Reviews

Wonderful boat and bike tour. This was a holiday we will never forget. Our barge, The Manifique II, was well appointed and immaculate. The trip was made even more pleasant since the barge was staffed by helpful, friendly people who always greeted us with a smile. The chef was gifted, serving the most delicious dinners. Arie and Corrie, our guides, took us into parts of the country that we would never have seen without their leadership. Our fellow cyclist made the trip with their friendly attitudes and ready laughter. We will cherish the memories of our tour with Boat and Bike always.

It was magnifique! (Just like the boat’s name!) The staff were amazing, the boat was perfect, the meals were great! A perfect combination for a wonderful experience!

We had a fabulous time – a lovely boat – simple, but well maintained and comfortable with a friendly crew. My only complaint was the cook was rather uneven at dinner time. Our first dinner was wonderful, but it seemed to go downhill from there. It was never terrible, just didn’t maintain the standards of the first night.

Comfortable tasteful vessel. Spacious, really roomy, well appointed cabin. Competent, professional, friendly guides. Helpful friendly crew. Good basic food. Excellent drink packages. Well designed cycling routes with good options for short and longer rides. Well documented navigation aides and effective phone app. Bikes well maintained. Always ran to schedule. Lucked out with compatible table guests and enjoyed the social interaction. In all “De Amsterdam” was a wonderful way of exploring a very beautiful, bike friendly country.

Thanks to all aboard the L’Estello for the wonderful week we had with our friends, old and new. We had a thoroughly enjoyable week with lots of fun and laughter, managing to strike a fabulous balance between bike riding, site seeing, eating, drinking and even some very funny dancing on the deck one night. The crew were amazing, making our holiday one that we will talk about for years to come. Thank you for all your hospitality and hard work, our ‘adventure before dementia’ was truly memorable …. at least it will be until the dementia sets in :)

The holiday exceeded my expectations in every respect and I had a really great time. The boat, although old had been refurbished and was very comfortable and each room had its own en-suite facilities which included a shower compartment with a folding door! The catering was remarkably good given the size of the galley kitchen and again was much better than I had anticipated. The Skipper was amazingly competent and great fun. I hope to return to enjoy another holiday as soon as the diary permits.

Best first time experience in trying something new! Everything is as advertised or better- all good surprises and incredible staff and crew! You will not be disappointed

Very well organised trip. We travelled on the San Snova which was very comfortable and clean and friendly. Our bikes were comfortable and ran easily. Dini and Dora our guides were kind, efficient and knowledgeable. We had a most pleasurable experience. However, be warned, one needs to prepare for those hills by doing some early practise. I survived well on a simple bicycle. I am 72 years old.

Sail/Bike Frisian Sea was fantastic! It was my second Boat-Bike tour, and the sailing added an exciting dimension. The Mare fan Fryslân is a large, comfortable boat and the crew is top notch. Captain Jores sails the boat at every opportunity, guests helping with the sails under Mate Renska’s supervision; both are calm, confident, highly skilled and very laid back, giving the boat a relaxed, comfortable, fun vibe. The cook and assistant were wonderful, food was great, accomodations very comfortable. Self-guided bike tours are well laid out on the good maps provided, with most tours following the bike-by-numbers strategy. We didn’t have much luck with the Ride with GPS app but managed fine with the map. The Friesland region of the Netherlands is beautiful with stress-free biking through the flat countryside, mostly on separate cycle paths or sometimes in designated lanes through picturesque villages, with visits to great historic spots and some nice beaches. The Frisian people are about the most charming and friendly I’ve ever met. Great sailing, bicycling nirvana, cute towns, great food and local beer, wonderful people – I can’t say enough good things about this trip – it was fun and relaxing and there was so much to it that I’ll be soaking it up for weeks to come.

Room and bathroom very small but clean and very comfortable. Crew was fantastic – our guide, Carlos, was so nice and made sure we had the opportunity to see as much as we wanted. Sara made very good meals – I thought I’d want to go out to dinner on my own a couple of nights, but I never wanted to miss her meals. Fillippo, the captain was very nice and went out mornings to get fresh bread and baked goods, and Marta took care of the cabins and all of our needs – she was happy, entertaining and made us all feel so comfortable! There was a place to relax and socialize both indoors and out on the deck. The bikes had very smooth shifting mechanisms and the handle grips were very nice – several of us were interested in getting them for our bikes back home. The bikes were in good shape and we were provided a pannier and handlebar sac for our lunches and other personal items. There were plenty of stops for refreshments and to use the toilet – we wanted for nothing. It was my first bike and barge trip, but after such a great experience, I hope to do many more!