Reviews

What a great holiday

My wife and I were on the Norther Tour in mid August. We found the holiday to be very well organised and suitable for moderately competent cyclists (a few dunes were the only hills – I guess if there had been wind it would have been tougher). The cabins were basic but comfortable – as advertised. We paid to be on the upper level which was worthwhile as when docked in some locations, the lower deck had no view on one side (unless you like looking at the quay wall!). Food was plentiful and tasty. Don’t expect a choice – but there are so many vegetables and courses that if you really don’t like something, you should not go hungry as there will be lots of other things to eat. The service was quick and friendly and the dining area was very nicely presented. It was particularly nice eating as we travelled on a couple of occasions (the boat generally moves when you are cycling). Breakfast could be fairly early (we had to be off the boat by 08.45 on a couple of occasions) but offered a good buffet. An early start was good as it meant avoiding the hottest time of the day for cycling and we did not find this a hardship at all. You were encouraged to make up your own lunch from the buffet. There was more than enough to make a substantial lunch (though we tended to supplement with a few things from local shops en route). The routes were well thought out and the guide gave a helpful pre-ride briefing (on our cruise your did not ride as a group). We particularly enjoyed riding on Texel where the tour leader had (as usual) pointed out some good places to look at. My only complaint is I thought the price of bottled water at dinner/the bar was a bit sharp. Not much of a complaint really! Be aware that the majority of people on the cruise may well be German or Italian or from elsewhere where they don’t speak English as a first language. We were the only two British people on our cruise. This was not a ‘problem’ – everyone was friendly enough – but if you are and English speaker travelling alone and don’t speak another language you may feel a little disconnected from fellow guests. Alternatively, you may see this as a good opportunity to improve your language skills! The majority of people on the trip were middle aged or older (like me!) but there were younger people including some teenagers (three) and one child and everyone seemed to enjoy their trip. Many of the older people used E-bikes which worked well. Free WIFI was adequate to get on line in the lounge/dining area – but not in the cabins. This was fine by us! Totally recommend for an active but not too strenuous holiday.

Very friendly atmophere during the cycling tour in Belgium thanks to Fred the guide and Hans the captain both being cool and fun .

The bikes were prepared for us to start each day and staffs were welcoming us when we returned to the ship at the next destination. We just left the bikes in front of the ship. (We had done bike trips by ourselves with 20 kg – luggage,which was hard.) We had information for the day everyday and all the crew were friendly and kind. We had meals selection for the dinner, which is very good. Wonderful days with wonderful sights and friends.Thanks a lot.Great memory for us.

trip was great , ship was great, Room was bad! I booked this trip early in May 2016 and was given the upper cabin over the engine compartment, very noisy! If I had not book so early I could expected that kind of cabin, but paying extra for a upper cabin and booking 3 months early I should not have been assigned the worst cabin on the ship!

We would recommend Boat Bike Tours. We were well looked after by the Captain and onboard crew. The food was excellent, the chef cooked some excellent meals, there was also plenty of breakfast and rolls, meat and cheese, fruit etc. for packed lunches. Our ride leader kept the cycling lively. It was very a socialable holiday at meal times and at the bar in the evening.

My partner and I had a terrific holiday on the Zwaantje. The captain and crew were the best you could find. The food was amazing and plentiful. The cycling guide Fred was a character and kept you amused for two weeks with plenty of riding, coffee hunting in the morning and beer hunting in the afternoon. Would recommend this to all my friends that want to see off the beaten track villages, historic towns and keep fit at the same time.

Just got back from an August bike/boat tour from Amsterdam to Bruges on the Manifique. Overall, the experience was great. The crew was somewhat new to each other (and the boat), but they all had a positive attitude for the most part (there was a little friction between the guide and the captain at one point about scheduling). The biking was pretty easy for me (I ride a lot), but I wasn’t in it for the exercise (more for the beer and scenery!) and my wife had an electric bike which was a good decision (one or two other bikers on the boat decided to go for the electric bike as well). It really does pay to get into biking shape for one of these trips – simply sitting in the saddle for extended periods of time can be a challenge – especially on a different kind of bike. The soft saddles of the Dutch bikes can be a little difficult to get used to. Food was generally pretty good – we elected to eat off the boat in Antwerp (in addition to Bruges) which helped break things up a little in terms of food variety. The BBQ was a big hit and it was nice to be able to eat outside on the deck that evening. The boat was kept pretty clean during the trip – although I would suggest that they change sheets at least once during the trip. We had one of the larger rooms with a “sitting area” – which didn’t really provide that much space for actual sitting, but the additional chairs served as an extra area to dump our stuff at the end of each day. Bathrooms are also clean and a fairly good size – considering this is a barge. One drawback was the fact that we went in August so many of the smaller towns we passed through were pretty quiet (everyone was on their holidays) – St. Amands was pretty much a ghost town when we got there. This wasn’t a problem in the bigger locales (e.g. Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp). All in all, this was a very enjoyable experience.

Wow…we had a wonderful experience and enjoyed every aspect of the trip. From our guide, Jack, to all the staff, they all went out of their way to make our week pleasant and memorable. The accomodations, food, service and bikes, were all excellent and we would highly recommend this trip and this tour company.

Started well and just got better. Instructions for finding the boat were clear and had us on board and installed in our basic but immaculately clean cabin without problem. Modes of operation from group cycling to bar tabs explained over dinner on the first night, and everything went smoothly from there. Guide and crew friendly, and although you are supposed to be either on board all day or cycling all day (because the cycle route doesn’t always follow the river), they were flexible enough to organise an early rendezvous with the boat the day it poured-down and we’d all had enough. Some days the cycling pace could have been a bit faster, but better that than too fast, and you can go self-guided if you wish; we did one day. Food excellent throughout the trip, (though I won’t be having another cheese or ham sandwich for lunch for a while), and you have to pay good money in a restaurant to get a three-course dinner as good as those on the boat. Thoroughly recommend. Many thanks to the team.