All About Hotel Barge Charters: Belgium

Showing posts with label Belgium. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Hotel Barge Panache - Special cruises, special offers, spring availability

SPECIAL CRUISE: The 12-passenger Hotel Barge Panache will be cruising from Courtrai, Belgium (30km north of Lille, France) through Picardy to Paris, from May 22 through June 4 this year.

Hotel Barge Panache - Cruising Holland, Belgium, and France

The first cruise (May 22-28, 2016) has a World War One theme, with an itinerary that includes excursions to Ypres and the Menin Gate, Somme battlefields, and memorials.

For the second cruise May 29-June 4, Panache offers a choice of excursions, with or without a WWI theme. These can include:

The Armistice Clearing in the forest of Compiegne where the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918
The Thiepval Memorial, a monument to 75,000 "missing" from the Battle of the Somme
Château de Chantilly, a superb example of 16th-century Renaissance architecture with wonderful art treasures and gardens
Auvers-sur-Oise, Van Gogh’s resting spot and a place of pilgrimage for art lovers
Monet’s home and gardens at Giverny, when the gardens should be looking at their best
Château de Malmaison, a delightful country house and home to Napoleon’s Empress Josephine

Menin Gate Memorial

Thiepval Memorial

Vimy Ridge Memorial

There is still plenty of availability on both cruises along with special offers of a discounted rate if booked before March 29, 2016:

Availability and pricing as of February 17, 2016:

May 22-28: Courtrai to Bethencourt-sur-Somme - 5 cabins open, 1 booked

Discounted rate: $2500 off/cabin

May 29-June 4: Bethencourt-sur-Somme to Paris - 6 cabins open, 0 booked. Open for either a private charter or individual cabin bookings.

Discounted rates: $12,000 off 12-person private charter rate, i.e. $45,000 for up to 12 guests.

Panache would love to welcome you aboard for one of these fascinating voyages through the landscapes of Belgium and Northern France that witnessed events a century ago that changed the course of history.

=== Here's Another Option For This Spring ===

There is also some space available for a few dates in Holland this spring. Discounts are valid for new bookings confirmed by March 29, 2016:

April 3-9 (Holland): 3 cabins open, 3 booked - $2500 off/cabin
April 24-30 (Holland): 1 cabin open, 5 booked - $2500 off/cabin
May 15-21 (Holland-Belgium): 3 cabins open, 3 booked - $2500 off/cabin

Panache cruises the French region of Alsace-Lorraine in the summer and autumn. Contact Paradise Connections to book your barging trip.

Let's Go Barging with Panache in 2016 !

Contact Paradise Connections to book PANACHE
View Panache's online brochure

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

Monday, January 06, 2014

Barge LA NOUVELLE ETOILE: Cabin open due to cancellation

The Hotel Barge LA NOUVELLE ETOILE has had a cancellation for their two-country cruise, Amsterdam to Bruges, May 11-18, 2014.

La Nouvelle Etoile is a very popular barge and they book up well in advance. This unfortunate cancellation provides a great opportunity for you to experience this wonderful barge as they cruise from Amsterdam to Bruges. Currently there are 3 cabins on hold with ONE cabin open.

Luxury Hotel Barge La Nouvelle Etoile - Barging cruises in Holland, Belgium, France, Germany

Experience quaint Dutch windmills, world-famous flowers, small European towns, historic cities, art history, Delft pottery, and a distillery, all in one week. CLICK HERE to view their Amsterdam, Holland to Bruges, Belgium two-country cruise itinerary.

La Nouvelle Etoile is a luxurious barge with very spacious accommodation for up to 8 passengers, offering a wonderful blend of traditional elegance and sophisticated, state of the art facilities. The four bedroom suites, each over 200 square feet, boast internet access and satellite TV and large bathrooms with double sinks. The barge is fully air conditioned and has an elegant, teak-lined dining area and saloon, with an attractive bar and piano, and features warm and inviting furnishings. On deck there is a spacious sun deck with comfortable loungers and hot tub. Other facilities include internet access, exercise room and 8 bikes.

La Nouvelle Etoile is designed to be fully accessible to wheelchair users and the less physically able. The doors are wide enough for wheelchair users to move easily from room to room and there is a lift between decks. One of the cabins is specially equipped specifically for wheelchair users. All tours are suitable for wheelchair users and the air conditioned minibus has a lift and special straps to secure a wheelchair in place.

La Nouvelle Etoile begins their season with Dutch Tulip Cruises in the spring, then offers a variety of cruises through France, concluding their season with a Germany-Luxembourg itinerary. You can find their various itineraries in our online brochure for La Nouvelle Etoile.

Contact Paradise Connections to book LA NOUVELLE ETOILE
View La Nouvelle Etoile's online brochure
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com

Monday, November 14, 2011

Welcome, Hotel Barge PANACHE, to our barging fleet

We would like to welcome the Hotel Barge Panache (ex-Marjorie II) to our fleet of select barges.

Hotel Barge Panache - Barging cruises in Holland & Lorraine-Alsace, France

The 12-passenger barge Panache will be under new ownership for the 2012 season. We are confident that they will provide excellent service and value as we have a proven track record with the owners who have 35 years' experience in the barging industry.

Keukenhof Gardens, Holland --- St Paul's in Strasbourg, France

In April and May, Panache will embark on circular “Dutch Tulip Cruises” starting and finishing in Haarlem, visiting the spectacular Keukenhof Gardens in full bloom, the world famous Delft pottery and the cheese center of Gouda. After an Amsterdam (Holland) to Bruges (Belgium) cruise the week of May 27 to June 2, she will reposition to cruise throughout the rest of the 2012 season on the beautiful Canal de la Marne au Rhin from Mittersheim to Strasbourg in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France. What a great way to experience the unique mix of French and German cultures, Baroque and Romanesque architecture, storybook hamlets and wonderful white wines of this historic region.

The 129-foot Panache is a 12-passenger, luxury hotel barge of classic Dutch design and has a professional crew of five to attend to your needs. Panache is fully air conditioned with spacious public areas and six ensuite staterooms, with your choice of twin or queen bed configurations.

We are very pleased to have another barge in the Alsace-Lorraine region as La Nouvelle Etoile, also an excellent hotel barge that we recommend, only covers this area for 4 weeks beginning August 26th and they quickly book up.

Panache is available for Cabin Cruises where you share the barge with other like-minded travellers, and also for Private Charters with a price structure beginning at an 8-passenger minimum rate.

Introductory prices have the Value Season extend all the way from April 1st (and this is no April Fools) through August 19, 2012, with Regular Season rates in effect from August 26 to September 30, then back to Value Season.

We will keep you informed on the progress of Panache's refit and post new photos as we get them :)

Go Barging in 2012!

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

Monday, October 17, 2011

Barge SAVOIR FAIRE: Dutch Tulip Cruises, by the cabin

Chris, owner-operator of the 6-cabin hotel barge Savoir Faire, just wrote to let us know that he has opened up ALL remaining 2012 dates for their Dutch Tulip Cruises (Haarlem-Haarlem, Holland) as cabin cruises, or you can book a private charter if available, too!

Hotel Barge Savoir Faire - Barging cruises in France, Holland & Belgium

There is not a minimum amount of booked cabins necessary to guarantee the trip. Savoir Faire will run with just one cabin sold... but we can't imagine this happening as they are a very popular barge.

2012 AVAILABILITY for Holland Tulip Cruise:

March 25 - 31
April 08 - 14
April 15 - 21
April 22 - 28
April 29 - May 05 (2 cabins sold, 1 on hold) - Queen's Day is on April 30!

RATES:

Cabin: $4500 per person, double occupancy
Charter: 10 passengers: $43,900
Charter: 12 passengers: $50,600

The Hotel Barge Savoir Faire offers luxurious accommodation for 12 passengers in six well-appointed staterooms. Guests are attentively catered for by 6 English-speaking crew. Each stateroom can be configured with two twin beds or with one queen bed, and all have ensuite private bathrooms. Each guest stateroom has a DVD player with an LCD screen and 2 sets of wireless headphones. Savoir Faire is fully air conditioned (central heat, too!) and the salon, dining area, and bar are finished in mahogany, teak and brass, decorated with antiques and paintings. Two spacious decks offer magnificent views of the countryside.

View Savoir Faire's itinerary for their Dutch Tulip Cruise, March 25 - May 5, 2012

In May, Savoir Faire will begin their journey to France for the summer barging season.

May 6-12: Haarlem to Bruges
May 13-24: Two-country, 11-night Bruges to Paris cruise
May 27 - June 2: Paris to St Florentin
June 3 - August 25: Burgundy, St Florentin to Ancy-le-Franc
August 26 - September 1: St Florentin to Paris
September 2-29: Champagne, Paris to Epernay
September 30 - October 13: Paris to Villeneuve
October 14-25: Two-country, 11-night cruise, Paris to Bruges
October 28: Bruges to Haarlem

Read more about the region of Holland: HERE

Go Barging in Holland this spring!

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

Monday, January 10, 2011

Special Offer: Dutch Tulip Cruises / Barging in Holland

The Hotel Barge SAVOIR FAIRE has a special offer for the first two weeks of April 2011.

Barge SAVOIR FAIRE - Barging in Holland, Belgium, France

SPECIAL OFFER for the weeks of April 3-9 and 10-16, 2011:

Route: Haarlem-Haarlem
Cabin Rates: $6000/cabin (i.e. $3000/person, double occupancy)
Charter, 10 guests: $29,250
Charter, 12 guests: $33,750

Current availability for other cabin weeks ($8000/cabin, i.e. $4000/person, dbl occ)

April 24-30 (Haarlem-Haarlem): 2 Cabins Open
May 29 - June 4 (Paris to Auxerre): 3 Cabins Open
June 5-11 (Auxerre to Ancy-le-Franc): 2 Cabins Open

The Hotel Barge Savoir Faire is fully air conditioned (central heat, too!) and accommodates up to 12 guests in 6 well-appointed staterooms. Each stateroom can be configured with two twin beds or with one queen bed, and has ensuite private bathrooms. Each guest stateroom has a DVD player with an LCD screen and 2 sets of wireless headphones. The salon, dining area, and bar are finished in mahogany, teak and brass, decorated with antiques and paintings collected over the years.

You can find Savoir Faire's itineraries in our eBrochure.

Our website has interesting supplementary information for Holland and Belgium.

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

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Hotel Barge SAVOIR FAIRE Early Bird Special for Spring 2011

The 12-passenger Hotel Barge SAVOIR FAIRE is offering a special rate for a few of their Spring 2011 cruises, for bookings confirmed by January 3, 2011.

Hotel Barge SAVOIR FAIRE - Barging in Holland (Dutch Tulip Cruises)

and Barging in France (New Route: Best of Burgundy)

The deluxe 12-passenger Hotel Barge Savoir Faire is offering a special price for bookings confirmed by January 3, 2011 for 8-passenger charters for the following departure dates:

Holland Tulip Cruise (2011):

April 3-9
April 10-16
May 1-7
May 8-14

Belgium France Cruise, Ghent-Paris (2011):

May 22-28

SPECIAL RATE: OFFER HAS EXPIRED

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

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Springtime Holland-Belgium-France Barge Cruise: Cabins available

Chris from the Hotel Barge SAVOIR FAIRE tells us that they have cabin bookings available for their 2011 Springtime 3-Country Cruise. This cruise is rarely open to cabin bookings so this is the ideal opportunity to experience a once in a lifetime journey for a couple or with a few friends.

Hotel Barge Savoir Faire - Canal & River Cruises in Holland, Belgium, France

The two-week, three-country cruise can be booked as one trip or in individual legs. Three cabins are necessary to guarantee the cruise.

May 15-21, 2011, week #1: Cruising from Haarlem (Holland) to Ghent (Belgium)

2 cabins booked... LOOKING for ONE more cabin booking to guarantee cruise

May 22-28, 2011, week #2: Cruising from Ghent (Belgium) to Paris (France)

1 cabin booked... LOOKING for TWO more cabin bookings to guarantee cruise

Look at the REGIONS section on our website for more information on Holland and Belgium.

Savoir Faire's eBrochure has a sample itinerary for this special 3-country cruise.

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

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Hotel Barge SAVOIR FAIRE: Queen's Day, April 30 2010

This morning we received a very interesting email from Chris of the Hotel Barge SAVOIR FAIRE concerning the Dutch holiday, Queen's Day.

We still have 4 cabins available for our cruise which encompasses the 30th of April 2010. This is the day of the world renowned QUEEN'S DAY.

If you only visit Amsterdam once in your life, make sure your visit coincides with April 30th. Queen’s Day is the annual Dutch national holiday in honour of the late Queen Juliana’s birthday.

On Queen’s Day, there are celebrations throughout the Netherlands. However, the most popular destination is Amsterdam where up to one million visitors join the 750,000 locals in the world’s largest street party.

Queen Beatrix, who succeeded her mother in 1980, decided to keep the holiday on April 30 as the weather on her own birthday, January 31, tends to prohibit outdoor festivities.

Queen’s Day crowd on its way to an event.
Posted at Flicker by Photochiel

The Night Before Queen’s Day

Queen’s Day festivities start around midnight and last throughout the night (though official rules state that pubs must close for an hour or so before sunrise). Simply walk around in downtown Amsterdam (the Jordaan and Nieuwmarkt areas being among the most popular spots) and you’ll find plenty of partying going on.

That said, our advice is that you pace yourself. You’ll want to be more or less sober for the main feast.

Queen’s Day Proper

6:00 AM marks the start of the ‘free market’ – a street market where half the population sells their bric-a-brac, used clothes, and crafts for next to nothing. Where? Everywhere people live. What? Well, you’ll find anything from broken toys, last year’s Queen’s Day purchases, and fantastic bargains on musical instruments, electonics, software and everything else under the sun.

Throughout the city, professional street performers vie for attention. There are pick-up bands, aspiring opera singers, teenage rappers and street discos. Rio-style drum bands have been very popular the past few years.

Huge outdoor concerts are organized at various locations, such as Dam square and Museumplein.

Orange

The throngs lining the streets and canals wear orange, the national color (after all, the Queen hails from the House of Orange). Take ‘throngs’ literally – particularly in the city’s center where you’ll be shoulder to shoulder with other revelers.

Brouwersgracht on Queen’s Day

Posted at Flicker by Ron Layters

(Ron says "This is actually a canal, crowded with boats full of people celebrating the Queen's birthday in Amsterdam. Not much water on show! If you haven't been you should come as it is the greatest street party on earth. ok - it's a canal party as well!)

By way of indication: you can normally saunter from Central Station to Dam Square in about 7 minutes. On Queen’s Day the same distance will take you at least an hour. For most of the day, there is no public transport in the center of town. The canals offer little relief as thousands of boats, large and small, filled with party goers clog the city’s waterways.

The beer flows freely, though mostly in the form of reduced-alcohol ‘event beer,’ which is served in plastic containers that come with a deposit fee.

If you are coming to Amsterdam from out of town, take the train.

Thanks, Chris!

SAVOIR FAIRE still has availability for their Dutch Tulip Cruises. See our PREVIOUS POST for more information.

Dutch Tulip Cruises:

March 28 - 6 cabins open
April 4 - 6 cabins open
April 11 - booked
April 18 - 2 cabins open
April 25 - 4 cabins open

Three-Country Amsterdam to Paris Cruise (13-night, 3 country cruise or may book one week of the two):

May 2 (Holland - Belgium) - 3 cabins open
May 9 (Belgium - Paris) - 3 cabins open

SPECIAL OFFER: EXPIRED

View SAVOIR FAIRE's online brochure and also check out their various itineraries, then contact us for more information. Spring will be here soon!

Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book SAVOIR FAIRE
View Savoir Faire's online brochure
Visit our website for more info on our barges & barging: www.BargeCharters.com