The Woodstock Beach Camp is a cool backpacker hostel on Cat Ba Island, in Vietnam. Cat Bat Island? It is the biggest island on Cat Ba Archipelago, right next to the world famous Ha Long Bay. One of the most iconic Vietnamese landscapes, known for its emerald waters and thousand limestone islands.

The infobox on Woodstock Beach Camp

We introduce you to Woodstock Beach Camp, its location, and share our first-hand experience with you. We share sweet tips and tricks on how to enjoy Ha Long Bay.

No doubt, it is an absolute must-visit in Vietnam.

We have reviewed them for you, so you can find the #1 hostel in the destination of your choice and skip the time-consuming research.

You can also find all 5 Star Hostels worldwide with us.

Have a look on all the outstanding hostels around Vietnam:

• full guide to best hostels in Hanoi with NEXY Hostel
• CCasa Hostel in Nha Trang, an open-space concept hostel with shipping containers
• The Memory – Danang – guide to best hostels in Da Nang
• The Common Room Project in Ho Chi Minh City
• Where to stay in Tam Coc? Make it Tam Coc Bungalow
• Phu Quoc: 9 Station Hostel

Find all the best hostels in Vietnam here – all put on a map + itinerary!

So, let’s see what makes Woodstock Beach Camp so good.

Read: 24 Best Things to do in Vietnam

Woodstock Beach Camp in a review …

We started our Vietnamese adventure in Hanoi.

Here we chose NEXY Hostel, the 5 Star Hostel in Hanoi, as our home base. When in Hanoi, you obviously have to visit Ha Long Bay.

That’s a no-brainer.

We posted this story of our first night in Hanoi.

We met students talking to foreigners to improve their English.

It was just after that story when we got the invite to stop by Woodstock Hostel.

„Woodstock hostel? That’s a famous one!“, said a fellow traveler.

Where to get the Ferry to Woodstock Beach Camp

We took our two motorbikes and went over to Haiphong. From there you can take a direct ferry to Cat Ba Island.

We paid 150k Vietnamese Dong (VND) per person and another 150k VND per bike.

It felt quite expensive, as when we came back, we took the ferry to Ha Long City instead of Haiphong. However, the ferry we took brought us directly to the pier in Cat Ba Island.

The ferry from Ha Long City to Cat Ba island was only 70k VND (Photo for reference)

There is another possibility to go to Cat Ba Island from Haiphong with a cheaper (and slower ferry), you have all the ferry schedules on Cat Ba Vietnam website.

Once in Cat Ba Pier, we got our bikes back and went on the way to Woodstock. That brings us to its location.

The hostel is located on a private beach, around 8km from Cat Ba city.

Facilities: Bar, restaurant, beach-tents

Once you arrive at Woodstock Beach Camp, there is no reason to leave.

You have an in-house restaurant, serving western and Vietnamese food.

There is also a bar which opens in the evening, selling drinks for a reasonable price. It is just across the street from the hostel.

This way you can either sleep or have a drink with the fellow travelers.

Volunteers and travelers have built different facilities around the bar, like the beach swing aka hammock.

Where to stay in Woodstock Beach Camp

The Woodstock offers different sleeping facilities, covering different budgets and types of traveler:

• Triple Room
• Quadruple Room
• Bunk Bed Dorm
• Hammocks (the cheapest option)
• Beach Tent (directly on the beach)

Here is our overview of all different room types at hostels.

You can check their availability directly with Hostelworld.

Read: How to book hostels with Hostelworld – a step-by-step guide

Events and atmosphere

This is what will make you stay longer!

Woodstock is well-known for its laid-back ambiance.

You can join yoga classes at the beach, play some volleyball, have a drink at the bar at night, join the daily family dinner or the day tour to Ha Long Bay.

Our experience: We loved the family dinner and meet really nice people.

We joined the private day tour from Woodstock Hostel. We were 6 people in total, enjoying the big cruise to ourselves.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ__Y0ghRUZ/?taken-by=woodstockbeachcamp

Have a look at our photo story from Ha Long Bay Photo Gallery.

The Woodstock is a real backpacker place, a mix of laid-back during the day and party-mingle vibe at night.

Here you can find the 7 different types of hostels.

The Verdict?

Woodstock beach Camp is a great hostel.

We absolutely loved our time here.

It is the perfect choice if you are looking for a tranquil location with backpackers to meet.

We thoroughly recommend their private tour to Ha Long Bay.

You can join the tour even if you are not staying at the hostel. Just call them to ask for their tour and current prices. Our day trip to the Ha Long Bay included also kayaking and lunch.

It was $20 per person (last update: April 2017).

Due to their location, we recommend renting a motorbike.

For many fellow travelers, riding a scooter turns to be the top on the ice during their Vietnam trip!

You can rent a motorbike directly with Woodstock or at the pier once you arrive.

Unfortunately, Uber is not working on Cat Ba, but for the rest of Vietnam, it is very helpful!

If you are traveling in Vietnam, make sure you download Uber application.

Cat Ba vs. Ha Long Bay

Last but not least, here our tips for visiting Ha Long Bay.

The bay of Ha Long City is the famous one, it is recognized by the UNESCO.

However, and this is important to consider, the Bay around Cat Ba island, named Lan Ha Bay, looks exactly the same.

It is also dotted with gorgeous limestone landscape.

The difference is, basically, the recognition (and tourist volume).

Cat Ba island has the famous floating village nearby.

Another major difference: In Ha Long Bay you will experience many more tourists boats than in Cat Ba.

Therefore, we recommend you stay on Cat Ba Island for at least one night and join a day tour from here. It is less crowded, cheaper and you’ll have a much richer experience.

Also, you will be able to enjoy stunning sunsets like this one.

What else we cover on Vietnam

We wrote up more articles during our 3 months trip in Vietnam.

On our journey from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, we have experienced so many wonderful things.

Our travel tips Vietnam here:

• travel tips and 26 Best Things to do in Vietnam
• 24 BEST Things to do in Ho Chi Minh City/ Saigon (including understanding the cities history and name)
• a list of 41 cool things to do in Hanoi
• a guide to Sa Pa Vietnam – how to get there and have a great time with the locals villagers
• last but not least, a guide how to find coffee shops in Da Nang

Your Smart Packing List

It is time to see what you should pack in your backpack or suitcase. Make sure you always pick a quality hostel, it totally reduces the things you need to pack. Here is our ultimate hostel packing list. It features 23 items you should really throw in your backpack.

The most important things to pack are:

• earplugs
• eye mask
• key chain flashlight
• the right backpack, we travel with Lowe Alpine Lightflite 45 Pack
• packing cubes
• generic padlock (fitting all locker types)
• quick-dry travel towel
• universal power adapter
• travel-sized toiletries

Read the full packing list here.