river barge cruise

Has anyone done a river barge cruise aboard the La Reine Pedauque through French Adventures? If you have recommendations for 3-5 night river barge cruises in France, i would greatly appreciate any information. Thank you.

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My husband and I have taken 3 barge cruises to date - all of them unforgettable(our most recent was on a barge called Savoir Faire in Burgundy - amazing). We always book through a woman called The Barge Lady - she is an expert - very opinionated - has never steered us wrong. She has a great website - with tons of pictures and information - I believe its www.bargeladycruises.com - or just google The Barge Lady. Oh, also barge cruises are usually 6 nights - they go Sunday-Saturday or Saturday-Friday

Hope this is helpful. If you have any other questions let me know - I%26#39;m getting to be a barging veteran!

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Thank you very much!

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thank you for your post.

We have contacted Ellen and she does seem to know her stuff, but hesitant to give details.

We are considering a barge (Elizabeth...wine and chocolate) through Burgundy. We may private charter.

Do you think it would be more fun to have 4 more people (plus two crew) along? Is the space tight? It is our honeymoon so we want to make it special.

Any honest insight is surely appreciated.

Thanks,

Alicia

p.s. let me know if you make it to my home Maui for some insiders advice.

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Alicia -

A special honeymoon doesn%26#39;t include another couple. Make it all about the two of you. That%26#39;s what makes it romantic. Charter a crewed barge so you are free to do whatever strikes your fancy. I%26#39;ve not barged before, but I have friends who do it regularly. They all say be sure to have bicycles aboard so you can visit a village or two as you make your way down the river/canal.

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Hi Alicia

We%26#39;ve done some great boating holidays, one in particular being aboard the barge %26#39;Nilaya%26#39; (www.BargeNilaya.com ) Kevin%26#39;s a great host and you could pretty much put your own bespoke cruise together with him.

We also just stayed at a Chateau (www.chateaudelarosieres.com ) he told us about. For a honeymoon destination in Burgundy (with a car) either before or after a cruise it%26#39;s a great spot.

We also checked out another barge while in Burgundy a few weeks ago with very friendly owners, It%26#39;s name was %26#39;Jubilant%26#39; (www.frenchbargeholidays.co.uk) We hope to book a cruise aboard her for 2011.

Hope this helps some.

Hughie and Jess

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I have worked as crew on the barges for several years so know the Elisabeth very well (have worked on it a cople of times) and also know of the Barge Lady - she really is very good and visits all the barges all the time.

Take her advice, she is very honest. The Elisabeth is perfect for a flexible cruise, especially a honeymoon. The owners Pete and Sheena are super hosts and really go out of their way to ensure you have a great time.

As for a honeymoon alone or with friends, depends on what you want out it, if you want romantic nights, to gaze into each others eyes, go alone but if you really want to do someting unforgettable and see the real France, take a couple of friends and enjoy the conviviality of a small barge cruise.

Tracy

PS The cabins on the Elisabeth are standard for a barge, they have real beds (ie not bunks) as well. One cabin is quite large and the others are average, the bathrooms are compact but work well.