Winter of Luxury, Hotel Barging

Barging and the Off-Season

If I had a euro for every time I’d been asked what we do during the winter when our Canal du Midi hotel barging season is finished – I’d be a rich woman.  It’s ironic that as we look to winding down our cruises at the end of the fall, I know from 14 years’ experience in this business that the work actually begins now.  My departments lean more to the telephone, computer, list-making, hiring and planning subjects.

Julian, however, has been deep in winter planning since August.  He’s been busy researching the installation of a new engine for Athos.  So along with the usual questions of maintenance, budget, pricing, next years’ bookings – we’re toying with the moral and practical dilemmas of which engine to buy?

Deutz or Baudoin?  Do we install a Deutzs – a Chinese-built German engine similar to the engine already in Athos which has run relatively well for 15 years?  Or, do we try to stay away from the Chinese-built engine (an infamous cliché for bad quality according to Julian and numerous followers) to go to a more old-world quality and find a rebuilt Baudoin?

Watch this space…   😉