Reviews

Staying on the Gandolf was great fun and the bike riding through the flat countryside and quaint villages was a real joy. Though the cabin was small, the mattress was comfortable and there were places to store your things. It was nice to have my own small bathroom. Showers were a bit tricky as the water fell back towards the wall and fixtures than on me. The food was plentiful and delicious, and dinners were all varied. Hans and Saskia did a great job getting us where we needed to be and were friendly and helpful. The bikes were in great condition. Our group used both ebikes and regular bikes, all of which worked well. Joan was a great guide with plenty of information and lots of experience biking in The Netherlands. He made sure the bikes were fixed to our liking. He confidently and calmly led the way and, almost every evening, offered a walking tour around the towns where we stayed. He found out what the group was interested in and made sure to include things related to these interests as we peddled our way across the country. We lucked out with the weather with clear, sunny days. Remember to stop for water in the afternoons and stay hydrated if you run in to this kind of weather.

The “Green Heart of Holland” itinerary gave us a nice introduction to northwestern Netherlands, full of interesting sites and gorgeous landscapes. Our Dutch guide, Patrick, was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and patient with our large group of Germans, Americans, and Canadians. He had to be flexible and creative due to weather and other changing conditions. The crew was friendly and helpful, and Hans’s dinners were wonderful. The boat is basically furnished and cozy; it all made for a wonderful trip.

Fred was a fabulous Tour Guide. He took us to so many great places and he made sure it was easy for everyone to follow him. On his own time, he also took us on guided walks in the evening which was so much fun. Great staff on board the Gandalf. Very attentive and great food. Overall Amazing tour. Sights and towns were absolutely gorgeous. Hit some rain but it didn’t damper our tour. It was so nice to get to know the other riders from various countries. Very friendly group of travelers.

Captain Hans, Skipper Saskia, Chef Adam and assistant Alexandra were wonderful. Our Guide Fred was superb taking us through quaint villages, along dikes, dunes, beaches and fields. Texel Island was a favourite. The meals were exceptional.

We were greeted with a very warm welcome by the crew when we first boarded. The whole crew on the Gandalf were very professional, helpful, polite, and friendly. The kitchen staff bent over backwards to cook to our special needs. We so much appreciate their willingness to do this. We had a very good experience on this trip and enjoyed all of the biking, coffee stops, and city tours. One suggestion I have is to perhaps include more special stops like at a cheese factory, or an artist’s display, or a farm. I would have enjoyed more stops like this than lots of coffee house stops. Yes, there was the Delft pottery, which was great. It would have been special to have seen an actual cheese factory in Gouda. Another suggestion is to make sure all of the porthole windows have screens or meshes covering them. This is my only complaint. In the middle of the week when it was warmer than usual, we had both the bathroom window and the bedroom windows open. There were 2 nights in a row where I woke up in the middle of the night violently scratching myself. I had about 50 bites on my legs, ankles, feet, arms, and shoulders. At first I wondered if there were bed bugs as I did not see any mosquitoes. I pulled the sheets back and did not see any bed bugs. I had to conclude that it had to be mosquitoes and we did start seeing them after that. I was very miserable with all of those bites. I did talk to the captain about this and he said that they had removed the screens/mesh to pass something through the porthole windows and had not replaced the screens. I strongly urge the captain to cover the porthole windows back up with screens for the next vulnerable occupants.

This was our first boat and bike trip ever. It was a great experience and we will likely gather a few others and do another. The guide was excellent, the food was very good, the skipper and crew were great. Everything went as planned and we not only enjoyed the riding through The Neterlands, we learned alot. The other riders were friendly and engaging. Our only hiccup was finding the boat in Maastricht. If you are looking for a luxury cruiser, the Gandolf is not that. If you prefer a small group with a wonderful crew, good food and a boat with character, this is your boat.

The boat bike tour on the Gandalf was excellent! Our guide, Mihael and the rest of the crew were super professional while at the same time made us feel so at home. Our group was truly a community as the tour continued. The food was amazing, you just have to trust me! It’s very comfortable on the boat and the staff does everything to make you feel welcome. There were many side trips and excursions in the little towns that we really enjoyed. The tour inside of a windmill was a highlight! We really loved this tour and we have done other bike tours in the US and in Europe. Hans is quite a wonderful host and Girard, the skipper is fun to talk to and even let some guests drive the boat!

Our guide Simon was terrific – he kept us informed, led great trips during the day and we loved the walks at night in the towns-and all of the crew couldn’t have been better or more welcoming. My family and I are still wondering how in the heck the cook was able to produce such good and abundant food in that little kitchen.

After a year of planning and anticipation, we were excited to arrive in Amsterdam and board our barge. The vessel certainly met our expectations and the meals provided throughout the week were varied and first rate. The Captain and crew were extremely welcoming and attentive to our needs and our tour guide excelled in both her guidance and knowledge of the areas. Would we do another bike/boat vacation? Absolutely!

The trip overall was a great experience. I have a suggestion for going forward. If possible try to have everyone speak the same language. Our guide and staff had to say everything twice because of the language issue. It also made table conversation impossible until we separated everyone by language. Our room only had half its electric outlets working. The captain said he wasn’t able to fix it. This type of problem could have been fixed when we were gone for 9 hours a day. The food was good and plentiful. No one left the table hungry. The self serve bar had an ample variety beer and wine. The staff were friendly and very helpful. There was a lot of biking; perhaps more than I expected. I was lucky I elected to get an ebike. There were time especially when the wind was howling on the nose that I was grateful I had pedal assist. The staterooms are functional. This is glamping. The rooms get hot and needed a fan which was supplied. I’ll never understand why the Europeans don’t supply sheets and a blanket for the beds. in that way you can layer your covers when you sleep. Instead all you get is quilt like covering that has two sheets and a filler between them. I asked and got the sheet thing with out the filler. Otherwise like the other guests we would sweat all night.