The Sunrise resort is a beautiful resort. The beach is beautiful, the pool is beautiful and the small pathway leading along the coast to other resorts is a nice touch. Our room was very nice with a small balcony with a sea view. The bathroom was spacious and had a great shower. However... This is not a place to go to in January! It was freezing out there and we could not go swim in the sea or the swimming pool. The staff did not speak any english or french at all and the resort was empty. I suspect that the staff we had is not the same that they use during the high season. The western set menu (voucher included in our itinerary) that we had for lunch was very disapointing (but most western meals are in such hotels in Vietnam). For dinner, we tried some items from the Vietnamese menu and the food was very decent. The buffet breakfast was average at best. Also, the resort is a little way from the harbour where are most bars and restaurants. I would recommend this hotel but not in January.

Very nice hotel on Cat Ba just outside of town. The resort has one of the best beaches on the island and the rooms are very nice. Ours was a seaview (I think they may all be seaview) with a nice sized balconey and a great view out over the pool and ocean. The room was clean and nice sized and had all the standards (tv, mini-fridge, in-room safe, ...). We only spent 1 night here, so we didn't use the pool or the beach area. But our stay included lunch on arrival and it was excellent. It was a western style meal, but very good and much more than we expected. The breakfast buffet the next morning was also very good with many pastry, fruit, and hot-dish choices. The resort is also walking distance to town (downhill on the way to town and uphill on the way back), but the streetlights weren't on when we were there so you may need a flashlight to help guide you. Only a couple of (minor) negatives to note. The large bed was actually 2 twin beds pushed together, so there was a seam running down the middle of the bed. The other was the need to carry our bags up/down a set of stairs over the bluff separating the resort from the bay on the outside of town. Families or older couples with heavy baggage would have trouble with this as it would require one to stay with the bags while the other climbed over to the resort to ask for assistance from the staff.

We recently spent on night at the Sunrise Beach Resort on Cat Ba island. The setting in beautiful - lovely grounds, beautiful beach with a bar at the beach, large comfortable rooms, swimming pool, etc. I think all the rooms have beach views and balconies. We had dinner and breakfast there and the both were above average. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The biggest drawback is that to access the resort you must climb quite a few stairs up and down over a rock escarpment. The staff definitely will help you with your luggage but the stairs there (and to the rooms in the resort) could be a challenge for some travelers.

We decided on a last minute excursion to Halong Bay/Cat Ba without any hotel reservations- it was summer which is the quiet season there from what I was told. The Sunrise is a gem and truly the only resort on the Island. We paid 90.00 usd per room which is quite expensive for that area- the first place we stopped at was 12.00 usd a night. The pool area was very nice and kept exceptionally clean- we stayed more on the beach which is a smaller beach but very nice to chill out in and the beach bar would take care of drinks/snacks etc. The resort is in a little cove area with a "private" beach and amazing views of the bay * all beaches are public and at 4 pm every day the public would come in and the place got busy with local families - we woke up early each morning and walked along the cliffs which went to a couple other beaches down the line. The walkway is a little dated and some places it is just suspended over the surf and rocks below by supports drilled into the rock- we were never worried about safety since we were so amazed at the views it never entered our mind. The rooms at the Sunrise were beautiful and each had its own balcony looking out to the ocean- we ate at the restaurant 2 nights out of the 4 and the food was very fresh and good large selection for any picky eaters. This was by far the better place we stayed at - we extended for 2 extra days.