SEVEN DAYS / SIX NIGHTS
The 8-passenger La Bonne Amie has a refined, elegant, contemporary French style. Like a private yacht on the canal, La Bonne Amie offers top amenities, an all-inclusive price, and well-trained and friendly bilingual staff to pamper you and to attend to your every need. The crew of five includes an experienced captain, private gourmet chef, private guide/chauffeur, and charming hostesses.
La Bonne Amie offers one of the most spacious cabin accommodations in barging, providing every comfort to its privileged passengers, with four equally spacious and luxurious guest staterooms with king beds or twins, extra large shower stalls, and very generous storage space. In addition, guests will find extra touches that make La Bonne Amie so outstanding: a unique fireplace, library, music corner with BOSE CD player, and an indoor-outdoor bar stocked to cater to your every fancy. Fresh flowers are always a part of your surroundings.
The barge is one the few to have 2 outside decks -- a covered deck with a large granite table for al fresco dining, and an upper sundeck for sunbathing and watching the stars. La Bonne Amie also offers a spa corner, with jacuzzi, for relaxing near the outside lounge with sofa and armchairs.
The open plan kitchen ideal is for French gastronomy cooking lessons by our own private gourmet chef. The special design encourages guests to sit to watch the show -- enjoying a glass of excellent Pauillac Bordeaux wine or Meursault Burgundy wine coming directly from traditional French winemakers. To sum it up, La Bonne Amie provides one of the most luxurious barge cruises in France, with relaxation, fun and impeccable service!
We have had a terrific time this week with you. Steve is an admirable Captain and orchestrates his crew wonderfully, and every meal was prepared with excellent quality and presentation. We so appreciated Sylvie’s patience and gracious tour guidance. The barge was so immaculately clean and beautifully decorated. The crew was all very easy on the eyes and delightful to converse with. They all do an excellent job with confidence and enjoyment. We couldn’t have enjoyed the whole experience more.
-- C & A, USA
Our cruise was fun, wonderful, magnificent, incredible, unforgettable. And there are no words to describe the meals!!! Merci.
-- F.S. USA
We have traveled around the world and to many wonderful places but this was the best vacation.
-- J.C. USA
To our friends aboard La Bonne Amie: Steve, Martine, Jono, Sasha & Henni! We live very busy lives in California and Texas, very seldom having the time to fully relax. You created an environment in which we could completely, totally be ourselves and let the world drift by. Steve & Jono presented us everyday with the most INCREDIBLE cuisine we've ever had, day after day!! Again I say, INCREDIBLE!! Thank you for all the many little things you did for us which all added up to the vacation of a lifetime. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!! We will be back!
Steve, Martine & Crew, We have had a perfect week with you and our friends - Great ambiance, superb food, wonderful hospitality, warmth, humour and the best of everything, we came to La Bonne Amie to escape the 21st century and we found the perfect place. Au revoir, Merci mille fois.
Steve, Martine, Henni, Sasha, Jono, This is our fourth trip. Again, we had a wonderful time. Thanks so much for a wonderful experience and so much humour and fun.
This was a fantastic trip and far exceeded our expectations. I would highly recommend this barge to anyone. The barge, crew and food were all very impressive. The entire crew went above and beyond to make our trip a success. We were especially impressed by their efforts to make our daughter comfortable. I'm sure they don't frequently have infants this young, but you would never have known. The crew made us feel welcome and at home from the moment we arrived until the moment we left. The food was definitely a highlight as were the wines which were paired with all of the meals (except for breakfast - thankfully!). I was also very pleased with the informal approach taken by the crew. We enjoyed our interaction with them and would not have been happy with a more structured or formal approach. I actually didn't realise we ate more than one meal, as I never seemed to stop eating!! The food and wine were both excellent. The crews willingness to discuss the meals and timing with us was much appreciated. Our ability to eat after our daughter had gone to bed made the meals far more enjoyable for us. It will not be our last trip, but we will only do it again if we can go on La Bonne Amie, as I don't think anyone could do it better. -- K.L., AB, Canada
Canal de Briare, 65 kilometers, 32 locks and 1 Pont-Canal.
Sunday
We meet at your hotel in Paris and travel by private motor coach to Montargis where you will board your ship for a welcome reception with Champagne & petits fours, followed by a short cruise before dinner.
Monday - Cruise from Amilly to Montbouy, an old Gallo Roman site.
Possible excursions:
- Chateau de Fontainebleau, famous palace where the French kings used to hunt.
- The villages of Barbizon and Moret sur Loing, where Impressionists once lived and took their inspiration.
- Egreville with its 16th century covered market and the Garden Sculpture Museum of Antoine Bourdelle.
- Forest Jump: an exciting sport outing, walking above the ground from tree to tree (at additional cost).
- Golf de Fontainebleau or Golf de Vaugouard*
Tuesday - Cruise to Chatillon Coligny and its 12th century chateau, built by the Count of Sancerre.
Possible excursions:
- Arboretum des Barres, beautiful park featuring 10,000 specimens of trees.
- Gien with its famous faience chateau overlooking the Loire with its rich collections.
- Chateau de Sully sur Loire, a medieval fortress, beautiful example of military art.
- Golf de Vaugouard or Golf de Sully*
Wednesday - Cruise to Rogny and moor at the foot of a seven lock staircase built in 1604, an impressive engineering monument of the past, replaced by six automatic locks.
Possible excursions:
- Chateau St Fargeau, with its extraordinary history, beautiful park, and 19th century working farm.
- Guedelon, an incredible project taking you back in time, a site where workers, dressed in the garb of the 12th century, are building a medieval fortress with materials and tools of the times.
- Visit a 19th century working farm with its animals, machinery and tools from the time.
- Golf de Vaugouard or Golf de Sully*
Thursday - Cruise to Ouzouer sur Trezee.
Possible excursions:
- The Chateau La Bussiere, privately owned by a countess, is fully furnished and dedicated to fishermen. It is surrounded by a lake, moat, park, farm and a romantic 18th century vegetable garden.
- Chateau St Brisson, overlooking the Loire river, with its demonstration of Catapult.
- Briare, a picturesque town along the Loire River, its Romano-Byzantine mosaics church and its enamel porcelain buttons museum which have made the town famous.
- Golf de Sancerre*
Friday - Cruise to Chatillon sur Loire, crossing the Loire River over the majestic Pont-Canal de Briare, an aqueduct built by Eiffel. This is one of the highlights of your cruise.
Possible excursions:
- Shopping with the Chef at the local open Market of Briare.
- Extensive visit of a winery at Estate Bourgeois in Chavignol, and wine tasting of the famous Sancerre and Pouilly Fume, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, followed by a visit to the medieval village of Sancerre and its antique shops. Panoramic view over the vineyards and the Loire.
- Visit a goat cheese farm, the famous Crotin de Chavignol, and choose your own cheeses.
- Golf de Sancerre*
Saturday - After breakfast, return transfer to your hotel in Paris.
Note: this is a sample itinerary and it is subject to change at the discretion of your hosts or closures that may alter a day outing. As an option, a whole day excursion to the famous Chateaux of Chambord and Chenonceaux can be organized with lunch along the way. Upon request, a massage or beauty treatment by a beautician may be arranged aboard your ship (at additional cost). * Golf may also be organized at an additional cost upon request.
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*Note: Cruise directions and sample itineraries may be in reverse and are subject to change and may depend on bookings and local navigation conditions. Alternate excursions of equal appeal are substituted when needed. For charter cruises special itineraries can be arranged.
| LA BONNE AMIE 2008 SEASON PRICES in US DOLLARS | ||
|---|---|---|
| ACCOMMODATION | VALUE Apr 6 thru Apr 26 Jul 27 thru Aug 23 Oct 19 thru Nov 1 |
REGULAR Apr 27 thru Jul 26 Aug 24 thru Oct 18 |
| Cabin (per person, double occupancy) |
$6,450 |
$6,450 |
| Charter for up to 8 |
$40,900 |
$45,900 |
What's Included
-7 days and 6 nights on the barge in cabins with private baths
- transfers from Paris to the barge and return
- all meals beginning with dinner on Sunday, through breakfast on Saturday
- all wines with lunches and dinners
- open bar stocked to your specification
- all escorted side-excursions (hot air ballooning, golf, etc. at additional cost)
- use of bicycles on board
What's Not Included
- suggested minimum 5% gratuity for the crew, to be paid to the captain in equivalent euros
- overseas air transportation to Paris and return
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Special Places Travel, LLC "Barges in France (and the rest of Europe) ... for the experience of a lifetime!" ™
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