4 Star Bordeaux - Châteaux, Rivers & Wine Tour Reviews — 1 to 25 of 25

Having a guide for this trip was very beneficial. For the first 3 days our guided group consisted of 30+ people. This was too large of a group and was pretty much a pain. We eventually broke into a group of 8 riders with Dorian as our guide, that was perfect. We were able to travel at a much more leisurely pace, visit many wineries, tasting rooms, small villages and churches.

We enjoyed St Emilion which we explored on our own. We should have been told what there was unusual to see in all of the ports that we were in at the beginning of the trip so that if reservations were necessary at sights that interested us we could have made them. Sebastian worked very hard at making sure that we had a great time on the boat. We were part of a learning experience and work in progress for Pascal.

The scenery was wonderful. Biking around the French countryside — what could be bad? HOWEVER, this trip should not be taken unless the client is assured that the barge has replaced their current bikes (as they say they will for 2018) with lighter bikes in perfect working order. They should make sure that there are bikes of all sizes, so that a small person (I am 5’) will get a properly fitted bike. I biked the entire week on a 6-speed rusty heavy old bike. Even the bell and kickstand didn’t work.

Would have liked more time biking. 2 days had less than 10 miles. We were in the guided group and were told the group would decide how much to bike on those days-we were never asked as a group-the guide decided himself we would do the shorter distance. Barge "purser"-a woman-not very friendly or helpful or available. Trip booked as a Bordeaux start and end, but the location of start and end of trip changed and we had to pay extra to get ourselves to Cadillac and back to Bordeaux from Libourne. The boat company should have provided that transfer free of charge. The 2 wine tasting charges should have been included in the trip charge. The boat charged 20 euros for a bottle of wine in the wine country of Bordeaux and we were not allowed to bring on any wine from the outside. You could buy a nice bottle of wine for less than $10.00 in town. Disappointed that we had twin beds-expected a double in the suite room.

I would recommend the trip if the operator makes improvements to the selfguided route finding; the narrative, GPS, and detail maps were inconsistent with each other and recommended routes were sometimes difficult to find. We had large area maps that allowed us to navigate and a crew member who helped but especially during the first couple days it was a bit challenging. The route narrative should include more information on sites to visit or note along the way. The bikes were heavy in comparison to other trips we have booked.
I really enjoyed the scenery and sites; it is a lovely area to visit and bike, especially during late September. Grapes were cascading from the vines, just pre-harvest. The vineyards, wine tasting,chateaux, churches, fortresses, medieval towns, history and landscapes were wonderful along the routes. Experiencing the tidal surf (the mascaret) was also quite interesting.

The staff on the boat were terrific, especially Sebastian. The breakfasts were the same every day which really got old quickly. Their new bikes had terrible shifters and were really heavy. The route descriptions led us to be lost on many days and we finally had to rely on Google maps.
The scenery was great and when we got on less well-traveled roads, the riding was great. Unfortunately we spent too much time (IMHO) on roads with a lot of traffic.

The scenery in the Bordeaux region was lovely, as were the people we encountered along the way. Some of the staff were extremely helpful and added to our overall enjoyment of the trip.
We thoroughly enjoyed our days of cycling, despite the many problems my husband experienced with his bicycle (locked brakes, flat tires, a pump that didn't work, loose bearings in the pedals...)
More accurate written descriptions and an updated GPS would have helped with the navigation on the our self-guided routes.
Asking for a dinner without red meat resulted in being served an omelette on more than one occasion (not a great alternative).
Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable trip!

Try and offer more non-meat entrees for dinner. Too much meat. Also, try and incorporate rail trails( voies ferrees) when possible. They provide relaxed cycling without worrying about constant traffic.
Very friendly staff and good display of professionalism. Bikes were easy to ride! And, it was hard to have to drink only what the boat offered. Can we have more choice, especially in wine country like Bordeaux? Thanks for everything.