At Belle France we pride ourselves on providing a quality, highly personal service. When you book with us, you're getting more than just a holiday.
Our detailed and unique Travel Pack contains all your tickets, luggage tags and details on how to reach your first hotel. Of most importance though are our carefully researched Cycling Notes themselves. Once you're on the road, your panniers contain a repair kit for punctures & minor repairs, and you're only a phone call away from a mechanic.
Cycling Notes & Maps
Our detailed booklets guide you every step of the way, pointing out landmarks and places of interest en route, recommending picturesque spots for a picnic or hidden cafés for a refreshing drink. We also issue you with large-scale IGN maps: cyclists receive the IGN Top 100 Series with a scale of 1: 100,000, showing virtually everywhere you can ride. Each map is marked up by us personally and individually to show your route.
Bicycle Assistance
Of course, it's rare that you should encounter any problems with your bicycle whilst out exploring the backroads of France, but for peace of mind it's good to be prepared. We provide you with a puncture repair kit so that you can perform any basic roadside maintenance yourself, enabling you to continue en route with as little delay as possible. In the very unlikely scenario that you have irretrievably broken down, a quick phone call is all it takes, and our local rep or bike supplier will come out to you with a replacement bicycle to enable you to continue on your way with as little delay as possible.
Wine Transfer Service
A good number of our holidays are based in ‘wine country’ and on many routes you will find yourself not only admiring the wonderful views of rolling vine-clad slopes but also peering inquisitively at the vigneron establishments along the way. Some are illustrious names lifted, as it were, from the pages of a rather interesting wine list. Many more are small-scale artisanal wine producers, often many generations old and representing an important part of their community. Why not stop awhile and indulge in a little tasting, or dégustation as the ubiquitous signs say? There is usually no need to book, you simply wander in. You may have to make your presence known, but you should soon find yourself in the ‘cave’. This is generally a workplace rather than a laboratory or clinical tasting room and usually has an evocative winey aroma and is littered with intriguing tools, labelling machines seemingly straight from the set of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, ancient barrels and of course racks of bottles stretching into the depths of the building. Try a few wines, as they are offered. Ask about the history of the establishment. They are usually quite convivial! Of course the vigneron will be hoping you will buy something but there should be no pressure.
In your Travel Pack you will have found some labels, designed to make life easier in such a situation. If you buy wine on our holidays in the Loire or Burgundy, simply fill in the label with your name/hotel, affix it to the case and we will arrange collection for you and deliver back to your hotel. A door to door service.
