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Bonheur

4 berths

Burgundy Franche-Comte ?

Imagine a barge holiday in France where your days unfold discovering the peace, beauty and culture of a country whilst appreciating an ever changing scenery as you cruise along at a relaxing walking pace.

During a barge holiday aboard Bonheur you will explore beautiful villages, have private viewings of chateau, see historical sites, enjoy wine tastings and eating local cuisine, all while experiencing the relaxing pace of life upon the picturesque waterways of France.

Bonheur was once a traditional working barge but has now been converted to provide luxury accommodation for barge holidays.

At 34 metres ( 110 feet) Bonheur is probably the largest barge you can charter which only takes 4 passengers. With large lounge, good sized cabins and huge deck space used for both alfresco dining and relaxing on the sunloungers , there is always plenty of space.

Bonheur is a ' Luxemotor’ built in Holland 1926 as a working barge.

Luxemotors have elegant hull shapes designed not only for the canals and rivers but also the inland seas of northern Europe.

She has had a varied career from cargo vessel to passenger/restaurant boat in Paris and now after 18 months of restoration is a home and guest barge.

During the recent works, externally we have reversed earlier alterations so that she now has a traditional layout with the wheelhouse and owners cabin at the stern. Her graceful lines have been complemented with gentle steps up to the large deck area and emphasised with new paintwork and hardwood timber capping to the handrail. We have also built a new handsome iroko wheelhouse, which can be dismantled for lower bridges on the canals.

Internally the boat is light and airy due to the large picture windows with plenty of space to relax and unwind; we have tried to make her feel inviting with French oak floors and ceilings together with simple traditional furnishings.

For the charter, guests cabins are comfortable and provide double cabins (either Queen size double bed or twin single beds) with private toilet, shower and washbasin equipped with bed linen and towels and hairdryers.The cabins are spaced apart to provide maximum privacy and each has its own supply of hot water provided by the central heating boiler.

The electricity onboard is 220 volts and we have a very large battery bank to avoid running the generator in the evenings so we can appreciate the peace and tranquillity found on the water, we do however, have a generator, which is used to replenish the batteries during the day.

A few other technical facts are that we carry 10,000 litres of fresh water, 4,000 litres of fuel and waste water tanks with a capacity of 3,000 litres .

New for 2011, cabins will be air conditioned.