Payment of bespoke trip to Spain | 17th – 24th of November 2024 | 2 pax
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Description and schedule of services
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17th of November: arrival of your flight to Málaga airport, transfer to the old town for an art tour of the city and then on to Granada
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4pm: upon arrival of your flight to Málaga airport from Rome, collect your luggage and walk to the arrivals hall. Your private driver will be waiting for you there holding a sign saying “Mahesh and Rakhee – Genuine Andalusia”. Then be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to Málaga old town.
5pm (estimated): upon arrival to Málaga old town, meet your private guide to go on 2h discovery journey of the city that will have the life and work of local artist Picasso as the main focus. You will visit the birth house of Picasso and the Picasso museum, which treasures an important selection of his works, showing the different phases he went through as an artist and as a person.
7pm: after your tour, be left in the hands of your driver again and be transferred to your hotel in Granada.
8:30pm: arrival to your hotel in Granada and end of services for the day. We will give you recommendations of things to do and see in Granada during your free time and also of places to eat. We will also book tables for you if you wish.
Overnight in Granada: suite (430sqft) with breakfast included at hotel Seda Club (5*)
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18th of November: discovery journey of Granada and the Alhambra
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10am: meet your personal local host by the reception desk of your hotel to go on a 3h walking tour of Granada old town that will allow you to discover, learn about the history and architecture and experience the beauty of two different quarters of the city.
These are two key areas in the history of the city that also stand out for their beauty and authenticity.
You will start visiting the first quarters that developed in Granada after the Christian conquest of the city in 1492. It is in these areas where the Cathedral of Granada was erected and in one of its chapels, the so-called Royal Chapel, you will visit the tombs of the monarchs that were responsible for the conquest of the city (Isabel of Castille and Ferdinand of Aragón). Their tombs are an exquisite sample of Spanish renaissance sculpture.
Near this chapel, you will also visit the palace of la Madraza: a unique building that originally was a medieval Quran School and that later was used as a residence by the Spanish nobility. During your visit, you will see beautiful evidence of its original use and of the one that followed.
From there, you will be taken to the iconic quarter of el Albayzín, located on top of a hill and overlooking the Alhambra. El Albayzín was the part of Granada where regular people would live: people whose social scheme inside the walls of the palatial areas of the Alhambra was rather unclear.
The quarter of Albayzín is a UNESCO site and it treasures some of the most beautiful corners and views of the Alhambra that the city of Granada has to offer. Your local host will share the most special ones with you, while you are explained about the architecture and infrastructures that the quarter had in medieval times and of which you will see beautifully preserved evidence.
This introduction to the city of Granada will set the historic context for your tour of the Alhambra and el Generalife later on today.
1pm: after the tour, enjoy some free time for lunch at leisure.
2:45pm: reconnect with your guide at a previously agreed meeting point and be transferred by taxi to the top of the hill of la Sabika, where the Alhambra and El Generalife are located.
3pm: upon arrival, start your private walking tour of the Alhambra and el Generalife. This tour will allow you to enjoy the exquisite refinement of the most splendorous construction that the Muslims built in Spain: the Alhambra. The Alhambra was a palatial town, formed by different parts, all of which you will get to discover with your local host in order to understand how they all worked together, the role that each of them had and the different people who inhabited them. After your tour of the Alhambra you will be taken to the Generalife or summer palace of the Nasrid Sultans, where they would go to get away from the hustle of life in the Alhambra. The Generalife is a magical place designed for relaxation and contemplation and its gardens, architecture and views are simply spectacular.
6:30pm: end of your private tour of the Alhambra and rest of the day at leisure in Granada.
Overnight in Granada: suite (430sqft) with breakfast included at hotel Seda Club (5*)
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19th of November: from Granada to Seville via Ronda to tour the town and visit a winery with a homemade pairing lunch there
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9am: meet your personal driver at your hotel in Granada and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to Ronda.
11:15am: upon arrival to Ronda, meet your personal local host to start a private guided tour of the city that will start with the local 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.
After your tour of the bullring, enjoy a private walking tour of Ronda old town with a special focus on its history, most representative landmarks, viewpoints and picturesque locations.
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.
Ronda also has 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 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.
1:30pm: after your tour of Ronda, be transferred to a selected winery just outside town.
1:45pm: upon arrival to the winery, you will be welcomed by a member of the family who owns it. Then you will be explained why Ronda has become such an interesting wine region in the international wine scene in spite of its small size. With a common approach to wine making, based on quality and not on quantity, the winemakers from Ronda have formed a solid team that is achieving great recognition and prizes worldwide.
Then you will visit its vineyards to later be explained about the aging process of the different wines that the family makes, which are produced with different grapes from different areas, that have adapted extremely well to the soil and climate conditions of Ronda. Later enjoy a homemade pairing lunch there including 3 courses and 1 dessert, all paired with their wines.
4:15pm: end of your experience at the winery and private transfer to your accommodation in Seville.
6pm: arrival to your hotel in Seville and end of services for the day. We will give you recommendations of things to do and see in Seville and also of places to eat. We will also book tables for you if you like.
Overnight in Seville: deluxe double room (376sqft) with breakfast included at hotel Mercer (5*)
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20th of November: half day walking tour of Seville World Heritage Sites and evening flamenco and tapas tour
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10am: 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 or Moorish palace, the Cathedral with its Giralda tower and the Archive of the Indies.
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, which is a perfectly preserved Hispanic-Muslim minaret from the period when a Mosque occupied the grounds where the Cathedral stands today. 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 Archive of the Indies. The Archive of the Indies is an iconic neoclassical building erected to keep invaluable documents from all those commercial expeditions that took place between Seville and the New World. Learning about it will uncover probably the most glorious period of the history of Seville and how it connects to the American continent and to the present character of the city.
1:30pm: end of your tour and free time at leisure before your evening flamenco and tapas tour.
6:30pm: meet your personal local host at your accommodation to go on a flamenco and tapas journey through the flamenco quarter of Triana.
This tour will start with an introductory walk towards Triana aimed at learning how flamenco music emerged from Southern 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).
After the flamenco performance you’ll be taken on a discovery journey of the fabulous tapas scene of the quarter of Triana by going to 2 – 3 selected tapas bars where the locals like to gather with relatives and friends and where you will try a selection of 6 – 9 local dishes to share and up to 4 drinks per person (beer, wine, refreshments, water). Finally and after a sweet local treat, you will be escorted back to your accommodation.
11pm: end of your tour at your accommodation.
Overnight in Seville: deluxe double room (376sqft) with breakfast included at hotel Mercer (5*)
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21st of November: from Seville to Toledo via Córdoba to tour the city and have lunch there at leisure
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9am: meet your personal driver at your accommodation in Seville and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to Córdoba old town.
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 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, the synagogue and the Chapel of Saint Bartholomew 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.
In the Chapel of Saint Bartholomew you will be explained about the transformations that the Jewish quarter of Córdoba suffered after the pogrom of 1391 and how it was repopulated with Christians, who were also very heavily influenced by Hispanic-Muslim decorative arts.
1:40pm: end of your tour and free time to have lunch in Córdoba and leisure.
3:10pm: reconnect with your driver at a previously agreed meeting spot and be transferred to your hotel in Toledo.
6:50pm: arrival to your hotel in Toledo and end of services for the day. We will give you recommendations of things to do and see in Toledo and of places to eat too. We will also book tables for you if you like.
Overnight in Toledo: Chantilly room (377sqft) with breakfast included at hotel Eugenia de Montijo (5*)
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22nd of November: private walking tour of Toledo and transfer to your hotel in Madrid
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9:30am: meet your personal local host at your hotel in Toledo to 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.
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.
1pm: after your private walking tour of Toledo, collect your luggage from your hotel and be picked up by a private driver to be transferred to your hotel in Madrid.
2pm: arrival to your hotel in Madrid and rest of the day at leisure. We will give you recommendations of things to do and see in Madrid and of places to eat too. We will also book tables for you if you like.
Overnight in Madrid: Four Seasons hotel (own arrangements)
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23rd of November: day at leisure in Madrid
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All day: enjoy your day at leisure in Madrid, maybe following our recommendations.
Overnight in Madrid: Four Seasons hotel (own arrangements)
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24th of November: departure from Madrid
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Time TBA: meet your personal driver at your hotel in Madrid and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to Madrid airport.
30 minutes later: arrival to Madrid airport and end of trip.
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Pricing
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The cost of this trip for a private party of 2 pax is 8650 Euros of which 450 Euros have already been paid, so the balance is 8200 Euros
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This price includes
– 5 hotel nights with breakfast included as per mentioned above.
– All private tours and travel experiences mentioned above with a knowledgeable, personable, kind, flexible and interactive fully licensed guide with a great command of the English language.
– All entrance tickets and admissions for all your guided tours.
– A private visit to a selected family owned and family run winery in Ronda including a homemade pairing lunch there (3 courses and 1 dessert).
– Admission to a selected flamenco performance in Seville with 4 artists onstage (2 dancers, 1 guitarist and 1 singer).
– A tapas and wines dinner through 2 – 3 selected tapas bars of Seville old town including a selection of 6 – 9 local dishes to share, up to 4 drinks per person and a sweet local treat to finish.
– A list of recommended things to do and see and of places to eat in each of the places you will visit.
– 24h Guardian Angel service throughout your trip for any emergencies you may have.
– All taxes.
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This price excludes
– Your flight to / from Spain.
– Any meals not mentioned right above.
– Your accommodation in Madrid.
– Anything else not mentioned right above.
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Confirmation and payments
In order to confirm this trip we require full payment of the aforementioned balance no later than the 27th of October 2024 at 11:59pm (Madrid time) via credit/debit card.
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Cancellation policy
– If you cancel your trip more than 15 days prior to its scheduled start, we will charge 55% of the full cost of the trip and we will refund the remaining 45%.
– If you cancel your trip between 15 and 8 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 between 7 and 4 days prior to its scheduled start we will charge 85% of the full cost of the trip and we will refund the remaining 15%.
– 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.
(*) Please note that partial cancellations won’t result in partial refunds. This applies to the group size and to the duration, services and activities included in the trip.
(**) Genuine Andalusia strongly recommends buying travel insurance for any international trip. Most of our guests purchase their travel insurance packages from MedJet.
