South Holland Bike Boat Tour in June 2018

The boat bike tour itinerary done by the company was reviewed in our national press so from the onset there was no issue with trustworthiness. From the point of booking online to the end of the tour at the pier in Amsterdam, things were highly organised and efficiently run. All meals were adequate, and the daily dinner 3-course menu was well-thought out with variety (though for a sea facing country with lots of water, seafood and fish were not found more on the menu). Although the weather was cloudy & chilly at times with some rain, I must admit that gives the 6 day ride an added dimension of fun and adventure. Day 5 in the nature park & bison country (unfortunately they were a bit shy and no where to be seen) with the strong winds & hills to Bloemendahl aan see & Zoondvoort was the most interesting & challenging and became one of my favorite rides. Peter & Pauletta tried their best in the English briefings but guess no matter what, there will be some things lost in translation. It was ensuring to see them on some routes and rides also. Here are a few things which Bike Boat Tours may wish to look into to improve their services: 1. The information sent out upon full payment could be improved: a, the meeting place on Day 1 was not clear on the map, b.the daily 100 Mb internet provision is probably unlimited(?) c. do encourage people to check in as early at 2 pm for bike fitting etc as it was vague that there was some of these activities. 2. The daily briefing could include info’ sheets (rather than vaguely saying this is interesting) about the places en route, and suggested time that is required to explore the things in a particular area. 3. Quite a few times, there were some anxiety to come back not too late or worse making the wrong turns. Thus, the last 10 km should have more details on the route. 4. Some of the arranged visits e.g. to the chess farm was excellent. Could perhaps also include to some Dutch cattle, vegetable, flower farms and other Dutch cottage industry so that we can experience even more of the more rural, agricultural part of the Dutch life e.g. we saw a pig farm on the last day and we thought it would be useful to see a modern farm. 5. The Ride with GPS is the best and it’s use should be strongly encouraged Inevitably without the GPS we got into wrong turns. 6. Found it strange that the bath soap bottles were never replenished throughout the 7 days? 7. The ‘boat’ part of the tour was not particularly highlighted e.g. going through the locks were fascinating and perhaps some running commentary would be useful and educational. Also the history and developments of some canals, bridges and the important roles they are in the Netherlands.