Cruise in the South of France on the Canal du Midi aboard the Deluxe Hotel-Barge ALEGRIA

SEVEN DAYS / SIX NIGHTS: 4 PASSENGERS

The 4-passenger Alegria started cruising on the Canal du Midi in mid 2008 and is the largest barge on the canal. It has two large cabins with en-suite bathrooms, totaling 190 to 210 sq ft each. These cabins each have two entrances: one leading directly outside to the front of the barge near the pool and another one opening inside to the lounge. This allows both intimacy and independence. The rooms have large portholes which offer panoramic views of the canal. The cabins are distinctive, light and bright, and are fitted with king-sized beds that can be separated into twin beds upon request. You will be supplied with bath robes, bath amenities (from "L’ Occitane en Provence") and a hair dryer. In your cabin, you'll also find a mini-fridge full of cool drinks and a tea & coffee tray with biscuits. Both cabins have air conditioning. In the event of a cool night at the end of the season, the cabins are equipped with central heating as are the bathrooms, which are also fitted with heated towel racks.

The large lounge/dining room has two big portholes offering direct views of the Canal and its inhabitants, our friends the ducks and geese. A home theatre with a selection of CDs will give you some added pleasure, as well as a selection of books and parlour games. We offer internet access through the connection of a 3G+ USB key to your laptop. The kitchen is either open onto the lounge or closed, depending on whether our chef will allow you to watch him prepare his secret dishes but he sometimes will share his secrets with you. For your important documents or anything else of value, a safe is located near the lounge.

On deck enjoy the heated pool after a warm afternoon or just relax while enjoying some pre-dinner drinks. Or try the very welcoming wheelhouse with its authentic 1937 wheel, teak woodwork and a typically Provencal floor.

ALEGRIA is a Freyssinet type barge, built in 1937 at a shipyard in Thuin, Belgium. She was originally 39 meters long and 5.07 meters wide, designed for loads of 400 tons, but in 1999 the ship was converted to a houseboat and shortened to 29.37 meters (100 feet). Her present length now allows passage through the smaller locks of the famous Canal du Midi.

The barge cruise offers a week of relaxation, gastronomy, excellent wines, fascinating culture, great landscapes and friendship in a beautiful country. Every day is a new day of discoveries and of unexpected surprises. The Alegria is docked near Poilhes, a village on the Canal du Midi, 12 km from Beziers, 20 km from the Mediterranean Sea and close to Narbonne. You will either embark or disembark from this charming village that contains many remains from the Roman times. The Alegria will cruise at between 4 and 6 kms/hour depending on the meandering of the Canal, with between 3 and 4 hours a day cruising. The day is split between cruising and visiting some of the exceptional sites in the region. Our Languedoc region offers many vineyards from great winemakers. Depending on your taste and your willingness to discover some of them, we will personalize each cruise with these visits. Some winemakers have also committed that they will come on board Alegria to give you a personalized wine tasting. You can also run or cycle along the Canal and will go faster than the barge. While cruising just relax, enjoy the scenery, enjoy the locks, get refreshed in the pool and enjoy the drinks offered by your hostess.

The Alegria has a crew of four including the Captain, Olivier Baudry. Half are French natives and half are British nationals: the perfect balance for your cruise!!

• Olivier Baudry, the owner of the barge, is a French native. He has been passionate about rivers, canals and river boats for 30 years. In the 1980s he had two houseboats moored in Paris and had a great time cruising with friends across the French capital for several years. In 1989, with his passion in mind, Olivier left his secure job as a corporate banker and launched two luxurious riverboats in Paris. These were focused on the corporate market for day and evening cruises. Olivier has just come back from South Africa, where he lived for 15 years, managing his own tour-operating company, and has decorated the barge primarily in South African decor from his many years there. In order to reconnect with his passion for canals and barges, Olivier has settled down along the Canal du Midi and he now runs Alegria for your pleasure. As a French native, Olivier will lead you through a typical "marché du village" and share with you all the secrets of buying the right cheeses, the perfect saucissons and whatever else you are tempted by. Olivier is the pilot of the barge and he will lead some excursions as well.
• Peter Shaw. Peter is a famous chef on the canal as he managed the well known hotel barge La Tortue for several years. His reputation as an excellent chef has quickly grown and extends well beyond the borders of the canal. We are very proud of Peter and have no doubt that he will treat you to some gastronomic delights during your stay on Alegria.
• Monique La Puerta is your French hostess. She has been working in the "Industrie du Luxe" in Paris for the past 30 years. Monique speaks English and she will be an important interlocutor in your daily life on board.
• Sally Shaw, Peter’s wife, will conduct some of the excursions in the program. She has been guiding hundreds of other guests for years and she knows all the secret places of the region!

The cuisine aboard Alegria will vary quite a bit. You will taste some typical French local dishes as well as the best French gastronomy. Every meal will be accompanied by different wines, both local (St-Chinian, Minerve, and Corbières are becoming more and more renowned) and from other regions of France (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire, etc.) straight from our wine fridge on board. You will never be offered the same wine twice during the week (unless you want to drink one that you particularly loved again).

We set your table with different services for breakfast, lunch and dinner: from the festive one through the ethnic one to the classic one. When weather permits you can have your meal outside on the deck. Our Chef will cater specifically to you and might even share some of his cooking tips as he prepares a dish. We will also offer you some meals off the barge in some excellent restaurants! During the week you can count on at least two meals on shore. We will discuss all these possibilities while you are holding a glass of Champagne on board.

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Features

• Size of barge: 100 ft x 16.63 ft
• Number of Passengers: 4
• Number of Cabins (all with private bath): 2
• Crew: 4
• Air Conditioning and Central Heating: Yes
  
• Salon: Comfortable lounge area with seating and adjacent dining area for four.
• Bar: Open bar
• Deck: Sundeck with dining table and chairs. Wheelhouse with passenger seating.
• Spa Tub: Large heated pool
• Cabin Features: Two large cabins (190 to 210 sq ft) with king bed or twins, ensuite bathroom with shower, mini fridge for drinks. Private outside and inside entrances.
• Vehicle for Transfers/Excursions: Air-conditioned Peugeot 807 Pullmann minivan
• Accessibility: 8 steps from deck to salon and separate stairs from deck to cabins.
• Bicycles: 4 21-speed mountain bikes plus a spare bike and helmets.

Alegria's Deck Plan

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Passenger Comments:

Our expectations were exceded in every way. Our chef was an excellent cook and sweet, our sommelier was well-educated and a delight, our guide was fully prepared, knowledgable and a joy to spend time with. Our captain was skilled and very good company. His assistant's boating skills were also a delight to watch. The food, cheeses, wines, and archeological trips were just what we had hoped for. This is a trip not to be missed, and worth every penny.

M.L. of OR, USA. September 2009

Everything with the cruise was FANTASTIC!! Truly, this was one of the most amazing and magical travel experiences I have ever had. Olivier has really created something very special -- his welcoming presence and good humor, all of the ways he found to surprise and delight us, even including a wonderful picnic one day and an evening spectacular of light and music on another -- made for an experience unsurpassed. The food and meals prepared by Peter were inventive, inspired, beautifully presented, and DELICIOUS. Amanda was quite lovely, always ready to provide that essential gin and tonic or towel. The barge, the Alegria, was comfortable, spacious, elegant -- and the pool came in quite handy on the very hot days! The excursions were very well done, and Chis was a fabulous guide. I could not be more pleased.

P.J. of WA, USA. September 2009

Algeria gave us 5 star service the entire trip. The chef Peter Shaw provided wonderful food for us lunch and dinner. Wine was skillfully pared with each course of food, and the meal was explained along with the wine selection. Peter's cooking skills and personality could easily support a television cooking show. Eating his food was delightful.

Olivier who is both the owner and captain made sure that any need/desire we had was met and quickly.The cabin was larger then our hotel room in Paris. It was nicely decorated, and had large port windows, good linens, heated towel racks nice French soaps.. We were very pleased. Monique our hostess on board studied to see the foods and drinks we prefered and made them readily available to us. She found out that we wanted to do more walking off the barge and found local side trails that offered good views of the countryside. We asked about the trees lining the canal and she immediately went to research our question. I can't imagine anyone doing a better job in her position then she did.

Peter's wife Sally was our tour guide. She did an excellent job of taking us to interesting places. We appreciated the fact that she could serve to translate for us. She balanced guiding us with allowing some time for us to wander about on our own rather well. She is a person of depth who was fun to be with.

We have traveled by barge before and our expectations were surpassed.

J and D.W. of TN, USA. September 2008