''Enchanté'' (french: Nice to meet you, literally: 'enchanted') is a Belgian-built barge of the ''spits'' category, originally named ''Maria'', converted into a hotel barge. She is one of around 50

hotel barge A hotel barge (fr. ''péniche hôtel'') is a barge that has been built or converted to serve as a hotel or other kind of lodging. Hotel barges are generally found on rivers and canals in Europe, and may be used for river cruises or permanently moo ...

s operating on the French waterways.

History

''Enchanté'' was built in

Oostkamp Oostkamp (; vls, Ôostkamp) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Hertsberge, Oostkamp proper, Ruddervoorde and Waardamme. On January 1, 2019, Oostkamp had a total population ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

in 1958 as a trading barge, 39.50m in length. She carried grain, carbon, chemicals and other bulk goods. She was christened ''Maria'' and was renamed several times before finally being registered in France under the name Enchanté, in 2009. She is constructed of steel with a high carbon content, which was more common in pre-war barges. Although slightly more brittle, this type of steel has excellent

anti-corrosion In chemistry, a corrosion inhibitor or anti-corrosive is a chemical compound that, when added to a liquid or gas, decreases the corrosion rate of a material, typically a metal or an alloy, that comes into contact with the fluid. The effectiveness ...

properties. ''Enchanté'' was refitted for her new purpose in 2009, for a total of €500,000. After the plans were drawn up by the Parisian naval architects Technicarene, ''Enchanté'' was transformed at the Chantier Naval de Meuse et Sambre in Belgium in 2008/09. She was reduced to 30.00m in length, to suit the Canal du Midi, with its shorter locks and low curved bridges. She is one of only two Midi passenger barges with two interior decks.

Layout and accommodation

''Enchanté'' has four guest bedrooms, a saloon, demonstration kitchen and Jacuzzi for guests. Crew quarters are in the bow and stern. The Enchanté has a crew of five: Captain, first mate/tour guide or matelot, chef, and two hostesses.

External links

* Owner's website
www.europeanwaterways.com

Comprehensive review of the ''Enchanté'' luxury barge
on the Canal du Midi

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Enchante Hotel barges Barges of France Canal du Midi Hotels in France 1958 ships