[donheff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by newlife06 Don, would love to hear your take on VBT's Spain and Tuscany tours. Our Holland bike and barge was our first group tour, with its obvious pros and cons.

I thoroughly enjoyed both. I would give Tuscany the edge on both accommodations and food. We added Rome and Venice into the mix so the trip was memorable. In Spain we spent additional time in Seville and Barcelona - Barcelona is a must see city. Our Tuscany trip was "Tuscany by the Sea," which is much easier (i.e. less hills) than the plain ol "Tuscany" tour. We like VBT because they scout out great places to stay and good food and wine. It is more costly than a bare bones or DIY tour but much less than the premium outfits like Butterfield. The VBT tours we have taken have involved very personable groups and great leaders. The participants are all riders but don't tend to be fanatics. Participant ages tend to be 40s, 50s, 60s. My wife and I ride a lot harder at home than we do on these tours - but we have more fun on the tours.

I have photo albums on my family website if you want to see what the trips were like: Tuscany by the Sea; Andalusia in Spain; and "Tuscany by the Rapahannock by my weekend place