News

Friday 22 february 2019

Merlijn has new owners

We are Coen & Cristina, here is a short introduction about us, the proud new owners of Merlijn.

A dream coming true, that is how we felt when we started of in april 2019. After working for years as Captains on big 5-star river-cruiseships (150 pax) we dreamed of something else; something smaller, more personal, specialized cruises, running our own business, the list of superlatives is long! We searched and had several ideas until we coincidently ran into Merlijn. That was it, that was the ship that filled in all the blank spaces! We went a 100% for it, sold our first house, quit our jobs and moved to the Merlijn.

Coen

Captain, Engineer, Guestcontact.

Cristina

2nd Captain, Host, Chef.

Frankfurt to Ludwigsburg

September 25 - October 02 / 2021
The trip on the Merlijn Magic on the Water was our first Bike and Barge European vacation. From the first friendly greetings as we embarked in Frankfort day one till we docked in Ludwigsburg, everything was impeccable. The Merlijn accommodations, the owners, Coen and Christina and their entire team provided a 5-star experience. The food was delicious, fresh, and individualized as requested. After each day of biking and touring, it was a delight to know that a special gourmet dinner expertly prepared by Christina and her team was the culmination of our day. Our terrific guide, Felix lead the daily bike rides following plentiful German bike paths that meandered thru ripe vineyards, quaint villages and beautiful, lush landscapes. Thank you to Coen and Christina and their team for creating an entertaining, stress free, holiday adventure; you have set the gold standard for Barge and Bike vacations! Stu and I are looking forward to our next tour!