Netherlands Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 1561 to 1590 of 1684

Had a wonderful time. The crew were amazing. Fred the guide was very attentive, knowledgeable, and always willing to help. Well organized with unique side trips. The food was great and the crew were all very friendly and helpful. What a beautiful country and lovely way to experience it. I will definitely recommend it to my friends.

Though not a 'delux' trip the staff and other passengers made it such a memorable trip! It might not suit everyone but we loved it!

This was an excellent trip. We were well taken care of on The Merjlin. The cabin was set up well, their attention to detail, everything was designed to ensure we had the best vacation experience -right down to fresh flowers on board. I have recommended The Merjlin to everyone who asks about my trip.

Our Amsterdam to Bruges 7 days bike and barge was the highlight of our 90 day trip! Loved it all, and many people have viewed my travelpod and also our coffee table book of photos. It is a long way to come from NZ but I have been drooling over the Croatia bike and barge trips for 2016.....

Thought I'd find it hard, not really being a biker, and I got a sore backside on occasion, especially when we got lost and pedalled a few extra kms, but just loved the whole experience. (even piked out on the last rainy day and motored into Bruges, felt I earned it!)

Holland is beautiful. The bike route goes through too many urban areas and not enough countryside. The groups are too large. Our group had 28 people and only 1 guide. It was impossible for him to keep an eye on all the people. As an example, it would take 3 or 4 light changes for the group to all cross a main road. Sometimes the group would be spread out as much as 1 kilometer. My wife fell off her bike and broke her hand because the group was always speeding up and slowing down. One day we even lost a rider for a while. The tour guide seemed very informative, but did not explain much, and seemed cold most of the time. That is my honest opinion. Thank you.

1. Food was mediocre - not great...lots of canned or frozen vegetables. Meat was consistently over cooked and dry. There was lots of choices for breakfast and we especially liked the variety to make our lunches. Had to pay for hot water, tea & coffee after 4:00 pm was a ridiculous and cheap policy which angered many.
2. Room service - towels were not replenished each day as expected until the guide told us to put them in the shower to indicate we wanted towels refreshed each day. This was a problem of no signage to indicate this practice and that the guide forgot to tell us until day 4 when someone complained.
3. Maps and route descriptions - we always marvel at the signage for cycling in the Netherlands. Our country should adopt this method. But we were only given one map/booklet per room. Again, a very cheap practice as all travelers are paying cyclists and each want their own maps. Can't guarantee that those who room together actually cycle together. This again angered many in our group all of whom are avid cyclists who have traveled extensively by bike in Europe.
4. Route - Wonderful! Northern Netherlands is so beautiful, the route selected was varied and very picturesque, and towns we visited were charming.
5. Staff - Every staff person, but one, was extremely polite, helpful and courteous, from the kitchen staff, the captain, servers, and bike support fellas. The one exception was our guide who was rigid, rude, impatient and grumpy. He warmed up as the week progressed but his welcoming manner was less than desirable. He didn't seem to like to deal with women or English clients, as we saw that he got along very well with the German clients. It could have been a factor of language and fatigue due the fact that it was the end of the season.

We were plagued by hot weather in early June. It was pleasant before and after our trip. Not your fault. The rest was great.

The bikes and scenery were great. The guide was terrible. He was not nice to the American travelers.

Tom Stout, the tour guide on the Magnifique is absolutely fantastic at his job. I would go on the same exact same trip again if Tom is the guide :)

Excellent tour guide (Albert) after the first two days out I relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed the biking, all the explanations of what we were seeing along the route. The caption and partner were great hosts. Every evening a fantastic meal. After our evening meal Albert always offered to take us on a walking tour, on his own time, which we all did. I would certainly recommend trip site to anyone.

The bikes were a little beat up, but we enjoyed every aspect of the trip. My one complaint about the boat was that they shut off the AC at night and we couldn't open the portholes, so sleeping was not ideal. This year we are heading to Italy with 20 of our closest friends for the Venice to Mantova tour on the Ave Maria!

Barge was exceptionally good. The bike tour had some very good portions and a couple of sections that were not very enjoyable. Overall it was a great trip.

Cycling a wee bit fast. Most people were in fifties & sixties and I was seventy-nine.

The nickel and diming on the boat was annoying - i.e., free coffee until 4 pm but nobody gets back before then; coffee and tea not included with dinner (extra cost); bottled water sold at the same price as a beer (one token worth 2.5 Euros). Our guide, Marcel, was clearly out of sorts and was not someone I would recommend - rude, disinterested, unhelpful, condescending, and refused to answer questions. I trust that other guides are much better.

The food was spectacular on both tours. The crew and guides were excellent on both tours. In particular, having guides with expertise in the history and art of the area is much more important than expertise in cycling. We have been recommending these tours to friends and family all summer long. Thank you.

The boat and crew in the Netherlands were wonderful. All my trips with tripsite have been great. I never hesitate going on another one.

Wonderful trip. Only a little disappointed in that our guide was very knowledgeable about biking, but didn't appear to be as knowledgeable about the geography or culture of the area as I would have liked.

The Amsterdam to Cologne Bike and Barge trip overall was very nice. I would have altered some of the biking to avoid Dusseldorf's industrial areas which were not very appealing. Otherwise the barge and their staff were excellent, the guide was good, but got lost a few times. In any case I would recommend it to friends.

We had such a great time we are planning another one and bringing another couple along! Jantein and Henke were the best hosts!

The bikes did show some wear but the two mechanics on our barge were wonderful in making repairs overnight. The maps were on the whole very good but each person on the trip should be given their own set of maps and the accompanied daily itinerary descriptions.

Fabulous experience. Can't wait to go again.

Fantabulous! Will be back and do another trip. Am a Tripsite ambassador!

The stars were the staff of the Elodie. Just wonderful.

We loved our trip to the Netherlands to bike through the tulips and have recommended this trips to lots of friends and family!

The route presentations by the guide were difficult to follow because they did not use a Powerpoint type presentation with a screen. This left the guest fumbling through paperwork which made the presentation difficult to understand and increased the risk of getting lost along the way.

Exceeded our expectations.

We've recommended this trip to lots of people. Would love to do another bike/barge trip.

Evening walking tours of towns by tour guide were a nice extra.

The bikes provided were crap. You could still see the cobwebs. What was particularly egregious was the lack of a decent bicycle pump to bring our tires up to pressure on a daily basis.