Belgium Tour Reviews — 931 to 960 of 1141

Bruges was an amazingly beautiful city and the accommodations were wonderful.

Route descriptions need significant updating and elaboration. There were many detours that are not indicated in the guide - took us off track, added many km and much confusion to the ride. Became VERY frustrating. Bikes need much better maintenance - friend had a broken chain day 2 . Arranging the repair was difficult - they lost a day of cycling. Very poor communication around the repair, no one seemed to know what they were doing. Really took away from the trip. Would have been much worse had we been in a more remote area when the break happened - would have been stranded for hours. The most helpful person was a local tow truck driver - he saved the day. Never saw a representative from the company in person for the whole trip. What??? Should, at the very least, have one at the beginning to review procedures, answer questions. Liked the biking, but some routes along canals got boring. We ended up going off route - saw much more. Hotel, luggage transfers were smooth. With the exception of the hotel in Bornem, hotels were nice. Overall, quite pleasant when things were going well, but did not feel that we got good personal support or service for the money we paid. Emergency support services need a LOT of improvement.

This was our 2nd trip this year. We signed up for a 3rd already. Barge and bike is wonderful.

A great trip. The area was great loved the villages we rode through.

Most memorable was the friendliness, patience and helpfullness of the staff!

The barge crew were exceptional. The cook treated each guest as a friend. Accommodated our request for a birthday cake. He even baked it on his own time. The scenery was exactly as anticipated.

Our guide, Arie, was terrific! The chef, Chris (I think), was fantastic! The whole bike/barge week was a 5 out of 5 experience

Just got off the Magnifique II a couple of weeks ago and my wife and I along with three other couples in our group had a fabulous time. Captain Paul, first mate Kevin, Chef Leroy, and Tesa went up and beyond duty helping and serving all of us. With temperatures above normal and the lost of one additional crew member they never missed a beat. The meals were excellent,Tesa always had a smile on her face while pouring us a glass of wine,Kevin could be found helping dock the boat, getting a beer for someone,adjusting the height of a bike seat and many,many more duties. Capt. Paul not only guided the ship throughout our trip,but jumped right in to clear dinner dishes ,tend bar and always willing to answer questions we might have about the Netherlands and Belgium. Marcel our guide did just that,telling us about certain structures we passed by, folklore and tours on foot through some of the towns we stayed in at night. A great trip

The food was exceptional! The Chef put a lot of effort to please.
Presentation was amazing.

I cannot say enough about the whole trip. The Barge accommodations were perfect for all my needs, the food aboard the MS Fluvius was way beyond what I expected - such a variety and the quality and quantity were superb. The staff on board could not have been more obliging - so eager to help so much fun. Our Guide was just simply the best (Jack/Jacques) knowledgeable and helpful, concerned always for our safety and our enjoyment. All our stops for coffee breaks and lunch breaks were also well planned. Would I recommend this trip to my friends? You Bet!! Look forward to going again - Thanks Tripsite

The bike-friendly paths through magnificent landscapes in Belgium and the Netherlands was outstanding.

The most memorable part of this trip was our impromptu swim off the boat. Jumping from the top and getting 22 of us in the water including the Captain.

This was a fun trip full of historic sites. Would have liked to have maps so we could go off at our own speed sometimes. The side trips for additional mileage were great. Got to ride some of the "Tour de Flanders" route with cobbles and hills. Chantilly was fantastic! Also took a side adventure to a roman ruin, something we weren't expecting in that part of France.

The the scenery was very very enjoyable as were the other guests on board the boat. The major problem or I should say the major dissatisfaction came from the fact that the bikes were too big and too heavy. I am an experienced bike rider and usually feel comfortable on most bikes but these truly were very very uncomfortable for me and I know for some of the other smaller women on the trip, dangerous. My only other comment would be about the guide..... I felt his attitude was very condescending in the first few days he was barely a guide his aim was to get from point A to point B in whatever amount of time he deemed necessary without any consideration for the inexperienced bikers on the trip. The slower bikers trailed way behind perhaps in some cases almost a quarter of a mile behind him and he barely looked back to see if they were there or for that matter even struggling. I volunteered to sweep and finally in frustration stopped him and told him he must go as slow as the slowest biker. I thought it was rather interesting too that he made a point constantly of telling us that if we either went on our own or staggered behind and became lost that he would make no accommodation to look for us. He repeated on several occasions that we were to read the map, read the map! We laughed when we realized that he had actually gotten us lost because his GPS had run low on batteries and he missed a turn. Now this was a man who told us he had done this exact trip 16 times this year! Yes you can see that I was very unhappy with his attitude towards his guests, the people who were his bread and butter.

A wonderful experience as my first bike tour. Enjoyed most everything about the trip, even with the boat breaking down and a new bike route added for the day. However, my first hour was stressful as I had been given the wrong pier to meet the boat. Fortunately, the sister boat was able to give me directions. Two other guest had the wrong directions to pier also.

Food and scenery fantastic! Jack, bike tour guide was rude at times. Also expected everyone to keep up with his ebike. Several women spoke to him and he got a little better and used a sweep and someone to wait at turns. I expected something a little more leisurely so could take pictures along the way. I did not expect a road race even though I could keep up. However, inspite of this, I have recommended the trip to friends as it is a wonderful experience. I do hope you retrain your bike guides to be kind.

The bikes were not in excellent condition. Some needed work on them.
A guide better versed in local traditions and history would have been nice.

It was a wonderful way to see the country. Wonderful fellow travelers and the crew couldn't gave been more accommodating . So much fun!

I thought there weren't enough safety precautions: riding too close, no warning of slowing or stopping. Would have liked more stops along the way for photos.

Loved the Magnifique II! The food was spectacular! Variety of routes/terrains.

We did the bike barge trip from Bruges to Paris on the Zwantjie. We would absolutely recommend the trip. Our comments are:
1. While the cabins are small, they are still adequate and good layout in the bathroom ( each cabin has it's own) . They are kept very clean. They all have AC as the porthole does not open.
2. The rides was rated easy to moderate. It was MUCH harder than Bolzano to Venice so be prepared. I would say it should be rated moderate. The second week is easier than the first - perhaps due to improved fitness but also l think there are less hills.
3. Meals were good and wholesome.
4. Staff were incredibly obliging. Nothing was too much trouble. Thank you Martyn ( the Captain ), Michael ( mechanic ), Chris ( chef/cook ), Gosha ( amazingly efficient at serving meals/alcohol and cleaning the cabins ) and our great guides, Christain and Elia.
5. Size of about 24 riders is excellent. For us, better than say 30-40 as on the Ava Maria. You get to know all the riders are we had a great group of people, Australians, Americans and Poms.
6. When we stayed in Perrone we went to Villers Bretonneux. This is particularly relevant to Australians - whose troops saved the town from the Germans in WW1. A stunning memorial site -very moving. We also rode through a number of memorials to WW1 victims. Also quite moving.

The food was excellent. We also enjoyed the guided tours in the evenings.

Accommodations were too small. The rest of the journey made up for lack of space. No room to put our belongings.

The routing was great, food excellent, barge lovely and the staff was outstanding: Nico, Eric, Jan, Martin, - would love to have them lead my next bike and barge trip. Yay for the Elodie, my favorite barge. Thanks Nico for all the help; The crew made this trip one of a kind. I'll be back.

LIa is the best guide we've ever worked with - well informed, good managing people, qualified in every way; and went well beyond what she had to do in her position. All the riding - even in the rain and varied road surfaces - was extremely pleasant.

Because Lia is an exceptional guide; on this trip one guide for up to 30 cyclists worked well. In most cases, however, I think having only one guide for this large a group - especially a group with many novice riders - is bad practice. Also, a water bottle cage and a cyclometer on the bike would have been nice.

Boat and crew were first class as was the bicycles. Lots of fun and enjoyed the evening company. Beautiful scenery and city visits. Most memorable was the 50 km day trip my 86 year old father-in-law did with 7 other family members.

The bike and barge trip aboard the Magnifique was amazing. Could not have asked for a better trip! Can't wait to go on another bike and barge trip.

Truly a wonderful experience. I was the tour organizer for a group of 12 tandem cyclists. Hennie and her staff at TripSite and the Captain and crew of the Quo Vadis were truly above and beyond expectations. This was a life bucket trip for all involved and all were very satisfied with the entire experience!

What stands out is the friendly competent crew - Coba, Marianne and Petra, the gourmet chef - Franco, the experienced knowledgeable guides - Piet and Wouter. Together they made the two week journey both comfortable and memorable.

What stands out is the friendly competent crew - Coba, Marianne and Petra, the gourmet chef - Franco, the experienced knowledgeable guides - Piet and Wouter. Together they made the two week journey both comfortable and memorable.

Wonderful staff - the entire trip was just great! Tome, our guide was exceptional.