Balou - 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

This is my second Balou trip, both times have been effortless. The van is very well stocked, well cared for, and easy to drive. Nikolaus has been equally helpful, easy-going, and flexible. Can’t recommend more enthusiastically.

It was almost too easy and pleasant to borrow Balou... a pleasure from start to finish. Niko was extremely easy to communicate with, Balou was a dream—clean, easy to drive, and easy to care for. I hope we won't be strangers to this perfect van. 🤩

Nikolaus was great to work with, especially on short notice. The Sprinter was clean, well-maintained, and had everything we needed for a week up the California and Oregon coast. Easy pickup and dropoff process. Would definitely rent from him again!

Balou was a great part of our National Park experience and trip, Niko does a great job preserving the van as if it was new, he has every detailed ticked so everything works perfectly. Just great! Every detail in Balou is well thought out so you can enjoy the trip and have easy work around the everyday van life. The outdoor shower was a great great amenity! We had a minor incident with a scratch on the vans rear bumper, Niko was very understanding and we worked it out together for it to be the least painful for both of us. The trip was so wonderful that this unfortunate event seems like just a small stone on the shoe that we could easily shake off, all thanks to Niko’s outstanding communication and comprehensive approach. We will must definitely be back on the road in Balou, maybe next time going north.

This was an amazing trip in large part due to a great van and amazing hosts. Our trip planning hit a snag when our previous reservation was canceled as the van was in the shop due to damage from the prior booking. With 7 days to go we had to pivot quickly. Annette and Niko were amazing. They responded to my request within 30 minutes and were very responsive until we finalized the booking. They even have a very clean website walking you through who they are and everything you need to know about the van. I was very impressed with the professionalism and felt comforted we landed with the right hosts after all. The van is very thoughtfully laid out and stocked. It is truly meant to be able to pick up and go. We had all equipment needed for cooking. We used the portable 2 burner stove and kitchen equipment every night for some outdoor cooking. Beyond that they had very thoughtful items throughout the van, such as, reading lights in the bed area, laundry money, bug spray, portable lights, sails for shade, and much more. The van handled very well. It was easy to drive given its size and parked fairly easily in normal sized parking spots. We would definitely book this van again.

We had a fantastic trip with Balou! Super easy to drive, provides a quiet cozy ride with all the necessities. The van is so thoughtfully designed and outfitted, it had everything we needed - we only brought food, toiletries, and clothes and were good to go for four nights at campgrounds. The bed and shower are both fantastic. Nikolaus clearly explained the van operation and features so we felt fully prepared and ready for the road. Would definitely rent again and recommend to friends - thank you Nikolaus!