4 Star De Holland boat/barge tour reviews — 1 to 24 of 24

What I am left with is the memory of the wonderful people I met on the trip. People from all over coexisted, braved some very wet weather, adapted to continuous itinerary changes due to weather conditions and still had a lovely experience. Food and accommodations were excellent. Kudos to the guide Peter who spent hours on his computer sleuthing out alternate routes for cycling as our itinerary continually changed. We missed some cities and had little time in others but you can't control Mother Nature or "traffic control" on the canals. All in all we had a great time and I will definitely book another B & B trip.

Cycling through the small towns and fields. So picturesque and very calm riding.

Staff were great and worked very hard for all of us during the week. Unfortunately strong winds kept us docked for a day so we lost a day riding north as planned and caused other changes in the itinerary which apparently is not common but can happen. Food was very good and enjoyable to meet others from other countries during social hours.

The mix of beautiful countryside and vibrant cities and towns.

The most memorable part of the trip was the gift of breezing through the many changing landscapes of this region, at our own pace, stopping for a coffee to be part of the community for only a few moments.

Most memorable were the amazing rides through the countryside in the sunshine. Assistance from the cycling crew was amazing!

Disappointed to hear that participants who chose to remain on the boat were restricted to only certain areas.

Would have liked more snacks and drinks post cycling.

Trip was great overall. De Holland was also very good, rooms, etc., were very good. Food was ok. On board staff seemed a bit rigid & could have been a bit more flexible. Tour guides were very good though there could have been at least one or two more guides for the number of people riding. Boat crew were very good. Overall, a great trip & would do it again & recommend it to others.

An excellent way to visit Belgium and Netherlands. The food was delicious. Rooms were comfortable. We will definitely be doing another bike and barge trip.

Biking through the country was unforgettable. Truly enjoyable.

We throughly enjoyed cycling through the villages and rural landscape.
We had a few days of strong winds which we understand is very normal for this region - this made for challenging cycling on a hybrid bike.
The bicycles were very old and needed replacing plus 2 bike bags should have been provided to hold rain gear. The GPS app wasn’t reliable and required frequent rebooting. Our cabin was infested with sewer flies - very off putting and disturbing.

Some great self-guided cycling routes.

Would have appreciated more information en route regarding points of interest, not just directions.

Oddly, water was not provided at dinner except at an additional cost - unusual for an active cycling trip when hydration is important.

Also no coffee or tea expect at prescribed times, unavailable if one arrived back to barge later than the prescribed time.

No wifi except at an additional cost.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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 variety of things. He got off to a bad start with quite a few people however.

Re Food: The food was good and varied. We had a lot of salads/vegetables (generally overcooked) which I appreciated. Tea, coffee and water should be available for free all the time, not just till 4. A euro for hot water and a tea bag is chintzy.

I enjoyed the trip and the route. The route was quite varied in a lot of ways and very beautiful. Luckily the weather was reasonably cooperative and our group had a great time. The barge is a fun experience, and I would recommend it and consider another trip for myself as well.