Luxury hotel barge cruising company European Waterways has announced the availability of its new 2018 brochure. At 96 pages, the brochure is the largest ever, reflecting the company’s increasingly diverse cruises as it continues to focus on experiential excursions and multi-generational and theme charters that include culinary, sports, and special interests. The company has also launched a new, more colorful and informative website that highlights its many cruise regions and extensive fleet of intimate, luxury hotel barges.
Among the brochure highlights is “Insider’ Experiences,” a round-up of off-the-beaten-path excursions, insightful meet-and-greets with local people and activities that offer a flavor of the culture and music of the region – all available exclusively to guests of European Waterways. These include cooking sessions with local chefs, wine tours and private dining at top vineyards, and tours of a castle garden led by the head gardener or the “Lady of the House” herself. European Waterways guests can also enjoy fresh oysters after a private tour of an oyster farm and visit an artisanal chocolatier to learn about the art of chocolate making first-hand, among a growing list of similar, unique experiences.
“European Waterways guests are savvy, knowledgeable travelers who want to do more than see the world from the boat deck,” said Derek Banks, managing director of European Waterways. “That’s why we might stop along the way to visit a friendly lock keeper’s home, for example, and join him in a hospitable glass of Pastis – an anise-flavored apéritif – or even play a game of boules (bocce) with him!”
That’s the Spirit!
Making its “debut” in the 2018 brochure is European Waterways’ new Spirit of Scotland, the spacious, 12-passenger hotel barge that joins its sister vessel, Scottish Highlander, on the Caledonian Canal in the magnificent Scottish Highlands. It is the latest addition to the company’s fleet of 17 vessels cruising nine countries that include destinations in France, Italy, the Netherlands, and the British Isles.
“Many companies can take you to a destination, but few can introduce you to the people themselves and help you experience their history and culture like a ‘native,’” said Banks. “Whether it is meeting local Troglodytes – or cave dwellers – in their unique homes chiseled out of rock in the Loire Valley or taking a private tour of a family chateau, given by the owners themselves, every European Waterways cruise allows our guests to say, not just ‘I’ve been there,’ but also, ‘I know those people!’”
