An Anniversary to Remember Aboard a Hotel Barge

An anniversary – perhaps a wedding milestone, a special birthday or a memorable date with personal significance – is the perfect opportunity to gather together your nearest and dearest to celebrate. If you’re looking for a unique way to commemorate this special event with your loved ones, chartering a hotel barge on one of the peaceful inland waterways of Europe could be the perfect solution.

Lunch aboard French Hotel Barge Emma on the canal du midi

All our hotel barges are available for private charter and many for individual cabin bookings on a shared cruise. Barges come in different sizes and, depending on the one you choose, can accommodate a maximum of six to 20 passengers. With a highly-trained and doting onboard crew – including captain, gourmet chef, hostesses and tour guide – at your disposal, embarking on a chartered cruise allows you the intimacy of your own private vessel along with the expert knowledge and assistance you would expect from a luxury hotel.

WINE APPRECIATION CRUISES

One of our themed cruises would provide a memorable backdrop for an anniversary get-together, such as a wine appreciation cruise.

Oenophiles love the plethora of wine tours that we offer throughout France and Italy. In Burgundy or Bordeaux, Loire Valley or Languedoc-Roussillon, carefully-crafted wine cruises offer you the opportunity to visit some wonderful, long-established wineries and vineyards, as well as explore the cultural and historical delights of each wine-growing region you cruise through.

 
And, of course, there will be plenty of tasting opportunities both on and off the vessel – a perfect way to toast that special occasion!

So, if you’re looking for a special way to celebrate a special anniversary with family or friends, a hotel barge cruise on one of Europe’s beautiful inland waterways is a wonderful way to create memories that will last a lifetime.

See special offers for 2017 barging cruise vacations. Click HERE.

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What special occasion would you like to celebrate?

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Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book your barge trip
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com

 

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Irish Barge Shannon Princess: ONLY ONE WEEK OPEN

Attention: the Irish Hotel Barge Shannon Princess only has ONE week open for the 2017 barging season.

Irish Hotel Barge Shannon Princess - Barge Cruises In Ireland

Laethanta Saoire Sona !

Current availability:

• Aug 20-26, 2017: Cabin cruise week: 
• 2 cabins booked
• 2 cabins optioned (but not yet booked)
• 1 cabin OPEN

THE RIVER SHANNON

The Shannon Princess cruises through a countryside little changed through the centuries. Come aboard and join the Shannon Princess cruising on the River Shannon – an incredible journey through the heart of hidden Ireland. The River Shannon  (named after the Celtic goddess  ‘Sionna’) is a series of lakes, rivers and tiny canals, which at almost 200 miles in length, is Ireland’s longest river. For over ten thousand years, the river was vital to the survival  of the prehistoric people living along its banks. After Christianity, it became the refuge of saints & scholars.Today the River Shannon remains unspoiled and has retained its great natural beauty and enjoys a richness in wild flowers, bird and animal life.

Cruise the Shannon between Athlone and Killaloe

As barge guests cruising on the River Shannon, aboard the Shannon Princess, you are “up close and personal” with the sights. Each day you will pass crumbling ivy-covered ruins, medieval garrisons and shoreline villages. Moor right at Clonmacnoise, a monastery established in the 6th century which survived for 1000 years. Your route takes you through dappled woodlands and floodplain meadows. The barge also calls at historic towns such as Athlone and Killaloe – today a pretty riverside village, but once home to the court of the last High Kings of Ireland. Observe wildlife – rare white tailed eagles nesting in waterside trees, go fishing, or even swim from the barge.There is always time for early morning strolls through twisting country lanes – or to explore the villages and roads by bicycles. Be as active as you wish!  Everywhere, the friendly Irish people will welcome you as honoured guests.

THE SHANNON PRINCESS

The Shannon Princess has been thoughtfully designed throughout. The barge’s inviting interior makes a charming floating living space – a perfect ‘Home away from Home’ for guests to enjoy. The welcoming atmosphere is enhanced by Ruairi and Olivia’s love of antiquities, crafts, pottery and art with many works by established and local Irish artists.  On board the barge a friendly & relaxed mood has been created by carefully mixing casual informality with quality service.

Shannon Princess can be booked on an individual cabin basis or as a whole-boat, private charter. The barge provides accommodation for up to 10 guests in 5 cabins with a professional Crew in attendance.You will be charmed with excellent but friendly service, gorgeous food & wines, and share in a slice of local life and knowledge.

MEALS ARE ALSO AN IMPORTANT PART OF BARGING

Shannon Princess is very proud of their reputation for fantastic food and attentive service. With an emphasis on delicious modern cuisine, their foods and menus are prepared by sourcing fresh, free range and organic produces. Each day the menus are designed around the finest and freshest ingredients gathered at farm shops and country markets along the River Shannon and of course from the sea. You will be surprised and seduced by Ireland’s abundant natural ingredients.

On Shannon Princess you will enjoy scrumptious breakfasts, mouth watering lunches and elegant dinners prepared daily on board in the barge’s galley by the professionally trained chef.

Menus also offer a low fat, healthy eating option. Shannon Princess is always happy to attend to any special dietary requirements or preferences you may have; just let us know at the time of booking and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.

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Don't miss out... 
Book your 2017 Irish barge cruise NOW

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Contact Paradise Connections to book SHANNON PRINCESS
View Shannon Princess's online brochure

Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com

 

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Barge Scottish Highlander's Captain Returns for 2017

After a career as a yacht charter captain in the Caribbean, Mick joined the Hotel Barge Scottish Highlander in 2015.

Mick, a Yorkshireman, is a warm host and happy to share his passion for all things nautical with passengers in Highlander’s extended, visitor-friendly wheelhouse. Having explored every creek and cove of the Virgin and  Windward Islands, Mick enjoys studying maps and charts old and new and, after a full season on the Caledonian Canal, his idea of relaxation is to embark on a 3000-nautical mile transatlantic yacht delivery.

Hotel Barge SCOTTISH HIGHLANDER moored at Urquhart Castle

Luxury Crewed Canal Cruises in Scotland - The Caledonian Canal, Loch Ness & the Highlands

The hotel barge Scottish Highlander has the atmosphere of a Scottish country house with subtle use of tartan furnishings and landscape paintings. At 117 feet, Scottish Highlander is spacious and has every comfort for year-round cruising. Scottish Highlander accommodates up to eight guests in staterooms that can either be configured for doubles or singles, each with ensuite bathrooms. The experienced crew of four, led by your captain, ensure attention to your every need.

A six-night cruise includes all meals, open bar, daily escorted excursions, local transfers and use of barge facilities such as bicycles. View their online brochure.

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Contact Paradise Connections to book SCOTTISH HIGHLANDER
View Scottish Highlander's online brochure
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com

 

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Hotel Barging In France

On any of our hotel barge cruises, one of the wonderful ways you get to experience the best of your cruising region is through the gastronomy. Our barge chefs and sommeliers know the characteristics of the local wines and cheeses they serve and how best to pair the two together.

There are a number of similarities between wine and cheese, those staples of the French diet. Both go through a fermentation and aging process; both have flavors that vary depending on the soil, sunlight, rainfall and geography of the area in which they are produced. In France, both are given the esteemed certification of AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) to indicate the quality and provenance of their traditional production.

Like wine, the tasting of cheese is something of a science, as different regions produce so many diverse flavors in all shapes, sizes and colors. If you are a cheese connoisseur, you will certainly be able to indulge your passion on any of our hotel barge cruises in France.

Cheeses can be classified in a number of different ways. For example, by the country or region of origin: a hard cheese made in the Alpine climes of Beaufort would be incredibly difficult to make in the flat, western region of Normandy.

Another difference is the method of production: for example, the outside of washed rind cheeses are repeatedly dusted with ‘morge’ – a mixture of brine, whey and old cheese scrapings – to create a colored rind, while the inside of a blue cheese is pricked with needles to grow blue mold.

These varying processes and environments create cheeses that are wildly different in texture, smell and taste, which we invite you to try as part of every meal during your "culinary voyage of discovery".

When you cruise on the Canal du Midi you will be introduced to the distinctive tastes of the region’s cheeses, with Roquefort Papillon, Cathare au Chèvre, and Tomme au Piment d’Espelette on the menu, paired with a local Corbières or Minervois wine.

In the Loire Valley you may be treated to a cheeseboard featuring Crottin de Chavignol, a creamy goats’ cheese that is surprisingly perfect with a dry, white wine from Sancerre. In Burgundy, Epoisses and Aisy Cendré are examples of cheeses served with full-bodied red wines sucha s Meursault or Santenay-les-Beaunes.

Let us open your eyes to a world of delicious, gourmet cheeses on any of our French hotel barge cruises –  you won’t be disappointed!

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See special offers for 2017 barging cruise vacations. Click HERE.

Best Wishes & Happy Holidays

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Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book your barge trip
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com

 

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French Hotel Barge RENAISSANCE offers 2 free hotel nights

The French Hotel Barge RENAISSANCE is offering two free nights at the 4-star Hotel Westminster in central Paris for charter guests in 2017. The hotel stay includes breakfast and can be used either before or after your cruise.  This offer can also be combined with current specials on the Renaissance of 10% off charters for select departures in April and May and 10% off per cabin on select departures in May. Booking deposits must be made by January 6, 2017 to be eligible.



The eight-passenger, French hotel barge Renaissance provides a true luxury cruise experience. Among its amenities are spacious suites, an on-deck heated spa pool, alfresco dining on the forward deck, a fireplace in the saloon – enjoy these things along with the undivided, personal attention of a five-person crew that includes a captain, tour guide, master chef and two hosts/hostesses.

The Renaissance travels along the Canal de Briare and Canal Latéral à la Loire between the towns of Montargis and Chatillon-sur-Loire. This area is known as the Gâtinais and the "Garden of France". The Canal de Briare is one of the oldest canals in France, completed in 1642, and is steeped with history. You will discover quaint villages, beautiful scenery, and partake in interesting side trips.

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Enjoy a French Barging Cruise in 2017 ...

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Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book RENAISSANCE 
View Renaissance's online brochure
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com

 

It's not how far nor how fast, it's the pleasure of the journey that keeps people coming back for more.

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Christmas Gift Idea : Barging Cruise

Happy Holidays! 

We'd like to point out the many special offers we have on Hotel Barge Charters & Cruises for 2017. What a great gift idea!

SPECIAL OFFERS FOR 2017

Please CLICK HERE for current special offers and discounts

Here's a short video of folks that definitely enjoyed barging this summer. Take a look...

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Looking forward to your inquiries

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Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book your barge trip
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com

 

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