Reviews
Bruce
This exceeded my expectations in some areas. I thought the crew and tour leaders were very attentive to toe passengers needs throughout the week. The boat was quite nice, and we had a good mix of biking and time to mingle amongst the guest aboard. With this type of tour you always have to be ready to adjust to weather and passenger capabilities and needs. The Magnifique team was excellent in recognizing individual needs and preferences and adjusting as neede. There were a couple of area I could recommend improvements. With the bikes, I think lighter, more hybrid like designs with thinner higher pressure tires, water bottle holders on the sloped bars, and metal pedals with more aggressive profiles that reduce slippage when you have wet conditions. I would also like to have seen more variety for breakfasts. Everyday was the same fruit bowl and yogurt. Toaster would have been a nice extra. It was present one morning not not available other days. Most passengers were hot sleeping and somehow this needs to be reviewed.
Beena & Ben Smereczniak
This was such a fun and amazing trip to see parts of Netherlands and Belgium that you never would see if not done this way. On a boat! The crew, guides, food and new friendships were second to none! I highly recommend this trip to anyone looking for some adventure.
Anna and David Griffiths
Very enjoyable. Relaxed and well organised. The only downsides were the by poor tour around Trier and a couple of days when the toilets smelt really bad on the lower deck. They did rectify this problem. Food was good!
Alan B
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.
Dear Alan, Thank your for your review. Good to hear you enjoyed the countryside and the locals you met during the day. Pity to hear the tour briefings on this non-guided tour were not to your satisfaction. We will do our best to improve the written descriptions. And you are absolutely right about the marathon. We could have and should have known and given you a good alternative route. We will make sure this will not happen in the future. About the cabins on the ship: they should not be described as luxury, because they are not. On our website we use the following description for the Jelmar: “The Jelmar is a small, cozy and comfortable passenger barge”. Team Boat Bike Tours.
Steve and Beverley Faulkner
What a fabulous holiday. Cycling through beautiful villages and countryside. Lots of fun, lovely people, perfect weather and fantastic food
Leslie
This was the trip of a lifetime. The ship was lovely. The cabins were roomy with storage space necessary and bathrooms were large and very comfortable. We never ran out of hot water. The ship is clean and setup up well to accommodate the passengers and crew. The crew was top notch in every way and were customer service centered. The cycles were in perfect condition, no problems. E-Bikes worked well and the route and scenery were spectacular. This is the way to see Europe and truly get a taste for what life is like, not like a bus tour. We felt safe, secure and were well fed, a top notch chef on board. Outstanding, simply outstanding experience with wonderful people.
Charlotte and Al
North Holland Tour on De Holland. Very nice variety of places to bike and boat to. There were some issues that the crew took care of in a professional manner and the tour was very enjoyable. Food was very good. Enjoyed our fellow travelers and the stories shared after a day of biking. Comfortable cabin and the bathroom might be the best one yet. Boat was kept clean and neat. Would recommend it to anyone.
EDWARD SHAW
Cabin 39 the Junior Suite is next door to the ships generator. The generator has to run all night to keep the AirCon working. So it’s very hard to sleep. The crew were very helpful and as another cabin was empty nearby we did eventually get some good sleep. Bikes and food were good
Patricia & James F Stanton
Our trip was wonderful fun. People from 8 countries and 5 different states in the US. Wonderful to meet so many people. Ship crew and bike guides navigated seamlessly around some rough weather so that every day was a treat
Martin
We had a great week in Northern Holland with boat bike tours. The room was necessarily small but comfortable, bikes were well-maintained and the food was good and plentiful.
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