Sailing Home boat/barge tour reviews — 61 to 90 of 117

Pros:
The tulips were gorgeous, Keukenhof was a highlight and a nice break.
The bike paths were easy, fun and relaxing,
Food was plentiful and the chef did a good accommodating various diets and planned varied and delicious menus.
The other guests were friendly, fun, and interesting.
The crew were all kind and patient.
The hybrid bikes were comfortable.
The guide (Piet) was knowledgeable, and gave historic walks almost every night.

Cons:
Riding in the cities was stressful. There was too much urban riding with many treacherous intersections, bike and pedestrian traffic. It seemed very unsafe.
The e-bikes mixed into the group were a problem. Some of the riders couldn't control the e-bikes. Also, riding up and down hills through the dunes, with a strong head wind was gave the e-bike riders an advantage.
The size of the group (24) was too large for a single guide. He struggled to be present for everyone.
The large gap in abilities of the riders was problematic. This tour was rated easy, but some riders were extremely fit and pushed the pace.
Some of the schedule didn't work well. On the hardest riding day, we started the bike tour very late, after shopping in town and museums. We barely had time to eat lunch that day . But the ride through the dunes was difficult. I'm not sorry we went, but I wish we had left earlier and taken some breaks.
We were close to the end of tulip season and so didn't see as many as earlier tours.

1. Kukenhof gardens was our favorite part of the trip- absolutely gorgeous.
2. The staff was awesome- friendly, cheerful, energetic.

The most memorable parts of the tour were the beautiful weather and camaraderie amongst the boat personnel and bike riders ….a pleasure to be around for the week . Very attentive to detail , boat spotless , amazing food and fun activities! Couldn’t ask for a better crew …

The ship "Sailing Home" and it's crew were fantastic. The food each day was 5star healthy and plentiful.

The Tulip Tour aboard Sailing Home was absolutely fabulous!! All members of the crew and the bike tour guide were amazing. The fields of flowers and overall scenery on the route were fantastic. One word of advice - if you’re not an avid biker, rent an e bike. The winds can be quite strong and just a little bit of power provided by the bike goes a long way. It wii help keep the pack together. This tour is highly recommended!!

The most memorable was biking through the low lands, seeing the difference in water / land level, local animals and how /where they built their homes. Riding through and around the Keukenhof was great for us tulip lovers. Also Windmills and more windmills at the Kinderdijk...fantastic scenic. This trip was well orchestrated and executed we had an unforgettable time.

Sailing Home was a lovely barge, extremely clean, and the staff was delightful. Truly a wonderful experience.

The rides through the countryside were memorable, with the freedom of movement, the vibrant spring colours and the sight of waterfowl going about their nesting tasks, while cycling through some pretty challenging spring weather. Then we got back to the boat, welcomed again on board by a crew also glad to be back after two yeas of covid restrictions. The meals were very good, the guide always helpful and my travel companions friendly and interesting.
After two years of emails and trying to salvage something of a planning disaster during covid, I found the actual trip well organized and I could trust it would turn out well. I would do it again.
I had a medical issue re an allergic reaction on my face and the guide and crew handled it well, making me a doctor appointment and certainly following my recovery closely. For a person travelling alone it was reassuring and comforting.

Windmills, cycling and millions of tulips. What could be more wonderful? The barge, Sailing Home, was by far the nicest vessel we have stayed on for a bike and barge. The food was amazing, the Captain very welcoming, and the staff efficient and friendly. The itinerary was interesting and well planned. Do be sure to dress for the changeable weather!

This was a most excellent way to explore the county, with most excellent service on the boat, Sailing Home. We liked the small size of the group (23 riders, 1 tour guide, the captain, the chef, and 2 assistants). And the chef was amazing. She served superb dinners from different regions or counties, each with a guided explanation of what the foods represent. After dinner we had well paced guided tours of the cities we were docked at. Ghent, Belgium was my favorite. The guest quarters were top notch and we’ll maintained. I would love to sail with them again.

Our guide was terrible!
The crew on the ship very nice.
Food excellent.

Sailing on the barge through Rotterdam harbour. This bike and barge tour was amazing. The barge was so comfortable,the crew were wonderful,food was absolutely first class.Our guide did a fabulous job,and was so nice.We would urge anyone thinking about travelling in Holland to consider doing a bike and barge tour with this company.We are in the upper age group,and had no trouble keeping up.

A perfect experience - great staff - very flexible - excellent meals

I cannot say enough about this trip. The entire experience was amazing. We were on the Sailing Home which is beautifully appointed and the rooms are small but quite comfortable. The crew made sure that our every need was met. We got caught in a bad rain storm one afternoon and when we arrived back at the boat we were greeted by the crew with baskets for our wet shoes and jackets to dry everything for us before the next day. The food was amazing, every meal was 5 stars and the chef was not only talented, but charming! Our tour guide, Seitse, was a true scholar who loves his country and is proud to share his knowledge of the land, the people and the rich history. Every night he offered walking tours through the town for anyone who was interested. We saw the country up close and personal, riding through the fields, towns and neighborhoods in a way we we could not have done without the bikes and our guide. We will definitely do another trip, however the next one will have a lot to live up to!

Coming around a corner in rural netherlands and seeing a tradition windmill complete with thatched roof! Beautiful!

The Sailing Home exceeded my expectations! The crew was excellent, the scenery magnificant, and I totally didn't expect a French-trained gourmet chef to prepare our meals complete with nightly explanation of each dish and it's country of origin. This is an intimate cruise ship experience for only 24 persons.

The most memorable part was getting to see the countries from a bicycle. The weather was not good and the tour guide did an excellent job of juggling the personalities with varying degrees of athletic fitness. At 53-58, there were people on the boat that were over 20 years older than my wife and I, and as a result, some rides were cut short somewhat - this was a bit disappointing as my wife and I had hoped to ride at least the distances advertised. One additional constructive comment - some of the bikes were not in good shape. The bike set aside for me had its front brakes permanently rubbing and the solution was for me to ride a women's small bike for the week. Disappointing. The trip was excellent overall and we will do a bike and barge tour again.

The food on the barge was amazing! We had strong winds for the bike but our leader made modifications to give people options for shorter routes. Amazing trip!!

My wife and I had never done a bike trip before, let alone a boat and bike one. Our South Holland Tour turned out be fabulous that way exceeded expectations. The Dutch landscape was beautiful. Our boat, Sailing Home, was charming and immaculate. A daily highlight was getting to know our fellow shipmates over dinner. And what dinners! They were of varying cuisines lovingly prepared by Eline, our Cordon Bleu-trained chef. Some random thoughts: 1) we brought our own helmets, but it was unnecessary as the boat had helmets of varying sizes, 2) I was anxious about the quality of the bicycles on board which turned out to be needless worry; our 24-speed bikes were in great condition, 3) we had no idea who our fellow travelers might be, and strangers became friends who shared email addresses at trip’s end. We’ve had multiple vacations in Asia and Europe; our South Holland Tour was one of the memorable.

We really enjoyed the rural countryside for our biking tour. We would bike past horses, cows, swans and goats and stop in very quaint towns. I rented a regular bike because I thought the Netherlands was very flat, there was more incline and distance than I was prepared for. I was able to borrow another guest e-bike a few days and in retrospect I should have rented one. But it also made me realize I can go to other countries that are more of a challenge, I would just rent an e-bike. We also brought our own helmets, but the ones they had on the boat looked fine. My husband brought his cycle computer which was a good idea to see our distance etc. We really enjoyed the biking tour!

The whole barge experience with fellow bikers was awesome. There were only 23 of us and we all connected. The dining was exceptional. Our guide lacked knowledge of the tour and did not provide enough cultural experience.

The mighty River Rhine was very memorable

This trip was fabulous! The biking in the countryside was beautiful! I especially enjoyed seeing the bounding hares, swans, sheep, flowers and lovely homes. The tulip, daffodil and hyacinth fields were spectacular and an experience I will never forget. The traditional Dutch dinners were delicious and the stories about the food were entertaining and fun. I did find the city biking frightening at times with the crowds. One tip is be prepared for this and stay near the guide in the heavy traffic areas. I thoroughly enjoyed the sites especially the factory in Delft, Harlem, biking through the Sand Dunes and Keukenhof gardens. A lovely country with so much to experience.
I think this trip is an incredible value for the price. I can’t wait to take another bike and barge trip.

Sailing Home was a great boat, well finished, very clean, lots of room and nice staff. The trip from Bruges to Amsterdam was very scenic and flat country yet the riding did not offer the flexibility friends had experienced with other tours.
We had expected to ride 30kms (+or- 10) a day and were somewhat surprised to hear the daily ride was 60 kms. That said, on one day, it was possible to ride 20 kms in the morning then 40 kms in the afternoon as the bike route crossed the boats route.
There were nine in our group and to a person we thought it would have been far better to have the boat dock at mid day for people wanting to ride a shorter distance, then head to the overnight stopping point. We would have liked the option to stop in some local villages, had lunch in a cafe and strolled at some of the scenic spots. It is not supposed to be the Tour de France.
Would we do it again, yes, but at our own pace, so we would do it 'self guided' next time as I don't think our guide could comprehend our desire to enjoy all the joys of the ride.

Great staff making us feel very welcomed and well cared for, from our guide Pete to the lady captain. I would highly recommend this company.

Best part of trip traveling with friends old and new. Beautiful scenery. Great food. A great challenge. Looking forward to my next trip

Most memorable part? Scenery and food and small group size

Our trip on the Sailing Home Amsterdam to Brugge was far more than we expected. The cabins are spacious enough for 2 people and the bathroom was well equipped and plenty enough space. The outside deck area was very social and the best way to finish the day with sundowners and your fellow cyclists. Loved this trip and would highly recommend.

The scenery - Bruges was like a storybook. The food - The chef on our barge went out of her way to accommodate my family’s vegan requirements, and she did it with style.

Enjoyed the accommodations, crew was great, and cycling was easy . Looking at another Bike & Barge adventure!