Reviews

My husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary doing a boat bike tour from Amsterdam to Brugge. EVERY single thing was perfect. The crew, The Maqnifique, the food, the riding…..everything! We cant wait to do it again!

“Overall we enjoyed the tour. The biking was great, flat and easy and the routes were really nice in that they were off the roads and well organized. The tour guide however was very mediocre and at times was quite rude. For example, at one point on an optional tour our guide was actually offensive in how he was pointing out the “”Jews”” in the neighborhood that we were going through. He said things like: “”there’s a Jew””, “”there aren’t many Jews out tonight””, “”there’s a group of Jews”” which made all of us in the car feel uncomfortable as it was as though they were animals in a zoo. It would have been okay to point out that this was an area where many orthodox Jewish people live and that they can be recognized by their dress (and explain that) and then just leave it at that–not pointing each and everyone out. Another concern was the poor level of internet access and the limited amount that was provided. The boat however was nice, the food was good and overall it we had a good time. Not sure if we would go again however because of the guide.”

My wife and I enjoyed the Bordeaux Bike and Barge experience in late August, but felt that there was room for improvement. Our guide, Scott, and the the cycling routes were excellent. But the ride was made a little more challenging with the bikes seeming to be struggling to meet the demands of the riders with gears sometimes difficult to find or maintain. In addition the lack of water bottle cages on the frame made it difficult to access water bottles while riding. The MS Bordeaux was certainly a lovely boat to travel and stay on and generally the meals were excellent although the kitchen did struggle with providing meals to passengers such as myself with allergies or diet restrictions. Our biggest concern was that there is no differentiation between the tour riding manager and the tour guide, such that our guide, Scott, found himself not only guiding the group that had paid for a guide, but was also constantly being distracted by self guided riders seeking directions, or help with bike problems. We also started later than the self guided each morning due to waiting for all self guided riders to deal with their issues and depart. Notwithstanding this our guide Scott did a great job and looked after the guided superbly.

Boat is comfortable, crew is great. Cycling is a good way to see the place. Overall a positive experience and enjoyed the week. If a few things were improved it would make it fantastic. The restrictions on tea, coffee, water are unhealthy. The internet is poor and the upper deck is made very unpleasant by smokers.

The accommodations on the new Magnifique II were wonderful. Staff was pleasant, very helpful and welcoming. Our chef, Leroy, was awesome and made the most memorable and creative meals every night! Our cycling experience only comes with some mixed reviews. We very much enjoyed the destinations, the history lessons from our guide and the routes in general. However, there were many variable skill levels of riders and one guide for 38 people didn’t seem enough to keep everyone headed in the right direction. There was much getting ‘lost’, or difficulty in reading routes when on our own and separated from the guide while taking photos. I recommend at least 2 guides for that many riders.

Marja is an amazing leader and tour guide who kept track of close to 60 people traveling in different groups. All of the crew were friendly and helpful. Cabin was a bit tight, but then the lounge/bar was very comfortable and welcoming. Food was a bit heavy .. more meat and potatoes than we usually eat. The fish was very good and salads and appetizers were tasty. A lot for the money and we would definitely consider another tour.

The Rhine river from Mainz to Basel does not lend itself well for cruising. It is flat and either void of points of interest (castles, villages, vineyards, churches etc.) or industrial in nature (gravel pits and smoke stacks). Our briefings were vague and hard to follow, the maps were in many cases incorrect and we spent a great deal of time scratching our heads at crossroads, guessing at the correct route. One member of our group had a gps otherwise we would still be searching for the ship. The ship itself was as expected: however, we were disappointed that their was no evening entertainment in the lounge. We expected a small dance floor and electronic key board. On the plus side, we spent the week with an interesting group of people. This was our second bike and barge trip and it fell way short of our expectations.

Initial correspondence while booking was great, everything was clear and questions were answered quickly. We arrived to the barge and were greeted by tour guide, advised to leave luggage, we had time for a bite to eat then back to barge for take off. Every part of this tour was timed well, the crew was friendly, the food was delicious. Accommodations were clean and comfortable, tours through country side were beautiful and well paced. Highly recommend, we thoroughly enjoyed

We spent a great week on the elegant Mare fan Frysland in picturesque Friesland. The staff was responsible, responsive and easy-going. Excellent and healthy food. The other bikers in the group, coming from Germany, Holland, England, Scotland and Switzerland, were very good company, Too bad we could not go to the island of Vlieland

Excellent value for your money. Staff were friendly and caring. During the trip they lost one crew member who had to depart for personal reasons. They all pitched in to help each other out and there was no disruption in service. The boat was clean and well kept.

Our bike tour from Bad Wimpfen to Koblenz was a wonderful experience. The staff on the boat were pleasant, helpful and always wanting to make sure we were well taken care of. The Patria is an older boat yet served us well. The only negative comments I have are: 1) There was an unpleasant odor in our room on the lower level. One got accustomed to it however it was always there when we walked in the room. 2) The dining room on the lower level got quite warm during dinner. They have fans but a few times it was uncomfortable. The bikes were good, comfortable and perfect for our trip. The scenery was fabulous and the many small towns we biked through made us appreciate the beauty of the Rhine valley. Most of our biking was on cycle paths, some paved and other compacted gravel. The signage along the way was well marked and we only took a few minor detours by accident. A couple of times we had to bike along side of traffic but those times were rare. I will definitely recommend this trip to my friends. We would also like to do another boat and bike trip as we really enjoyed this one.

We really enjoyed our week on the Magnifique II. The barge was clean and comfortable and the crew were great. The crew seemed to manage the challenges that arose with minimal impact on the guests and we felt welcomed and well cared for all week. The bike portion was a bit of an adventure with lots of riding. Would recommend some bike experience. Communication with the tour guide was a bit of a challenge at times which made it was hard to get exact distances and routing information. According to more experienced riders in the group, the bike route information that was provided daily was not sufficient if you were interested in a self guided tour. Would recommend to others to get as much of the route information in advance if you want to go off on your own. Overall the food was good and sufficient. Might be more interesting to have something other than the same sandwich selection every day for lunch as it was also part of the breakfast offering. My husband and I were on our own while some of the others onboard were part of larger groups. We felt that we lucked out as we had great people to share our week with so overall a very fun, first time, bike/barge experience.