Gorgeous biking tour but mixed feelings about amenities, tour guide and tour notes.

We did the unguided Green Heart of Holland tour. The countryside was gorgeous, the Dutch we spoke to were delightful but I do have some concerns. Bike Notes: First day the route took us right into the middle of a marathon with 15,000 people. It was horrific! It is an annual event so this should NEVER have occurred. Created a very bad first impression – I feel for the folks who book the third week of September 2019. DONT!! Our tour guide, Rosanna had a very “oh well too bad” attitude. Often the daily bike notes were difficult and frustrating to follow. Best to download the route the night before. If you choose to travel, as we did, in September, take care as many of the suggested stopping places are seasonal and were closed in September (again this info could have been provided in the notes). There was a huge road maintenance program going on as we approached Gouda (but nothing in the notes) so we simply had to find our own way. Tour Guide: Rosanna – very poor for someone who claims to have lots of experience. She was totally overruled by the German visitors and spent most of her evening discussions speaking in German. Rather than handing out notes at the beginning of her session, she made us all tolerate her briefings. And sometimes she did not provide up to date information. Bikes: very different from what we were used to but we quickly adjusted. Food: was excellent for the first 5 days and then took a major dive. Not sure what happened as the cook spoke very little English. Lodging: website claims DEMMAR’s cabins as LUXURY. Not quite sure who set the standards but cabins were clean, cramped, adequate – don’t take too much gear with you. And don’t expect them to be cleaned anytime over the 7 days!! Internet: very poor on the boat.