Are you looking for the best holiday, either this year or next?
You’ve Googled it. You’ve talked to friends and family. We here at Athos make a wager that none of the ideas you’ve stumbled on are anywhere as original as “hotel barge cruising?”
What could be a better holiday than a tailor-made, exclusive, week-long cruise in your own luxury floating hotel in the South of France?
Does your best holiday wish-list include any of the below?
Experience Southern french culture and history
The great bit about exclusive travel is having your own guide-ambassador at your disposal all week. Athos’ tour guide has been given accolades over the years:
“Mathew is a gifted Tour Guide and Teacher. He shows accountability for everything”.
Taste the best of Southern France’s Food and Regional Wines
Best holidays are synonymous with best food and best wine. Athos has vetted the best wines from the Corbieres, the Minervois, the Coteaux de Languedoc and a few other specific wine-growing terroirs within the region…
Athos’ crew know the food markets and they’ve put the Chef through her paces!
You just can’t go wrong when the food and wine footwork have been done for you. Whether you have dietary preferences or allergies, Athos has it in hand. Just let us know in advance and we’ll sort it out without cutting corners on the best southern French gourmet experience.
We recently stumbled on two bits of passenger feedback about onboard meals that made us chuckle:
- What was your favourite meal? Passenger response: “You aren’t serious. Each meal was planned and created by a Genius.”
- Out of 10, rate the menu and range of dishes. Passenger response “25”.
The best holidays are at a destination that is uncrowded and original.
…especially knowing what we do about Covid. We just loved travel-writer Jaime Ditaranto’s take on this subject. She spent a week onboard Athos in September 2018. Her video link and article say it all!
Comfortable climate – neither too hot nor too cold
If it’s going to be enjoyable, the best holidays tend to involve appropriate climate. The Languedoc (or Occitanie as the department is now calling Southwestern France) is typically windy. The winters can howl (like today) but it means that in summer there is always a comfortable breeze. Definitely NOT the stifling airlessness of landlocked areas in the more heavily populated European cities.
Add to that, Athos is fully air-conditioned and heated. All cabins have individual air conditioning that you can leave on all night, all day… The main saloon is also fully air-conditioned. The spacious upper deck has a fixed sun awning to protect cruising passengers from daytime rays.
Proximity to the Mediterranean without the crowds
The best holidays involve enjoyable destinations minus complication. When you go barging, there’s no switching hotels each night because your luxury hotel floats with you. Your goods and your bags stay safely unpacked in your cosy cabin, and your guide drives you around in minibuses to exciting off-the-beaten path visits. This means that if you love a beach, you can have one…but you don’t have to spend all night and all day surrounded by beach-goers and beach front. Have a look at Athos’ Best of Languedoc Itinerary and each day’s suggested activities between Argeliers and the Etang de Thau at Marseillan. If you click on our interactive map and let your mouse hover, a little arch will show the link between each day’s mooring and visit.