Reviews

Overall this was a great trip enjoyed by all of our party of four. I would recommend this tour to anyone – especially those that don’t like cycling up hills. Just be aware that isn’t a luxury cruise, some of it is basic but this is very much in line with the price you are paying. I would say it is good value for money. The selected cycle routes were well chosen and very easy to ride though the flat Dutch countryside. We were supplied with a map detailing all routes and every day our guide Marguite (I hope I spelt that correctly) explained the routes, provided a list of cycle junctions to follow (much easier than following cycle routes in the UK) and explained where we would meet up with the boat. Marguite also cycled the routes at a relaxed pace and was contactable by phone if we got lost. The countryside was beautiful with windmills, quaint villages, beaches, dykes and lakes. It’s worth emphasising how safe and plentiful the cycle routes in this part of the world are. The rental bikes were standard Dutch type (wide handle bars) – easy to ride but very heavy. Most of the bikes applied brakes when you back peddled – something I’d never had before and it took quite a bit of getting used to. The bikes came with an easy to use in-built lock. One point to note: if possible, arrive at the boat quite early to select your bike – in our party of four lads, we had two smaller ladies bikes as there were no other bikes available. The boat was clean and the all the crew were helpful and friendly. The accomodation was small but not unexpectedly so. We had three people in one room which had two bunk beds with the top bunk quite close to the ceiling (maybe 80cm). I wouldn’t recommend four in this room as someone would have had to sleep right next to the air conditioning unit (which worked well to keep the room at a good temperature). The shower area was large and the rest of the bathroom was reasonably sized. The lounge area and the sun deck provided pleasant spaces to relex in when not cycling or eating. There were five meals where we were cruising over canals or open water, which was very pleasant and there was lots to see when travelling in the boat. The places we stayed overnight were almost all in very nice small towns with lots to see (and places to drink in). The one exception was a marina in Den Oever that didn’t have much to see though we were able to find a quaint bar serving the local sailors. The additional features – two walking tours round city centres and a guided trip round a local cheese shop were interesting, especially if you hadn’t already walked around the towns. Although we missed the music night, it seemed to be very popular with the rest of the boat. The food was always plentiful though sometimes lacked variety. Breakfast always had 3 or 4 different types of bread, cheese and meats plus boiled eggs, muesli, granola, fruit yoghurt, spreads and a special each day (scrambled eggs, bacob, hotdogs). Lunch was a bottle of water, a fruit and sandwiches you made yourself from the breakfast foods. The dinner was a bit “school dinner” in quality. The starter and dessert were small but tasty. The filling main course usually had two salads, meat or fish, 2-3 vegetables and two types of potato – mostly these seemed to be made from frozed but the crew did their best to make them appealing by providing sauces and mixing in meat and spices. One small complaint here – I wasn’t a fan of was using fruit youghurt as a salad dressing. One of our party was vegetarian and was generally well catered for though he was a bit bored of cheese by the end of the trip. One small complaint would be the extra costs, which were introduced on the first night: – An optional 10 euro supplement to insure the bike that I’d already spent 70 euros on hiring – The boat had a token system for buying drinks which made some drinks expensive – 5 euro for half a litre of lager or for a two glass caraffe of wine was OK but 17.5 euro for a bottle of wine and 2.5 Euro for a small bottle of water was excessive. The price of water was particulary bad considering that water was not served with dinner. You are only allowed to drink your own alcohol (bought off the boat) in your cabin, which is a bit cramped for that kind of thing. One point of interest, in Amsterdam almost everyone speaks English as a second language but in North Netherlands, German is the second language. A lot of people do speak English but we occasionally struggled to make ourselves understood. For example, the brewery tour on the island of Texel was only in Dutch or German – they still had a tasting menu of drinks (very nice) but our Dutch or German wasn’t good enough to go on the tour (which looked good).

Excellent bike routes through Bordeaux and surrounds. Three meals a day provided of excellent quality for overall price of tour. Only negative is extremely poor Wifi which must be fixed. Locally bought wine should be allowed to be brought onto boat with a corkage charge. Overall very good value for money if you like an active holiday and not just lounging on a cruise boat !

The food was absolutely fantastic, both flavorful and generous! The boat was adequate, showers hot and bunks comfortable. Some problems with sewer smell in lower cabins. All staff were very amenable. The bikes provided were substandard for barge & bike tours, but represented the average Holland bikes. There should have been more double hand braked bikes available. The country covered was filled with variety and interest. If only the weather could have cooperated a bit more…most of the days were filled with rain, at least part of day, and wind, too. Holland does have wonderful bike trails!

This was our first experience of biking in this way and despite rain every day but one, it was wonderful. Our guide, Fred, was great, full of knowledge and good humor. Each day our route was varied, through deep forests, through small beautiful medieval towns, across fields where sheep and cows grazed, on dikes and along canals. The Netherlands has amazing system of bike trails which are varied and easy to follow. The Gandalf, with its captain, Hans, and wonderful crew, was a cozy place. The bikes were great and I especially enjoyed my electric bike on one day. We are Americans and the other 18 passengers were all German whose English skills were limited. We did not know this prior to arriving on the barge. Most Americans do not speak other languages. Fortunately we both speak enough German to get to know others and follow much of what was said. For some, this lack of other English speakers would have been a disaster. Fred was so so helpful.

This was an excellent route with an excellent guide for each day’s biking, and a very sensible modus operandi for finding the boat again at the end of the day–or alternatively not biking if you decide to take a day off. Each day was special, most of the towns we visited were memorable, and the landscape–although all a variation on dikes, polders, woodlots and the enicrcling sea–was often stunning. A few things to keep in mind–sometimes you will be cycling into the wind and/or rain. The many bikestores along the route sell a three euro disposable punch that will get you through a downpour. If the weather forecast for your chosen week looks adverse, think about renting an e-bike rather than a regular bike. An e-bike enables you to speed anywhere you want, regardless of the weather, but also unfortunately means less exercise. My only complaint is that the free wifi on board was so limited that my laptop exhausted it in 10 minutes or less each night. I don’t think it was working the way it was supposed to, but the crew had no solutions. Basically, they want you to pay for adequate wifi. If I was the company budgeting for next year, I would subtract a bit from the dinners–the quantity of food served was often overwhelming–and put the savings into free unlimited internet.

Pascale and her crew on the MS Bordeaux made the Frontenac one week biking excursion memorable. The daily bike trips suggested by Scott were intriguing as these chateau’s are fascinating to see.Roadways were easy to manage. Food on board ship rivalled top restaurants in Paris. Do not hesitate to book- well worth the money.

We had no expectations when we arrived at the ship. Had we had expectations they would have been met beyond what we could have imagined. Wonderful experience. The ship, the crew, the food, the traveling companions could not have been more pleasurable. Accomodations are not “cruise ship” accomodations, this is a sailboat and if you have spent a few nights on a sailboat, as we have, the quarters were comfortable. If you have not, be prepared for a small cabin. The biking is easy and flat and you have plenty of time to travel 30K in a day. Map reading skill is a must. Bring rain gear for biking because you may, as we did, bike in the rain for a day…no big deal. Do it, there is no “someday”. Hope you get Captain (sp)Faurook, great sailor and entertaining…a gentle soul. Ron, the cook, is king of the galley and a unique individual beyond his culinary skills. 2nd Mate Elizabeth was gracious and engageable.

Tour leader Fred was rude ,arrogant, patronising and sarcastic on a daily basis, The riding pace was way too fast on the first day for many guests and we were reprimanded for stopping to take photos .The bikes were not adjusted correctly for many riders .There was only one person to lead 36 riders and one of the guests took on the responsibility of being the sweep. This was not appropriate . Fred could not cope with groups of fast and slow riders and eventually he decided to stay with the slow riders and let the fast ones go ahead. This decision was made after the group expressed their unhappiness about the first days ride . Three riders fell off in Ghent within half an hour of each other and Fred expressed his concern by saying ” How could you fall off ? I have been doing this for years and I have never fallen off! The food was very average, with vegetarians not being well catered for.(main meal salad and 3 onion rings) The chef Leroy came out and said we should not each so much as once we ran out there would be no more!! Fred’s verbal communication skills were poor with a white board with lots of confusing scribble on it used as a backup I have travelled extensively over the last 40 years and I have never met such a rude and disrespectful tour leader. Towards the end of the week his behaviour did improve but it was way too little, way too late We were very disappointed, as it could have been a great trip. We do a lot of cycling but would be reluctant to use this company again

We had a great time with great scenery on our vacation with the boat and bike in Northern Netherlands. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. Our tour guide was great and very informative, including some evening city tours. There was lots of good food. (The coffee containers could have been in a different location maybe by the juice as our table was constantly inindated with people getting coffee) Room were very compact but had everything you needed. The rooms were a little on the warm side, fans would have helped. Thanks for making our vacation a great one!

The guide and crew were really friendly and helpful. The bikes were good and the riding route was varied and interesting. The route number and map system was pretty good, although we did have the odd bit of confusion, but to be honest that added to the fun. The dining and lounge areas were very spacious, much more than I expected. The meals were very good, with a great range and plenty to eat. Rooms were compact, but had everything we needed, including ensuite. Overall loved the concept. By riding we got to see so much of the country, and by staying on a boat we didn’t have to move hotels. Would definitely do it again in another country and would go with Boat Bike Tours.