Ruth L.
November 2019
“A few years ago, my husband said to me, “I want to go to the Amazon and go on this boat.” Thus, began our cruising adventures with Aqua Expeditions. The Amazon was extraordinary with guides who understood the culture, the fauna and the wildlife. The following year, we travelled to Vietnam and took the Aqua Mekong, it was equally luxurious, and the guides were brilliant. We returned this past year to the Aqua Mekong with 20 of our closest friends to celebrate my husband’s 60th birthday. In September, we are off to Indonesia for a 19-day cruise on Aqua Blu. Aqua Expeditions is the only cruise line I trust enough to have no doubt that their sanitary guidelines will ensure a safe voyage. The staff are extraordinary, warm and knowledgeable, from the kitchen to the skiff. Thank you for everything.”
Estrin H. family
December 2019
“We loved the Aqua Mekong for the people and experiences. Staff was insanely good, boat is lovely, food is great. The highlight was the exceptional guides and activities.”
Murray, Lisa, Missy, Ariel
January 2020
“Jhuliana, Nakey & Crew! One word sums up your beautiful amazing boat and your incredible service = wow!! You guys have made this week one of the best weeks of travel EVER! You are all so kind and thoughtful and absolutely nothing is too much trouble. Life is all about people and your people are the best!! We will never forget this week – it is etched in our memories forever! Thank you, thank you!!!!!”
Bella R.
January 2020
“This has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and an adventure I will never forget. Thank you for everything.”
Olly
December 2019
“You won’t find kinder people anywhere in the world than on this boat. All the crew are too amazing for words. Thank you so much for making this trip so incredible.”
Levine/ Halperins
December 2019
“It’s all about the people. Thank you to the incredible crew who cared for us like their own family.”
Ariella G.
December 2019
“Such an unforgettable atmosphere with the friendliest crew members. Thank you so so much for an experience I could never ever forget. I wish all the Mekong crew members the best and hopefully I will find a chance to see them again!”
Jordana G.
December 2019
“Thank you to the Aqua Mekong crew for the trip of a lifetime! Form Nakey and Jhuliana’s warm presence, to Phegrak knowing my favourite treats, I truly felt like a princess. I will never forger this trip. THANK YOU.”
Joanne S.
December 2019
“Nakey, Jhuliana and the most amazing crew. Thank you for an experience which I will hold close to my eart forever and ever. The past week you have gone above and beyond. Sharing such a special occasion with lifelong friends is priceless – with you all by our side, it makes the journey complete. Love you lots and I hope our paths cross again soon.”
Elliot and Eliza W.
December 2019
“Thank you for a lovely adventure and for spoiling us. What a wonderful memory.”
Mikey and Ilene
November 2019
“Truly love the whole culture and experience you create; it is truly special. Individual, personal, fun and the finest quality. Thank you!”
Ruth and Brent
November 2019
“You know how much we love you. The Aqua people are our adopted family. Xxx”
Lalor family
October 2019
“Great big thanks from the ‘7 Australians.’ We have had an unforgettable adventure with Aqua Mekong. Special thanks for your care and ever smiling attention. Especially from Dick and Robyn. An experience we will remember forever. Thank you for looking after me so well – everything has been amazing!”
Aharoni family
September 2019
“We had a memorable stay in this wonderful place, beyond all our expectations! The crew and guides were amazing. Of course, the service was impeccable and the food outstanding! So attentive, so professional, so kind the guides, so knowledgeable and interesting. Thank you Jhuliana! Will never forget you!”
Rachel and Carol
August 2019
“Food, comfort, safety and service could not have been better. Thank you.”
Lizzie P.
May 2017
“Fantastic! From the time we stepped onboard the Aria Amazon until disembarkation, we were looked after excellently in all areas of the cruise. Guides and crew made the cruise A1 and we will recommend to all our friends.”
Pat I.
May 2017
“I have never traveled with some wonderful, well-traveled people and staff and was completely impressed by the overall experience.”
Debbie D.
Dec 2017
“I wanted to write you directly to let you know that we thoroughly enjoyed our cruise on the Aqua Mekong 7 day cruise starting Nov 10. I have not been on a cruise since I was 16 and that was 50 years ago. I have never been interested in cruising, but my friend, Jon Staub cruises all over the world. So when I proposed your ship he said great, let’s do it. At the end of the 7 days aboard your perfectly designed ship I asked if he liked the trip. His response was…..it was the best cruise he had ever been on!!! Now that made me very happy because my husband and I thought the trip was “perfect” in every way.
We love the design of your ship. Our room #205 was beyond my expectations. It is roomy, with enough space around the bed to maneuver without bumping into each other. You have plenty of space, not too much, in fact, just the right amount….and I really like having both shelves and drawers to work with. Shelves are my personal favorite, so I can easily see what I want to wear. There was ample hanging space in the closet. The bed was very comfortable, lighting was sufficient, corner chair a must, we used it all the time. And the bathroom was wonderful, nice big shower, plenty of pressure……my only constructive criticism would be the make up mirror should be at a 5 foot height so it would be much easier to use, rather than bending over every evening to put on some make up. Otherwise all in the suite was perfection.
The common areas are beautifully designed and welcome conversation amongst the passengers. On our boarding at Phenom Penh, I just kept saying…WOW….this ship is beautiful.
All of the above would be just okay if the crew wasn’t pleasant. But thats not the case on this ship. Everyone on board, Cambodians and Vietnamese were so friendly I just can’t say enough about your crew and the manager of the ship. The manager, Julie, took care of all our needs and we think made the ship run like a clock. The guides were full of knowledge and wanted to teach us about their country, we love that. We organized dinner parties and changed who we ate with and the crew in the dining were very accommodating letting us set up a table for 10 one night. The spa ladies were experts at massage and we love that. The bartender also made me a special drink that I like, every night. The crew got to know us and we felt that we were taken care of, and we love that. Our room was immaculate with fresh towels and I love that.
I don’t know what else to say but that you have designed and built and crewed a wonderful ship and made our vacation full of great memories.”
Glenice S.
October 2017
“We all had an amazing trip. Can’t find anything that we didn’t like. Far better than Myanmar!!
Guess the Aqua Mekong was the highlight.
We were lucky to have so few passengers aboard which made it very special for us. We also had the Asian manager for Aqua on board for the first half of the trip, along with the interior decorator, the builder, and 3 travel agents. And David Thompson!! All were interesting and friendly. What a treat.
As we were always on our own we had our own skiff and guide for excursions. The excursions were varied and interesting and there were lots for the kids to participate in. The bike rides and canoes were in great demand!! I can’t fault the staff, food (yum) and amazing service on board. Catherine and Winks loved the “magic basket” in our cabins where the dirty clothes disappeared every day and returned clean!!!
The chef was very accommodating and arranged early meals for the children, often changing the menu for them. Cambodia was our favorite country. Particularly when we crossed the border and the passing countryside became rural.
The weather was kind most of the way. Especially on the boat. In Siem Reap (another lovely guide) we experienced what a tropical downpour really was!! The Vesper excursion we did at night to various restaurants was a very wet adventure as was the night we went to the circus!! Also driving through flooded roads and roadside on our way to the airport on Tuesday.
We also were able to curtail some of our daily tours. Like reducing the number of visits to eg temples so we could all spend the afternoons by the pool at the Raffles. We were templed out by this time. Our guide named a new temple “Raffles Temple” for the tour itinerary!!
But the consensus of the family was it was the best time to go. The big pluses were they we were able to sail up the lake to SiemReap and the relatively small number of tourists.
Also the size of the boat. That is a huge advantage. We passed the new Scenic boat while in Vietnam. We looked like a minnow against it. But not our choice of boat. Too big and too white!!
I’m putting the Amazon on my bucket list on the sister boat to do!!”
Lizzie P.
May 2017
“Cambodia was fantastic and I had such an amazing time on the Aqua trip, Thank you SO much for your help. The best thing by far about the Aqua Mekong cruise was the staff on the boat (and the guides who took us on excursions off it). They were so attentive, friendly and welcoming, it really made the whole experience amazing. The food was absolutely INCREDIBLE too. Seriously, some of the best I’ve ever had. I literally looked forward to breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. The boat itself was really nice, too. It’s amazing that the suites were so luxurious and my favorite thing to do was open the window, lie on my day-bed and watch the Mekong go by. I loved it. I would absolutely recommend Aqua expeditions to anyone looking to explore Cambodia in a different way. The cycling excursions (a personal favorite) were a fantastic way to immerse yourself in authentic Cambodian surrounding and I enjoyed every minute of it.”
Deborah T.
January 2017
“Absolutely AMAZING in every way. We joined the Aqua Mekong for a three-night cruise from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to My Tho, Vietnam not far from Ho Chi Minh City.
The voyage was perfect in every way. Exceptional service, the most amazing meals, beautiful 5* cabin suite, great excursions and guides, incredibly personable staff, real sweet housekeeping staff, fun onboard activities, a wonderful massage and did I say … exceptional service!
This was our second cruise with Aqua Expeditions so we enjoyed their Loyalty Program benefits of room upgrade and a nice surprise of complimentary massages. We sailed previously on their Peruvian Amazon cruise. We were so impressed we had to try another.
The beauty of Aqua Expeditions for us is the intimate size of their ships. The Aqua Mekong accommodates a maximum of 40 guests in 20 luxury suites. On our sail, there were only 10 of us onboard so the staff to guest ratio was off the charts.
When we arrived at the dock in Phnom Penh the crew were there ready to whisk us away to the ship. Our cruise director welcomed us as we relaxed in the lounge with a drink and a snack and she explained the details of our cruise. She introduced us to a few of the most important people on the ship… the bartenders. From that point onwards we were personally addressed by our first names with a warm welcome every time we stepped into the lounge. Great cocktails and munchies
We spent almost four weeks in Southeast Asia at 5* hotels and this was the first room where we had two sinks. Nice! Great sized bathroom, wonderful shower, very comfortable suite, and bed and great views through the floor to ceiling windows. Plenty of space for all our stuff too!
The Chefs and wait staff at meals were awesome. They acknowledged our preferences at every meal such as pointing out to me that there were no onions in my dish. Once introduced to all staff we were addressed by our first name every time we saw them. The Chefs’ cooking demonstration was great. The meals onboard were the best food we had on our entire Southeast Asia trip. I brought many of the recipes home with me. I still dream about the Malaysian Laksa. It was so good!!
Excursions were great fun. We were greeted by the Captain and crew on every excursion and given refreshing scented towels and a cold drink upon our return. Plus we kicked off our shoes and they cleaned them up and left them outside our suite. The Apsara dancers/entertainment onboard was nice. The excursion to visit a local’s home was a delightful and interesting experience. It was a nice surprise to see that the crew had caught up with us to serve us champagne cocktails.
We highly recommend booking a cruise with Aqua Expeditions on the Mekong and in the Amazon!!”
Simone B.
November 2016
“After over 160 trips in the last 8 years, and 2 with Aqua, we rate the Aqua Mekong number one for the hotel and dining experience. I use the word hotel interchangeably for cruises and hotels, and Aqua beats them all, land and sea.”
Robert I.
September 2016
“Traveling with the Founder Francesco made it rather special, too. He and his Aqua background are fascinating. All in all, the ship, the food, the passengers, Francesco, along with the guides, the skiffs, the bikes, and the activities made it a great experience.”
Frederike O.
December 2015
The service on board was impeccable. The crew were smiling, attentive and made sure we were awarded only the highest standard of hospitality.
Justin and Shuyi L.
December 2015
“What an amazing experience, mere words cannot describe how perfect this Mekong experience is and how seamless you make it for us. The service level is off the chars, the ship is magnificent and the added space is so impressive, the food, the shore excursions so very interesting and varied. It is a wow factor beyond words. I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for giving me the opportunity to experience this slice of heaven. I had the best birthday ever! I met Kim and Anthony, they were lovely but I have to say your crew on that ship are outstanding each one perfection. I loved talking to all of them as they all have such amazing stories and backgrounds. My journey with you will be in my heart and soul forever, a true feast for the eyes wherever you look.”
Jack S. E.
May 2015
“Thank you so much for the most wonderful experience this past week on the Aqua Mekong. I must say that while I had high expectations I never expected it to exceed them so much. The ship is a beautiful floating resort and an ideal place to explore places few people see, places less touched by modernity and places with beautiful topography, all from the comfort of the luxurious accommodations and living quarters on board. But as nice as the ship is, it is you, the team onboard that truly creates the experience. The warm smiles, the personalized touch and the simple yet refined dedication to service make the Aqua feel more like a private yacht than an exploration riverboat. The intimacy of the hardware is only embellished by the heart and soul-infused in your team which I find remarkable to do in such a short time since launch. From the wait staff to the bartenders, to the amazing tour guides, the housekeepers, and the cruise directors, everyone knew us by name after one day, knew our preferences, and always managed to make anything we wanted to happen – any time of day.
I was quite impressed with the variation of activities you offered, as I was afraid each day would seem redundant. But what most surprised me was how much I just enjoyed watching the world go by onboard – and actually feeling amazing staying on board and chilling out rather than rushing to do something every minute. The lectures and selection of movie (sans the tiger one!) really helped bring the destination to life, and I was especially attuned by the philanthropic concepts you introduced on board.
You truly have something special and truly opened my eyes to what Aqua is really all about.
Thank you so much for your hospitality and for making me feel so special!”
Nancy Novogrod, Editor in Chief, Travel + Leisure
October 2014
“The Aqua Mekong is the ultimate in the commingling of modern 5-star luxury and soft adventure. In fact, Aqua Expeditions riverboat cruising, whether on the Amazon or the Mekong, may just be as game-changing in its world as Adrian Zecha’s Amanresorts was when it launched with Amanpuri in 1988.”
