Fandango

Gourmet Burgundy Cruise

Passengers: 4 - 6
Size: 100 feet long
Last Visited: 2007
Rating: Deluxe, A/C, Families

2010 rates

Whole Boat Charter of 4: $21,700
Whole Boat Charter of 5: $27,000
Whole Boat Charter of 6: $29,000

The cruise price does not include the cost of transfers to and from the pickup point in Dijon. We would be happy to arrange and ticket rail transfers from Paris or from elsewhere in France.

2010 dates

June 6 - 12	July 4 - 10	August 15 - 21	October 10 - 16
June 13 - 19	July 11 - 17	August 22 - 28	October 17 - 23
June 20 - 26	July 18 - 24	August 29 - Sept 4	October 24 - 30
June 27 - July 3	July 25 - 31	September 19 - 25
May 2 - 8	August 1 - 7	Sept 26 - October 2
May 9 - 15	August 8 - 14	October 3 - 9

FANDANGO will spend summer and fall in Burgundy in 2010. Owner Hazel Young - chef and shopper extraordinaire - has planned a special Gourmet Burgundy Cruise. Three meals - each different - each delightful - will be taken on-shore. Picnic in a vineyard . . . meet the locals at a canal-side auberge. . . experience an elegant Michelin-starred restaurant! Back on board you'll pick up recipes and techniques from your chef cooking in an open kitchen and accompany her to market to pick out cheese, wine and fresh local specialties of all kinds! Fandango in Burgundy is a sumptuous and delicious experience for your lucky private party!

Fandango has an intriguing history. Purpose-built in the 1990's as a floating showcase for L' Occitane cosmetics, it cruised the length and breadth of France until purchased by Hazel.

In 2004, the two forward cabins were gutted, rebuilt and decorated in the "calm" palate of beige and white - accented by local linens and Provencial-style accent pieces. The third cabin, which is best occupied by a single traveler, is a haven of French country ambiance and red/white Toile de Jouy wallpaper. Bathrooms feature gorgeous local tiling and are unique in the industry.

Hazel serves as many meals as possible on the tiled sundeck - when guests are not lazing in the hot-tub that is. French country cuisine is the star on Fandango - and Hazel loves to call guests to her open kitchen and demonstrate a cooking technique or share a recipe. Excursions include visits to special villages, wine-tasting and the historic cities of Dijon and Beaune. Three meals off FANDANGO add to the experience of Burgundy - as well as Hazel's creative forays to colorful markets and shops.

Fandango

Burgundy Barge Cruise Itinerary

Hazel Young says, “To celebrate Fandango’s return to France’s foremost wine and gastronomique region, I will treat my guests to three onshore gourmet experiences: an informal lunch at a canalside bistrot, a picnic of regional specialties set out while winetasting on the Route de Grand Crus, and the Michelin-star cuisine at the atmospheric L’Abbaye de la Bussiere.”

Gourmet Burgundy Canal Cruise:
Dijon to Ecommes
Sunday: Board in Dijon
Champagne Welcome
Your tour guide will meet you at 4:00pm in Dijon: Either at the train station, rental car office or local hotel. You’ll be escorted to Fandango at anchor in Dijon. A Champagne welcome provides the perfect moment to meet the crew and preview the week ahead. Your evening dinner will be the start of your gourmet journey.

Monday: Dijon to Fleurey-sur-Ouche
Winetasting at a Medieval Chateau
Your morning cruise departs Dijon and introduces you to the peaceful green pastoral setting of the Ouche River Valley. The famous cream colored Charolais cows graze in their pastures, wildflowers abound and a wonderful feeling of relaxation takes over. After lunch on board, you may want to cycle on the towpath to work up a thirst for the evening winetasting at the medieval chateau of Clos de Vougeot, pictured at left.




Tuesday: Fleurey-sur-Ouche to Gissey-sur-Ouche
Go Shopping with Our Chef!
This morning visit the colorful ‘les halles’ covered market of Dijon. The chef will take you on the rounds of the market stalls, selecting cheeses and fresh produce, making sure all the specialties you want to try go into the baskets! Then tour historic Dijon, not forgetting to shop at the famous Grey Poupon mustard shop, pictured at right, local fashion boutiques and tiny antique shops.

Wednesday: Gissey-sur-Ouche to Pont d'Ouche
Lunch at an Elegantly Restored Abbeye
You will enjoy the diversity of each lock keeper’s handiwork this morning as we cruise a staircase of locks bordered by well-tended flower beds and vegetable gardens. Walk, bicycle or just read on deck, letting the scenery glide by. Today we’ll take you to the exquisitely restored L'Abbaye de la Bussiere for a Michelin-star lunch. The tranquility of your afternoon cruise to Pont d’Ouche will complete the experience to ‘savorer le moment’

Thursday: Pont d'Ouche to Fairy Rock Lock
Picnic in the Vineyards
How about an exciting day out to taste wine and tour along the Route des Grands Crus? To accompany the wine, there is a picnic lunch of regional specialties - jambon persille, saucisson with sun dried tomatoes, pates with cornichons, plus a ‘plateau de fromage extraordinaire’. Then tour the famed Hospice de Beaune and return to Fandango for dinner on board.

Friday: Fairy Rock Lock to Escommes
Ancient Castle Perched High on a Hill
You will admire the hilltop castle of Chateauneuf-en-Auxois while floating to Vandenesse, pictured at left. Our tour will bring to life this historic Chateau. Antique shops and breathtaking views await you! Walking the cobblestoned streets will work up an appetite for your typical Burgundy ‘plat du jour’ lunch at the bistrot. Then cruise up the last flight of locks to the Escommes lake. An evening drive to the exquisite village of Flavigny, where the film “Chocolat” was made and then a nostalgic final dinner ends your cruise in style.

Saturday: Return to Dijon
A Sad Farewell
After breakfast the tour guide will transfer you back to Dijon. You can schedule a departure train or rental car pickup after 10:00am.

Please note: This is a sample itinerary which may be subject to change depending on local conditions. The route will run in reverse on alternate weeks. Contact The Barge Lady for reservations and more information about Cruises on the hotel-barge Fandango and barging the Canal de Bourgogne in Burgundy. Or call us toll free at (800) 880-0071.

Fandango

Guest Book

Read these wonderful comments left by 2009 passengers!

"France is a great country but if you do not take a barge experience you will never know the real country.  We have spent a wonderful week on Fandango. It became our home thanks to warm hospitality of our crew.  The cooking of Hazel is something outstanding.  All Michelin restaurants are out.  This week was really a gastronomic fairytale.  Every dinner, every evening was a masterpiece.  We thank you very much and hope to come back again."

"Croissants, crispy baguettes, cheeses - creamy and rich, wines we have never tasted before...Sage colored olives, sweet figs and melon.  We can't choose our best meal!  Everything more wonderful each day.  Tender mussels in white wine sauce, lamb with fragrant spices, a chicken baked in rock salt...Salads with fresh tomatoes, soft boiled eggs with golden yolk.  Tiny mushrooms, Lemon tart, WE CAN'T LEAVE!"

"I can't imagine a more perfect series of moments - bike riding at dusk, watching the trees pass by sitting in the jacuzzi, an amazing lunch at Abbaye de la Bussiere - all made possible by the untiring efforts of Thea, Jean Luc and Hazel!  Wonderful!  Hope to see you again."

"We are back again on the Fandango but this time on the Canal de Bourgogne.  It is certainly lovely and a change from the Canal du Midi.  We had a wonderful meal at the Abbaye de la Bussiere - a real dining experience - but nothing can beat the cooking of Hazel.  We enjoyed Dijon and the trip to Beaune, and seeing Jean Luc and Clarie again.  Many many thanks Hazel and everyone for looking after us so well.  Looking forward to the next time."

Fandango Floor Plan

100 Feet long
-2 cabins at 128 square feet with two twin beds or one king bed
-1 single occupancy cabin at 50 sq feet
-Gorgeous tiled baths and unique tiled deck
-Hot tub on deck
-Dining area with open kitchen
-Salon re-decorated for the 2010 season