Reviews

All the staff (crew and guides) were exceptional. They got to know us right away, and were always friendly, helpful and good-humoured. With the small number of passengers it felt like one big family. The food was great, and plentiful. The chef even catered to our special request for no peppers. The guided bike rides were a bit challenging (in length), but so much fun. And it was perfectly acceptable to just stay on board if anyone didn’t feel like cycling. What a great holiday!

We liked the relaxed atmosphere on board and on the rides. The food was excellent. Would like to see a little more flexibility in the breakfast timing, i.e. for guests not cycling the duration food is available could be extended a bit. We expressed a food intolerance which was basically ignored. Would like to see more fruit available for the breakfast, also to take on the road. There were a few glitches with the organization of parts of the tour. A bus that was supposed to take us to the Keukenhof tour was not at the arranged meeting point causing delays in departure time and long walk to alternate meeting point. The crew was excellent and went out of their way to make everyone comfortable and take care of any wishes or needs expressed when possible.

Such a unique experience! Biking in the Netherlands is great. The Zwaantje is a comfortable barge with a fantastic captain and crew. So generous and accommodating to all on board. Our guides were very fun and knowledgeable, giving us lots of history and interesting insights into life in the Netherlands. I would definitely take another bike and barge trip!

Fluvius boat Bruges to Amsterdam. Communication leading up to the tour was very good. Check in was quite easy but a small delay due to cabin readiness happened. Dinners were first class food, breakfast was just basic as was provisions for packed lunches. The boat staff was friendly and effective. The tour staff were also friendly and informative. Do better: roughly 2/3 of passengers developed intestinal issues that lingered from day 2 to the end. More could have been done to inform passengers and take precautions. Perhaps water brought in if water was the issue? It’s unclear but disturbing. Our cabin had many unresolved issues. Two days of riding had rain so coming back and hanging up clothes near the heater in the cabin would have been nice. But we had no heat. The technician worked on it for 10 minutes then gave up. Not good. Our bathroom door never was closable for the whole trip. It never latched. And the shower head was hand held only as the clip was missing. Lastly, the smell of raw sewage in the morning from somewhere was tough to handle. Lots of issues in our room that I haven’t mentioned. The rooms smell musty, and they need a lot of work. Just being honest…

The crew of Fleur were such gracious hosts! They were very attentive and accommodating, especially for my dietary restrictions. Chef Timo was very knowledgeable, which I found very comforting. The rides were very enjoyable, the tulips were stunning, and the stops were engaging and educational. Our guides were top notch, knowledgeable, attentive, and friendly.

Our Tulip Premium tour was the trip of a lifetime! Although my wife did not cycle she enjoyed riding along on the rivers and canals. Martin, the crew hand was very kind to her and attended to her needs, like playing her favourite music. As an avid cyclist, I was in heaven for the whole week! The cycling infrastructure in Holland is awesome. And our tour guides Michael and Edith were amazing, with their focus on safety first, and their accommodating approach to all the attractions we visited, stopping at great watering holes and lunch spots – and taking us on city tours every evening. Our chef Timo and housekeeper were great as well, with their service. What really impressed us was the “all hands on deck” on the part of the captain and crew, from getting our bikes on and off the ship to cleaning up after meals. All in all a first class most enjoyable tour!

The Bike and Boat tour was fantastic. The food and rooms were first class. A few surprises that we had not been made aware of until arrival was the optional beverage package choice for the week of the trip and it included even water or anything you choose to drink with your evening meal or from 4 pm onwards. We were not expecting this, nor did we budget for it. We knew that any evening drinks would be at our cost but not that it included the supper beverage or even water in the evening if we chose to not drink anything else.

We loved the boat bike Tulip tour on the Zwaantje. The guides were excellent, the (standard) bikes were well-maintained, and the food on-board was high quality and delicious. One concern was that there were many people who were sick on the boat with bad coughs. It was clear that more became ill as time went on. Within the close quarters of the boat, I feel that masks should have been required for those with obvious virulent symptoms. My husband and I were not sick on board, but one week after the tour, we both tested positive for COVID, and while we can’t prove where we got it, it seemed pretty obvious when we came down with the exact same symptoms that those had had on the boat.

It was perfect. I loved the crew the itinerary and the ambience of the barge. The days were filled with fun adventures and I learned so much about the Netherlands, the water system. It was a perfect vacation and I plan to go on another boat and bike tour.

Such a great trip – everything was perfect – the boat, the bikes, the rides and the guides. Totally loved it!