Bike & Hotel Tour Reviews page 59
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- ★★★★★ Roberta Lowe
UNESCO Sites of Albania
UNESCO Sites of Albania
Both the guide and the driver/mechanic/doer of countless other chores were superb. Had to van much of each day and they were totally supportive about this. Route showed off the lovely and impressive southern part of Albania. The food was unfailingly delicious and the overnight accomodations were all good, ranging from charming to grand for the final night. Much uphill and long distances. Most of the miles of road surfaces are good but there are sections that are no problem with a hybrid but not really suitable for a road bike.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 15
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Countries included in this tour?
- Albania
- ★★★★★ Theresa Schwingenschloegl
A fabulous 7 days
Best of Catalonia Cycle Touring
Our e bike tour was meticulously routed by our guide Daniel. With his planning we adapted our North American stomachs to a later lunch which was always timed perfectly for the 4 of us to to end our day, allowing us to relax and enjoy a delicious main meal accompanied by wonderful local wines and beers. It was a surprise to us that our bike tour was just the four of us but it turned out to be a wonderful active holiday at just the right pace. A mirror and a bell for my e bike are the only suggestions I could make. We were mostly on well packed trails but also had fabulous downhill riding on quiet well paved roads where you could see a good distance ahead, which gave confidence to a novice rider. The weather cooperated, our accomadations were very comfortable, our bags were always there ahead of us, the bikes were great. What wonderful holiday.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Spain
- ★★★★★ Theresa Schwingenschloegl
A fabulous 7 days
Best of Catalonia Cycle Touring
Our e bike tour was meticulously routed by our guide Daniel. With his planning we adapted our North American stomachs to a later lunch which was always timed perfectly for the 4 of us to to end our day, allowing us to relax and enjoy a delicious main meal accompanied by wonderful local wines and beers. It was a surprise to us that our bike tour was just the four of us but it turned out to be a wonderful active holiday at just the right pace. A mirror and a bell for my e bike are the only suggestions I could make. We were mostly on well packed trails but also had fabulous downhill riding on quiet well paved roads where you could see a good distance ahead, which gave confidence to a novice rider. The weather cooperated, our accomadations were very comfortable, our bags were always there ahead of us, the bikes were great. What wonderful holiday.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Spain
- ★★★★★ Abdulla Alhebsi
First bike trip
Danube Bike Path 7 Nights (Classic)
Perfect trip in perfect time, highly recommended.
Started from Passau to vienna. Will be good to book extra night in Passau- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
BikeTours.com staff reply from jan
Very cool pics! Thanks for your business.
- ★★★★★ Todd Pulley
Beautiful countryside
Tauern Bike Path (Krimml-Passau)
This was a beautiful ride. There were two distinct parts of the trip, each with their own character. The first 3 days we rode through a variety of alpine landscapes... wide valleys, small villages, along crashing rivers, through narrow canyons and past lovely farms. Everything was pristine and with fantastic views. We finished that portion with a ride into Salzburg, where we spent an extra day. Good decision. Lots to see and do. We attended a Mozart concert high in the fortress and felt like it was a highlight of the trip. Recommend the SteiglKeller for lunch or dinner. Great views of the city. The second half from Salzburg to Passau was different ... flatter, less scenic, but had its own charm. Riding along the river was relaxing. The little towns were interesting, and the overnight stops were great. Again, lots to see and do along the way. A word of warning: the route coming into Salzburg is very confusing. Use your GPS on your phone for this section. Only glitch in the trip... our bags did not show up until 10 pm one night and not at all the next night (placed in a storage closet where no one thought to look. Very inconvenient, in that no we could not get anyone on the phone to address the problem. Also, if you are a cyclist, ask lots of questions about the bikes that they are supplying.
Overall, great trip and would highly recommend.- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- this was our second
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- 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?
- Austria, Germany
- ★★★★★ Lisa Jonas
What an amazing trip, but beware of the hills!
Majorca: A Loop Tour of the Beautiful Balearic Island
We loved this trip. So, so, so glad we upgraded to the better bikes! If you don't LOVE BIG HILLS, make sure you get the e-bike (I'm not kidding!) The hotels were nice, but we were extremely disappointed when we realized after finishing one of the days' rides that we had 10k MORE to get to our hotel. We had a little difficulty with the route loading slowly in some areas, so we had to backtrack. Hint 1 - make sure you have international phone service so that you can access google to search where you should be just in case. Hint 2 - make sure you read the printed directions each night to find the next day's starting location because it won't be your hotel.
- What was the date of your tour?
- March 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Spain
- ★★★★★ John Koester
Great trip on the Algarve coast!
Algarve Coastal Route
This was a very enjoyable trip on the Algarve coast. The route was easy to follow on the GPS and the bikes worked flawlessly. But the accommodations were the real stars. Each place we stayed was superb. We had a great time and highly recommend this trip on the southern coast of Portugal.
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- 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?
- Portugal
- ★★★★★ Geri Lincoln
Wonderful trip
Danube Bike Path 8 Nights (Upscale Lodging)
We had an amazing time, our accomodations were eclectic and diverse which we appreciated. Tour book was well researched and informative. The ground handler that gave us our bikes was not very well informed and did not give any options, tools or advise for fitting the bikes correctly, we had no issues but some others, especially those on ebikes were not well served. GPS routing would be an excellent addition to the books provided. Hotel Donauschlinge seemed to be having a bad day and the restaurant staff was obviously rude to those of us without German language skills. All in all, very well done. Having only two experiences that were less than perfect for an 8 day tour is a job well done!
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Austria, Germany
- ★★★★★ Barry Greenberg
Prague castle tour
Bohemian Getaway: Villages, River Valleys & Karlstejn Castle
Very good orientation to the trip and explanation of the routes on this self-guided tour.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 12
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Countries included in this tour?
- Czech Republic
- ★★★★★ Christine Cardinal
Best cycling ever
Sparta and the Mediterranean Coast
The climbs were hard but you are rewarded with breathtaking scenery at the top. Lovely beaches to cool down on the way.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 13-20
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece
- ★★★★★ Jeanine JeffersWoolf
Great
Lake Constance Classic (11-nights)
Love the route planned and the suggested sites to see. Beautiful area. Responsive organization. Some of the directions were tricky
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Switzerland
- ★★★★★ Jo-Ann Del Vecchio
Great ride but a few concerns
Majorca: A Loop Tour of the Beautiful Balearic Island
First thing of concern is a water bottle, I bought my water bottle but the did not have a holder for the bottle
I also am not sure of the conditions of the Nikes my back tire was low at the starts and had to be looked at before taking off
The location for the paella was awful by the time we got there we were told they were closing and anytime we asked for a drink we were informed that we were keeping them open
Also the paella was awful the chicken was ful with Bones
The last town port de soller was absolutely gorgeous but the ride out was a concern to us and we opted not to ride
All in all it was a great trip- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Spain
- ★★★★★ Jennifer Willans
Self guided Road cycle trip in Catalonia, Spain
Catalonia Road Bike Tour: Girona to the Sea
The hotels were excellent. The trip was graded as moderate and this was appropriate. We were happy the operator provided options for making the days more difficult if we chose to. There was a very good variety in the routes and the scenery was excellent. The routes were very well planned and easy to follow on the device they provided. We felt safe on the roads (routes) provided. The tour operator was available over WhatsAPP and responded quickly.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Spain
- ★★★★★ Ajit Venkatraman
Turaventur is a great your company
Castles and Wines of Portugal
From start to finish the tour was excellent . Service was outstanding . Mario and Joanna were perfect hosts and guides . Deena at Evora farms house was great cook . Mario was very knowledgeable and gracious and is a perfect bike tour guide
- Countries included in this tour?
- Portugal
- ★★★★★ Donna Barron
Great Way to Experience the Algarve
Algarve Coastal Route
We had a wonderful adventure riding along the Algarve. We loved that we rode on different surfaces and saw a lot of variety. The GPS was a little slow at time with directions.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Portugal
- ★★★★★ Allan Ruus
May Algarve Family Trip
Algarve Coastal Route
This cycling trip was a wonderful way to see the Algarve, much better than driving to hotels/vrbo and walking around to see the sites. The coastal nature parks with all the birds are impressive. The hotels were great locations, clean, breakfasts excellent, staff friendly and helpful. GPS worked perfectly and Biketours replaced one of the bikes within 3 hours of when a couple spokes broke.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Portugal
- ★★★★★ Julie Griesert
Fabulous trip
Best of Catalonia Cycle Touring
This was our third self-guided bike trip and probably the most organized and well-planned. Daniel met us at the first hotel and was very thorough with instructions, giving us both a map with notes as well as a gps that worked great. He even made dinner reservations at one of the hotels (the restaurant is amazing and reservations must be made in advance). We loved the variety of areas the route took us through - country and coastal. The last 2 hotels were over the top, and the last one was our absolute favorite. Things to know when considering this trip: you have to want to bike most of the day, that's what these trips are about. We'd start our days with a great breakfast and then were on the road by 10 or 10:30, biking until the afternoon (anywhere from 2 - 4pm depending on the mileage). I had an e-bike but the other 2 of us had regular bikes. I was happy to have the assist so I could keep up. You will likely run into a few stretches that aren't pleasant; maybe next to a noisy road, or suddenly it gets super windy or rainy and bugs are flying into your eyes (I recommend eye wear of some kind) but then you are in blissful sections in the middle of a quiet forest on a rail-to-trail path, or rolling through sunny fields of wheat. The less pleasant bits were rare but do note that these trips are better for people who can handle a bit of rain or wind or whatever. Food tip: Meal times in Europe are skewed later and restaurants and stores may not be open when you want to eat. Try to plan ahead and either buy picnic food in town in the am so you can eat on the road later, or be prepared to eat a fixed price multi-course lunch in the later afternoon (unless you are in a bigger town that has more options). We managed to convince a couple places to do a lower fixed price lunch with fewer dishes but it's just not the norm. By the end of the trip we were so done with large meals. It was new for us to have the 2 night stays in 2 of the hotels but they were at our 2 favorite hotels and with the one on the coast, we ended up taking advantage of the 2 nights by not doing the second day's ride. It was cold, windy, and a bit rainy so we ended up taking a very slow morning until the rain subsided, then we walked the coastal footpath, which was gorgeous. It worked out well as a nice break. Also, I recommend not looking up the hotels in advance - one of the fun things about these trips is rolling up to the hotel in the afternoon and knowing nothing about it. On previous trips we've had some pretty odd mixes of places, including one semi-creepy place (not on this trip) that we still laugh about today and even kind of appreciate that we ended up there. All-in-all a great trip.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- 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?
- Spain
- ★★★★★ Morgan Baumann
Excellent Trails on which to explore a lovely part of Europe
Venice to Trieste and Istria
Traveling by bike is a wonderful way to enjoy a new place. Our accommodations were Excellent. Our guide, Tony, (with us for the first days), was first rate!- so helpful. A couple of concerns: I would not rate this as a 2 for regular bikes - even with variants, it was a lot of biking and I was disappointed not to arrive in towns sooner. Everyone in our group was similarly disappointed including those on e-bikes. I would have liked a more leisurely pace and instead the days felt rushed. The directions however were my biggest problem. For the most part they were poor. We lost so much time just trying to figure out where to go! Our last stage, into Porec was by far the easiest and so even though the ride itself was more challenging, we arrived in Porec in good time to enjoy the town. This last stage was easier because the red arrows were frequent and well placed all along the route. You only needed to glance at the map and the written directions and then just keep following the arrows. In contrast, on many of the other stages, the arrows were few and far between and often were Not where we needed to make a turn! We spent far too much time studying the map and having to reverse direction to get back on the route. It would also help if the directions noted if we were generally following a set route that was already mapped out by those small brown signs. Those signs were well placed and easy to follow.
BikeTours.com staff reply from JV
Morgan,
Thank you for your detailed feedback. We're delighted you enjoyed your accommodations and the guidance from Tony, but we deeply regret the difficulties you faced with the directions and pace of the tour. Your suggestions are invaluable, and we'll ensure improvements are made in our tour planning and signage to create a more relaxing and user-friendly experience for future tours.
Regards,
Jan
