I am trying to put together a trip for our family that will involve two boats of 6 each. We like the looks of the penichettes that Locaboat uses. has anyone done this section of canal and has anyone used Locaboats? From reading some of the other reviews, I am concerned at interest that the canal might offer. We are all seasoned travelers who are accustomed to inconveniences, but not sloppiness. Appreciate anyones thoughts on this.
|||
I have found that www.leboat.com has a far wider range of boats and destinations.
|||
%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;has anyone done this section of canal and has anyone used Locaboats%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;
While I have not in the past used Locaboat, but there is no reason to avoid using them. They have the best looking, most charming boats on any canal. I have most often used Crown Blue (now Le Boat) as it is the oldest company doing canal rentals in France and I established a relationship with them many years ago.
I have cruised this section of canal three times.
After checking the Locaboat website, I was unable to determine the exact routing they are suggesting (Argens - Lattes). It appeared as though they were proposing curising a portion of the Canal de la Robine (an off shoot of the Canal du Midi leading towards Narbonne). I should recommend against this as the Canal de la Robine offers few services and really little to see.
If I were to take this route, I might spend more time visiting towns along the Etang de Thau.
%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;I am concerned at interest that the canal might offer.%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;
I am not sure how to address whatever concern you may have. If you enjoy the company of the 12 traveling members in your group, I can guarantee that you will enjoy the canal experience in general. I have over the years, actually met someone who did not like canal travel and occasionally I read some rumblings about the disadvantages of living on a boat for a week. However, I have heard and read from countless others, and it has been our experience as well, that spending a week floating down a canal, visiting new restaurants, and exploring new villages and places is the most relaxing and rejuvenating vacation experience one may enjoy.
I agree that choosing a one way itinerary is preferable to an %26quot;out and back%26quot;. If you have already completed a forum search outlining what others and myself have already written about the Canal du Midi, then you are familiar with the observation that the most compelling region for first time canal travelers is the section of canal between Carcassonne and the Etang du Thau. There are many good companies offering a variety of routes meeting this general criteria.
|||
Our family is considering a similar trip in 2009, so I am interested in following the progress of your planning and your trip.
We have used Locaboat before and were very pleased with it. We traveled on the Burgundy Canal in April 2004 in a Locaboat Flying Bridge penichette, and I strongly recommend that boat design. It has an outdoor bridge, which most other models -- Locaboat %26#39;s and other companies%26#39; -- lack. My husband far preferred piloting the boat outdoors rather than from inside the cabin, even when the weather was less than perfect. There is plenty of room for others to hang out near the pilot, so we had lots of fun family time on the outdoor bridge.
I second a previous commentator%26#39;s endorsement of one-way trips rather than out and back. You can see so much more countryside this way.
I think canal travel is a wonderful way to see a country. You are able to travel through the countryside and see a variety of towns and terrain, but are spared the headaches and expense of driving. You also are able to go from place to place without ever having to pack and unpack your bags, a wonderful luxury. It is easy to tie up almost anywhere along the canal and get out to visit towns, eat out, ride bikes to places farther off the canal, or even take a bus or taxi to see a sight that is not so close.
The Locaboat penichette was very comfortable, with a good kitchen and communal space. If people are getting tired of each other, they can always get out and walk for a while, or go on a bike ride and arrange to meet the boat at a specified lock farther up the canal.
I say go for it, and have a great time.
A question: any particular reason you have chosen this segment of the canal?
|||
Thanks for all the advice. We decided on a Penichette 1500R for 4 couples. We are scheduled for a one way from Argen to Lattes, but are not guaranteed which direction we will be going. The reason for this section of canal was the history and diversity of local sights and canal. We had originally opted for further west, but the canal didn%26#39;t appear to have much walking and appeared to be mostly on rivers that were susceptible to flooding in the early Spring. Now I am looking for a hotel somewhere around Bezier for before our trip.
|||
That sounds great. When will you be traveling? I hope you will post a review of your trip after you return; I would love to hear how it went! In the meantime, to get you even more excited about your trip, here is a website I discovered with lots of photos of the Canal du Midi: http://www.midiphotobank.com/. Bon voyage!
|||
-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-
This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.
To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html
We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.
Removed on: 10:18 am, September 13, 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment