Bike & Hotel Tour Reviews page 42
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- ★★★★★ Moira Quigley
Interesting part of Italy
A Taste of Italy: Emilia-Romagna
Well organised, GPS system worked well for us most of the time, person greeting us and setting us up was fantastic, bikes excellent. Loved the parmesan and balsamic vinegar factory tours - wonderful hosts. We did not enjoy the route as much as other tours we have done. There were more main roads and traffic than we were expecting and have experienced on previous bike tours. The agritourismo accommodation was so nice we did not want to leave.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- Three
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
- ★★★★★ Diane Griffin
Disappointing - don't go during shoulder season
Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
I've done four self-guided trips and this trip was my least favorite. The marketing material pitches "storybook villages" but most days are spent riding through corn fields. The hotels were outside of towns and hard to walk to restaurants. Because it was shoulder season, there were very few restaurants open.
First day's hotel was outside of town and front desk advised that we go to the mall for lunch. Fortunately we found a fun restuarant down on the river. The initial meeting with the bike company was disorganized and very brief. He barely talked about the tour, he didn't have tools to swap out pedals, there were too many of us attending the meeting and he said he didn't have time to answer questions - only 60 minutes alotted. We asked for spare tubes for the two road bikes but never got them. Skinny tires get flats!!
The "castle" we stayed in one night was not nice. It was clearly getting renovated - the rooms were nice but there were only five rooms. The property was overgrown and rundown, and with only five rooms it felt very creepy and unoccupied.
Breakfast at the castle - no protein - no eggs, no yogurt. We're on a bike tour and need energy! No fruit, no granola. Breakfast was just six slices of cucumbers, 10 cherry tomatoes, hard rolls, deli meat/cheese. Bar wasn't open for post-ride beer/wine.
Donauhotel Letternof - 11k from Enns, very remote, had to walk to a campground for food. Closest restaurant is cash only, need reservations. Front desk tried to make res but couldn't get through. The ONLY local taxi was working in Linz, not available for us. It was due to rain very hard. Hotel loaned us umbrellas and we went back to the campground for dinner.Day 3 - arrived at Cafe Braun (the meeting point) at 4:30 and called for shuttle (runs 3-6pm) told to go to a camping store(?) and get the bus as they don't have anyone to pick us up. One guy in our party was willing to make the 3k very steep climb to get us a ride. This hotel was nice but since it was past high season everything in this cute village was closed. Only one restaurant was open.
Last day - Vienna - hotel was so far from center city and far from anything interesting. Very long and confusing ride through busy city. Very limited restaurants. Shortest riding day and yet our bags didn't arrive until 5pm.
- ★★★★★ Kathleen Cook
Great Trip
Cycling the West Balkan Triangle
Our group of 15 riders had a great trip. Some were on road bikes, some on e-bikes, and some on hybrid bikes. I would not recommend the hybrid bikes for this trip. The climbs were very challenging on the hybrids even for experienced bikers. The climbs were tough for those on the road bikes, and even those on e-bikes had to put forth considerable effort. But those on hybrids were really at a disadvantage.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro
- ★★★★★ Regan Wilder
A wonderful adventure!
Portugal's Atlantic Coast
Bike Tours was incredibly helpful and their support staff was amazing. We had a few rough days, but they swooped in and assisted us. The local knowledge and recommendations on the tour guide were perfect choices for us. I can't recommend this tour enough for adventure seekers. Even with rain and wind it was still a great adventure! I do recommend getting hybrid bikes if you want to sight see vs a work out for this ride. The hybrid routes were fun and challenging. You see a side of the country few others will. It was difficult to not spend the whole day stopping at all the landmarks and each cafe you pass. Hotels and food everywhere were the best.
- What was the date of your tour?
- November 2nd
- How many tours have you completed?
- My first one and likely hard to beat! I would recommend hybrid bikes for anyone who does not regularly cycle longer distances.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Portugal
- ★★★★★ James Watson
Granada to Marbella
Granada, White Villages and Costa del Sol
Excellent trip
Beautiful scenery
Great towns to visitThe last day from Ronda to Marbella is only for experienced cyclers comfortable with decending on a mountain road with traffic
- What was the date of your tour?
- Oct. 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Spain
- ★★★★★ David Princep
Great trip, excellent accommodation.
Andalusia: Southern Spain
Challenging trip, but excellent value for money and quality of accommodation was best we'veexperienced in over 10 years of cycling holidays. Recommend book extra nights - Seville, Carmona, Arcos. Jerez & Cadiz all suitable. If returning to Seville etc by train book early as even in November trains were very busy. Good scenery on days 4 & 5.
- What was the date of your tour?
- November 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 25+
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Spain
- ★★★★★ Angela Henderson
Portugal is SPECTACULAR
Algarve Coastal Route
Portugal is beautiful, the people even more so! We will definitely be back!
The bike tour needs some work. The GPS system is too small, half the size of my cell phone, and the written instructions not detailed enough, or accurate to what is happening on the ground around you. Because there are no consistent street signs, or bike tour signs through the entire route, the written directions that go along with the GPS are critical to guiding you on this tour. The number of u-turns, poorly written directions, etc., made what should have been a straightforward three hour bike ride into a 5 to 7 hour bike ride, not allowing us time to really enjoy the areas we rode through.
The company also didn’t fit us to the bikes and one of our friends suffered with some pretty serious neck and shoulder pain as a result.
I think the company is good, I just think they need to do some refining of their program.- What was the date of your tour?
- October, 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Countries included in this tour?
- Portugal
BikeTours.com staff reply from bozena_kusovac
Hello Angela, thank you for sharing your experience in Portugal! We're glad to hear you enjoyed the beauty and warmth of the country.
We appreciate your valuable feedback regarding the bike tour challenges and will certainly use it to refine and improve our program. Your insights into the challenges with the GPS system, written instructions, and bike fitting are invaluable. We take your comments to heart and will be working diligently to refine our program in time to come. We hope to welcome you back for a smoother and more enjoyable experience in the future.
- ★★★★★ Cathie Macmillan
Enjoyable trip through the food bowl of Italy
A Taste of Italy: Emilia-Romagna
This tour was well organised and easy to follow using the Ride with GSP App. It was great to spend 2 nights at each destination and not rush from one town to the next. The e bikes were very well maintained and comfortable to ride. Unfortunately one of my drink holders broke as I cycled down a hill!
The route was a mix of bike paths, main roads and smaller roads. We didn't enjoy the main roads as the traffic was quite busy and passed us very quickly which was scary at times. I wouldn't recommend the tour to first time bike tourists or families as it was a bit dangerous on so many main roads.
Most accommodation was comfortable and met our needs. Our favourite accommodation was definitely La Razza Agritourismo! Hotel Button was our least favourite as it didn't have a fridge or tea making facilities in the room.
Cycling through the food bowl of Italy gave us the opportunity to see how Parmigiano Reggiano and Balsamic Vinegar are made. Tasting the products was even better! We took the dinner options but in hindsight probably would have preferred to organise our own dinners.
On reflection, we probably should have chosen a tour with a harder rating and more hills. The route was very flat so we didn't experience many good views of the scenery. We enjoyed the loop ride into the hills of Reggio Emilia. We didn't do the loop ride from Modena due to illness and poor weather so perhaps missed one of the good scenery days.- What was the date of your tour?
- Oct 23
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
- ★★★★★ Ann English
Prefer not to be riding on hwys and in big cities
Algarve Coastal Route
The friendly people in Portugal, the delicious and nutritious food, and most of the hotels were wonderful! The e-bikes were fine and when needed I quickly got a replacement. However, the bikes should be fitted to each person as well as the replacement bike. That was not done so the inappropriate fit gave me much shoulder and back pain. The route had way too many hwy and larger cities round abouts for us. We prefer small towns and rural/ocean scenery.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Oct 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- We have been on 4 bike tours
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Portugal
- ★★★★★ diane Nothnagel
Best kind of Bike Trip
Founder's Tour: Turkey and Greece E-Bike & Boat tour
This is our 4th bike and boat tour-if you ve never traveled this way you need to give it a try . What could be better than starting your day in a small harbor, with a wonderful breakfast on deck, then going for an exciting ride , coming back for a swim in the Adriatic, and then cruising to the next port in time for dinner? The food n the boat was plentiful and delicious. Because it’s a smaller boat we were able to spend time in smaller uncrowded harbors. He biking was challenging but the excellent e-bikes made it fun for all ages . Everyone on the boat agreed that two weeks was ideal-a one week trip just doesn’t give you enough time to settle in. There was never a dull day and if you don’t want to ride you can stay on the boat or walk the town-lots of options and flexibility. This would also be a good trip for a non rider in the family. I also highly recommend the Croatia bike and boat trip-it was fabulous. October is the best time to be in any of these places. The weather was warm enough to swim all the time and things weren’t as crowded as during the summer
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece
- ★★★★★ Cornelia Young
Trip of a lofetime
Founder's Tour: Turkey and Greece E-Bike & Boat tour
Guides were so knowledgeable about one of the most checkered areas of the world. Many civilizations had influence here. And the biking and scenery were spectacular
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece
- ★★★★★ Douglas Emzie Miller
7 days on boat 7 days on land Ireland .
Founder's Tour: Turkey and Greece E-Bike & Boat tour
Excellent trip except the physical condition of the boat was unacceptable. IslAanding Hopping did a superb job as well as the boat crew. As we paid extra for our room we were very disappointed. We have traveled with Jim Johnson for 20 Yrs. All have been excellent as we continued to travel with Bike Tours. This trip was disappointing due to the condition of the boat.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 15
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece
- ★★★★★ diane Nothnagel
Best kind of Bike Trip
Founder's Tour: Turkey and Greece E-Bike & Boat tour
This is our 4th bike and boat tour-if you ve never traveled this way you need to give it a try . What could be better than starting your day in a small harbor, with a wonderful breakfast on deck, then going for an exciting ride , coming back for a swim in the Adriatic, and then cruising to the next port in time for dinner? The food n the boat was plentiful and delicious. Because it’s a smaller boat we were able to spend time in smaller uncrowded harbors. He biking was challenging but the excellent e-bikes made it fun for all ages . Everyone on the boat agreed that two weeks was ideal-a one week trip just doesn’t give you enough time to settle in. There was never a dull day and if you don’t want to ride you can stay on the boat or walk the town-lots of options and flexibility. This would also be a good trip for a non rider in the family. I also highly recommend the Croatia bike and boat trip-it was fabulous. October is the best time to be in any of these places. The weather was warm enough to swim all the time and things weren’t as crowded as during the summer
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece
- ★★★★★ Chris Hayman
Our Favourite Bike Trip
Cycling the West Balkan Triangle
This is our seventh and most favourite bike trip.
The guides were great, the itinerary fantastic and the accommodations far surpassed expectations.
Highly recommend this trip. While holly we rented e-bikes which made it very accessible
- Countries included in this tour?
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro
- ★★★★★ Liliane
great family experience
Royal Zealand and Copenhagen
We had a great family time. Following the tour was easy - one followed the map, the other the instructions - it was worth following the proposed route and not google maps.
On the 65km day, we arrived late at our destination and one of the highlights was already closed. Including a bit of info of the main cultural attractions would be helpful. Have Pellerines ready in your bile box - the weather changes quickly. Tanja was of great help and very responsive! Thank you!- Countries included in this tour?
- Denmark
- ★★★★★ Ellen Ruth Johnson
Great cycling, good people!
Founder's Tour: Turkey and Greece E-Bike & Boat tour
Everything about the trip was excellent with the exception of the cabins on the “Love Boat.” Please see my previous review.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October2923
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece
- ★★★★★ max breedon
Exceeded expectations
Umbria’s Green Valleys From the Pilgrimage Town of Assisi
This was a brilliant way to experience and explore Umbria. The instructions were clear and the route design was really thoughtful. The tour operator has done a great job planning this route. There were so many highlights, riding through olive groves, exploring towns like Spoleto. We loved staying at Casco dell'Acqua, Ms Carla's cooking was magnificent.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Late October 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Italy
- ★★★★★ Richard Shore
Turkey and Greece
Founder's Tour: Turkey and Greece E-Bike & Boat tour
Nice trip with great biking, average food and poor boat. Hot water on The Love Boat was scarce and the bar was not stocked 4 days of 2 weeks.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Oct 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 7
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece
- ★★★★★ James Yeager
Founders Tour, October, 2024
Founder's Tour: Turkey and Greece E-Bike & Boat tour
Great Trip with outstanding guides. Food was excellent and bike tours were perfect. The guides were very experienced and knowledgable. The boat cabin was comfortable. Only reason this wasn't given a 5 star is a number of issues on the Love Boat which have been addressed with the tour guides, company owner and boat owner. The Itinerary was also fantastic. A very good group which added to our enjoyment
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 14, 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 25
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece
