Customer reviews and feedback
The feedback and reviews we receive from our customers are very important to us – they help us to continually improve and deliver the very best holiday experience.
What our customers say about our service:
LeBoat: most professional and uncomplicated house-boat rental
We are cruising canals and rivers in France, Italy and Ireland now since more than 15 years and we always come back to LeBoat due to their perfectly organized houseboat-rental-system, boat-reservation, perfectly organized and friendly boat-base staff and their advanced and comfortable fleet of house-boats. 10 years ago we tried two other house-boat rental companies but no one can compete with LeBoat. Especially the newest boat, the LIBERTY-series, provides the maximum comfort for a hassle-free autonomous (water-storage capacity, electricity independance with 220V generator, fully effective air-condition even at outside temperatures of 40°C) navigating experience on canals and rivers.
The boat-base in MESSAC/France is perfectly organized with an extremely friendly and efficient staff.
Thank You, LeBoat, for another wonderful cruising holiday.
Initial booking process was very simple…
Initial booking process was very simple with lots of assistance to find the right package. The whole team at The Jarnac base were incredibly welcoming and helpful. The boat was extremely clean. The cruising on the Charente was lovely
Wonderful holiday
Great boat, great information, great area, AWESOME holiday!!!
We had a wonderful holiday on a clean
We had a wonderful holiday on a clean, reliable and comfortable boat.
The whole experience with Emerald Star was Amazing…
The whole experience with Emerald Star was wonderful. A special mention to Frederique,our host who did an outstanding job of meet and greeting us. She went over and above with information of where to go, what to see, where to eat. Along with all the relevant boat information and where to shop. What an outstanding asset she is to Emerald Star team and because of her, we will consider booking with Emerald Star again. Alongside David, our instructor who was really helpful in his instructions in operating the boat. Thank you for an amazing week.
By the way, our experience took place from Decize. 👏 ❤️
Fantastic experience on Rideau – we will be back
This was our first time on Rideau Canal, our second excellent experience with Emerald Star (the other one was Canal du Midi).
From the reservation process, to the préparation process, through on boarding and tackling of technical questions on the boat, everything was first class, friendly, personable, attentive, and efficient.
Rideau is a beautiful place, we thoroughly enjoyed it, the many locks, meetings fellow boaters from ON, QC and beyond, and exploring the pretty towns along the canal.
Reply from Emerald Star, 31 July 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review. We’re delighted to hear that this was your second great experience with Emerald Star and that you enjoyed cruising the beautiful Rideau Canal. It’s especially rewarding to know that everything from booking and preparation to boarding and onboard support met your expectations. The Rideau’s charming towns, friendly fellow boaters, and historic locks make it a truly special destination, and we’re so pleased you were able to enjoy it all. We look forward to welcoming you back for another unforgettable cruising holiday soon! Happy Boating, Catherine from Emerald Star
Greeno
Communications are excellent & helpful
Helpful & easy to understand processes
Helpful & easy to understand processes. Very helpful and willing to work with us to meet our needs.
Reply from Emerald Star, 29 July 2026
Thank you for your review. We’re delighted to hear that you found our processes easy to understand and that our team was helpful and accommodating throughout your experience. Providing clear information and working with our guests to meet their needs is something we always strive for, so we truly appreciate your kind feedback. Happy Boating, Catherine from Emerald Star
Overall great
Overall, we had a great time! The whole family enjoyed it, everyone was super friendly, the boats were easy to handle, and the scenery in Canada was fantastic!
Reply from Emerald Star, 26 July 2026
Thank you for your review. We’re delighted to hear that your whole family had a great time and enjoyed the fantastic scenery along the way. It’s wonderful to know that you found the boats easy to handle and that our team helped make your holiday such a positive experience. We hope to welcome you all back on board for another adventure soon! Happy Boating, Catherine from Emerald Star
Anti and Danny at Chertsey Emerald Star were…
Anti and Danny at Chertsey Emerald Star were fantastic, they made the whole experience superb, nothing was too much trouble, we will ve booking again in a few weeks for a longer trip, i would definatley recommend these guys if your looking for a boating holiday on the thames
Reply from Emerald Star, 26 July 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review. We’re delighted to hear that Anti and Danny helped make your boating holiday such a superb experience. Providing friendly, helpful service is what we strive for, and it’s great to know they looked after you so well. Thank you for your recommendation, and we’re thrilled to hear you’re already planning a longer trip. We look forward to welcoming you back to Chertsey again soon! Happy Boating, Catherine from Emerald Star
Wonderful holiday and a fantastic Le…
Wonderful holiday and a fantastic Emerald Star team with friendly and helpful service.
Reply from Emerald Star, 26 July 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review. We’re delighted to hear that you had a fantastic holiday and that our team provided friendly and helpful service throughout your experience. Your kind words mean a lot to us, and we hope to welcome you back on board for another memorable adventure soon. Happy Boating, Catherine from Emerald Star
Great service
Great service, good level of information all through the experience. It was also very easy to manage the boat.
Reply from Emerald Star, 25 July 2026
Thank you for your review. We’re delighted to hear that you found the service excellent, the information clear throughout your journey, and the boat easy to manage. We appreciate your kind feedback and hope to welcome you back on board for another relaxing adventure soon. Happy Boating, Catherine from Emerald Star
Excellent service
Excellent service especially when the boat engine cooling got blocked in shallow water (not emerald star’s fault). Engineer was with us in 20 minutes – even though it was Sunday.
Great experience in booking
Great experience in booking. Looking forward to our trip.
Reply from Emerald Star, 24 July 2026
Thank you for your review. We’re delighted to hear that the booking process was such a positive experience and that our team provided the information and support you needed. We’re excited for your upcoming holiday and look forward to welcoming you on board soon! Happy Boating, Catherine from Emerald Star
Great Family Holiday
Great family holiday cruising Lough Derg, made easy by the friendly and efficient staff at Portumna base.
Reply from Emerald Star, 24 July 2026
Thank you for your lovely review. We’re delighted to hear that you had a great family holiday cruising on Lough Derg and that the friendly and efficient team at Portumna helped make your experience so enjoyable. We truly appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you and your family back on board for another adventure soon. Happy Boating, Catherine from Emerald Star
Enjoyable experience
Very easy to communicate with in different media’s. Responding quickly and amicably to requests
Reply from Emerald Star, 24 July 2026
Thank you for your review. We’re delighted to hear that you found our team easy to communicate with across different channels and appreciated the quick, friendly responses throughout your experience. Providing helpful support and making the process as smooth as possible for our guests is something we always strive for. Thank you for your kind feedback. Happy Boating, Catherine from Emerald Star
Booking first Emerald Star with ease!
We have had a fantastic, stressfree and super easy booking experience with the lovely Carla, and the whole Emerald Star team. We are scheduled to take our exciting boat trip in October and given this is our very first time using Emerald Star, I was a little sceptical it would be such a smooth and easy lead up through the booking system given it is all online and I just assumed it would be difficult or impossible to physically speak to an actual real person, however, all of my doubts were completely dismissed when I received my first of many personal direct phone calls from the lovely staff member Carla, only moments after I placed my first initial online inquiry. Absolutely outstanding customer service so far, no issues whatsoever, they are absolutely making this whole process a dream! What a joy to deal with so far, keep up the great work Emerald Star!
Penny and Tony from Sydney Australia.
Reply from Emerald Star, 23 July 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review, Penny and Tony. We’re delighted to hear that your first experience booking with Emerald Star has been so smooth and stress-free. It’s especially lovely to hear your kind words about Carla. We’ll be sure to share your feedback with her and the team. Providing personal, friendly service and helping guests feel confident and excited about their upcoming holiday is exactly what we strive for. We’re thrilled to be part of your first boating adventure and look forward to welcoming you on board in October. We hope it’s the first of many memorable Emerald Star holidays! Happy Boating, Catherine from Emerald Star
Booking was easy and straight forward
Booking was easy and straight forward. I had a few questions which were answered after a phone call to their customer service. My booking request was held for a week until we had time to discuss with the family.
Looking forward to our first time on the Canal du Midi!
Reply from Emerald Star, 22 July 2026
Thank you for your review. We’re delighted to hear that the booking process was easy and straightforward, and that our customer service team was able to answer your questions and help you find the right holiday for your family. The Canal du Midi is a fantastic destination for a first boating adventure, and we’re excited that you’ll soon be exploring it. We wish you a wonderful trip and look forward to welcoming you on board! Happy Boating, Catherine from Emerald Star
Super Tour!
Super Tour!
The route from Migennes to Tannay is beautiful and rural.…
The route from Migennes to Tannay is beautiful and rural. The villages we visited were auuthentic and worth visiting. Each one had a great boulangerie. Some of the places where we tied up were a little larger and offered historical and cultural landmarks to visit. As it was very warm we found great places to swim. Not in the canal but in the river L’yonne which was never far away. We also visited the home of Cremant, Les Caves Bailly Lapierre. Very worthwhile to taste and buy this delicious bubbly. 49 locks kept us busy but great places to meet other “boaters” and lockkeepers.
Hiring from LeBoat in Chertsey is a good location for…
Hiring from LeBoat in Chertsey is a good location for visiting the whole of the non-tidal Thames. The staff are friendly and helpful and you get all the information you need, and we had a great demonstration and explanation of the boat. I have given five stars because we had a lovely holiday but novice boaters should note it might be awkward to find your way back into the marina at the end of your trip. Unlike LeBoat’s other base at Benson, which is on the Thames itself, the Chertsey base is on a backwater, which is a bit of an adventure in itself. The boats seem to be well maintained and any problems are swiftly dealt with by the LeBoat team, whatever the time.
Had a lovely time on Clipper 2. Boat was spacious,…
Had a lovely time on Clipper 2. Boat was spacious, clean and very comfortable. There were three of us on board and it could have accommodated up to 6. It was a lit of fun.
Benson is a great place to pick up your boat…
Benson is a great place to pick up your boat and head off either towards Oxford or down stream towards the beautiful Marlow and Henley or as far as you like towards Windsor and on.
The boat was clean and ready to go. This was not our first trip although the Elegance18 boat was new to us.
Thank you Emerald Star and the guys at Benson
Great for large family get together
Great for large family get together
Fabulous place to collect boat and head off towards Inverness,…
Fabulous place to collect boat and head off towards Inverness, lovely staff
It was a wonderful experience, beautiful location , and the…
It was a wonderful experience, beautiful location , and the staff were brilliant and extremely helpful .Would definitely recommend Emerald Star to my friends .
Emerald star experience was fantastic for the whole family. The…
Emerald star experience was fantastic for the whole family. The people at Laggan was friendly and very welcoming.Kay was outstanding and so was Carlos .The boats have everything you need .Very comfortable beds and well equipped kitchen.The lock keepers are so friendly and all the different nationalities we met which was a lot was really friendly.We took our two small dogs and they enjoyed it as well.Very enjoyable time and hopefully will be returning.I would definitely recommend Emerald star.
We cruised the Migennes to tannay route, visiting lovely towns…
We cruised the Migennes to tannay route, visiting lovely towns such as Auxerre, Chantel – Censoir, Vincelles , Accolay, Vezalayetc.
We also took a taxi from Vezalay to Chablis which was so beautiful. Etienne , the harbour master in Chantal Censoir also organised a taxi to Vezalay which was well worth visiting.
Our rental experience at Emerald Star’s base in Peterborough was…
Our rental experience at Emerald Star’s base in Peterborough was excellent with helpful and knowledgeable staff we arrived, unpacked, underwent the necessary training and were off on our boat in 2 hours!
The location was good, staff friendly and helpful.
The location was good, staff friendly and helpful.
Beautiful countryside and towns. Fantastic restaurants.
Beautiful countryside and towns. Fantastic restaurants.
Beautiful countryside and towns. Fantastic restaurants.
Beautiful countryside and towns. Fantastic restaurants.
The staff at Chertsey are amazing, so friendly, polite, and…
The staff at Chertsey are amazing, so friendly, polite, and helpful. The location is perfect and easy to get too. Can’t wait to do it again.
Jarnac/Jarnac for 7 nights was perfect. The staff at the…
Jarnac/Jarnac for 7 nights was perfect. The staff at the Jarnac location are amazing!!! Customer service abounds and they are so friendly and welcoming. The boat was in perfect condition and spotless. We ended up spending a few nights in Saintes and doing day trips to La Rochelle and Royan. The train station is an easy walk and the trains go everywhere in the region. The locks were easy and fun.
Port Cassafière was a perfect starting point for our trip.…
Port Cassafière was a perfect starting point for our trip. The staff there was very helpful in getting us set up. We had to wait a little bit, but they have a lovely patio, and it was very scenic in the French countryside, so it was enjoyable.
Trip from Nieuwpoort to Oudenburg and further to Brugge and…
Trip from Nieuwpoort to Oudenburg and further to Brugge and back. Perfect balance between steering the boat and visiting Oudenburg and Brugge. (5 days, 4 nights on the boat, latest night at the basis in Nieuwpoort)
The boat soon became home. It had everything we needed…
The boat soon became home. It had everything we needed and living with 6 adults and 4 children was easy on this boat. The boat was quite large but the bow thrusters made manoeuvring easy. Altogether a really good experience.
The Elegance Boat had everything we needed
The Elegance Boat had everything we needed
Fantastic boat. Spacious and practical. Two separate and large cabins.…
Fantastic boat. Spacious and practical. Two separate and large cabins. Perfect for us. Never boated before and this was generally fine. At 36ft, it seemed huge, but it got easier to control with more practise.
I would take this boat again and recommwnd it to others.
we were the crew of 2. For 2 people boat…
we were the crew of 2. For 2 people boat is very comfortable and easy to control. Adding of the
stern and bow thrusters is very welcome feature compare to the boat we used in our 2016 trip by LeBoat on Thames River in England.
We had 11 family members and it worked out great
We had 11 family members and it worked out great
Fantastic 6 berth cruiser, we had a great time cruising…
Fantastic 6 berth cruiser, we had a great time cruising Loch Ness and the canal
It was a beautiful cruiser and had everything, that we…
It was a beautiful cruiser and had everything, that we needed
Amazing team. Fast and responsive customer service.
Amazing team. Fast and responsive customer service.
Our Emerald Star Horizon 4 houseboat was very comfortable for…
Our Emerald Star Horizon 4 houseboat was very comfortable for 4 adults sailing the Trent-Severn Waterway. Having 4 bathrooms was the best, with one in each cabin. We prepared most of our meals on the rooftop grill, conveniently located next to the rooftop dining table.
The cabins, bathrooms, salon, kitchen and upperdeck were all comfortable.
The cabins, bathrooms, salon, kitchen and upperdeck were all comfortable.
We had the Horizon 1. Loved it so modern lots…
We had the Horizon 1. Loved it so modern lots of space and all the facilities you could need. Very easy to drive too.
We had a really lovely experience with the most stunning…
We had a really lovely experience with the most stunning backdrop. Thank you.
We originally booked the Horizon class, but upon closer inspection…
We originally booked the Horizon class, but upon closer inspection of the cabins on the website decided to switch to this boat and we were VERY grateful we did! For two couples this boat can’t be beat. The staterooms are huge. Walk around beds, tons of storage and individual AC controls. The boat was in spectacular condition. It looked like a brand new boat inside. Everything worked perfectly. We loved the BBQ on the top deck and cooked some incredible food up there. We are chefs and the kitchen had everything we needs and more. The dishes/pans/etc were great quality. The boat handled well and we easy to dock. If you want space and the feeling of a private yacht, pick this one!
This boat was surprisingly comfortable for 6 adults, the layout…
This boat was surprisingly comfortable for 6 adults, the layout inside perfect for our purpose, food could be prepared in the gally without hindering the rest of the crew playing card or socializing around the table. the height of the boat allowed us to pass under most bridges which made cruising a lot easier.
Boat was big enough for 10 of us. Everything you…
Boat was big enough for 10 of us. Everything you needed. Kitchen well equipped
Comfortable, well equipped boat. Some of the showers a bit…
Comfortable, well equipped boat. Some of the showers a bit small although fine, but mainly used canalside showers. Lovely shared areas and galley big enough with lots of storage space throughout the boat.
Liberty was a joy to sail, so comfortable.
Liberty was a joy to sail, so comfortable.
Perfect little boat for a couple or two couples with…
Perfect little boat for a couple or two couples with plenty of space and great galley
