Payment of bespoke tour program of Andalusia. 20th – 26th of March 2022. 4pax
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Description and schedule of services
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20th of March. Arrival to Madrid and private transfer to Granada with a stopover in Puerto Lápice for lunch there.
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12:15pm: upon arrival of your flight to Madrid airport, collect your luggage, head to the arrivals hall and meet your personal driver there. He will be holding a sign saying “Dan, Kelly, Carson and Savannah – Genuine Andalusia”. Then be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes minivan to Granada with a stopover in Puerto Lápice for lunch.
2:30pm: arrival to Puerto Lápice and lunch there. Recommendations of restaurants will be given and a table will be booked for you if you wish.
4pm: departure from Puerto Lápice towards Granada.
6:45pm: arrival to your hotel in Granada and end of services for the day. Recommendations of things to do and see and of places to eat in your free time will be given. Tables will be booked for you in restaurants if you like too.
Overnight in Granada: family room with breakfast included at hotel Palacio de Santa Inés (3*).
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21st of March. Morning tour of the Alhambra and El Generalife with your own personal local guide and evening tapas tour of Granada old town.
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10am: meet your personal local host at your accommodation and be transferred by 2 taxis to the top of the hill of La Sabika, where the Alhambra and el Generalife are located.
10:15am: 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.
1:30pm: end of your tour of the Alhambra and rest of the afternoon at leisure, before your evening tapas tour of Granada old town.
7:45pm: reconnect with your personal host at your accommodation to start a private tapas and wines tasting tour of Granada old town.
Understanding how Granada works when it comes to celebrating the local tapas culture can be one of the most revealing experiences of the dynamics of the city. Granada is a tapas paradise for Spaniards. It has countless tapas bars and venturing into some selected ones with your local host will allow you to enjoy the excellent food and wine scene of the city and also to take in its vibrancy and joyous atmosphere.
Tapas play a key role in the wide variety of options that Granada 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 meet you at your hotel to 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 Granadinos have and how most of it takes place around food and drinks in tapas bars.
Granada can be overwhelming when it comes to choosing a place to eat so this tour will allow you to relax and to enjoy the magnificent culinary and wine scenes of the city, while you also learn about its particular character and identity, together with your local host.
10:15pm: end of your tapas tour back at your hotel.
Overnight in Granada: family room with breakfast included at hotel Palacio de Santa Inés (3*).
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22nd of March. Private walking tour of the cave-houses quarter of el Sacromonte followed by a 19th century photography workshop in one of the caves.
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10am: meet your personal local host at your accommodation for a private walking of the cave-houses quarter of el Sacromonte.
This hilltop quarter is probably the most unique in Granada. Perched on a hillside offering the most beautiful views of the Alhambra and with a very particular residential architecture of cave houses, el Sacromonte also has some very interesting inhabitants. This tour offers a visit to this magical area of the city aimed not only at enjoying its rustic beauty but also at meeting some local artists and at engaging with them through a unique 19th photography workshop.
You will start your tour by taking a guided walk to el Sacromonte. Along the way, you will be explained the history of the quarter and how the first gipsy communities that arrived in Granada in the 15th century settled down in the area, carving their houses on the rock. Once in el Sacromonte, you will enter one of its caves. There you will be introduced to a couple of local artists – photographers who have their studio there. There they research and work with historical and vintage photography techniques from the 19th century. Their specialty is “Wet Plate”: the most popular and widespread technique for portraiture in the old days, first described in 1851.
Then and together with them, you will travel back in time through a photography workshop that will include a portrait shoot of the whole family. Your hosts will make you feel comfortable and they will do their best to take the best shot of you, that later you will develop in their dark room. Wet Plate photography is a 100% artisanal technique, which will demand your full care and attention in every aspect of the process. Witnessing the images appear in the darkroom is a beautiful and rewarding experience. Your portrait, casted in pure silver by the action of sunlight, will last over 200 years and it will make not only a memorable experience but a long-lasting souvenir too! After your photo workshop, you will leave with a unique artisanal portrait and also with an unforgettable experience!
Then your personal local host will take you to discover other areas of this magical part of Granada, before escorting you back to your hotel.
1:30pm: end of your tour back at your hotel.
Overnight in Granada: family room with breakfast included at hotel Palacio de Santa Inés (3*).
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23rd of March. Private transfer from Granada to Seville and welcome evening flamenco and tapas tour of the city.
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10am: meet your private driver just outside your hotel and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes minivan to your hotel in Seville.
12:45pm: upon arrival to your hotel in Seville, check – in (subject to your rooms being available) and enjoy some free time at leisure before your introductory flamenco and tapas tour of the city.
6pm: meet your personal local host by the reception desk of your hotel to start a guided walk towards a selected flamenco venue, aimed at learning about the origins of flamenco music and also about its evolution throughout the centuries. This will set the context for (and enhance your appreciation and enjoyment of) the flamenco performance in a small and intimate venue that will follow, with 4 people on stage (one singer, one guitarist and two dancers).
7pm: start of the flamenco performance.
8pm: after your flamenco performance, enjoy a tapas tasting tour of Seville old town. Along the journey, you will learn about and enjoy the differences between the tapas and wines scenes of Seville and Granada, giving you a comprehensive insight into Southern Spanish gastronomy and wine. Your tour will take you to 2 – 3 selected tapas bars where locals like to gather with family and friends and where you will taste a selection of 6 – 9 local dishes to share and up to 4 drinks per person (wine, beer, refreshments, water). This will also make an excellent opportunity to learn about the most iconic wines from South West Spain (sherries) and to learn some basic notions about the art of pairing food and sherry.
10:15pm: after your tapas and wines adventure, be escorted back to your hotel stopping along the way for a sweet local treat.
10:30pm: arrival to your hotel and end of services for the day.
Overnight in Seville: 2 superior double rooms (twin) with breakfast included at hotel Amadeus La Música (4*).
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24th of March. Seville bike tour followed by a walking tour of Seville’s most impressive World Heritage Site: the Alcazar or Moorish palace.
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9:15am: be met by your personal local host at your hotel in Seville and start a short walk that will take you through the winding streets of the Jewish quarter to collect your bikes and helmets for your family bike tour of the city.
Once equipped with your bikes and helmets, start a private bike tour of Seville aimed at getting a wide perspective of its architecture, size, history, character and green areas too.
The iconic Guadalquivir river has shaped a very flat landscape in South West Spain that is ideal to explore by bike. The city of Seville is in the heart of this SouthWestern area and it features more than 160km of cycle lanes. This allows cyclists to pedal through its history, beauty, character and charm in a safe and pleasant way.
You will start your adventure by cycling along the city walls, understanding at the same time the system of gates that the city featured in the Muslim times. Then you will cross the river to discover the grounds where the famous 1992 Seville World Expo was held. In this area, you will also take a stop at the unique Monastery of La Cartuja, which later became an important ceramics factory and finally a museum of Contemporary Art. Because of this it features an extraordinary mix of religious, industrial and modern architecture styles. After this, it will be time to explore the beautiful park of María Luisa, taking stops to enjoy the beauty of its many colorful constructions dating from the 1920s, being Plaza de España the most iconic, significant and beautiful one.
Finally, you will make your way back to the old town along the most beautiful avenue of the city, which is lined up with buildings designed by architects from different countries for the city’s 1929 Iberian-American exhibition.
12:15pm: back at Seville old town, you will drop off your bikes to start a private talking tour of its most impressive and unique World Heritage Site: the Alcazar or Moorish palace. This will be the icing on the cake to your discovery journey of the city.
The Alcazar is a massive complex of palaces erected in different periods and of breath-taking gardens of different styles. It 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 splendour 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 gardening from the 16th until the 20th centuries.
2pm: after your visit to the Alcazar you may want to be escorted back to your hotel or be given recommendations for lunch at leisure.
Overnight in Seville: 2 superior double rooms (twin) with breakfast included at hotel Amadeus La Música (4*).
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25th of March. Morning market tour and cooking lesson with a local lady in her cooking studio followed by lunch there and afternoon hands-on ceramics and pottery workshop with local artisans.
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9:30am: meet your personal cooking instructor at your accommodation to start your food and culture experience of the day. After meeting your cooking instructor at your hotel, you will be taken to a local market to buy all the necessary fresh ingredients for lunch. Along your shopping route, your cooking instructor will provide you with some important explanations about the origins and quality of different produce. This will allow you to understand how the Spanish like to carefully select the ingredients they use for their dishes.
Then, you will be taken to a private house where your host has her cooking studio.
Upon arrival, you will be offered something to drink and then your culinary experience will continue with some further explanations about the origin and quality of some selected produce, this time through tastings!. Then it will be time to cook a selection of regional recipes that will make an excellent and comprehensive lunch, that you will be able to enjoy alfresco (weather permitting) in the fabulous terrace of your host or in the dining area of her kitchen (depending on the weather). Finally and after a sweet indulgence, your culinary experience will finish leaving you with a happy belly and a happy soul!
Every trip to Spain should include at least one meal cooked by a caring and knowledgeable Spanish host in a house. Spanish home food is the best that can be found in the country, so a homemade Spanish feast is a must on every trip to Spain for any food lover. Besides, learning how to cook some Spanish recipes will allow you to travel back to Spain from your own kitchen whenever you like! All this and more is what you will get to experience and learn during this tour.
2:30pm: after your food experience with your local host, enjoy some free time at leisure before your arts and crafts workshop later on.
4:30pm: be met by your personal local host at your hotel to take a short walk to the quarter of Triana, an iconic section of Seville popular for being the birthplace of famous flamenco dancers, bullfighters and talented ceramicists and potters!
Once in Triana, you will be given a short introduction of the history and particular personality of the quarter to later visit a ceramics and pottery workshop run by a local artisan and historian. There you will be explained briefly the different tile-making techniques that have been used in Seville since the Moorish times until today. After this, you will be given your own tile to paint under the supervision of a skilled local ceramicist. Then, taking turns, every member of the group will be called to the potter’s wheel, where another skilled local artisan will assist them while they make their own piece of pottery on the wheel, which of course they will be able to take home once they are fired and shipped to your hotel in Granada. After this hands-on experience, you will be escorted back to your hotel or be invited to enjoy the rest of your day in your own leisure in the quarter of Triana.
7:30pm: arrival to your hotel and rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight in Seville: 2 superior double rooms (twin) with breakfast included at hotel Amadeus La Música (4*).
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26th of March. Departure from Seville.
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7:45am: private transfer from your hotel in Seville to Seville airport in a modern and comfortable Mercedes minivan with a dedicated driver.
8:15am: arrival to Seville airport and end of services for the day.
10:15am: departure of your flight from Seville airport.
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Pricing
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The price of this bespoke trip for a family of 4 people is 6518 Euros.
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This price includes
– 6 nights accommodation with breakfast included as per mentioned above.
– All private transportation services in a modern and comfortable Mercedes minivan with a dedicated driver.
– All private tours and experiences with a carefully selected, knowledgeable, personable, flexible, kind and enthusiastic local host.
– All entrance tickets and admissions for all the sites that will be visited during the tour.
– A tapas dinner in Granada with a selection of 6 – 9 local dishes to share and up to 4 drinks per person (beer, wine, refreshments, water).
– A photography workshop including a portrait photoshoot with two local artists in the cave-houses quarter of el Albaizin in Granada.
– A family portrait as a result of your photography workshop and portrait photoshoot.
– Entrance tickets to a selected flamenco performance in Seville old town.
– A tapas dinner in Seville with a selection of 6 – 9 local dishes to share and up to 4 drinks per person (beer, wine, refreshments, water).
Bikes and helmets for your Seville bike tour.
– All ingredients and tastings during your market tour and cooking lesson.
– Lunch in the house of your local instructor after the cooking lesson.
– All materials for your ceramics and pottery workshop.
– All taxes.
– All expenses of your driver and your guides.
– A list of recommended things to do and see and of places to eat during your free time in Seville and in Granada.
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This price excludes
– Any meals not mentioned right above.
– Your flights from the US to Spain and back.
– The shipping costs in case you wanted your creations from your ceramics and pottery workshop shipped to your house once fired.
– Anything else not mentioned right above.
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Confirmation and payments
In order to confirm this trip we require a 30% deposit of the grand total via credit/debit card no later than the 25th of November 2021. The final 70% must be paid via the same method no later than 30 days prior to the start of the trip.
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30% deposit to be paid no later than the 25th of November: 1955,4 Euros
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Final 70% to be paid no later than 30 days prior to the star of the trip: 4562,6 Euros
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Cancellation policy
– If the travel restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic didn’t allow for the trip to happen, we’d give you a full refund deducting only the bank charges involved in the refund.
(*) Please note that the travel restrictions we’d take as official would be the ones imposed by the corresponding government/s for the general vaccinated traveler coming to Spain from your country of origin and not your specific personal circumstances.
– If you cancelled your trip more than 30 days prior to its start, we’d charge the 30% deposit only.
– If you cancelled your trip between 30 and 15 days prior to its start, we’d charge 50% of the full cost of the trip.
– If you cancelled your trip between 14 and 7 days prior to its start, we’d charge 75% of the full cost of the trip.
– If you cancelled your trip 6 days or less prior to its start, we’d charge 100% of the full cost of the trip.
