Payment of bespoke trip to Spain | 5th – 13th of April 2024 | 2 pax
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Description and schedule of services
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5th of April: arrival to Madrid and day at leisure
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8:45am: upon arrival of your flight to Madrid airport (DL0108), collect your luggage and walk to the arrivals hall. Your personal driver will be waiting for you there holding a sign saying “Nija and Joseph – Genuine Andalusia”. Then be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to your hotel in the city.
10:15am (estimated): arrival to your hotel in Madrid and rest of the day at leisure. We will be on top of things so you can occupy your room as soon as possible, because check-in time in Spain hotels is mid afternoon. We will also give you recommendations of things to do and see in Madrid in your free time and also of places to eat. We will also book tables for you if you wish.
Overnight in Madrid: double superior room with views and balcony, with breakfast included at hotel Petit Palace Santa Barbara (4*). 15 min walk (0.7miles) to your daughter’s apartment
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6th of April: day trip to Toledo from Madrid
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9am: meet your personal driver at your hotel in Madrid and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to Toledo old town.
10am: upon arrival to Toledo, meet your personal local host to start a panoramic tour that will take you to see excellent views of the city first to later start a private walking tour of the old town with a special focus on its Jewish, Hispanic-Muslim and Christian history.
Along your tour you will visit the synagogue of Santa María la Blanca, which is an extraordinary example of the Jewish-Sephardic heritage of the city.
Your tour will also take you to see some remarkable evidence of the presence of the Hispanic-Muslim culture in the city, such as the former Mosque of el Cristo de la Luz.
You will then visit the former church of San Román which is the most exquisite example of the interaction between the three great Mediterranean cultures that took place in Toledo. This is especially present in the architecture and iconographic program of the church which features some impressive frescoes from the Middle ages.
Finally, to top up your tour you will visit the Cathedral of Toledo, which is one of the most important ones ever erected in Spain.
2pm: end of your private walking tour of Toledo and free time for lunch at leisure before your return to Madrid. We will give you recommendations of places to have lunch in Toledo and will book a table for you if you wish.
4pm: reconnect with your driver at a previously agreed meeting point and be transferred back to your hotel in Madrid.
5pm: arrival to your hotel in Madrid and rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight in Madrid: double superior room with views and balcony, with breakfast included at hotel Petit Palace Santa Barbara (4*). 15 min walk (0.7miles) to your daughter’s apartment
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7th of April: from Madrid to Seville via Cordoba to tour the Great Mosque Cathedral and the iconic Jewish quarter
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10:40am: meet your personal driver at your hotel and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to Madrid train station.
11am: arrival to Madrid train station on time to take your high-speed train to Córdoba at 11:35am.
11:35am: departure of your high-speed train to Córdoba (1st class seats).
1:22pm: upon arrival of your train to Córdoba, collect your luggage, walk to the arrivals hall and meet your personal driver there. He will be holding a sign saying “Nija and Joseph – Genuine Andalusia”. Then be transferred in a modern and comfortable vehicle to Córdoba old town.
1:45pm: upon arrival to Córdoba old town, enjoy some free time for lunch at leisure (your driver stays in the vehicle with your luggage). We will give you recommendations of places to eat in Córdoba and will book a table for you if you wish.
3pm: be met by your personal local host at a previously agreed meeting point to go on a 2,5h discovery journey of the historical center of the city. A UNESCO site since 1994, Córdoba is an inspirational city, which during the Middle Ages, saw a peaceful interaction between the three great Mediterranean cultures. Jews, Muslims and Christians coexisted then in the city turning it into a unique intellectual hub that gave birth to very renowned philosophers, poets, scientists and doctors. This also resulted in the construction of unique buildings of remarkable historical significance.
During your private walking tour, you’ll learn about the period of maximum intellectual splendor of the city and you will see beautiful examples of architecture and urban planning that will allow you to recreate all the grandeur of this era, which has the Great Mosque – Cathedral as its most representative construction.
The Great Mosque-Cathedral is probably the most thought-provoking building in Spain and your personal local host will uncover all its beauty and complexity for you. You will understand its origins, its different enlargements and the role that the building has played in the culture and social fabric of the city throughout the centuries.
After touring the Mosque, you will be taken to the former Jewish quarter of the city. It will be there where you will learn about the very important Jewish – Sephardic community that Córdoba once had and how much it interacted with the Hispanic-Muslim and Christian communities that also lived in the city.
5:30pm: after your tour, reconnect with your private driver and be transferred to your hotel in Seville.
7:15pm: arrival to your hotel in Seville and end of services for the day. We will also give you recommendations of things to do and see in Seville in your free time and also of places to eat. We will also book tables for you if you wish.
Overnight in Seville: superior double room with breakfast included at hotel Casas del Rey de Baeza (4*)
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8th of April: morning walking tour of Seville’s most impressive World Heritage Sites (the Alcazar or Moorish palace and the Cathedral) and Jewish quarter and evening tapas tasting tour through the old town
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10am: be met by your personal local guide at your accommodation in Seville to start a private walking tour that will take you to the most impressive World Heritages Sites of the city (the Alcazar and the Cathedral with its Giralda tower) and to the quarter of Santa Cruz.
You will start your discovery journey by visiting the Alcazar, which is a massive complex of palaces erected in different periods and of breath-taking gardens of different styles. The Alcazar has stunning historical constructions featuring a very particular crossover between Hispanic-Muslim and Christian architecture styles, called Mudejar. This style became very fashionable in Spain in the 14th and 15th centuries amongst the Christian nobility and it reached its maximum splendor in Seville. Another essential part of the Alcazar is the famous house of Trade, which once hosted the offices from where all the commerce with the new world was managed. After enjoying these inner areas, you will be taken to the gardens, which are an exquisite sample of European landscaping from the 16th until the 20th centuries.
Then you will be taken to visit the Cathedral, which is the largest gothic temple in the World and where Christopher Columbus is buried. The Cathedral of Seville was built on a vast extension of land where previously a Mosque had been erected. An important part of the Mosque was preserved and it is now a part of the Cathedral. This makes it a unique construction featuring styles as diverse as Hispanic-Muslim, Gothic, Renaissance, Neoclassical and Baroque. A most important part of the Cathedral is its bell tower known as la Giralda. During your tour you will be taken to the top in order to enjoy the wonderful views of Seville that one can admire from there.
To finish you will visit the quarter of Santa Cruz, with its countless quaint corners, narrow streets, cozy squares, houses of traditional Southern Spanish architecture and Moorish urban planning. It is in this quarter where an important part of the Jewish Sephardic community of Seville lived in the medieval times and you will learn about what life in the quarter was like then and how it has evolved until becoming what it is today.
1:30pm: after your tour, enjoy the afternoon at leisure before your evening tapas tasting tour.
7:30pm: reconnect with your local host at your accommodation to start a private tapas tour of Seville old town. Seville has one of the most vibrant tapas scenes in Southern Spain and this tour will make a perfect introduction to it.
Understanding how Seville works when it comes to celebrating food can be one of the most revealing experiences of the culture of the city. Sevillanos love their excellent food and they like to make a celebration out of every meal, together with family and friends. Food, conversation, wine, laughter and a magical common feeling of thankfulness combine in perfect harmony around Sevillian tables to make meals memorable.
Tapas play a key role in the wide variety of options that the city has to offer gastronomy-wise. They are small portions of food that people usually have as an appetizer before a meal. However, especially when eating out, a meal can consist of several different tapas and this is exactly what this tour is about.
Your local Spanish foodie host will take you on a tapas journey through 2 – 3 selected tapas bars of the city, during which you’ll be able to taste a selection of 6 – 9 different local tapas dishes, combined with the corresponding drinks. Along the tour, you’ll be explained about the hectic social life that Sevillanos have and how most of it takes place around food in tapas bars.
Seville can be overwhelming when it comes to choosing a tapas bar so this tour will allow you to relax and to enjoy the magnificent culinary scene of the city, while you also learn about its particular character and identity, together with your local host.
10:30pm: end of your tapas tour back at your hotel.
Overnight in Seville: superior double room with breakfast included at hotel Casas del Rey de Baeza (4*)
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9th of April: day trip from Seville to the natural park of Grazalema to enjoy its scenery and picturesque whitewashed towns
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8:30am: meet your personal local host at your accommodation and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle with a dedicated driver to the whitewashed hilltop town of Zahara de la Sierra in the natural park of Grazalema. Explanations along the way about the agriculture, farming, rural landscape and geography of the mountainous areas of Southernmost continental Spain.
10am: arrival to Zahara de la Sierra and private walking tour of the old town aimed at enjoying its traditional Southern Spanish charm and to learn about its history and evolution from a fortified settlement on top of a rock to a more spread-out rural settlement. During the tour you may also want to walk to the top of its Moorish castle, which offers not only very representative evidence of the medieval configuration of the town, but also beautiful views of the nearby lake of Zahara – El Gastor.
11:15am: private transfer from Zahara de la Sierra to the Summit of Las Palomas, in the heart of the natural park of Grazalema.
11:10am: upon arrival to the summit of las palomas, start a circular walk (2.1 miles in total) around Mount Coros (Cerro Coros in Spanish).
Cerro Coros is a small mountain in the middle of the natural park that offers spectacular views of the surrounding landscapes of Spanish Firs, pine trees and of the lake of Zahara – El Gastor. Walking around its perimeter will allow you to enjoy the views of the surrounding nature from every possible angle.
Halfway along the walk, you will take a trail that will take you to the very top of the mount. Once at the top, you will have the very best views of the natural park.
1:10pm: reconnect with your driver and be transferred to the village of Grazalema for lunch.
1:30pm: arrival to Grazalema and lunch in a selected local restaurant. Lunch will be followed by a small private walking tour of the old town aimed at enjoying the beauty of its charming location in the middle of a natural park and its picturesque architecture and urban planning.
3:40pm: private transfer from Grazalema to your accommodation in Seville.
5:25pm: arrival to your accommodation in Seville and end of services for the day.
Overnight in Seville: superior double room with breakfast included at hotel Casas del Rey de Baeza (4*)
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10th of April: from Seville to Granada via the clifftop town of Ronda
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9am: meet your personal driver at your accommodation and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to the start of a scenic walk just outside Ronda.
10:40am: upon arrival to the surroundings of Ronda, meet your personal local host and start your walk. To really capture the best of Ronda it is important to see it from both the top and bottom of the cliff it is perched on.
This walk starts descending to the foot of the cliff, revealing an endless array of viewpoints along the way. From the bottom of the escarpment, you can gaze up at the buildings perched precariously on the edge and admire the Guadalevín River which erupts from the Tajo Gorge in an impressive series of cascading waterfalls. From here, the Puente Nuevo bridge is revealed as an impressive piece of architecture. The rest of the walk will take you through the fertile valleys that surround Ronda while you see some old watermills, vineyards and local farms.
Then you will reconnect with your driver to be driven along with your local host to the top of the medieval part of town. There you will start a private walking tour with a special focus on its history and architecture. This private walking tour of Ronda old town will give you an excellent overview of the Hispanic-Muslim origins of the city and of the transformations that it started to experience in 1485 when it was conquered by Christians. It was then when many wealthy military orders settled down in Ronda in order to defend its strategic location near the straits of Gibraltar and very well connected to the main Southern Spanish cities.
These new inhabitants erected many noble residences and funded the construction of impressive religious constructions too. In the 18th century Ronda experienced a time of maximum splendor and its main landmark was built: the majestic New Bridge, which you will visit during your tour. Along the tour you will also understand why this whitewashed gem attracted so many romantic travelers in the 19th century during their Grand Tour and the impact that their written, drawn and painted portraits of Andalusia had in the international perception of Spain in the following decades until today.
1:40pm: end of your walk and tour of Ronda in a selected local restaurant and lunch there at leisure.
3:10pm: after lunch, reconnect with your driver and be transferred to your accommodation in Granada.
5:25pm: arrival to your accommodation in Granada and end of services for the day.
Overnight in Granada: deluxe premium room with terrace and Alhambra views, with breakfast included at hotel Casa 1800 Granada (3*)
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11th of April: morning tour of the Alhambra and el Generalife
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9:30am: be met by your personal local host and be transferred by taxi to the top of the hill of la Sabika, where the Alhambra and el Generalife are located.
9:45am: upon arrival to the Alhambra, be taken on a private walking tour of this palatial city which is the most exquisite example of the Hispanic-Muslim architecture. The Alhambra was the city where the Hispanic-Muslim sultans used to live with their army, their court and some selected artisans. Because of this, it has several parts, all of which you will get to visit during your tour while you understand the role that each of them had. Later you will visit the summer palace or Generalife. This is the place where the sultans would go to escape from the hustle and bustle of the Alhambra. It was a place designed for relaxation and contemplation and because of this, it has the most beautiful gardens and some of the nicest views that the city of Granada has to offer.
1pm: after your tour of the Alhambra, enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight in Granada: deluxe premium room with terrace and Alhambra views, with breakfast included at hotel Casa 1800 Granada (3*)
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12th of April: from Granada back to Madrid by high-speed train
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All morning: enjoy your morning at leisure in Granada.
12:45pm: meet your personal driver at your hotel and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to Antequera Santa Ana train station to take your high-speed train to Madrid from there.
2pm: arrival to Antequera Santa Ana train station on time to take your high-speed train to Madrid at 2:28pm.
2:28pm: departure of your high-speed train to Madrid (1st class seats).
5:15pm: upon arrival of your train to Madrid train station, collect your luggage and walk to the arrivals hall. Your personal driver will be waiting for you there holding a sign saying “Nija and Joseph – Genuine Andalusia”. Then be transferred in a modern and comfortable vehicle to your hotel in Madrid.
5:50pm (estimated): arrival to your hotel in Madrid and end of services for the day.
Overnight in Madrid: double superior room with breakfast included at hotel Only You Boutique (4*). 23 min walk (1.05miles) to your daughter’s apartment
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13th of April: departure from Madrid
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8am: meet your personal driver at your hotel in Madrid and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to Madrid airport.
8:30am: arrival to Madrid airport on time to take your flight back to the US (DL0109) at 11am and end of trip.
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Pricing
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The cost of this bespoke trip for a private party of 2 pax is 9390 Euros
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This price includes
– 8 nights with breakfast included as per mentioned above.
– All private transportation services mentioned above in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle with a dedicated uniformed driver.
– All private tours mentioned above with a knowledgeable, personable, kind, flexible and interactive fully licensed guide with a great command of the English language.
– High-speed train tickets (1st class seats) to travel from Madrid to Córdoba on the 7th of April and from Antequera Santa Ana to Madrid on the 12th of April
– All entrance tickets and admissions for all guided tours.
– A tapas and wines dinner in Seville including a selection of 6 – 9 local dishes to share, up to 4 drinks per person (beer, wine, refreshments, water) and a sweet local treat to finish.
– Lunch in a selected local restaurant during your day trip to the natural park of Grazalema including a selection of 2 starters to share, 1 main course per person, 1 dessert per person and up to 2 drinks per person (beer, wine, refreshments, water).
– Taxi ride to get from your hotel to the Alhambra on the 11th of April.
– A list of recommended things to do and see and of places to eat in each of the places you will visit.
– Management of any restaurant reservations you may want (as long as credit/debit cards are not needed to finalize the booking. In this case we will send you a link so you can finalize the reservations yourselves).
– 24h Guardian Angel service throughout your trip for any emergencies you may have.
– All taxes.
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This price excludes
– Your international flights.
– Any meals not mentioned right above.
– Anything else not mentioned right above.
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Confirmation and payments
In order to confirm this trip at this price we require a 20% deposit of the grand total via credit/debit card no later than the 10th of January 2024 at 11:59pm (Madrid time). The final 80% must be paid no later than 30 days prior to the start of the trip.
(*) We will also need your passport numbers, your dates of birth and the expiry dates of your passports (necessary to book your train tickets, your Alhambra tickets and your Seville Alcazar and Cathedral tickets).
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Grand total of this bespoke trip: 9390 Euros
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20% deposit needed no later than the 10th of January at 11:59pm (Madrid time) to confirm the trip: 1878 Euros
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Final 80% needed no later than 30 days prior to the start of the trip to pay it in full: 7512 Euros
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Cancellation policy
If you cancel your trip more than 30 days prior to its scheduled start we will charge the 20% deposit only.
If you cancel your trip between 30 and 15 days prior to its scheduled start we will charge 45% of the full cost of the trip and we will refund the remaining 55%.
If you cancel your trip between 14 and 4 days prior to its scheduled start, we will charge 65% of the full cost of the trip and we will refund the remaining 35%.
If you cancel your trip 3 days or less prior to its scheduled start, we will charge 100% of the full cost of the trip.
(*) Genuine Andalusia strongly recommends purchasing travel insurance for any international trip. Most of our US guests book their travel insurance through MedJet.
(**) Please note that partial cancellations won’t result in partial refunds. This applies to the group size and to the duration, services and activities of the trip.
(***) If Spain closes its borders due to a national or global emergency and you are not able to enter the country due to this closure of the Spanish borders, we will give yo a full refund.
