Bike & Sail the Tulips

Our cabin was extremely cramped and unsatisfactory. There was no emergency evacuation drill. The bike tours had too many people to feel safe. Food was mediocre.

The overall sailing ship was lovely, although space in the dining area was cramped and especially difficult if someone were to sit at the middle tables. Regarding the food, Peter was fabulous and the food was varied. We loved sitting on deck in the eveings when the weather cooperated. Our captain and sailing crew were highly skilled navigating that long boat thru canals and locks. Very impressive. the housekeeping staff were also amazing and we really enjoyed interacting with them. But--we had #2 cabins ( in our group) at the very front of the ship. It was billed as a triple, but I cannot possibly even imagine 3 people in there. The room narrowed with the shape of the hull and it was rather uncomfortable. Definely not a "Deluxe" experience. Those rooms should have been discounted more. The bike guides really need to fit clients bikes the day before the first ride. My bike didn't get fitted correctly ( seat too high and I needed a smaller bike). I didn't know there was an alternative--so it was a dangerous situation at one point on day #3 with an almost altercation with a car. It didn't get switched out until the very last day. We all loved biking in the small towns and around the tulip fields. I even saw a spoonbill among hordes of other birds and animals. Conversely, the groups were too large going thru larger towns with cars, local bikers, and pedestrians. We should have been broken into 3 groups for more secure safety. All in all--a great trip with diversity of historic towns and natural landscapes like the dunes on Texel.

2 things that were the highlights for me was first, sailing on a 4 mask sail boat. What an experience. Second was our day spent at Keukenhof tulip gardens. Spectacular!

Sailing was fun, tulips were amazing. I really enjoyed Texel and the towns on the island. Our host was perfect. She had a story for everywhere we stopped.

Enjoyed cycling through small towns, through countryside, lifting of the sails, the food and coffee, the entire crew and of course, the tulips.

Overall a great experience. I enjoyed making new friends, the excellent dinners, the welcoming and helpful staff. I loved exploring a beautiful country from a bike but would have liked a bit more time to visit the small towns we cycled through.

Awesome, Awesome, Awesome! Accommodation fabulous, food absolutely delicious and gorgeous, crew on the boat wonderful, and tour guides were fantastic. I haven't stopped raving about the tour to all my friends who are now looking into booking.

The food and lodging were fantastic. The crew was up beat and helpful.

I liked working with Tripsite because I got assigned a contact and she (Britney) was helpful and responsive.

Our route for our trip had to be changed because a bridge was being repaired. The guides were not as familiar with the history and highlights of the new route. But they did pretty good.

Our chef Peter was AMAZING, as well as the entire crew! Never have I been on a tour with such an incredible delightful crew so willing to assist. WOW!

Everything was, well, just perfect! The schooner was so clean, and the Captain was a true joy to be around. All of the crew bent over backwards to please and make sure that I had the grandest time ever. And believe me, I did! My biking adventure came to life with Tom and Hilda at the lead. Such a memorable trip!

Excellent tour, great accommodations, great food and great staff!

This was a trip of a lifetime! From start to finish we were taken care of in every way. The accommodations were very nice. The crew were amazing! Everyone went over and beyond what was expected. I still can't believe the wonderful food the Chef prepared for us. The presentation alone was so impressive. The tour leaders were so helpful and worked so hard to make sure everyone knew the daily plan and made sure the bikes were working and the tours went well. The hostesses worked so hard and paid attention to every detail with a smile. The Captain and First Mate also worked hard every day to make sure our trip went smooth. The only thing I would suggest is that we needed more time at the Keukenhof Gardens. Three hours were definitely not enough to enjoy all of the gardens. We enjoyed every aspect of this trip. I highly recommend this tour!

The tulips while riding. The tulip gardens. Bikes were excellent quality. We really enjoyed the wooden shoe cheese guy, it was a performance. We enjoyed the crew very much. Each one of them had high standards of performance and they excelled in their expertise. As regards the person in training to be a guide, I would suggest that she listen to Helde to put together a plan of what makes a great guide (knowing your subject deep down, be curious, when doing a town walk, or even a ride through the windmills provide interesting information and be able to anticipate and answer questions, be approachable, to name a few). We would have really loved to be able to actually sail the boat, but it didn't work out. The crew did allow us to put up a sail, which was above and beyond. The cook's food selection, preparation and presentation were of a very high standard, especially given he was cooking on a boat. Overall highly recommend.

This was an amazing trip. The boat was comfortable and beautiful, the crew were all so nice and did everything in their power to make sure we were all getting our needs met. The bicycles seemed brand new and functioned without any issues, and the site seeing was wonderful. Our guide Hilda knew so much about the places we went and I really appreciated her sharing her knowledge and fun facts with us. This was my first trip like this and my only regret is that it was not longer! Looking forward to my next one with Tripsite!

The Holland bike tour was magnificent! The ship crew and tour guides were very friendly and helpful. The tulip fields were amazing. Highly recommend.

Combination of boat and biking. We are sailors and enjoyed the maritime aspects of trip. Chef was an unanticipated pleasure.
Note that there are strong headwinds in North Netherlands.

This was a good mix of cycling to sightseeing and sailing. The boat and crew were the highlight as well as cycling through tge dunes, the island of Texel, and the tulip fields.

It's impossible for me to select one "most" memorable part of this trip since the entire week was fantastic. Living on the boat was a wonderful experience, mainly because the staff was great and the other travelers were so fun -- plus the food was excellent and the cabins were more spacious than I could have imagined. The biking was wonderful -- enjoyable and not too strenuous. Wieger stopped fairly often to share lots of info and to give us time for photos or coffee. The only bummer was that we were a week or two ahead of the tulip bloom, though the hyacinths were absolutely gorgeous and so fragrant. My only suggestion is maybe to have participants introduce themselves or have nametags the first day since it took me a few days to get everybody's names straight. :-}

The crew was super friendly and knowledgeable. We weren't a high-maintenance group, yet they took food allergies and similar needs into account with a smile.

Overall, this was a fantastic trip that fulfilled my decades-long dream. I'd highly recommend it to others, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. And I'd definitely do a smaller ship like this again rather than one of those gigantic long boats or a huge cruise ship where you don't get to know your shipmates. Part of the fun of this trip was getting to know others from around the world who had similar laid-back and active attitudes.

I loved seeing The Netherlands by boat. After all it's a country surrounded by and defined by water. With the tulips in bloom, it was a perfect time to learn the history and experience so many towns. The cuisine and beer are a terrific part of the immersion into a Dutch life.