Fantastic trip with 6 of us-seniors in name only- and two autos Quick reviews-Bruges -two nights. Stayed at Jan Brito and would highly highly recommend this hotel. Canal boat tour was nice, walked steps in Belfort tower and just loved the city. On the downside we did have a somewhat unpleasant encounter with Madame Dumon, Ricks recommended candy queen. Her customer service skills leave some things to be desired</p> <p>Bayuex-stayed 4 nights at Lion d Orr. Loved location. Visited all D-day sites , M St Michel, and Bayuex itself and highly recommend, as was recommeded to me on this site, Bayuex as home base for this location. We also highly recommend La Rapiere in Bayeux as dining choice, but had good experiences everywhere.</p> <p>Downsville comment-I did not get what was so "charming" about Honfleur. To me it will always be a synonym for overated.</p> <p>Amsterdam-3 nights at Aalders hotel on quiet street directly adjacent to museum area. Wonderful hotel(especially inexpensive bar, helpful staff, and our room #10 that had a private balcony). Museums especially Van Gogh, were terrific, Dutch people wonderful and accommodating all the time. Kukenhof Gardens was spectacular!</p> <p>One somewhat negative comment-main streets (kalvert street, and area near train stration were claustrophobically busy) but just slip a few streets to the west and enjoy those quieter streets and canals</p> <p>All in all fantatic. It was great to drive around Normandie and not hard, but traffic in Belgium, particularly Antwerp was very bad. I cant say enough good things about how well we were universally treated, but my favorite area was Amsterdam. The friendliness and superior Emglish skills of the Dutch made this a really easy city to visit and love Happy travels to all Mike DC
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9221 posts
Thanks for writing us your trip report. I always enjoy reading them. Glad to hear you had a good time.
Posted by
Texan in CA
4415 posts
It's not just you and Madame Dumon...LOL! Not at all...Hopefully you at least got some some chocolate out of that deal - that can 'make it all better'! It sounds like you had a good time; that's great!
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2778 posts
Just out of curiousity, Mike, what time of day were you in Honfleur and what was the weather like? I was only there a short time -- we arrived around 6:00 in the evening, walked around the harbor area then had dinner at a restaurant overlooking the harbor as it got dark. We walked around again in the early morning. I though it was a magical experience. The light was wonderful and I could see why the early Impressionists liked Honfleur so much. Maybe you were there at the wrong time of day or when it was raining? Glad you had such a great trip.
Posted by
Stafford, Virginia, USA
143 posts
Mike, We stayed at the Aalders last fall and also enjoyed it. Isn't it in a fantastic location? Glad you had a good time.
Posted by
OP
Finkle
195 posts
Thanks Carroll, Eileen, Jo, and Tom for your comments. A few claifying comments. Re: Madame Dumon, while the buying experience was painful, damn... the candy was really really good! And Carroll, you were right about catching Honfleur on a not so good day. It was very cloudy and overcast, and I am sure would be much better on a different sort of day. And my opinion was not that of other members in our party, even on a not so good day Thanks to all Planning my next trip Mike DC
Posted by
Newcastle, WA, USA
643 posts
We're staying in Amsterdam for two nights this September and are staying near the station at a B&B. Will rent bicycles to get around - "when in Rome..." Glad to hear your trip went well. We can't wait to get there!