Based in Beaune, France, Butterfield & Robinson offers biking tours to the famed wine regions of both Burgundy and Bordeaux. Here David Robinson gives his pick—Burgundy. We have been on a Butterfield & Robinson bike adventure through Burgundy and can tell you that the trip was blue chip all the way. B&R believes in booking the best hotels, restaurants and guides. And unlike some competitors who rent inferior local bikes, B&R owns its own fleet of high quality bikes.
Our multi-lingual young guides were well informed, helpful and just plain fun to be with, as were our fellow travelers who came from all over the U.S. and South America. Enough good cannot be said about the luxury lodging in small, off-the-beaten path locations, many of which were Relais & Chateaux properties. Restaurants ranged from Michelin stars to Mom & Pop undiscovered gems.
And then, of course, there’s the wine. Our private wine tastings were professional and informative, and then some. Burgundy’s tiny stone wine villages are as beautiful as you might expect, and we peddled through the key villages from Dijon south to Puligny Montrachect.
We had basically not been on bicycles since our early Key West days. Had it not been for our decades of experience riding Harleys, the downhill runs would have presented a serious issue. As for uphills? Challenging to say the least. Some we were able to handle with minimal embarrassment; others we threw in the towel by dropping our bikes in the van and walking the steepest inclines.
Our group split into two, the pros and then the likes of us. Thank goodness we at least had the common sense to pack padded biking shorts (an absolute must) and biking shoes. At the end of the day, there are not sufficient words to describe the wonderful experience we had with Butterfield & Robinson.
Happy New Year. B&R’s slogan is slow down and see the world. If you are able to head out on a B&R biking/wine tour in the New Year, you are in for a treat. And finally, it might not hurt to get in some serious biking experience in advance! Enjoy.
Warm regards,
Dick and Debbie
