Monday, November 02, 2009

New Hotel Barges Charters / Cruises Barging Vacations Website Now Online

We are doing the happy dance! After a couple of years of good intentions of creating a standalone hotel barges charter website, we finally did it! BargeCharters.com has been uploaded.  HURRAY!

Check it out: www.BargeCharters.Com



Of course, it's not completely finished yet (is a website ever "finished"?), but the important bits are there and we can tweak it and add more information later.

Still more to do, but So It Goes...

Look forward to hearing from you! Contact us HERE.





Hotel Barges : Early Booking Discounts for 2010 Season

Calendars are already starting to fill up for the prime weeks of 2010 for many of our most popular Hotel Barges... and here's an incentive to get you motivated to book early, too!


ROI SOLEIL
  • Canal du Midi - FRANCE
  • 6 guests
  • 5% discount for 2010 charters deposited by December 31, 2009
  • See details


SAVOIR VIVRE
  • Burgundy - FRANCE
  • 8 guests
  • Book 2010 charter before November 30, 2009 and receive $4000 early booking discount
  • See details
SPECIAL OFFER for 2010 early bookings:
  • $250 OFF PER PERSON on all cabin and charter bookings for 2010 cruises, if confirmed with a deposit by 30 November 2009, on the following barges:

ANJODI
  • Canal du Midi - FRANCE
  • 8 guests
  • 6-week Trans-Europe Cruise

L' ART DE VIVRE
  • Burgundy - FRANCE
  • 8 guests

ATHOS
  • Canal du Midi - FRANCE
  • 10 guests

LA BELLE EPOQUE
  • Burgundy - FRANCE
  • 13 guests

LA DOLCE VITA
  • Venice & Lagoon - ITALY
  • 6 guests

ENCHANTÉ
  • Canal du Midi, Camargue/ Provence - FRANCE
  • 8 guests

L' IMPRESSIONNISTE
  • Burgundy - FRANCE
  • 13 guests


MAGNA CARTA
  • Upper Thames (London-Henley) - ENGLAND
  • 8 guests
  • Many interesting theme charters

NYMPHEA
  • Loire Valley - FRANCE
  • 6 guests

LA REINE PEDAUQUE
  • Burgundy - FRANCE
  • 8 guests
  • Wheel Chair accessible

RENAISSANCE
  • Burgundy - FRANCE
  • 8 guests

SAVOIR FAIRE
  • Burgundy, Upper Loire, Paris - FRANCE
  • DUTCH Tulip Cruise, HOLLAND-BELGIUM-FRANCE 3-country cruise
  • 12 guests

SHANNON PRINCESS
  • Lower Shannon River - IRELAND
  • 10 guests

SCOTTISH HIGHLANDER
  • Caledonian Canal (includes Loch Ness) - SCOTLAND
  • 8 guests
  • Special Fishing, Golfing, and Walking cruises



Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book your barging holiday
Visit our website: www.BargeCharters.com


Wednesday, October 07, 2009

French Hotel Barge EMMA - Canal du Midi, France


We received an email this morning from Liz & René, owner-operators of the French hotel barge EMMA.

Hi Sheila & Bob,
We are on the last cruise of this season with lovely folk, fabulous weather and enquiries coming in for next year, so all is good.

Liz promises to send some new photos this winter and when they arrive, we'll post them and add them to EMMA's online brochure.


French Hotel Barge Emma
Cruises the Canal du Midi, Provence & Camargue, South of France

EMMA's 2010 calendar is already filling in nicely with 5 confirmed charters and 3 options. Start your planning soon as prime dates go fast!



Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book EMMA
View EMMA's online brochure
Visit our website : www.BargeCharters.com


Monday, October 05, 2009

We just had an Earthquake in St Martin / St Maarten SXM October 5 2009

Bob & Sheila your charter yacht brokers (Paradise Connections) and hotel barge specialists, who live aboard their own sailboat and are currently at anchor in Simpson Bay Lagoon near Explorer Island (French side) of St Martin had an odd experience at lunchtime.

At about 12:30pm our boat started shaking.  We both thought that maybe the boat was dragging as the boat was vibrating and there was a low grumbling noise like when the anchor chain moves over the bottom.  Or was someone up against us???

Looked outside and everything is OK we are still shaking and a neighbor is looking around, too.

First time I've ever felt an earthquake at anchor that I know of :)



This site http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2009mjbi.php
lists it as being Monday, October 05, 2009 at 16:28:10 UTC (12:28pm local time)
18.043°N, 62.781°W
29 km (18 miles) ESE (102°) from Marigot, Saint Martin, Guadeloupe
30 km (18 miles) E (87°) from Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles
4.5 Magnitude

So, fortunately there shouldn't be a Kick'em Jenny tsunami then...

If it's not one thing it's another... It is still "that" season... Hurricane Omar hit us last year on October 15-16, 2008... So far, so good on that front :)

All the best!

Saturday, October 03, 2009

News from French Hotel Barge LUCIOLE in Burgundy

We received an email from the French Hotel Barge LUCIOLE with a photo taken this week of them cruising the Canal du Nivernais in the Burgundy region of France.


Cruise the French canals on hotel barge LUCIOLE with ParadiseConnections.com
French Hotel Barge LUCIOLE in Bourgogne France

There are still cabins available on the last two cruises of the 2009 season at the super low, last-minute booking rate of $2500/person.
  • October 11-17, 2009
  • October 18-24, 2009
Autumn is still a nice time for a cruise in Burgundy.  Plus they have central heat and air conditioning :)

Thanks for the picture, Penny!


Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book LUCIOLE
View LUCIOLE's online brochure
Visit our website : www.ParadiseConnections.com


Wednesday, September 30, 2009

French Hotel Barge ATHOS - 2010 cabin weeks

We just received an email from Dannielle & Julian of the French Hotel Barge ATHOS from "sunny & warm Languedoc", while an email from my brother in Eastern Washington State this morning told me it was 38°F. Brrrrrrrrr and it is still September! Definitely time for you to start planning your next vacation... Especially with some of the Early Booking Discounts that are still in effect.


French Hotel Barge Athos cruising the canal du midi in the South of France

Anyway, as I was saying.... we received an email from ATHOS to let us know that they have added another week devoted to individual cabin bookings, April 18-24, 2010, and at this time 4 cabins are available.

They are also keen to open up a cabin cruise week for autumn 2010, so if that is of interest to you, please let us know.

French Hotel Barge ATHOS, currently scheduled individual cabin cruise weeks for 2010:
  • April 18-24 : 4 cabins available
  • May 23-29 : 2 cabins available
  • July 25-31 : 4 cabins available
  • Autumn : inquire
See our previous post (Aug 31, 2009) concerning ATHOS looking for tennis players



Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book ATHOS
View ATHOS' online brochure
Visit our website : www.ParadiseConnections.com


Friday, September 18, 2009

French Hotel Barge LUCIOLE - Last Minute Special

Penny from the French Hotel Barge LUCIOLE says that she'd like to fill up the remaining cabins that are still available for the weeks of 11 October & 18 October 2009.

French Hotel Barge LUCIOLE in Burgundy - Book with ParadiseConnections.comThey are offering the the remaining cabins at the LOW price of US$2500/person.

AVAILABILITY:

  • 11-17 October : 3 twin cabins
  • 18-24 October: 2 double & 3 twin cabins

The French Hotel Barge LUCIOLE cruises the Canal du Niverais, from Auxerre to Clamecy, in Burgundy, FRANCE and accommodates up to 14 guests in 8 cabins.



Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book LUCIOLE
View LUCIOLE's online brochure
Visit our website : www.ParadiseConnections.com


French Hotel Barge ROI SOLEIL - Early Booking Discount

Guillaume & Tracey of the French Hotel Barge ROI SOLEIL wrote to us this morning to let us know that they have a special offer of an Early Booking Discount!

The Elegant ROI SOLEIL, French Hotel Barge - Contact ParadiseConnections.com
We are offering a 5% discount on Roi Soleil 2010 charters deposited by December 31, 2009.
  • Regular Season Charter discounted from USD 39,900 to USD 37,900 for US Residents or from EUR 26,900 to EUR 25,600.
  • Value Season Charter discounted from USD 37,900 to USD 36,000 for US Residents or from EUR 25,600 to EUR 24,300
The French Barge ROI SOLEIL cruises the Provence/Camargue route as well as the canal du midi in the South of France. They accommodate up to 6 guests in 3 staterooms with queen-sized beds, and with ensuite bathrooms.



Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book ROI SOLEIL
View ROI SOLEIL's online brochure
Visit our website : www.ParadiseConnections.com


Thursday, September 17, 2009

French Hotel Barge ALEGRIA - availability 2009

The luxury, crewed French Hotel Barge ALEGRIA, has two open weeks left for the 2009 season.

French Hotel Barge ALEGRIA - Contact ParadiseConnections.com
Happy guests at the wheel

Current availability:
  • October 17-23, 2009
  • October 24-30, 2009
Charter Alegria this autumn (2009) and receive a 15% discount off their 2009 rates (rates go up in 2010!)

Six-night all-inclusive cruise:
  • Charter for 2 guests: $16,830
  • Charter for 3 guests: $17,765
  • Charter for 4 guests: $18,700


Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book ALEGRIA
View ALEGRIA's online brochure
Visit our website : www.ParadiseConnections.com


Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Hotel Barge ALEGRIA - Shared Charter May 2010

The French Hotel Barge ALEGRIA has a couple who is willing to share their charter with another couple, May 15-21, 2010, Canal du Midi in the south of France.

The crewed luxury Barge Alegria has two cabins and thus accommodates a maximum of 4 guests. Normal rates for a private 2-person charter is $22,500, while in this case you'd be splitting the 4-person rate of $24,000/wk with the other couple, bringing the price down to only $12,000/cabin.

This is a great opportunity for a couple to experience a week aboard ALEGRIA.

Olivier sent us this photo today, captioned "A private concert in a lock".



I'm sure the lockkeeper enjoyed the music as well. Alegria is a barge full of hospitality. We know that they'll take good care of you :)



Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book ALEGRIA
View ALEGRIA's online brochure
Visit our website : www.ParadiseConnections.com