BARGE REVIEWS
It was a fabulous trip. Very nice, knowledgeable, and attentive crew. Food was way beyond our expectations; on another level compared to a standard typical Caribbean cruise food. We would do another barge cruise.
RG
Luciole
The Fiep was a great boat. Captain and crew were very nice and the food was very good. We could bring wine on board and they charged a five dollar corkage for a bottle of wine.
They had a housekeeper that made up our rooms every day, which was a nice surprise.
Thanks for helping make this a great trip. It’s perfect for a family.
MG
Fiep
We enjoyed the cruise immensely and will recommend it to our friends. I'm also in an informal travel group which meets at the library to exchange info and reviews of trips we've been on. I'll share your website with the group soon and plug canal cruising.
RH
Madeleine
It was a wonderfully relaxing trip and I agree with Sue, I'd also definitely do another barge trip. The crew was outstanding, the boat was practically new, I loved my cabin, lots of room to spread out - no complaints on any front.
KT
Madeleine
We have returned from our bike/barge trip on the Fiep from Bruges to Amsterdam. It was a wonderful trip, and I thank you for your arrangements. I highly recommend the barge Fiep, and the crew. Touring Flanders by bicycle and the barge allowed us to enjoy excercise, nice people, beautiful scenery, great food, and comfortable accommodations. We are eager to go on another such trip! Thanks for all your help!
NH
Fiep - Casual Bike and Barge Cruise
Jan -
The family loved the trip. The hotel in Avignon is and was perfect. Very easy to get too and central to the city.
The barge trip was great. The food was excellent and very accommodating for our gluten free allergy requirements.? Sleeping accomadations and amenities on the boat were not up to par, they were ok but not as comfortable in the sleeping cabins as they could be, cabins were kind like glorified camping. The cycling during the day made up for it and the sites and distances were perfect. The bikes could have been one notch up from what they were including shock absorbers up front since we travelled on many stone dust trails.
The items for improvement are at the fringes. Overall 3.5 out of 5. Well worth the money.
*NOTE: Bikes have been upgraded on the barge. As this is a casual bike and barge cruise vessel, the accommodations are not the same quaity as a deluxe barge vessel.
S.S.
Soleo - Casual Bike and Barge Cruise
The barge trip was very nice. The food was excellent and the staff on the boat was very helpful. Both Ruth and I had a great time. Lots of things to see on this particular route. Great experience.
DM
Fiep - Casual Bike and Barge Cruise
Just a quick note to let you know what a wonderful time we had on our bike/barge trip. Kris and Patsy were the perfect hosts and catered to our every need. They were pleasent and flexible with all our planning and the meals were out of this world. The accomodations onboard were stunning. Clean, Neat, and far exceeded our expectations. The bicycles were in excellent condition and Kris provided us with detailed maps and recommendations every day. I would give my highest reccomendation to anyone wanting this type of trip. We plan on using them again in the future. We stayed at the Kasteel en Kotshueys in Veurne and it also was fabulous. I would highly recommend in for pre or post trip accomodations in Veurne. Thanks again for your help in planning this.
DK
Johanna
Our vacation aboard the Johanna was truly special. We found it to be an ideal way for a small party to enjoy the private use of a newly refurbished and very comfortable barge, while cycling or simply barging the canals of Belgium.
We spent seven days traveling through Flanders (the NW section of Belgium) at a really enjoyable pace, cycling daily while learning a lot about WWI and the battles in that area.
The comforts of the Johanna were easy to get used to as our floating hotel. It was so relaxing not to have to pack up and move our luggage nightly. The evening meal was another high point, so well prepared, artfully presented and always delicious. Our group loved the fact that we could decide each day, based on the weather and how we felt, exactly what route we wanted to cycle and how far we wanted to go. The Belgian countryside was lush and serene, with extremely well marked trails making for easy cycling terrain.
The crew of the Johanna was Kris and Patsie - captain and kitchen help, cook and deckhand! They were a very nice couple and thoroughly enjoyable to spend time with.
They made sure that we were well looked after, but in a very unobtrusive way. Their redesign of the Johanna, previously a coal barge, was completely well thought out spacious, light-filled and airy, a very relaxing environment with all the amenities we needed.
For an excellent vacation trip at a pace you can direct and with first class accommodations and service, book the Johanna
C & M B
Johanna
Hi Jan,
We are back to reality after our wonderful trip to France and Switzerland. All in all the trip was lovely. Le Phenicien is quite a nice barge with an excellent staff and wonderful food and drink. The downside was the lack of access to biking routes and information. We realized going in that this was not a scheduled "bike cruise" per se but that biking would be available with maps supplied, etc. In this regard, the cruise was lacking. . If it isn't a biking cruise, biking is spotty and disappointing.
That said, I do want to thank you for your efforts in helping to make our trip memorable. The hotel in Geneva was very nice, modern and clean and in a good location. We had incredible weather and would return to this area in a heartbeat.
GH
Le Phenicien
Jan-
We are back. Through the haze of jet-lag and post-trip remorse that, after a year of planning, the week flew by so fast and it’s OVER.
Thank you for everything you undertook to assure the four of us a wonderful trip.
I’ll call it a once-in-a-lifetime adventure when I truly hope it is not.
In many respects it MORE than lived up to expectations so I wanted to be sure to let you know that.
The meals were exceptional and the service by the entire boat crew was extraordinary.
There were many surprising parts to this adventure. I would never have set out to go to Le Beaux or to “the other” Avignon, across the Rhone.
The wine excursion to Chateau de Pape (not sure of spelling) was further enhance by the brilliant fall colors of the vineyard foliage.
Again, we had a wonderful time. We are very appreciative of your efforts on our behalf.
ML
Le Phenicien
1. AMBIENCE AND COMFORT - Excellent. Cabins roomy with lots of storage and very comfortable beds. Even had heated towel racks. Perhaps another hook to hang damp towels could be added. I suggested a hairdryer, which Patsy immediately ran out and purchased for each cabin. Main Cabin - Also roomy with comfortable seating. New and modern furniture with large picture windows. Sundeck - Large with plenty of seating.
2. SERVICE - Excellent. Both Kris and Patsy strived to make sure we had what we needed and were cheerful and fun.
3. FOOD - Excellent. This was above and beyond what we expected. Not the 5-star deluxe, white table cloths, etc service one gets on the more elaborate, expensive boats and which we did not expect; but the delightful surprise was that Patsy is a gourmet cook and puts great time and effort into every meal, even to making triple-reduced sauces and elegant desserts. What we taught her was to make the portions much smaller!
4. WINE & BEER - Both were offered at lunch and dinner and were both very nice. Because we do enjoy wine, a couple of times we brought on board extra bottles.
5. ADVENTURE - The bicycles were new and great fun to have to go into town. The cruising down the canals was leisurely and very lazy. Sights and museums were recommended along the way.
MM
Johanna
Hi Jan,
We enjoyed the trip! The crew was great, all very helpful. The biking was a bit difficult because of the strong Mistral winds that were blowing the whole trip, but the countryside was beautiful. We had great weather other than the wind.
Thanks for all your help with trains, everything went smoothly.
J.R.
Soleo - Casual Bike and Barge Cruise
Jan,
Ken and I finally got our thoughts on paper regarding our trip on the C’est la Vie. Needless to say we had a wonderful trip. We appreciate your help.
Our trip on the C’est la Vie was amazing. We received 5 Star personal service by the staff, and the canal and countryside of France were beautiful. (We stayed in Paris a couple of days following the barge trip and we were in culture shock with all the tourists after floating along the canal that was so peaceful.) The inside and outside common areas of the barge were comfortable and spacious. The food, wine, cheese, and cabin accommodations were beyond our expectations. At every meal we had 2 wines and 2 or 3 cheeses. We loved how the staff would share with us what region of France they came from and how they were made.
We put ourselves in the hands and the expertise of the staff. Our days were planned by them and so no decisions needed to be made of what we were going to do as a group. They had an excursion from the boat with our personal tour guide planned each day to an abbey, chateau, market, winery, and small town. But there was plenty of free time to be able to leave the boat and walk or bike along the path and into the little villages. Or we could choose to stay on the boat and relax while the barge was traveling down the canal.
It was a great trip to take with our adult children since I think they were a little nervous about being on a barge with Mom and Dad for a week. We all found there was lots of time and space to be together or separate ourselves for personal time.
When we got to Paris we looked around and said, “Where is Glen our tour guide?” When picking out a restaurant we all could agree on, we said, “Where is Jerry with all that wonderful food?” and “We want Jo and Deb to tell us all about the wine and cheeses?” And “We want to be back on the barge with Captain Olivier whose skill motoring the barge on the canal and in the locks was amazing.”
It was the most relaxing vacation for all.
K and J E
Cest le Vie
Jan, we absolutely loved it! The boat is very comfortable, the crew wonderful, our guide was great, the countries awesome, the other passengers were so much fun! Most of all, we were able to do every bit of biking. It was perfectly geared to us. The other passengers were almost entirely couples in their 50's and 60's, with one 40 year old woman and one 71 year old man. We hope to do another bicycle/barge trip!
SE
Iris - Casual Bike and Barge Cruise
Caprice Experience:
Food, service, cleanliness, personnel were all outstanding.
Cabin was really compact, especially the bathroom.
One day we toured an old hospice hospital. Another day in another town, we toured another old hospice/museum hospital. Wine tasting and castle tours were good.
The small canals were very picturesque.
The free Happy Hour was a nice touch. I don't recall ever having that perk on any cruise previously. This included any drink and any quantity for an hour, self serve.
BB
Caprice
Just a note to let you know what a great trip we all had! Everyone was just superb! Starting with Capt. Kevin and chef Jody to Niko and his wife! What a ball we had and "thank you" for getting us there! We would like to do the South of France barge trip but will probably hold off for a year or so!
DH
Saroche
The barge was extremely pleasant. Cabins were small, but you expect that on a barge. They were very clean, beds were comfortable and we had all the storage space we needed. Private bathrooms in each cabin were small but functional and we never ran out of hot water.
There was a nice sitting room where folks would congregate to chat and watch the scenery go by out large windows. The dining area was also bright and cheery. Meals were delicious. Breakfast: Every day, there were various breads, meats, cheeses and fruit. Each day was a different hot dish - French toast, eggs, pancakes, etc. At breakfast, we were provided with Tupperware-type containers so we could pack our own lunch with whatever we desired. (The freshly baked hard rolls were a favorite for sandwiches). In addition to the breakfast items, there were juice boxes, cookies and candy available. At all times, there was coffee, tea, hot chocolate, cookies and candy available in the dining area. Dinner: Each evening, we have what was called a 3-course meal....but it seemed like much more than that.
We would have a soup or salad started, then a main course with multiple sides followed by a scrumptious dessert. Everyone raved about the delicious food - and often asked for recipes.
After dinner each evening, our cycling guide would take us for a walk into the little town where we had docked. He would show us around and tell us a little about the area and it's history.
The bikes were easy to use and our guide was extremely adept at taking care of the few problems folks encountered (a couple of flat tires). The seats were a bit hard and we benefitted greatly from the slip-on gel seats we took with us (purchased from REI).
The bike routes were beautiful. Personally, I enjoyed the Netherlands area more than the Belgium area - not that I didn't enjoy the Belgium rides, it's just that every Holland rides was like a postcard.
Each evening, our guide (Thomas) would tell us about the following day's ride and the options. Some days you could ride half-day and meet up with the barge. Other days, if you were riding, you had to ride the whole day. On every full day ride, there was always an afternoon stop at a local pub.
We mostly rode with the group. However, on 2 days, my husband and I wanted to go at a slower pace (because we took so many pictures). Thomas was terrific. He provided us with maps and suggestions on where to stop for lunch, if we wanted.
One day, I stayed on the barge and just enjoyed the scenery as we meandered down the river. This also let me get into our little port a bit early and stroll around with some of the other people who had chosen to cruise that day.
The staff of the Iris (captain, first mate, cook and housekeeper) were all extremely friendly and knowledgeable
Ours was called a casual bike and barge tour. I understand the biggest differences between that and the tours conducted by deluxe barges
1. Alcohol is not included in the tour price. Onboard the Iris, it was the honor system. If you wanted a glass of wine or a beer, you took one and put a stroke by your name on the tab tally. You could also purchase a full bottle of wine and just enjoy it at your leisure.
2. I've heard that some tours have a van accompanying the cycling group in case someone wants to take a break. On our tour, we had a terrific guide with us, but you couldn't really call it quits in the middle of the day. That's why it was so nice to know all of the options the day before - so everyone could make their own plans.
3. Any admission charges to local sights (like a working windmill) were not included in the tour price. Our guide paid the admission then everyone would pay him at the end of the day. This worked out very well.
We have travelled quite a bit and we loved this tour. We are already looking at a trip on the sister ship to the Iris, the Fleur.
KT
Iris - Casual Bike and Barge Cruise
Everyone loved the boat. The food was beyond incredible. It was the richest French food and we all ate until we couldn’t move. If we were to do it again, I would make the request that dinner be served in an hour and a half to two hours (at the longest) as the meals did last forever. but boy were they enjoyed!
Bad Wimpfen was a highlight. Everyone loved it. Heidelberg was great. We definitely need to tip 100 Euros per passenger. They did a fantastic job.
Again, I can’t express how great the crew was. I think we have a whole “boat load” of converts
L
Charlemagne
My clients thoroughly enjoyed the Shannon Princess. My clients who have been on barge vacations before told me it was the best barge they had been on. Everything was great including the crew. Please pass this info on to the owner and crew.
Shannon Princess
The L'Impressioniste's crew was great! I'm quite sure that if any of us were to book another trip, we would request Jennifer MacStay as cook; the quality, creativity, and presentation of her meals were wonderful (as was her personality!) Our captain, Nicolas Guedet, had a challenging job dealing with the weather, but handled it as best he could, giving us as many options as he could.
I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of room, since we could store suitcases, etc., elsewhere. All in all, an excellent trip, with all five of the crew members as helpful and accommodating as they could be.
MH
L'Impressionniste
We had a great trip, except for the weather. The cook was great as was Nickolas, the skipper and all the other help. They did their best to provide alternative experiences when the weather caused problems. The barge was clean and comfortable.
EP
L'Impressionniste
We got back last week and had a wonderful time. The barge/bike experience was great. I wasn't sure what to expect and everything exceeded my expectations. The boat had recently been redone so the accommodations were great! It turned out that it was unusually hot so the fact that the boat was air-conditioned turned out to be important (spoiled Americans......). Some of the other companies' boats did not have air conditioning we learned. I didn't realize how many companies there are that do this type of trip.
The staff was great! The captain was very gracious (also part owner) and allowed my husband to spend some time with her in the pilot house which was something he wanted to do. He was a tow boat captain here on the Mississippi so he was very interested in the boat and the canals.
The chef and other crew were great! They were friendly and helpful. Their English was good which of course that made it easier for us. The food was good. Dinner every night was well prepared, well presented and well eaten.
The biking was also great! Nice bikes and an easy pace. After the first couple of days, they kind of changed the agenda so that people could bike the whole day, the morning, the afternoon or not at all. Because of the heat, a number of people chose to bike only in the morning when it was cooler, like my husb
I enjoyed the route through Belgium and Holland. Both countries have a little something different to offer. I would recommend the trip to anyone. I would also recommend an 'international' group. It turned out that there were Norwegians, Danes, Germans, Dutch and Americans on the cruise and that may the trip more interesting for us. (Most everyone spoke English pretty well and of course, we don't speak any other language)
Thanks for the recommendation. We might have to try another one in the future. I hear they have more of these trips in France.
JB
Iris - Casual Bike and Barge Cruise
I just wanted to let you know that I had a nice time on the barge and wanted to thank you for what you had arranged.
The barge itself was beautiful and the food was terrific.
The captain, Max, was a young enthusiastic, knowledgeable and likeable youthful 40ish person who greatly added to the ship’s ambience.
I have no idea when I will be able to repeat a trip such as this one but it was indeed memorable for all of the right reasons.
DG
Le Reine Pedauque
To the crew of Absoluut2.
Thank you for making this vacation so special!
The food was first class, the towns were great and thank you for sharing your experience of Dutch history and it's people.
Best wishes from
L, J and J.
Absoluute 2
Dear John and crew:
John: I can't begin to express how absolutely wonderful the fairytale trip on your yacht was. Carol and I still have to pinch ourselves to make sure it was real. Our every wish you made come true. The first night Carol asked for Canadian Club and you didn't have it on board. The next day, there it was. You were more than accommodating on everything, making this the most wonderful thing we every thought possible. I also appreciate the Top Gear info you sent along on the disk. I will send you some copies from the slides I took. Not all 10 rolls, just the better pictures.
I forgot to get your email address before I left the boat. I got Budhi's, but didn't get yours, so I hope this reaches you okay. I will send you any information that comes out in the Denver Post, etc. and will also try to put something together with the Garden Writers Association.
Luke: Thank you for everything. You had answers for anything we wanted to know and were always at the ready to lend a helping hand, lead a side trip, set up abicycle, etc. You helped to round out the most wonderful experience we have ever had. Better than New Zealand, or any other place we have been. Our daughter said that being able to get email from us and to send an answer made her feel much more secure since she was taking care of our horses, greenhouse, etc. You went the extra mile, (kilometer), to make that happen.
Penny: Carol and I really enjoyed visiting with you and Budhi. You keep the yacht so clean that we were almost afraid to touch anything on board because we would leave a smudge or a fingerprint. Thank you so much for the cake, we ate on it the rest of the time we were in Amsterdam, and it was just what we needed.
Budhi: I think I gained a lot of weight on the trip. Sitting back and watching the countryside go past was great, but your wonderful food made it very special. Every time we turned around you had something else for us to eat and we just couldn't pass it up. Carol bought several cookbooks in Amsterdam, but she will never be able to give the food she fixes the same wonderful flavor that you do.
We will keep in touch with everyone as you feel like family rather than a boat and crew we hired. If any of you get to Colorado, be sure and stop to see us. We have plenty of room and would be happy to show you the sights.
Sincerely,
J and C P
Absoluute 2
I don't care what boat, barge, or yacht you compare it to, the Absoluut 2 has to be the best in the business. The next time we decide to do any cruising we will definitely go with the Absoluut 2 as we are sure any other cruise would not even come close to this cruise. John and his staff are perfectionists and your wish is their command. If you mention something and they don't have it they will get it. If you mention something you want to do or where you would like to go it is granted. Keukenhauf was at the perfect time with more flowers than I have ever seen in one place at one time. John was willing to spend the entire day there if we wanted, but I was getting sensory overload with all of the wonderful flowers. I got the pictures I wanted for publication, and it was a great experience. At mid-morning here was Captain John with cake and drinks for a welcome break. At lunch here he was again with just what we wanted for lunch, and drinks. Every night we docked at a beautiful location. During the day we cruised through beautiful country. The Dutch seem to have most of their beautiful gardens and flowers in their back yards between the house and the canal. So all I had to do was sit there and relax and watch the beautiful garden scenes go past. The last evening we were suppose to dock in Amsterdam, but with Queen's Day the following day there were not many good places and John wasn't satisfied with where we were located. He put in a couple of extra hours and got us to a nice quiet place in a small town within about a hundred yards of a beautiful windmill. My wife hasn't had a good nights sleep for months, but she said she slept better on this cruise than she can remember. The cabin was very quiet, and the crew seemed to go out of their way to keep from making any noise after people went to bed and until they got up in the morning. John keeps the yacht in perfect shape. I have never seen a cleaner engine room on any boat I have ever been on. In addition, Penny keeps everything cleaned and polished and in it's place. Budhi makes the best food we have ever eaten. I am sure we both gained weight on this trip. Luke is a real key part of the crew. When John is busy he takes care of anything the passengers need. He also leads great tours and goes the extra mile to make the passengers comfortable. This yacht has everything you might want, from flat screen satellite TV to Internet service. But, the best part of the whole cruise was the wonderul scenery and great crew. Well, we have just traveled from Amsterdam and have been traveling for the past 24 hours without sleep, so my note might not make sense as we are very tired, but I just had to tell you how great the cruise was.
Sincerely, J P
Absoluute 2
Just recovered from pampering on the Absoluut2. The trip was wonderful, Captain John and the crew treated us like Royalty. The barge, weather were terrific, I even got to use the hot tub on deck twice. We were lucky with our fellow passengers, a couple from Colorado, one of whom was a retired horticulturist from Colorado State who took amazing photos see attachments) could explain all the plant life. The hotels in Amsterdam turned out well, located in the middle of the major squares and walking distance to museums and flower markets etc, we even did well for the Queen's birthday for food and museums. Thanks for all your help and we hope to join the Absoluut2 and its crew sometime when they are in France. Carol and i have some information about French history that we would like to send on to Captain John, could you send us his email address or forward our note when we get it finished???
Sincerely, C & P
Absoluute 2
The
food was first class, the towns were great and thank you for sharing your
Best wishes from
L,
J and J.
Dear John and crew:
John: I can't begin to express how absolutely wonderful the fairytale trip
on
your yacht was. Carol and I still have to pinch ourselves to make sure it
was
real. Our every wish you made come true. The first night Carol asked
for
Canadian Club and you didn't have it on board. The next day, there it was.
You
were more than accommodating on everything, making this the most wonderful thing
we every thought possible. I also appreciate the Top Gear info you sent
along
on the disk. I will send you some copies from the slides I took. Not
all 10
rolls, just the better pictures.
I forgot to get your email address before I left the boat. I got Budhi's,
but
didn't get yours, so I hope this reaches you okay. I will send you any
information that comes out in the Denver Post, etc. and will also try to put
something together with the Garden Writers Association.
Luke: Thank you for everything. You had answers for anything we
wanted to know
and were always at the ready to lend a helping hand, lead a side trip, set up a
bicycle, etc. You helped to round out the most wonderful experience we
have
ever had. Better than New Zealand, or any other place we have been.
Our
daughter said that being able to get email from us and to send an answer made
her feel much more secure since she was taking care of our horses, greenhouse,
etc. You went the extra mile, (kilometer), to make that happen.
Penny: Carol and I really enjoyed visiting with you and Budhi. You
keep the
yacht so clean that we were almost afraid to touch anything on board because we
would leave a smudge or a fingerprint. Thank you so much for the cake, we
ate
on it the rest of the time we were in Amsterdam, and it was just what we needed.
Budhi: I think I gained a lot of weight on the trip. Sitting back
and watching
the countryside go past was great, but your wonderful food made it very special.
Every time we turned around you had something else for us to eat and we just
couldn't pass it up. Carol bought several cookbooks in Amsterdam, but she
will
never be able to give the food she fixes the same wonderful flavor that you do.
We will keep in touch with everyone as you feel like family rather than a boat
and crew we hired. If any of you get to Colorado, be sure and stop to see
us.
We have plenty of room and would be happy to show you the sights.
Sincerely,
J and C P
Charlemagne
Everyone loved the boat. The biggest complaint was that the beds were hard as rocks and didn’t fit anyone who was 6 feet tall or taller… but even those complaints were said on the sly because no one wanted to detract. The food was beyond incredible. It was the richest French food and we all ate until we couldn’t move. If we were to do it again, I would make the request that dinner be served in an hour and a half to two hours (at the longest) as the meals did last forever….but boy were they enjoyed!
- Bad
Wimpfen was a highlight. Everyone loved it.
We definitely need to tip 100 Euros per passenger. They did a fantastic job.
Again, I can’t express how great the crew was. I think we have a whole “boat load” of converts
L
Iris
JB
L'Impressionniste
The L'Impressioniste's crew was great! I'm quite sure that if any of us were to book another trip, we would request Jennifer MacStay as cook; the quality, creativity, and presentation of her meals were wonderful (as was her personality!) Our captain, Nicolas Guedet, had a challenging job dealing with the weather, but handled it as best he could, giving us as many options as he could.
MH
We
had a great trip, except for the weather. The cook was great as was
Nickolas, the skipper and all the other help. They did their best to
provide alternative experiences when the weather caused problems. The
barge was clean and comfortable.
EP
Le Reine Pedauque
I just wanted to let you know that I had a nice time on the barge and wanted to thank you for what you had arranged.
The barge itself was beautiful and the food was terrific.
The captain, Max, was a young enthusiastic, knowledgeable and likeable youthful 40ish person who greatly added to the ship’s ambience.
I have no idea when I will be able to repeat a trip such as this one but it was indeed memorable for all of the right reasons.
DG
_Shannon Princess
My clients thoroughly enjoyed the Shannon Princess. My cleints who
have been on barge vacations before told me it was the best barge they had been
on. Everything was great including the crew. Please pass this info
on to the owner and crew.