Payment of bespoke program of private tours. 15th – 22nd of March. 4 pax.

Description and schedule of services:

15th of March: from Málaga to Seville:

12:30pm: private transfer from Málaga to Seville with maybe a stop along the way for a quick bite.

3:15pm: arrival to Seville and rest of the day at leisure (recommendations will be given for you to make the most of your time in the city).

Overnight in Seville

 

16th of March: Seville World Heritage Sites and discovery of the quarter of Triana with a tapas tour there in the evening.

9:30am: be met by your personal local host at your hotel to go on a discovery journey of the UNESCO sites of the city. The three world heritage sites of Seville are its cathedral (the largest gothic cathedral in the world and where Christopher Columbus is buried), the Alcazar or Moorish palace (which features a stunning combination of Hispanic-Muslim and Christian architecture styles called Mudejar as well as breath-taking gardens) and the Jewish quarter (Santa Cruz) with its narrow streets, houses of traditional architecture, countless quaint corners and cozy squares.

1pm: end of your walking tour and free time to relax until your evening walking tour of the city (recommendations will be given for you to make the most of your free time).

6:30pm: meet your personal local host at your hotel to go on a discovery journey of the quarter of Triana. Along the way, learn about the suburb that Triana once was and how it slowly started to be the birthplace of skilled ceramicists, potters, bullfighters and flamenco dancers, until developing its own personality and pride which is very present today amongst its inhabitants. Along the way you will see the streets where once upon a time, the famous tiles and ceramics from Seville were made before being taken to decorate selected homes and palaces of Spain and of the new world.

8pm: tapas and wines journey of the quarter of Triana your own personal local host. You will be taken to 2 – 3 bars where the locals like to gather with relatives and friends and where you will try a selection of 6 – 9 dishes to share and up to 4 wines per person.

10:30pm: end of your tapas tour back at your hotel.

Overnight in Seville

 

17th of March: day trip to Jerez to learn about the iconic white wines from Southernmost Spain (sherries):

9am: private transfer from Seville to Jerez with a personal sherry host (a certified sherry educator by the sherry regulatory board) and a dedicated driver in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle with A/C.

10:15am: upon arrival to Jerez, start a private walking tour of Jerez old town aimed at understanding the Hispanic-Muslim origins of the city and the transformations (architecture, urban planning, social composition and overall character) that it experienced with the Christian conquest in the 13th century and later in the 18th and 19th centuries when its local wines became probably the most fashionable drinks in the world. After this introduction, you will start a food and wine journey that will start in the local market of the city. Your local host will take you on a tour of the market during which you will understand not only the essential proximity service it is for the local community but also the very important role that it plays in the social fabric of the city.

11:15am: end of your introductory walking tour in a selected sherry bodega and private tour aimed at understanding the ageing process of the different types of sherry. This will be followed by the corresponding tastings and by some basic notions about the art of pairing food and sherry.

12:30pm: end of your visit to the bodega and short walk to a selected tapas and sherries bar.

12:45pm: tapas and sherries pairing lunch including a selection of 6 – 9 dishes to share and up to 4 sherries per person. Further notions during lunch about the art of pairing food and sherry.

2:15pm: private transfer from Jerez back to Seville

3:30pm: arrival to Seville and end of services for the day.

Overnight in Seville

 

18th of March: the white towns of South West Spain:

9am: departure from Seville towards the hilltop town of Arcos de la Frontera in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle with your own personal local host and a dedicated driver.

10:30am: arrival to Arcos de la Frontera and private walking tour of the old town with a special focus on its history, on its combination of traditional and grand constructions, on its stunning viewpoints and including tastings of some local treats along the way.

12:15pm: end of the tour in Arcos de la Frontera and private transfer to Medina Sidonia.

1pm: arrival to Medina Sidonia and small tour of the quarters located both inside the city walls and outside the city walls. Understanding of the long and colourful history of the village and of its periods of maximum splendour. The tour will be followed by lunch in a selected local restaurant run by two sisters from the village.

3:30pm: end of lunch and private transfer from Medina Sidonia to Vejer de la Frontera.

4pm: arrival to Vejer de la Frontera and private walking tour of the village with a special focus on its bohemian-chic vibe, on its past and present traditions, on its countless quaint corners, narrow streets and cosy squares.

5pm: end of the tour of Vejer de la Frontera and departure back towards Seville.

6:45pm: arrival to Seville and end of services for the day.

Overnight in Seville

 

19th of March: from Seville to Córdoba and discovery of the first capital of Hispanic-Muslim Spain:

9am: private transfer from your hotel in Seville to your hotel in Córdoba in a modern and comfortable Mercedes minivan with your own personal driver.

10:45am: arrival to Córdoba and free time to check-in before your private walking tour of the city.

11am: meet your personal local host at your accommodation to go on a discovery journey of Córdoba old town. Córdoba is a gem of a city that in the middle ages saw the co-existence of the three Great Mediterranean cultures. Jews, Muslims and Christians developed a city that flourished with cultural, architectural, scientific, artistic and philosophical splendour until becoming one of the most populated and most developed cities in the world. Your private walking tour will take you to learn about this period and to show you beautiful evidences of it like the chapel of Saint Bartholomew, the synagogue, the Alcazar of the Christian Monarchs with its impressive gardens and probably the most though-provoking building in Spain: the great Mosque – Cathedral.

2pm: end of your walking tour and free time for lunch at leisure.

4pm: hammam and massage session in a selected arab bath of Córdoba old town (starting at 4pm, so please be there 10 minutes earlier). 30 minutes of thermal baths and 60 minutes of massage.

5:30pm: end of your hammam session and rest of the evening at leisure.

Overnight in Córdoba

 

20th of March: from Córdoba to Granada vía the renaissance UNESCO gems of Úbeda and Baeza:

9:30am: private transfer from your accommodation to the towns of Úbeda and Baeza. The beautiful UNESCO towns of Úbeda and Baeza are only 9Kms away from each other in the heart of Southern Spain. This allows for a fabulous combo day trip with a special focus on Southern Spanish medieval architecture and history and present culture and gastronomy. Úbeda and Baeza remain undiscovered even though their beauty and singularity granted them the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in 2003. Both towns are unique examples of the arrival of Renaissance trends in Spain in the 16th century and their colorful history features a mix of evident Islamic roots, an intense Christian medieval tradition as well as interesting vestiges of the presence of Jewish communities. This constant coexistence of the three great Mediterranean cultures favored the fusion of different influences and the creation of an original artistic expression with great implications in the rest of Southern Spain and in Latin America too.

Your journey will start with a private transfer in a modern and comfortable vehicle with a private driver from Córdoba to Úbeda. Upon arrival to Úbeda you will be met by your personal local host and together you will start a private walking tour in the main square of the city, considered the greatest Renaissance architecture ensemble in Europe. There you will be taken to see one of the best funerary chapels ever erected in the old continent. Along the tour, you will also see the best Renaissance palaces while your host helps you understand why Úbeda became one of the most prosperous towns in Spain in the 16th century. Your tour will also take you to see the synagogue of the water.

Then you will be transferred to the near town of Baeza. Your tour of Baeza will take you to see Market Square which is a symbol of the evolution of the city through the centuries. Then you will enter the medieval town through one of the former gates. Once there, you will walk through the cobbled alleys leading to the breath-taking palaces and churches that make on the best historical ensembles in Spain. Then you will head to a viewpoint offering panoramic views of the ocean of olive trees that surrounds Baeza.

2:30pm: after this discovery journey, at around 2:30pm, you will be escorted for lunch to a restaurant suited to your taste. There your host will say goodbye to you giving you the necessary orientation to enjoy the local gastronomy based of fusions of Arabic and Castillian recipes. This will give you the opportunity to taste the local olive oil in ways you never expected.

4pm: finally, after lunch, your driver will pick you up to take you to Granada.

5:30pm: arrival to Granada and end of services for the day.

Overnight in Granada.

 

21st of March: the Alhambra and el Generalife in the morning and the quarters of el Albayzín and el Sacromonte in the afternoon + private transfer for one person to Málaga airport.

(*) Just for one person:

7:20am: private transfer from Granada to Málaga airport in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle with a personal driver.

9am: arival to Málaga airport and end of transfer.

(*) For the other 3 people:

9:30am: be met by your personal local host at your hotel and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes minivan to the top of the hill of la Sabika, where the Alhambra and el Generalife are located.

9:45am: upon arrival to the top of the hill, start a private walking of the Alhambra, which is the most beautiful example of Hispanic-Muslim civil architecture. The Alhambra was a palatial city and during your tour, you will visit all its sections, understanding at the same time the role that each of them had and the people who inhabited them. After your tour of the Alhambra, you will be taken to El Generalife or summer palace. This is the area where the sultans would go to escape the hustle and bustle of life in the Alhambra. Because of this, it features astonishing views of the city of Granada as well as exquisite rooms and beautiful gardens.

12:45pm: after your tour of the Alhambra and free time until the late afternoon.

5pm: be met again by your personal local host to take a private walking tour of the quarters of el Albayzín and el Sacromonte. El Albayzín is the medieval quarter of Granada where regular citizens would live: people whose social scheme within the palatial town of the Alhambra was rather unclear. El Albayzín keeps its original Hispanic-Muslim architecture and urban planning to a very large extent and it treasures some of the most picturesque corners of the city of Granada. A UNESCO site since 1994, el Albayzín still keeps very well preserved evidence of some its noble houses and you will visit one of them during your tour. Then you will continue on towards the quarter of El Sacromonte. It was there where the first gypsies that arrived to Granada in the 15th century settled town, carving their houses on the rock. Because of this it has a fascinating rustic charm as well as some of the best views of the Alhambra the the city of Granada has to offer. Your tour will include a stop to watch the sunset from hand-picked spot before taking you back to your hotel.

8pm: end of your tour at your hotel.

Overnight in Granada

 

22nd of March: early transfer to Málaga and art of Málaga: Picasso and the Thyssen:

8:30am: private transfer from Granada to Málaga with your own personal driver in a modern and comfortable Mercedes minivan

10:15am: arrival to Málaga and private art tour of the old town with your own art expert and with a special focus on the life and work of Picasso. This will be done through a private visit to the Picasso Museum, which treasures an excellent collection of his works. Later you will be taken to the Thyssen museum which features an important part of the collection of Spanish art collector Carmen Thyssen. This museum focuses mostly on Spanish art from the 19th and 20th centuries.

12:45pm: end of your tour and private transfer to a selected coastal restaurant for a seafood farewell lunch.

1pm: arrival to the restaurant and lunch at leisure.

3pm: private transfer from the restaurant to Málaga airport.

3:30pm: arrival to Málaga airport and end of services.

 

Price of this bespoke tour program for a private group of 4 people:

1660,2 Euros per person for Karyn, Laurie and Leslie.

1499,2 Euros per person for Catherine.

 

This price includes:

– All private tours and experiences mentioned above with a personal local host from Genuine Andalusia.

– All private transportation services mentioned above in modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicles with dedicated drivers.

– All entrance tickets, admissions and tastings during these tours.

– A tapas dinner in Seville including a selection of 6 – 9 dishes to share and up to 4 drinks (wine, beer, refreshments, water) per person.

– A tapas and sherries lunch in Jerez including a selection of 6 – 9 dishes to share and up to 4 sherries (or beer/water/wine/refreshments) per person.

– A pivate visit to a selected sherry bodega in Jerez old town with the corresponding tastings there.

– A spa / hammam session in Córdoba with 30 minutes of thermal baths and 60 minutes of massage (per person).

– A list of recommended things to do and see during your free time in each city.

– A list of recommended Southern Spanish white wines.

– A list of recommended restaurants in each city.

 

This price excludes:

– Your Alhambra tickets (which you have already bought yourselves).

– Any meals not mentioned right above.

– Accommodation.

– Flights.

– Anything not mentioned right above.

 

Confirmation and payments:

In order to confirm this program of tours we require a 30% of the grand total no later than the 20th of January 2020 via credit/debit card. The remaining 70% must be paid via the same method no later than 30 days prior to the start of the trip.

 

Payment of the 30% deposit of each spot:

 

30% deposit needed from Karyn: 498,06 Euros.

 

30% deposit needed from Leslie: 498,06 Euros.

 

30% deposit needed from Laurie: 498,06 Euros.

 

30% deposit needed from Catherine: 449,76 Euros.

 

 

Payment of the final 70% of each spot:

 

Final 70% needed from Karyn: 1162,14 Euros.

 

Final 70% needed from Leslie: 1162,14 Euros.

 

Final 70% needed from Laurie: 1162,14 Euros.

 

Final 70% needed from Catherine: 1049,44 Euros.

 

Cancellation policy:

– If you all cancelled your trip more than 30 days prior to the start of the trip: we’d charge your deposits only.

– If you all cancelled your trip between 30 – 15 days prior to the start of the trip, we’d charge 50% of the full cost of your spots.

– If you all cancelled your trip between 14 – 8 days prior to the start of the trip, we’d charge 75% of the full cost of your spots.

– If you all cancelled your trip 7 days or less prior to the start
of the trip, we’d charge 100% of the full cost of your spots.

– Individual cancellations are non refundable in any case. If we had a cancellation of a spot before having received full payment of that spot, we’d need to recalculate the costs of the remaining spots. In that case, the maximum increase of cost of each remaining spot would be equivalent to the balance of the cancelled spot/s divided by the number of remaining spots.