Butterfield & Robinson butterfield.com

"After having taken a lot of Backroads trips, I thought B&R was going to be a more expensive version of the same thing.  It's not.  The level of accommodations, food/wine and service cannot be compared with any other company.  If you want the best, this is the only company to travel with." - Richard S., Wynnewood, PA 

"B&R is a very good company, at the high end of the scale. Appreciably more expensive than some but they stay in the top places available in the area - often converted castles or chateaux. In our experience os several trips with them, they use excellent bikes, good guides (often 2 for 22 participants), gourmet food, good choice of roads, good maps. Tend to be less strenuous than some outfits - shorter distances per day and fewer/shorter hills for the same level of trip." - Don Hyndman, Missoula, MT

"I've taken several trips with Butterfield & Robinson and wouldn't consider any other group. The service (before and during the trip) is fantastic. I would (and do!) recommend them. We have made many long-lasting friendships with the people we met from our tours."  - Sharon S. San Jose, CA

"What's not to like? The hotels were fantastic, the food was top-rate and the guides took care of us every step of the way. Be sure to partake of the gourmet goodies in the van! " - D Kinney, Los Angeles, CA 

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"B&R may be the most money, and I guess that is primarily due to the hotels, but it is the thorough trip planning and the type of people that makes the difference ... One day it started to rain hard at the end of the ride. It was too close to bother getting in the van. When we arrived at the Chateau hotel, we were escorted to our room by the guide and found a tub filled with hot water and surrounded with candles. It was an incredible moment and that had nothing to do with the price of the trip. Their service is top-notch." - Kirsten T, London, ON

"Bad choice for us. The guides were perfectly nice but really didn't know anything beyond the basics. They couldn't cope with anyone beyond their usual client type, which I guess we weren't. They had no concept of what we were  riding through. Was it a hardwood forest? Dunno. What kind of flowers are these? Dunno. When we got very, very lost, guides told us it was our fault for not following their directions. Food was nice." - Pat Albion, Seattle, WA 

"While B&R gets 5 stars for places you stay etc.  They get 4 stars for the quality of the bikes and the fact that they have really gone over the top on pricing.  We have never minded paying a premium for quality, but we recently came back from a trip in the Czech Republic with Trek Travel, and the B&R group stayed in the same hotel we did for the first two nights.  ... they charged $2,000 more per person than Trek did.  They did stay one extra night, but we are trying to figure out what makes what seemed a very similar trip as ours worth $4,000 more (for a couple).  Heavy hybrids, when we had Trek 5.2 madone carbon bikes. I have done 4 B&R trips, but am switching to Trek Travel."  - Susan B., San Francisco , CA

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