthy options.

The pool is a good size and very clean.

Our experiences with staff were mixed. Some did not seem too engaged or pro-active. Perhaps this could be due to lack of training or language/communication issues.
For example, at the restaurant bar, we spotted an expensive coffee machine and asked for a cappucino, however, the person serving told us he didn't know how to operate it. At the beach bar, the bartender could have been more friendly.

Not withstanding the few negatives on staff, we really enjoyed this resort. We especially liked relaxing and reading on the beach chairs and going for walks on the windy path that goes from the resort.

What we liked:
- Resort ambience
- Exlusive feel (private beach)
- Our room

To improve
- Staff engagement

+ Spectacularly good - this should be your Cat Ba Island hotel !

Spent last night at Sunrise Resort at Haiphong as part of Phoenix Cruiser on Ha Long Bay. Wonderful hotel, beautiful setting, lovely resort, everything very well maintained. Rooms spacious, comfortable and spotlessly clean. Service was exemplary. We dined in the restaurant at the hotel and was overwhelmed by the amount (and quality) of the food. We plan to come back to this hotel (although Cat Ba Island is quite a trip to get to) and stay for a week. Highly recommended.