4 Star De Holland boat/barge tour reviews — 1 to 13 of 13

4.2 out of 5

 


Cesar D.
5 months ago

Verified Reviewer

  De Holland Authentic Holland
Netherlands

The program o the trips was excellent and the chief guide also.

Leslie T.
5 months ago

Verified Reviewer

  De Holland Authentic Holland
Netherlands

Loved the biking through the many forests along our routes. Loved all of the biking, but especially the forests!

Sally F.
5 months ago

Verified Reviewer

  De Holland Authentic Holland
Netherlands

Most memorable was the excellent guiding from Wilma who gave us so much information about the routes.

It was wonderful visiting the cities and small towns each day in addition to the countryside.

Kenneth Z.
10 months ago

Verified Reviewer

  De Holland Authentic Holland
Netherlands

Biking through the countryside with new friends - over village streets, up on dikes, through forests, etc. Our group would stop each day for coffee and apple cake with whipped cream to try out the many delicious variations of baked goods. Best found in Bronkhorst.

Hugh C.
1 year ago

Verified Reviewer

  De Holland Authentic Holland
Netherlands

The last day was my best. I stopped to make a beautiful photo and lost my group. It took over an hour of fast riding and navigation to catch them. Great experience. Amsterdam Castle and its Cafe were superb pleasure.

Martin M.
1 year ago

Verified Reviewer

  De Holland Authentic Holland
Netherlands

First time I experienced this type of travelling. Overall, I like it. Couple of notes though : the ship was not where it was supposed to be at embarkment ; it was on the other side of the harbour. No communication received about that last minute change. We knew because someone was monitoring vesselfinder. A lot of people did not know. Second, we were not happy with the table arrangements. We got assigned a table on day 1 and were supposed to sit at that table, with the same people, every day. I appreciate the reason, every evening they ask what you want for dinner the next day, and if people then are not at the same table, that system does not work. But, we're travelling with a group. We want to have dinner at a different table every day.

Having said that, the boat and the food was nice, the crew was really good, no, outstanding. The daily tours were well organized and navigating our way was easy.
Hence my 4 star rating of the tour.

Susan O.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  De Holland North Holland Tour
Netherlands

The De Holland is a lovely barge with a proficient staff and nice upper level staterooms. The food was above average and the after-ride beer is a great value. The North Holland area is very rural with small towns but mostly agricultural routes. Easy navigating because The Netherlands has an extensive network of bikeways and understandable wayfinding. The history of diking, watermills and pumping is fascinating and would be good to know about as you ride through this area. Our trip was in the beginning of October and we had beautiful weather although it can be windy along some portions of the ride.

Sue Cousineau
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  De Holland North Holland Tour
Netherlands

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. Read More

Paul Hough
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  De Holland North Holland Tour
Netherlands

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.

Diane Thomson
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  De Holland North Holland Tour
Netherlands

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.

Carolyn Dunbar
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  De Holland North Holland Tour
Netherlands

This was a nice trip which I chose after research. I learned that I prefer smaller groups.

Marnie Terrett
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  De Holland North Holland Tour
Netherlands

I found the conditions of the bikes quite poor. They were obviously wearing out after a season of use. The food was adequate but not spectacular. The information about how to get clean towels was given 5 days into the trip.
The routes were well described but I would have liked further information about the towns we were passing through and where we were staying the night. Our group happened upon a cemetery with Canadian war dead but it was just luck. That type of information should be included I the route description of the day. Despite the things mentioned I did enjoy the trip and would recommend it to others.

Fair Rapsey
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  De Holland North Holland Tour
Netherlands

I had a lot of trouble with the bike seat. That created pain/discomfort for the whole week. We saw other barges participants en route with much better bikes than we had. Ours were quite old and clunky but they worked OK when you got used to them. The bike mechanics were great. The seven gears were adequate for the terrain.

We should each have our own maps and route descriptions, not just one per cabin. You don't necessarily cycle with your cabin mate and sometimes people get separated from cycling partners during the day.

Our guide Marcel appeared to have a very arrogant attitude towards guests, particularly those who asked for clarification of various things. He was rude to me when I asked a question about the availability of public washrooms along the way - and what was customary in Holland. He snapped "So you think Dutch people don't go to the toilet?" He seemed to make a lot more effort as the week went on and was quite knowledgeable about a Read More