Payment of bespoke trip to Spain | 14th – 21st of May 2022 | 4 pax

Description and schedule of services

14th of May: arrival of your flight to Málaga airport, private transfer to Seville and day at leisure in Seville to recover from your flight.

12:15pm: upon arrival of your flight to Málaga airport (Delta flight 8310), collect your luggage, head to the arrivals hall and meet your personal driver there. He will be holding a sign saying “Marc, Aisha, Sarah and Jared – Genuine Andalusia”. Then be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes minivan to your hotel in Seville.

4pm: arrival to your hotel in Seville and rest of the day at leisure to recover from your trip. Recommendations will be given.

Overnight in Seville. 1 Junior Suite with Jacuzzi for Marc and Aisha and 1 premium room for Sarah and Jared, both with breakfast included at Hotel Casa 1800 Sevilla (4*)



15th of May: morning at leisure in Seville and afternoon walking tour of the city’s most impressive World Heritage Sites (the Royal Hispanic – Muslim palace or Alcazar and the Cathedral) followed by an evening of flamenco and tapas.

3pm: be met by your personal local guide at your hotel in Seville to start a private walking tour that will take you to visit its impressive World Heritages Sites (the Alcazar and the Cathedral with its Giralda tower) and 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 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 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, which is a delightful part of town with countless quaint corners, narrow streets, cosy 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.

During your tour of the quarter of Santa Cruz, you will also be given some explanations about the origins of flamenco music in South West Spain. This introduction is aimed at learning how flamenco emerged in South West Spain as a result of a slow fusion of the ancient multicultural musical heritage of Southern Spain with the original gypsy rhythms and musical roots. 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 through Seville old town. Along the journey, you will learn about and enjoy this genuinely Spanish approach to enjoying a meal and how much of Spain’s history is present in its gastronomy and wines. 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.

10pm: 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. 1 Junior Suite with Jacuzzi for Marc and Aisha and 1 premium room for Sarah and Jared, both with breakfast included at Hotel Casa 1800 Sevilla (4*)



16th of May: market tour and cooking lesson with a local chef followed by lunch at her cooking studio

9:30am: meet your personal cooking instructor at your accommodation to start your food and culture experience of the day.

Your culinary day will start with a visit to a local market aimed at buying all the necessary fresh ingredients for today’s cooking lesson and 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, your cooking instructor will take you to 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 (a menu will be sent to you in advance to approve) that will make an excellent and comprehensive lunch that you will be able to enjoy at the dining area of your instructor’s cooking studio. Finally and after a sweet indulgence, your culinary experience will finish leaving you with a happy belly and a happy soul!

2:30pm: then you will be given directions to make your way back to your hotel or to make the most of your afternoon Seville.

Overnight in Seville. 1 Junior Suite with Jacuzzi for Marc and Aisha and 1 premium room for Sarah and Jared, both with breakfast included at Hotel Casa 1800 Sevilla (4*)



17th of May: day trip to Córdoba from Seville with a special focus on its Hispanic-Muslim footprint and on the Great Mosque Catheral

9am: meet your personal driver at your accommodation in Granada and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes minivan to Córdoba.

10:40am: upon arrival to Córdoba old town, be met by your personal local host to go on a 3h 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 splendour 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, the synagogue and the Alcazar of the Christian Monarchs as its most representative constructions.

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.

The synagogue will allow you to understand the very important Jewish – Sephardic community that Córdoba once had and how much it embraced Hispanic-Muslim decorative arts in its places of devotion.

The Alcazar of the Christian Monarchs is a fortification treasuring Roman and Visigothic remains that became an important royal residence in the Hispanic-Muslim and Christian times. Your tour of this landmark will be a journey through the history of the city and also through probably the most beautiful gardens that one can find in Córdoba.

1:40pm: end of your tour and free time for lunch at leisure. Recommendations will be given.

3:40pm: reconnect with your driver and be transferred back to your hotel in Seville.

5:20pm: arrival to your hotel in Seville and rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight in Seville. 1 Junior Suite with Jacuzzi for Marc and Aisha and 1 premium room for Sarah and Jared, both with breakfast included at Hotel Casa 1800 Sevilla (4*)



18th of May: from Seville to Málaga with a stop en-route in the clifftop whitewashed town of Ronda.

9am: meet your personal driver at your accommodation and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes minivan to Ronda.

10:45am: upon arrival to Ronda, meet your personal local host and enjoy a private walking tour of the old town with a special focus on its history, most representative landmarks, viewpoints, picturesque locations and on its bullring (the oldest in Spain).

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 splendour and its main landmark was built: the majestic New Bridge, which you will visit during your tour.

Ronda has also stunning nature in its surroundings and your tour will take you to the best viewpoints. This will allow you to understand why this whitewashed gem attracted so many romantic travellers 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.

After this introduction to Ronda, enjoy a private guided tour of its bullring (the oldest in Spain). This tour will allow you to learn about the origins and evolution of bullfighting in Spain, while you see the different sections of the bullring, from the pens where the bulls are kept before the fight, to the arena where the actual fight takes place, from the chapel where the matadors say their prayers before the fight, to the areas where the audience and the bullring authorities sit. You will also be explained about brave bull breeding and about how different bullrings choose different bulls with different characteristics for their fights.

1:45pm: end of your tour of Ronda and free time for lunch at leisure and to maybe explore the town a little bit further on your own. Recommendations will be given.

3:45pm: reconnect with your driver and be transferred from Ronda to Málaga.

5:15pm: arrival to your accommodation in Málaga and end of services for the day.

Overnight in Málaga. 1 Junior Suite Palacio for Marc and Aisha and 1 double room palacio for Sarah and Jared, both with breakfast included at Hotel Palacio Solecio (4*).



19th of May: history, architecture and art tour of Málaga old town.

9:30am: meet your personal art and history expert there to start a private walking tour of the city that will take you to visit its Hispanic-Muslim fortress (Alcazaba), its Roman theatre and its two most important art temples: the Picasso Museum and the Thyssen Museum.

Your tour will start with an introduction about the origins and evolution of the city while you are taken by your guide to visit first its main Roman and Hispanic-Muslim landmarks. This will allow you to travel back in time in order to understand the important settlement that Málaga was in the Roman and Hispanic-Muslim periods and the evolution of the city after the Christian conquest until the present times.
Then you will continue on with a private tour of the Picasso Museum. There and led by your local host, you will learn about the life and work of this iconic local artist through some of the most representative paintings that the museum collection has.

After the Picasso Museum and to top up your history, architecture and art journey, 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 the Spanish art pieces from the 19th and 20th centuries collected by her. This will give you a very good overview of Spain’s modern history through selected art pieces.

1:30pm: after your introduction to the history, art and architecture of Málaga, enjoy lunch in the city and the rest of the day at leisure. Recommendations will be given.

Overnight in Málaga. 1 Junior Suite Palacio for Marc and Aisha and 1 double room palacio for Sarah and Jared, both with breakfast included at Hotel Palacio Solecio (4*).



20th of May: day trip to Granada from Málaga to see the majestic Alhambra

9am: meet your personal driver at your accommodation and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes minivan to the Alhambra in Granada.

10:35am: upon arrival to the Alhambra, meet your personal local guide and 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 free time in the city of Granada for lunch at leisure and to explore the city at your own pace before returning to Málaga. Recommendations will be given.

5:30pm: reconnect with your driver and be transferred back to your hotel in Málaga.

7pm: arrival to your hotel in Málaga and end of services for the day.

Overnight in Málaga. 1 Junior Suite Palacio for Marc and Aisha and 1 double room palacio for Sarah and Jared, both with breakfast included at Hotel Palacio Solecio (4*).



21st of May: departure from Málaga airport

3:30am: meet your personal driver at your hotel and be transferred to Málaga airport.

4am: arrival to Málaga airport on time to take your flight (Delta 8264) back to the US and end of trip.



Pricing

The price of this bespoke trip for a private group of 4 people is 11865 Euros.

This price includes
– 7 nights accommodation with breakfast included as per mentioned above.
– All private transportation services mentioned above in a modern and comfortable Mercedes minivan with a personal driver.
– All private tours and experiences mentioned above with a personal local host from Genuine Andalusia (a fully licensed, knowledgeable, kind, flexible and interactive guide).
– All entrance tickets and admissions for each of the sites included in your guided tours.
– Tickets for a selected flamenco performance in Seville with 4 people onstage (2 dancers, 1 singer and 1 guitarist).
– A tapas dinner in Seville through 2 – 3 selected tapas bars and including a selection of 6 – 9 dishes to share, up to 4 drinks per person (beer, wine, refreshments, water) and a sweet local treat to finish.
– A private market tour and cooking lesson in a professional cooking studio with a local chef, including tastings, a comprehensive lunch and drinks.
– A list of recommended things to do and see during your free time in each of the cities you will visit.
– 24h support during your trip.
– Management of your covid tests if they are still necessary to return to the US.
– All expenses of your driver and of your guides.
– All taxes.

This price excludes
– Your flights.
– Any meals not mentioned right above.
– The cost of your covid tests to return to the US.
– Anything else not mentioned right above.

Confirmation and payments
In order to confirm this trip, we require a 25% of the grand total via credit/debit card no later than the 28th of March 2022. The final 75% must be paid no later than 25 days prior to the start of the trip via the same method.

Grand total of this bespoke trip: 11865 Euros.

25% deposit needed to confirm the trip no later than the 28th of March 2022: 2966,25 Euros

Final 75% needed no later than 25 days prior to the start of the trip: 8898,75 Euros

Cancellation policy
– If you cancel the tour program more than 25 days prior to scheduled start, we will charge the 25% deposit only.
– If you cancel the tour program between 25 and 7 days prior to scheduled start, we will charge 40% of the grand total of the tour program.
– If you cancel the tour program between 7 and 3 days prior to scheduled start, we will charge 70% of the grand total of the tour program.
– If you cancel the tour program 2 days or less prior to scheduled start, we will charge 100% of the full cost of the program.
(*) If the travel restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic don’t allow for this tour program to happen, we’ll give you a full refund. Please note that the travel restrictions that we will take as official will be the ones imposed by the corresponding government/s on the general fully vaccinated and boostered traveler coming to Spain from your country of origin and not your specific personal circumstances.
(**) If Spain borders close due to a national or global emergency, we will give you a full refund.