24/09/2012
We would like to share with you a letter we received from one of our guests who was onboard the other week. We think that it speaks for itself.
Recently back from a week’s cruise along the Canal de Bourgogne aboard the Apres Tout (9 to 15 September). As it happens, I was asked to fill in at the last moment for one of our group of 4 who could not make it. It makes me shudder to think that I almost decided against coming, as this was perhaps the best short holiday I have ever had – certainly the most luxurious and tastefully pampered.
The barge itself was spacious and beautiful – and immaculately maintained. The crew of four consisted of Rory (captain), his wife Caroline (chef and hostess extraordinaire), Nick (long-time friend of Rory and genial guide with several gigabytes of acquired knowledge of the region and wines of the region) and Emily, a young woman who served at table, describing in detail each of the dishes that were presented to us, and who appeared at all the right moments in the day to ask us what we would like to drink. So when we decided to play boules on our second evening, we were surprised and impressed to find that Emily and Caroline had followed us off the boat bringing our favourite drinks to us on a tray. Tasteful pampering.
Our cabins had absolutely everything that was needed – abundant hot water, good water pressure for the showers, quiet air-conditioners (if needed), top quality soaps, shampoos and lotions and exceptionally comfortable beds. Emily also had the uncanny ability to make beds and change towels in a world record time and unseen.
So the service was as good as it gets, and the attention to detail phenomenal – even to the dinner menus which were left for us to view each afternoon and which invariably had a hand-drawing (done by Emily) of something associated with the place or theme of the day.
If the service was second to none, so was the food and wine. Breakfasts consisted of croissants and baguettes bought from local bakeries, pots of coffee or tea, the best regional jams available, freshly squeezed orange juice and cereals. We had asked for light lunches, and were served with home-made quiches and tarts, a selection of light and delicious salads and invariably an assiette de fromages, all washed down with a superb white wine from the region – usually two bottles amongst the four of us. Our dinners, accompanied by another great white wine followed by a premier or grand cru Burgundy red (selected and introduced each time by Nick), were beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. One evening, as part of the “package”, we had dinner at a restaurant with a one Michelin star. Although this was also excellent and a change from our routine, we preferred Caroline’s cooking, which had the benefit of including more than a token vegetable. Being served on deck looking out over the river and the red sunset was magical.
A week on a slow-moving barge might sound tedious, but it was quite the opposite. Every day some side-trips were offered – visits to stunning historical towns (Dijon, Beaune) and villages (Chateauneuf) in the area, a top-end wine-tasting lunch, self-driving in World War Two Willy’s jeeps through the best vineyards in the area (including the vineyard where the most expensive wine in the world is produced – la domaine de Romanée-Conti), and other jaunts guided by Nick. I liked the flexibility of the tour. What we enjoyed as much as anything else was to go out on the bikes (that were kept on board for guests) along the very attractive (and flat) towpath and through surrounding villages. So we were able to say no to a couple of planned excursions, preferring to cycle. This was a smart thing to do, as otherwise we would not have had enough exercise to offset the quality and quantity of the food and wine that we managed to put away.
The holiday was a dream.
Tim
