★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Notes during the pandemic

We have been traveling with Bill and Jan for about 30 trips. Each one is an adventure of a lifetime which is holding us over during the pandemic. True to form Bill has been absolutely on top of all the changes needed and in fact negotiated a lot of extras with the cruise companies for our substitute trips. Way to go Bill!

– Gail Morse and Alvin Golub

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Santana Adventures creates great…

Santana Adventures creates great experiences for both tandem and single bicycle riders . . . and even makes certain that non-riding participants are taken care of. I highly recommend them!

– John

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Couldn’t be happier with our tour experience

My wife and I participated in Santana’s French Polynesia tour. We would both agree that every aspect of the trip exceeded our expectations, from the route planning and support, quality of the on-board dining, extra activities besides cycling, travel logistics and communication. Additionally, one of the most satisfying aspects of the trip was the opportunity to become acquainted with so many wonderful people also participating in the tour. Though my wife suffered an injury to her foot during one of the daily rides that sidelined her from further riding during trip, she nevertheless felt well looked after and enjoyed the other aspects of the trip, especially since the ship was well suited for on-board activities and relaxing. We both look forward to future trips with Santana.

– Mark

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

My wife and I have been traveling with…

My wife and I have been traveling with Bill and Jan, with Matt’s behind the scenes guidance for 20 + years. Over 8 trips all over the world with 3 more booked in the next 2 years. Santana is the best by far. We have used the two other biking adventure companies ( the B’s ) and they are fine, just not at the high level of Santana. The no changing hotels, the energy of Santana’s customers, the itineraries available, the quality of the ships and the GPS route control makes for a great trip regardless of age or athletic ability. Try them, you will love it and never be disappointed.

– Roger & Katherine Hinds

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

One of my best vacations ever!!

– Stephen M Gollomp MD

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Great Cycling Vacation

For some years my husband and I had been looking for a perfect cycling vacation that would allow us to enjoy the sites and culture. With this in mind, we signed up for the cruise from Berlin to Prague with Santana Adventures. The experience was one that I like to call a trip of a lifetime, from the pre-tour accommodations in Berlin, the service aboard the ship, the routes, the food, the care they took with our tandems on and off the boat to the post-tour in Prague. It was all first class. Being able to cycle every day and not having to change accommodations was such a treat! We loved it so much we have signed up for three more cruises. We are definitely looking forward to those trips in the post COVID future. Along those lines, they have been great keeping us up to date with the changes and doing the best of a very complicated situation. A BIG thanks to Matt Harris and Bill for all the help with navigating schedules and for answering my never-ending string of questions.

– Susana Kemmerrer

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

It was the best cruise we have ever…

It was the best cruise we have ever done and both my wife and I could bike at different pace and distance as well as ride together on various days. Food was great, as was the company with strangers that we all had some much in common with. Would definitely do this one again and am interested in other bike cruise tours Santana Adventures has.

– Chris Wasden

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Wow.

Wow. Great cycling vacations. We did the Tahiti trip and besides fun cycling every day the race at the end was super fun.

– Stanton

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Santana goes the extra miles for its guests!

Santana Adventures provides an exceptional experience for its guests. The cruise accommodations, food, service and atmosphere are in our experience always excellent. The planning for ride routes and guest experiences are always top notch!! Bill and Jan and their team ensure everyone has what they need, have a wonderful trip, fun adventures, great riding and immerse themselves in the regions culture and history. Love these trips!!

– Megan Darling

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Outstanding in every aspect

Outstanding in every aspect. Have signed up for 3 more tours after the amazing 2019 Tahiti cruise/bicycle tour. Highly recommended. Excellent food, accommodations, attention to all details, knowledge of local history and culture, and so many interesting new friends. Traveling with Jan, Bill and their staff is an amazing adventure.

– Phyllis Suchard

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Excellent cycling vacations

– Janice

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

We have been on one Santana trip

We have been on one Santana trip – to France. But, already signed up for two more (do I need to say anything else?). It was a lot of fun with interesting rides, good food, and great companions. Each day was truly an adventure,

– Gigi

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The trip was AWESOME!!

– John

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Our recent trip from Paris to Amsterdam…surpassed our expectations!

Our recent trip from Paris to Amsterdam was our fist Santana Adventure. It surpassed all of expectations from the actual bike touring to lodging and food. We had an excellent time and have already signed up for our second trip. We also met awesome people on the trip and had a lot fun each day touring and sharing the day with them.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Awesome adventures!

Awesome adventures. Great cycling routes, fantastic food and wonderful accommodations. Bill and Jan are great at planning alternate activities if the weather doesn’t cooperate for cycling. There are always choices of cycling distances for the day or non-cycling tours.

– Rick & Linda

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

New sights and cycling friends

New sights and cycling friends, seeing world class historical attractions all while sleeping in the same comfortable bed every night. A great experience that we are looking forward to repeating with Santana next year.

– Dan & Pam Otten

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Great trip, super staff.

Great staff, good food and good routes to ride. The Santana cruise made it easy to take a trip to a beautiful part of the world that we probably would not otherwise had traveled to. We will take another Santana cruise, Lord willing.

– Sam & Ellen

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Unforgettable vacations

The three Santana tours we have participated have been vacations we will never forget. Yes at times there are hiccups but Bill and Jan always try to make it work.

– Elisabeth

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Tahiti 2018

Our latest trip was wonderful! The accommodations on the ship were great, the food was superb, and the Windstar staff was excellent in every way. Riding around each island was a great way to see Tahiti!

– Scott & Beth

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Best cycling vacations ever!

Best cycling vacations ever. Great locations to bike, no packing and unpacking as your “hotel” (boat) follows you, anyways something unusual and special to see or do, and leaders who can fix any problem so you can just enjoy your vacation!

– Bob

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

British Isles

Bill & Jan bend over backwards to help make great biking trips.

– Dan Pendleton

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Ever been on a cycling cruise

Ever been on a river cruise? How about a cycling tour? Both sound great, but what if you combined the best of both and created a Cycling Cruise! That is what Santana Adventures does and this was our first Santana Adventure (Prague to Budapest). Instead of small groups with van support moving from hotel to hotel. Santana charters the whole ship and fills it with eager cyclists. Santana controls the ship’s itinerary so the ship moves to maximize the excellent cycling. Multiple GPS routes are available for morning and afternoon rides. The ship re-positions for lunch, then select an afternoon route and meet the boat further downstream, or just stay on board for a relaxing afternoon. With over 150 cyclists on board, there were lots of folks on all the routes! Emergency van support was available (we didn’t need it), and we had lots of company on the rides.

The best part, our fantastic stateroom moved along with us, so no daily packing and unpacking. On this cruise, daily laundry service was complimentary for our cycling clothes!

We’d give 6 stars if that was available!

– Steve Atkins

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Great Cycling Vacation

For some years my husband and I had been looking for a perfect cycling vacation that would allow us to enjoy the sites and culture. With this in mind, we signed up for the cruise from Berlin to Prague with Santana Adventures. The experience was one that I like to call a trip of a lifetime, from the pre-tour accommodations in Berlin, the service aboard the ship, the routes, the food, the care they took with our tandems on and off the boat to the post-tour in Prague. It was all first class. Being able to cycle every day and not having to change accommodations was such a treat! We loved it so much we have signed up for three more cruises. We are definitely looking forward to those trips in the post COVID future. Along those lines, they have been great keeping us up to date with the changes and doing the best of a very complicated situation. A BIG thanks to Matt Harris and Bill for all the help with navigating schedules and for answering my never-ending string of questions.

– Susana Kemmerrer

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Absolutely Wonderful

Absolutely wonderful! Wish we had signed up decades ago!

– L & D

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Trip of a Lifetime

In 2018 my husband and I traveled to French Polynesia with Santana Adventures. Although we had been on other bike tours, it was the first time with them.

One element that makes Santana stand out is their use of small, chartered cruise ships. Instead of going to different hotels each night, you can unpack and settle-in your private space for the trip. No van rides needed!

I love water and cruising, and this particular trip was on a Windstar ship (Windspirit) with real sails. Each evening as the ship departed into the glorious sunset the sails were unfurled as music played. And each time I felt emotional at how fortunate we were experiencing such beauty.

The rides were on a different island each day! What a way to see French Polynesia, a magical place! Bikes were taken ashore each day, we would ride, maybe stop for a swim, to see a pearl farm or musical event, and return to the ship for lunch. Some would go back out for more riding or another excursion. Others, like me, would enjoy the option of swimming off the ship. They had floats and stand up paddle boards to enjoy the warm, pristine ocean.

Being a first time participant I was amazed by the repeat travelers. In fact they were majority, some having been being on a dozen or more trips all over the world with them. Primarily tandem riders, but maybe about a dozen of us were single riders.

We are booked for two more trips and look forward to seeing more of the world from my bike and the deck of a ship!

– Kim Klaffky

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Always a fun adventure

We just finished our 10th Santana Adventures cycling trip and are looking forward to the additional two that we have scheduled. What a great job they did in such a challenging time to navigate a trip like this with many moving parts such as weather, COVID changes and routes. We love the camaraderie among the guests and the fact that we didn’t have to worry at all about logistics with scheduling. A ship as our hotel is an added advantage to these trips so that you can board and unpack for the duration of the trip. The pretour was also very easy and fun to attend. One suggestion would be to know the next days routes and options the night before, instead of the morning of, so we have more thoughtful time to put into the preparation for the day. We had some weather challenges with forecasts of high winds and rain, which Bill and the Captain did a great job minimizing it’s impact by modifying our destinations. We were able to ride every day with only one day of light rain. See you on the next adventure!

– N & S

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Even with unpredictable events…

Even with the unpredictable events caused by COVID and high water this was one the most enjoyable vacations I have taken. Great Santana staff, great people to cruise and bike with, the most enjoyable biking I have done. Beautiful and challenging routes. Very happy with my rental bike. Thank you.

– Steven Eby

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Danube River Ride

Our latest trip was wonderful! The accommodations on the ship were great, the food was superb, and the Windstar staff was excellent in every way. Riding around each island was a great way to see Tahiti!

– Scott & Beth

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Wonderful trip under difficult Covid…

Wonderful trip under difficult Covid circumstances. The ship was spotless. Rides were well planned and the go’s worked well. Side trips were interesting and fun. The show with the medieval knights was terrific. We loved Bratislava and Prague.

– David Hoover

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

This is our best trip yet…

This is our best trip yet, Santana adventures adds a certain sense of panache that really makes an exceptional trip exquisite!

– Mark Ray

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Santana Adventures…

Matt Harris with Santana Adventures made our day!!! We were able to switch Norway Trips from 2 to 1. It helped us out and another couple who were wanting to do the same 1 to 2. Santana was very understanding and accommodating. We can’t wait for our Norway and Sweden adventure this coming June and July. Outstanding service!

– Todd Erickson

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Danube River Ride

Our first Santana trip was a wonderful experience. The boat support as we rode along the Danube was just the right amount of elegance. The Santana staff and the ship’s crew were always attentive and helpful. Guided excursions in Prague, Vienna and Budapest completed the package perfectly.

– John Barringer

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Great Trip. Highly recommend it.

This was our second trip with Santana Adventures and it was fantastic. Bill and Jan really know what they are doing. Our bikes were ready to go every morning early.
Their mechanic Leland made sure everything was in working order. We are so happy we are signed up for two more trips next year. Thank you Santana staff and specially Bill and Jan.

– Ned Paniagua

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

This was our first ever cruise/bike

This was our first ever cruise/bike adventure. We joined at the eleventh hour, thanks to a last-minute cancellation and thanks to the encouragement of Lauren Lasky (pma.bike).
We did not know what to expect, having done only land bike trips in the past.
The cruise/bike combination was most enjoyable. The cuisine on board the Star Breeze was of the highest quality. The organization (logistics for 123 bikers every day is not an easy matter) was impeccable.
We came away so energized by this experience that we promptly signed up for a cruise in Japan in 2023 using the same boat (Star Breeze). We look forward to seeing a few familiar faces on our next Santana Cruise

– Kinan

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Great Trip

Great trip! Loved it all, except for mask & Covid testing! Food great! Rides great! Always love learning about the places we go to!

– Jayna Eager

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

We enjoyed the trip

We enjoyed the trip. The ship was excellent and the staff were very helpful. The routes for cycling were easy and the sights were wonderful. I just wish we enjoyed snorkeling or scuba diving. This trip would have been perfect for that.

– Janet Bain

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Tahiti 2021

We had a magical time in Tahiti this past November. The rides were fantastic, the ship was wonderful, the staff was terrific and all of team Santana did a wonderful job.

– Pamela

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Our recent Santana Cycling Adventure…

Our recent Santana Cycling Adventure throughout French Polynesia couldn’t have been more enjoyable. With 7 stunning Tahitian islands as a backdrop for this Island Paradise Adventure we have nothing but praise for the entire Santana Team.

The accommodations were Fantabulous, the ships staff were incredible and catered to our every need.
I’d highly recommend this enlightening journey to everyone, I still can’t believe how gorgeous the Tahitian Lifestyle really is. We had high expectations for this adventure, Bill & Jan certainly delivered.

– Robert & Karla

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The trip was well organized

The trip was well planned, organized, and executed. Trip leaders were able to respond quickly to changing conditions and had a deep knowledge of the areas and routes for bike riding.

– David Antonucci

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Santana is the best way to travel on a bike

Our recent Santana trip to Tahiti was amazing. It was our second time on a Santana trip and it exceeded our expectations which were already quite high from our first trip to Corsica and Tuscany. Santana’s philosophy of the boat relocating at night so you don’t have unpack half a dozen times is the starting point of a great trip. The next great thing is the trip is logistically well thought out with lots of options for when you want to ride hard or not or if your partner wants to push or just relax. The boats are always luxurious, yet because of the size, still intimate. You can be a couple or single; it’s an inclusive crowd. Finally you can be in the greatest place on earth and outside on a bike, but if you are with nasty people it’s not worth it. Santana attracts a really interesting customer both in age (trends towards recently retired) and careers. My wife and I, both still working, love the people who go on Santana trips. There is no one type of person. Everyone had a great story…. careers public and private as well as working and retired united by their desire to visit great places on a humble bicycle. We’re already planning when to make our next trip!

– Freddy

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Epic Trip in Paradise

Tahiti 2021 was our first Santana Adventures cycling cruise, and we can’t wait to book our next Santana trip! Bill, Jan, and the entire Santana Adventures team made our experience seamless, fun, and informative. Each of the six Society Islands we cycled was beautiful and unique, with stops each day to learn about the culture and history, be entertained by Polynesian dancers and singers, and sample the delicious fresh food. The Windstar Sea Breeze is the perfect small ship for cycling trips. The rooms were new and spacious, the staff was super attentive, and the food was delicious. Well done, Santana Adventures! We’ll be back!

– Jenny Smith & Tony Rodriguez

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Excellent Vacation Experience

The entire Sanatana team provided a superior vacation experience. The itinerary, routes, and logistical details were all well thought out and executed. This was a very enjoyable vacation experience.

– Jim Williams

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Great First Trip

Great first trip. Love the detail and options. Will plan another with you.

– Craig W

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

It was a good mix of exercise and…

It was a good mix of exercise and travel experiences.The rest stops were well planned to give you a feel of the islands as well as the history of the Tahitians.

– Steven E

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

This was such a great trip its hard to say enough about

This was such a great trip its hard to describe. The folks at Santana, the boat and the rides itself were amazing. Hard to describe in one short comment -but looking to sign up for our next trip! Thank you for the trip of a lifetime – and looking forward to many more!!

– Sue

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Santana Adventure trips are always well…planned and fun

Santana Adventure trips are always well planned. Even when plans have to change because of weather, or port issues they are always able to reschedule and a good time and great experiences are still achieved.
We love the staff they are all so friendly and helpful.

– John

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

We joined Santana on their 2022 Baltic Sea…

We joined Santana on their 2022 Baltic Sea adventure.
This was our second cruise with them, as we did their Sicily trip back in 2018. Santana got it right in teaming up with Windstar. The cruise ship was a great size(312 passengers), and the ship had been thru a complete renovation, so everything was fresh and nicely done. Also, the food onboard was great.
We really enjoy Santana and how they organize their rides. There is not a lot of structure, and there are a lot of options, depending on how much or little you want to ride that day. Also, chartering the entire ship has great advantages, as they are able to adjust the itinerary on the fly, because of weather or other issues that might pop up. They also picked a great company to use for bike rentals, and we rented carbon bikes with electronic shifting. Bill’s meetings to discuss the next ride are informative, and not only does he discuss the three options for the rides, but has information on local sites to see and things to do, including for those that may not ride that day. My only complaint on this past cruise was that I think they tried to cover too many ports in a limited time. Consequently, there were a few times when we had to be back to the ship by 2pm, which is a little earlier than we would have liked. But, other than that, we’ve been really pleased, and I’m sure we’ll do another cruise with Santana in the future.

– Johnny Meriggi

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

We thoroughly enjoyed our Santana Experience

We thoroughly enjoyed our Santana Experience, it was an incredible tour that we share with friends and fellow cyclist anytime we can. Our first Santana Adventure began in Papeete, Tahiti which commenced with several days floating in the pool at the Intercontinental Hotel Pool decompressing after our prolonged flight, which I highly recommend. As far as the Santana Experience while cycling throughout the eight islands, I would not change a thing. The Santana team was extremely helpful in their planning & coordination of our daily routes & destinations on each respective islands throughout out tour. In addition the MS Star Breeze ships staff couldn’t have been more gracious & charming. We truly enjoyed our morning breakfast on the aft veranda where the staff greeted by name every morning.
In regards to our recent tour from Memphis to New Orleans, it too was an incredible experience, The Peabody Hotel was a pleasant addition, igniting our travel juices for our pending adventure. The Santana Team & American Countess staff was Fantabulous.
Our journey commenced with a tour of the Sun Record Studio as well as lunch with Elvis at his Graceland Home. The journey continued throughout our route further educating us on the rich history the South has to offer. We couldn’t have been more happy subsequently we have booked two more Santana Adventure trips in 2023.

– Robert & Karla

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Where do you want to explore?

We’ve been on I think 11 cruises with Santana and the three things that keep us coming back are the people, the cycling in astonishing new places and the general ease with the entire process. The Ponant ship that the Norwegian cruise had was astonishing– (with all the others we’ve been on being excellent). Tandem cyclists (maybe even more than usual adult cyclists) have a tendency to embrace lots of aspects of life which flows into the meals and side conversations. Take the plunge—.

– Lori Wroble Alexander

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Baltic Sea 2022

The Baltic Sea 2022 cycling cruise was our first Santana Adventures trip and our first cycling cruise/travel adventure. Now all the others will have to meet the standard. The accommodations were outstanding, the organizational aspects (and mid-course adjustments) were executed brilliantly, and no need we could imagine was not or would not have been met. It was beautiful, fun, and friendly.

– Karl

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Bill, Jan, and all the people who are associated with their business are wonderful.

Bill, Jan, and all the people who are associated with their business are wonderful. They are happy, helpful, courteous and respectful. I feel that they all work very hard to make the cruise a lifetime experience for the participants. I am definitely looking forward to our next cruise with Bill, Jan, and the crew!

– Jane Steinke

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Our two trips this year were amazing.

Our two trips this year were amazing. Holland , Netherlands and later Norway. The sites are lovely, the rides were breathtaking ; truly Norway is the most beautiful place to ride.
The Ships were fantastic . Bill and Jan and the entire team went out of their way to make sure everything ran smooth and it did!

– Heather Kuzmier

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Greatest trip, ship and bike routes ever!

Greatest trip, ship and bike routes ever! Loved every minute. We were fortunate to have good weather!

– MG

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Norway Cruise

We loved the beauty of Norway and the small, luxurious Ponant ship Santana utilized. The food and service were excellent. The cycling routes were beautiful and well planned.

– Richard Matthews

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Well organized and efficient

Well organized and efficient- the trip went off as advertised

– Ron Niehaus

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

We had a wonderful trip in Norway!

We had a wonderful trip in Norway! The cycling was spectacular on scenic and well-maintained roads. We enjoy the stops along the way that provide a bit of the history of the area and a look at the life of locals. The ship was exquisite!

– Lynne