Bike Tour Reviews page 79
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★★★★★ Russ Deuell May 23, 2023
Trip of a lifetime that the guide fell short on!
· · Holland’s Super Tulip Tour
Biking through Holland was an amazing adventure. Having an E-Bike made it much more relaxing since you could always turn on the power assist if needed, which we didn't need. THere were many great biking trails that were very relaxing to ride on and see the great scenery of Holland.
The boat, captain, chef and serving assistant made the trip very enjoyable.
The guide, well it seemed like it was the first time Annette did this trip. She easily got lost 3-4 times a day. She would ask for input on what we wanted and then ignore the input if it didn't match what she had planned for the day. Several times she ignored the bike crossing lights and almost got riders that were following hit. This made the rides very stressful. The group also asked to bike faster so we could spend more time at some of the sights. She insisted this was not possible but managed to do exactly that on the last day when weather was going to be an issue later in the afternoon. We also had a flat tire one day and she didn't have a replacement tube. She had to go find another group that had one and then had to have someone from the group change the tube because she couldn't do it herself She managed to make the daily rides very stressful. I would not recommend a trip with her.- 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?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Holland
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★★★★★ Jeanine JeffersWoolf May 23, 2023
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
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★★★★★ Jo-Ann Del Vecchio May 23, 2023
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
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★★★★★ Jennifer Willans May 22, 2023
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
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★★★★★ DAVID BEERS May 20, 2023
A natural tour guide educator
· Warsaw Highlights Bike Tour
Well done!
Keep up the good work
Add more cities- What was the date of your tour?
- May 23
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- 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
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★★★★★ Ajit Venkatraman May 19, 2023
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
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★★★★★ Donna Barron May 19, 2023
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
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★★★★★ Allan Ruus May 19, 2023
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
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★★★★★ Julie Griesert May 18, 2023
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
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★★★★★ Carla Myers May 18, 2023
Windmills & Tulips
· · Holland’s Super Tulip Tour
The perfect way to experience the Netherlands. The guide was great, but if you wanted to go off on your own the roads/paths are marked, and you just follow what the book says.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 6, 2023
- 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?
- Holland
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★★★★★ Morgan Baumann May 18, 2023
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.
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BikeTours.com staff reply from JV May 19, 2023
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
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★★★★★ Rebecca Norman May 17, 2023
Was lovely. Nice country.
· · Holland’s Super Tulip Tour
Boat, Food, Captain, Chef, First Mate… Wonderful…. Now the tour guide.. hum not so much… First my bike was not the right size for me!! Way to tall!! First day I did ask for some help on getting a safer bike.. Did change but still to tall. I didn’t ride many days not feeling safe!! One’s feet should not be 6 inches off the pavement. I would hop loft to stop. I did fall twice. She didn’t know the route. Turned around afew times.. Always a problem finding a toilet to stop at… Would I go on another tour? Up in the air. Can’t say I would.
- What was the date of your tour?
- April 29
- How many tours have you completed?
- First
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Holland
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BikeTours.com staff reply from Jan May 17, 2023
Rebecca,
We truly appreciate your honest feedback and sincerely apologize for the issues you experienced with your bike and the guidance during your tour. We are committed to enhancing our services for a more comfortable and safe adventure, and we'll take your comments into consideration for future improvements. We hope that despite these challenges, we'll have the opportunity to welcome you back on another tour and provide a better experience.
Jan
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★★★★★ Joseph Tevaarwerk May 15, 2023
Very nice trip and well organized. We have planned another one as well
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
We had a great time on this bike trip. The routes were clearly planned and the hotels were great with very good beds and excellent breakfast. The bike rental place was very well organized with very pleasant technicians to help getting the correct adjustments. Our bikes were both nearly new (2022 and 2023). We had no snafus at all.
One suggestion: allow for at least two extra days after the ride to visit some of the sites that take more time. For example we did have one day left to visit the Pfahlenbauten Museum. We went by ferry across Lake Constance and spend nearly 4 hours at the museum, a very pleasant day. I would have liked a similar day to visit the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen and then visit Insel Mainau, but we were out of time. A lesson for next time.
We visited some beautiful places but the one that capped it all was from the top of a castle in Ueberlingen. It was just gorgeous.- What was the date of your tour?
- April 23-29
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- 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
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★★★★★ Marion Van Kirk May 15, 2023
Beautiful Austria and Germany
· Tauern Bike Path (Krimml-Passau)
Biking was more difficult than expected. Luckily the women had e-bikes. Most of the hotels were excellent and food was great. Trip started in Neukirchen am Grossvenediger instead of Krimml due to closed hotels. The hotel in vicinity of Burghausen was too far from the town to be able to enjoy the beautiful city and castle and this was a huge disappointment since there were 3 other hotels within the city.
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★★★★★ Bridget Harron May 14, 2023
My first bike trip -definitely not my last!
· Lake Constance Bicycle Path
What a blast!! Great way to spend time with family. Such a friendly vacation spot. We had a little trouble losing the bike trail through the towns along the way -but clearly our lack of map-reading skills.
- What was the date of your tour?
- may 4, 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- 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
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★★★★★ JORGE VARGAS May 13, 2023
Great scenery and perfect routes!
· Portugal's Atlantic Coast
This is a tour that was made by cyclists for cyclists. The routes chosen will give you the best scenery and taste of Portugal’s Atlantic Coast and Villages. It was a wonderful experience.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Portugal
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★★★★★ Ulla Dueck May 11, 2023
Great adventure!
· Best of Catalonia Cycle Touring
This was our first visit to Spain and what a fabulous way to see part of the country. Our guide (Daniel) was the best. The terrain varied many times along the route, but was always manageable. The hotels were great and the food was delicious. Loved the abundance of seafood.
- 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
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Spain
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★★★★★ James Krause May 10, 2023
Greek hospitality and history combine to make this an unforgettable experience
· Greece: The Peloponnese Peninsula
How better to learn than while enjoying something so good for the body? This trip, our third biking adventure, feeds the muscles and mind. The hospitality enjoyed was, without question, some of the best enjoyed anywhere. This all leaves an enduring impression.
Stories are told as new ones are created. Over the course of this adventure, the Greek philosophers remind you of the value of a healthy body, healthy mind. History has a way of reminding us of our roots and progress. The journey was refreshing.
It was a tour of contrasts, high in the mountains, down to the sea. We experienced life in villages and larger centers. We felt safe throughout and the tour operators responded immediately to all questions or concerns. For us, little things matter much and we were satisfied by those enjoyed.
- Countries included in this tour?
- Greece