Payment of bespoke program of private tours 22nd – 25th of March 2022. 4pax
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22nd of March
Jerez and Cadiz: the undiscovered gems of Southernmost continental Spain
8:30am: meet your personal local host at the port of Cadiz and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle with a dedicated driver to Jerez old town. Along the way, you will be given an introduction about the culture and geography of South West Spain in order to set the context for your stay in the area.
9am: upon arrival to Jerez, you will be taken on an introductory walking tour of the old town aimed at understanding its foundation by the Hispanic-Muslim culture in the IX century and also the transformations that the city experienced (architecture, urban planning, social composition and overall character) in the 13th century after the Christian conquest and later in the 18th and 19th centuries when the local wines (sherries) became probably the most fashionable drinks in the world. Your tour will also take you to the visit the gipsy quarter of Jerez old town in order to learn about the origins and evolution of flamenco music. Jerez is the cradle of this genuinely Southern Spanish form of art and you will understand why during your tour as well as how flamenco has contributed to the integration of the gipsy community until making it one of the most respected in town.
10:30am: after your introductory tour of the old town, you will be transferred to a private vineyard in the countryside.
10:50am: upon arrival to the vineyard you will be introduced to the owner. Then, together with him and your local host, you will take a small walk through the vines while you are explained the particularities of the soil, of the vines, of the climate and of the grapes that make sherry so unique. Afterwards, the owner will welcome you into his private vineyard-house. There he has his small sherry bodega, where he makes and ages artisanal sherry only for him and his family. There you will enjoy a tasting of different types of sherry, while you are explained about the ageing process of each of them.
12:30pm: After the tasting, you will be called for a traditional country lunch cooked by his wife. You will be offered a selection of different starters, mains and desserts that you will be able to pair with different sherries from the family bodega, while you enjoy some bubbly conversation with the owners and your host about life in Jerez and about how much it has been shaped by the local Sherry industry in every aspect.
1:45pm: after lunch, you will be offered a farewell sherry cocktail in order to experience the versatility of these wines and to understand why mixologists from all over the world are using sherries more and more for their creations.
2:15pm: end of the visit to the vineyard and private transfer from Jerez to Cadiz.
2:45pm: upon arrival to Cadiz, you will be taken on a panoramic tour of the perimeter of the city in order to understand its particular geography and to see its unique defensive architecture.
3pm: after this introduction, you will be taken to the heart of the old town for a walking tour focused on the foundation of the city by the Phoenicians 3000 years ago and on the period when it held held the monopoly of all trade with America. You will learn who the Phoenicians were, what brought them to Cadiz, what they brought to Cadiz and the impact that their arrival had in the development of Southern Spanish history and culture. You will also learn about the bourgeois and cosmopolitan city that Cadiz became in the 18th century when merchants from all over the world settled down in the city, making its economy, liberal ideas and openness to the world boom.
4:30pm: end of your tour back at the port of Cádiz.
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Price of this private day trip for a private group of 4 people: 235 Euros per person
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This price includes:
– Personal local host from Genuine Andalusia throughout the journey (a fully licensed guide by the Spanish government and certified Sherry Educator by the Sherry Regulatory Board).
– Private transportation in a modern and comfortable Mercedes minivan with a dedicated driver throughout the day.
– Private visit to a selected sherry vineyard with tastings of artisanal sherry and a homemade country lunch including starters, mains, desserts and a farewell sherry cocktail.
– All entrance tickets and admissions for the walking tour of Cádiz old town.
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23rd of March
Málaga, the cosmopolitan capital of Andalusia: history, architecture, art, food and wine tour
8:30am: be met by your personal local host at the port of Málaga to start your discovery journey of the city. Málaga is very compact, so you will be able to explore its many wonders on foot (you may want to take a taxi from the old town back to the port at the end of the tour but you can decide on that spontaneously with your host).
You will start your private walking tour by learning first about the origins and evolution of the city. This first part of the tour will take you to see the oldest (and most impressive) landmarks: the Roman theatre and the Moorish fortress: the so-called Alcazaba. This will allow you to travel back in time in order to understand the important settlement that the city was both in the Roman and in the Hispanic-Muslim periods as well as its evolution until the present times. The Alcazaba is a fantastic sample of Hispanic-Muslim architecture that also offers beautiful views of the city due to its location on top of a hill.
After learning about the Roman and Hispanic-Muslim past of Málaga, you will be taken to visit its majestic Cathedral. There you will enjoy taking a seat for a little while to enjoy the explanations of your host about the construction and history of this temple. Also, you will be surprised to hear about the connection between this cathedral and the US independence.
12pm: your introduction to the history and architecture of Málaga will surely make you feel like gaining an understanding of the present culture and personality of the city and you will enjoy this during a tapas and wines journey of its old town. You will experience this genuinely Spanish approach to enjoying a meal by visiting three different tapas bars, where you will taste a wide selection of local dishes and wines.
2:45pm: after lunch, you will be taken on a private relaxed tour of the Picasso Museum of Málaga. There you will learn about the life and work of the most iconic local artist through some of the most representative paintings that the museum collection has.
4pm: after your visit to the Picasso museum you will be escorted back to the port of Málaga either on foot or by taxi.
4:30pm: arrival to the port of Málaga and end of the tour.
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Price of this private day trip for a private group of 4 people: 170 Euros per person.
This price includes:
– Personal local host from Genuine Andalusia throughout the journey (a fully licensed guide by the Spanish government, also knowledgeable about the wine scene of the province of Málaga).
– Tapas and wines lunch through 3 differet selected bars of Málaga old town with tapas and a glass of wine in each of them in order to get a proper understanding of the food and wine scene of the city.
– All entrance tickets and admissions for the tour.
This price doesn’t include:
– Taxis you may want to take from Málaga old town back to the port after visiting the Picasso Museum. If you wanted to get back to the port by taxi, your guide will manage all the necessary arrangements for you.
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24th of March
Cartagena: archaeological gems, military history, modernist palaces and a vibrant food and wine scene
8:30am: meet your personal local host at the port of Cartagena to start your discovery journey of this also very compact city that you will be able to fully explore on foot.
You will start your walking tour by visiting the archaeological wonders of the city. These are its Carthaginian city walls, Roman Theater, Roman Forum and iconic castle. This will allow you to learn about the foundation of the city in the 1st century BC and about its flourishing Carthaginian, Roman and Byzantine periods. During this part of the tour you will also learn how archaeological finds of the size of a Roman Theater have remained unknown until very recently and how their discovery can contribute to the regeneration of rather forgotten quarters of Spanish cities until making them important parts of the urban landscape.
This introduction to the city will be followed by an exploration of its 18th century military architecture and late 19th century modernist palaces, which concentrate on a beautiful pedestrian part of town, delightful to walk around and to take in the local atmosphere.
12:30pm: after this historical introduction to the city, you will enjoy a taste of local life through its food and wine spots. The first one will be the local food market. This is where people from Cartagena buy their fresh supplies: fish, olives, Spanish ham and many other local delicacies. While you explore the market, you may want to enjoy some tastings in selected stalls in order to enjoy some interaction with the local community, assisted by your host.
Then you will visit some selected tapas bars to try a wide variety of local dishes, wines, and something very important for cartageneros: the local asiático: a coffee with liquor 43, cinnamon, condensed milk and some other secret ingredients.
3pm: finally, you will enjoy a relaxed stroll back to the port.
3:30pm: arrival to the port and end of the tour.
Price of this private day trip for a private group of 4 people: 150 Euros per person.
This price includes:
– Personal local host from Genuine Andalusia throughout the journey (a fully licensed guide by the Spanish government, also knowledgeable about the wine scene of the region of Murcia).
– Tapas and wines lunch through 2 differet selected bars of Cartagena old town including a selection of 6 – 9 dishes to share and up to 4 glasses of wine per person.
– A special “Café asiático” from Cartagena.
– All entrance tickets and admissions for the tour.
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25th of March
Mallorca. An immersion into the life of a Spanish Mediterranean island
8:30am: meet your personal local driver guide at the port of Palma and start your adventures in the island by visiting the old town of its beautiful Mediterranean capital. Your tour will take you to visit the majestic gothic Cathedral, the Jewish quarter and the main modernist buildings dating from the 1920s. This is the period when this style became specially fashionable and of which the city preserves extraordinary examples.
10:30am: after your introductory walking tour of the city, you will be taken to the local food market. This will allow you to understand the variety and quality of local produce available in the island. During your visit and together with your local host you will buy the ingredients to cook probably the most iconic dish from Eastern Spain: paella. No other area in Spain can be proud of cooking paella like the Eastern coastal areas of the country.
11:15am: after your visit to the market, be transferred in your host’s modern and comfortable Mercedes minivan to his hometown.
11:45am: upon arrival to the town, you will be taken to visit a traditional olive oil mill in order to learn about the making process of this iconic Mediterranean ingredient and do the corresponding tastings. Mallorca is famous for its centenary olive trees and you will see some of them to later learn about the pressing and extraction process of the local olive oil.
12:45pm: after your visit to the olive oil mill, you will enjoy one of the most rooted local customs: aperitivo! Your host will take you to a local bar where you will have a pre-lunch drink, surrounded by locals. This will surely open you appetite for lunch.
1:15pm: after your aperitivo, your host will take you to a private home where together with him you will cook a paella for lunch, using the ingredients that you bought at the market. This will make an excellent opportunity to learn how to cook this dish and the corresponding ceremony that it represents for Spaniards. With a glass of local wine in hand, everybody will have the opportunity to participate in the cooking process as much as they like.
2:15pm: (Spanish) lunchtime! Enjoy your paella with your travel party and your local host.
3:45pm: after lunch, be transferred to the port of Palma.
4:30pm: arrival to the port of Palma and end of services for the day.
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Price of this private day trip for a private group of 4 people: 255 Euros per person.
This price includes:
– Personal local driver – host from Genuine Andalusia throughout the journey (a fully licensed guide by the Spanish government with a fully licensed Mercedes minivan, also knowledgeable about the wine scene of Mallorca and an wonderful paella chef).
– A visit to a traditional olive oil mill with the corresponding tastings there.
– All ingredients for a paella Mallorca-style cooked by your local host with as much participation from every member of the group as you like.
– A pre-lunch drink and wine for lunch for everybody.
– All entrance tickets and admissions for the introductory walking tour.
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Confirmation and payments:
In order to confirm this program of tours we require a 30% deposit of the grand total no later than the 7th of June 2021 via credit/debit card.
The remaining 70% must be paid no later than 35 days prior to the start of the tour program.
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Grand total of this tour program: 3120 Euros
30% needed no later than the 7th of June 2020 to confirm the tour: 936 Euros.
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Final 70% to be paid no later than 35 days prior to the start of the tour program: 2184 Euros.
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Cancellation policy:
– If you cancelled your tour program more than 90 days prior to its start: we’d give you a full refund.
– If you cancelled your tour program between 90 and 30 days prior to its start: we’d charge the 30% deposit only.
– If you cancelled your tour program between 30 and 7 days prior to its start: we’d charge 50% of the full cost of the tour program.
– If you cancelled your tour program between 6 and 3 days prior to its start: we’d charge 75% of the full cost of the tour program.
– If you cancelled your tour program 2 days or less prior to its start: we’d charge 100% of the full cost of the tour program.
*If on the day of a tour your cruise wasn’t able to dock at the corresponding port due to force majeure and therefore you weren’t able to take the corresponding tour, we’d give you a refund of 70% of the full cost of that specific tour.
