Canal & river vacations

From luxury converted barges to modern style cruisers, choose the perfect boat to explore selected destinations on the inland waterways.

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Luxury barge cruises

Selected barge cruises

Halfboard cruises

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Self-drive rentals

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Hotel barges

Top rated and selected barges, reviewed, tested and rated. We offer a large choice of converted barges and routes on the inland waterways.

Luxury style

Private charters, couples or groups

Halfboard

Perfect for discovering

Home & Away

The boat, the crew and you

Self-drive Rentals

Skipper your boat! A perfect vacation for families and friends, we have boats for couples and up to 12 people! Choose your boat and destination now.

Fleets

The best boat rental companies

Destinations

Canals, rivers and lakes

Expert advice

Find your boat holiday

Welcome to Hotels Afloat

Cruise with EmmaHi, I’m Emma James-Aldridge, and my company is dedicated to organising hotel barge and self-drive boat cruises in France, the rest of Europe and Canada, for clients from across the globe.
If you're a family, group of friends, couples or individuals, I have the perfect cruise for you.

We provide expert and detailed advice, we spare no effort in making and managing your booking to ensure the success of your boating holiday cruise.

With 97% of our clients saying they would book with us again, and many returning each year, you can be confident that you're in safe and expert hands.
Hotels Afloat looks forward to welcoming you aboard!

 

Our clients have awarded us (4.5) stars

The perfect present at any time of year
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Top cruise destinations

Discover the best cruise routes

See all destinations

Loire Valley

France

Friesland

Holland

Shannon

Ireland

Canal du Midi

France

Charente

France

Check out the best deals

A selection of hotel barge cruises

View all the barge cruises
Elisabeth

Elisabeth

6 guests

France

Burgundy Canal

Saraphina

Saraphina

4 guests

France

Canal du Midi

Grand Victoria

Grand Victoria

6 guests

France

River Saône

Last dates!
Luciole

Luciole

12 guests

France

Nivernais & River Yonne

Alegria

Alegria

4 guests

France

Canal du Midi

Adagio

Adagio

8 guests

France

Loire Valley

Last 6 dates!
Magnolia

Magnolia

6 guests

France

Burgundy Canal

Check out the cruise deals

Self-drive boat rentals

View all the Self-drive boat choices
N900 DP
Nicols

N900 DP

7 guests

Nicols

Continentale
Le Boat

Continentale

6 guests

Le Boat

Linssen Grand Sturdy 34.9
Locaboat

Linssen Grand Sturdy 34.9

6 guests

Locaboat

Euro Classic 129
France Afloat

Euro Classic 129

4 guests

France Afloat

Horizon 2S
Le Boat

Horizon 2S

5 guests

Le Boat

Classique
Le Boat

Classique

8 guests

Le Boat

P1106 FB
Locaboat

P1106 FB

7 guests

Locaboat

Crusader
Le Boat

Crusader

6 guests

Le Boat

Ready for your next cruise?

Ready for your next cruise?

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Testimonials

Guests have said...

We rate the barge 8/10: Liked the convenient layout - attention of crew - excellent food
We appreciated the interesting features on the canal,...

Mary Uglow; April 2017

Here goes
We LIKED
the superb weather we had
the beautiful countryside
the peace & tranquility slow boat travel brings
the overall layout of the boat
the...

C Priester. Nivernais Canal

This cruise was way beyond our wildest expectations. On the Savoir Vivre, the food, the wine, the excursions, the scenery, the relaxing cruising,...

Ri Regina, USA October 2016

The chef was fantastic, and the food was great. Loved the intimacy of travelling with a smaller group which is invaluable for pax travelling...

Joy Bangsund. August 2012

The barge was better than expected: Great bathroom facilities, despite compact size. Very nice public space for meals.
I rate the boat a 10
The...

John Griffin, USA; October 2016

The layout was very practical and well appointed with everything needed for a week aboard supplied and in very good condition. We were also given a...

Graham Jensen. Midi canal

We appreciated the size of the saloon which allowed both crews to sup together in the evenings... - a total of 10 from the two boats.
Also the...

Michael Shellard. Nivernais Canal

Hi Emma

We had a great trip. The arrival, boat familiarisation and boat hand-back service at the yard were excellent. The boat was fine. We went...

Chris Ecob. Nivernais Canal