Payment of bespoke trip to Spain | 4th – 13th of October 2023 | 2 pax
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Description and schedule of services
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4th of October: arrival of your flight to Madrid airport and rest of the day at leisure to recover from your flight
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6am (exact time and flight number TBC): upon arrival of your flight to Madrid airport, collect your luggage and walk to the arrivals hall. Your personal driver will be waiting for you there holding a sign saying “Susan Sullenberg – Genuine Andalusia”. Then be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to your hotel in Madrid.
7:15am (estimated): arrival to your hotel in Madrid and rest of the day at leisure to recover from your flight. We will give you recommendations of public gardens and parks to visit, of things to do and see in the city and of places to eat too. We will also ask your hotel to have your room ready as soon as possible so you can do an early check-in.
Overnight in Madrid: preferential room with balcony and breakfast included at Gran Hotel Inglés (5*)
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5th of October: morning discovery journey of Madrid medieval quarters followed by a visit to the Prado Art Museum
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9:30am: meet your personal guide at your hotel to go on an introductory tour of Madrid old town and the Prado Museum.
Your tour will take you through the oldest quarters of the Spanish capital in order for you to understand where Madrid has its roots and from where it has evolved until becoming the vibrant and cosmopolitan capital it is today.
A first highlight of your walk will be the iconic Plaza Mayor where you will be explained about the important historical events that have happened there over the past 400 years and their importance in the history of Madrid and of Spain. Another highlight will be learning about the history of the Spanish monarchy while you stroll along the grand façades of the Royal Palace, to later enjoy a panoramic view of its gardens and of the nearby opera house.
11:30am: after this introduction to the Spanish capital, take a taxi with your guide to the Prado Museum. There your guide will take you on a private tour that will allow you to travel through Spanish history of art while you enjoy the remarkable works of Spanish master painters such as Velazquez, Goya and El Greco amongst others. This will allow you to understand how different historical periods shaped the artistic creation at each time and how much of Spain’s culture and sentiment is expressed in the works of its main artists.
1:30pm: after your tour of Madrid, enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight in Madrid: preferential room with balcony and breakfast included at Gran Hotel Inglés (5*)
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6th of October: morning high-speed train from Madrid to Seville and private transfer from Seville to Zahara de los Atunes
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9:10am: meet your personal driver at your accommodation and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to Madrid train station.
9:30am: arrival to Madrid train station on time to take your high-speed train to Seville.
10:10am: departure of your high-speed train from Madrid to Seville. 1st class seats.
1:05pm: upon arrival to Seville train station, collect your luggage, walk to the arrivals hall and meet your personal driver there. He will be holding a sign saying “Susan Sullenberg – Genuine Andalusia”. Then be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to your hotel in Zahara de los Atunes.
3:10pm (estimated): arrival to your hotel in Zahara de los Atunes and rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight in Zahara de los Atunes: Q Hotels-Hotel TUI BLUE Zahara Beach (own arrangements).
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7th of October: day at leisure in Zahara de los Atunes
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All day: enjoy all your day at leisure in Zahara de los Atunes.
Overnight in Zahara de los Atunes: Q Hotels-Hotel TUI BLUE Zahara Beach (own arrangements).
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8th of October: from Zahara de los Atunes to Jerez via Vejer de la Frontera, Cadiz and El Puerto de Santa María.
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9:30am: meet your local host at your accommodation in Zahara de los atunes and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle with a dedicated driver to the nearby whitewashed hilltop town of Vejer de la Frontera. Along the way your personal local host will give you some background information about the geography, landscape, economy and overall character of Southernmost Continental Spain.
10am: arrival to Vejer de la Frontera and private walking tour of the old town with a special focus on its Hispanic – Muslim urban planning and traditional constructions, on its Christian monumental buildings, on its traditions and on its impressive viewpoints. Understanding of what life on the frontier between the Christian Kingdom of Castilla and the Muslim Kingdom of Granada was like in the 14th and 15th centuries. In Vejer you will also be explained about its present chic-bohemian halo and about some particular gardening customs that are still in full swing thanks to the participation of the local community.
11:30am: reconnect with your driver and be transferred to the city of Cadiz.
12:15pm: upon arrival to Cadiz, you will first be taken on a panoramic tour of the perimeter of the city in order to understand its particular geography and to learn about its colonial defensive architecture.
After your panoramic tour, you will start a private walking tour of the old town with a special focus on the foundation of the city by Phoenicians 3000 years ago and on the period when it held the monopoly of all trade with America, formerly established in Seville.
You will start this tour seeing incredibly well preserved evidence of the Phoenician past of the city. This will allow you to understand who the Phoenicians were, where they came from, why they based themselves in Cadiz 3000 years ago and the impact that their arrival had in the present history, culture, gastronomy and wines of Southern Spain.
1:15pm: after this introduction to the city, enjoy a tapas lunch in a selected tapas bar of Cadiz old town.
2:30pm: after lunch, you will travel forward in time to the 18th century, when the city held the monopoly of all trade with the Americas, formerly established in Seville. The bourgeoisie that settled down in Cádiz in this period transformed the city completely into a refined and cosmopolitan colonial hub. These new inhabitants of the city erected some impressive colonial mansions and some beautiful public parks and gardens. They also brought to Cádiz gold, silver, mahogany and other precious materials as well as new ideas that transformed the mentality of the city and later of the whole of Spain.
Along this second part of the tour you will visit some selected buildings and gardens that will reveal the wealth, refinement and change of mentality that the city enjoyed in this colonial period.
3:45pm: after your visit to Cadiz embark a small ferry boat that will take you across the bay of Cadiz to the town of El Puerto de Santa María.
4:30pm: upon arrival to El Puerto de Santa María, enjoy a private walking tour of the old town with a special focus on the impact that the Sherry industry had in its architecture, urban planning, economy and overall character. You will see some impressive sherry wineries as well as the city’s most prominent landmark: its Hispanic-Muslim castle, owned today actually by a sherry company.
5:45pm: after your tour of el Puerto de Santa María, be transferred to your hotel in Jerez.
6:10pm: arrival to your hotel in Jerez and end of services for the day. We will give you recommendations of things to do and see in Jerez during your free time and we will also recommend places to eat. Tables will be booked for you if you wish.
Overnight in Jerez: Deluxe room with breakfast included in Hotel Casa Palacio María Luisa (5*)
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9th of October: discovery journey of Jerez with an immersion into its food and wine scene.
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9:30am: meet your personal sherry host at your accommodation in Jerez to start a private walking tour of the old town aimed at learning about its Hispanic-Muslim origins and about the transformations that it experienced (architecture, urban planning, social composition and overall character) in the 13th century first with the Christian conquest and later in the 18th and 19th centuries, when the local wines became probably the most fashionable drinks in the world.
10:30am: end of your walking tour in a selected sherry bodega and private tour with the owner aimed at learning about the aging process of the different types of sherry. This will be followed by the corresponding tastings.
11:45am: end of the visit to the sherry bodega and taxi ride to a selected vineyard in the countryside outside Jerez.
12:15pm: arrival to the vineyard, meeting with the owner and tour around the vines with him, aimed at having an introduction to sherry viticulture. Understanding of the particularities of the soil, of the climate, of the vines and of the grapes that make sherry so unique.
1pm: end of the walk in the private bodega of the owner, where he makes and ages Sherry only for him and his family. Tasting of his artisanal sherries accompanied by a selection of tapas.
1:45pm: homemade lunch (starters, mains and dessert) in the vineyard house of the owner cooked on site by his wife and accompanied by the corresponding sherries.
3:15pm: end of lunch and farewell sherry cocktail.
3:45pm: taxi ride back to your hotel in Jerez.
4:15pm: arrival to your hotel in Jerez and end of services for the day.
Overnight in Jerez: Deluxe room with breakfast included in Hotel Casa Palacio María Luisa (5*)
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10th of October: from Jerez to Seville and introductory flamenco and tapas tour of Seville
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10:45am: meet your personal driver at your hotel in Jerez and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to your hotel in Seville.
12pm: upon arrival to your accommodation in Seville, enjoy some free time to check-in (subject to your room being ready), to have lunch and to relax before your introductory flamenco and tapas tour in the evening. We will give you recommendations of public gardens and parks to visit, of things to do and see in the city and of places to eat too. We will also ask your hotel to have your room ready as soon as possible so you can do an early check-in.
6:30pm: meet your personal local host by the reception desk of your hotel to start a guided walk towards a selected flamenco venue in Seville old town.
This introductory walk is aimed at learning how flamenco music emerged from 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).
7:30pm: start of the flamenco performance.
8:30pm: after your flamenco performance, enjoy a tapas tasting tour through Seville old town. Your tour will take you to 2 – 3 selected tapas bars where the 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 make an excellent opportunity to learn about Southern Spanish gastronomy and wines, about the connection of different foods to different festivities, regions and specific periods of history and also about the dynamics of tapas bars in Southern Spain.
10:30pm: after your tapas and wines adventure, be escorted back to your hotel stopping along the way for a sweet local treat.
11pm: arrival to your hotel and end of services for the day.
Overnight in Seville: deluxe double room with breakfast included at Hotel Don Ramón (5*)
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11th of October: morning walking tour of Seville World Heritage Sites: the Alcazar or Moorish Castle, the Cathedral and the medieval Jewish quarter
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9:30: 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 medieval Jewish quarter.
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 the tour you will visit the quarter of Santa Cruz, with its countless quaint corners, narrow streets, cozy 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.
1:30pm: end of your tour and rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight in Seville: deluxe double room with breakfast included at Hotel Don Ramón (5*)
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12th of October: from Seville to Madrid via Córdoba for a private walking tour of the city and lunch there.
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8:30am: meet your personal driver at your hotel in Seville and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to Córdoba old town.
10:10am: upon arrival to Córdoba be met by your personal local host to go on a 3’5h 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, the Chapel of Saint Bartholomew 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.
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.
The Alcazar of the Christian Monarchs will be your last stop. This 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 at the impressive Roman Bridge of the city and free time for lunch at leisure and to maybe do some further self-guided exploration of the city before your high-speed train ride from Córdoba to Madrid.
4pm: reconnect with your driver at a previously agreed meeting point and be transferred to Córdoba train station.
4:15pm: arrival to Córdoba train station on time to take your high-speed train to Madrid at 5:19pm.
4:47pm: departure of your high-speed train from Córdoba to Madrid.
6:50pm: upon arrival to Madrid train station, collect your luggage, walk to the arrivals hall and meet your personal driver there. He will be holding a sign saying “Gina Sullenberg – Genuine Andalusia”. Then be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to your hotel near Madrid airport.
7:30pm: arrival to your hotel near Madrid airport and end of services for the day.
Overnight near Madrid arirport: premium guest room 1 king with breakfast included at hotel Marriott Auditorium (4*)
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13th of October: departure from Madrid
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8am: ask your hotel to book a taxi for you and be transferred by taxi to Madrid airport.
8:15 (estimated): arrival to Madrid airport on time to take your flight at 11am.
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Pricing
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The cost of this bespoke trip for a private party of 2 pax is 8975 Euros
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This price includes
– 7 nights’ accommodation with breakfast included (Madrid, Jerez, Sevilla and Madrid airport) as per mentioned above.
– All private transportation services mentioned above in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle with a personal driver.
– All private tours and travel experiences mentioned above with a knowledgeable, personable, kind, flexible and interactive fully licensed guide.
– All entrance tickets and admissions for all your guided tours.
– High-speed train tickets (1st class seats) to travel from Madrid to Seville on the 6th of October and from Córdoba to Madrid on the 12th.
– A tapas and wines lunch in Cadiz old town including a selection of 5 – 7 dishes to share and up to 3 drinks per person (wine, beer, refreshments, water).
– Ferry boat tickets to travel from Cadiz to El Puerto de Santa María.
– Private visit to a selected sherry bodega in Jerez old town including the corresponding sherry tastings there.
– Private visit to a selected sherry vineyard in the country with tastings of the sherries that the owner makes only for him and his family and accompanied by a selection of tapas.
– Homemade country lunch in the vineyard including starters, mains, desserts, sherry and a farewell sherry cocktail.
– Taxi rides to get from Jerez old town to the vineyard and from the vineyard back to your hotel in Jerez.
– Admission to a selected flamenco performance in Seville with 4 people onstage (2 dancers, 1 singer and 1 guitarist).
– A tapas and wines dinner in Seville including a selection of 6 – 9 dishes to share and up to 4 drinks per person (wine, beer, refreshments, water).
– 24h guardian angel service throughout your trip.
– A list of recommended things to do and see and of places to eat during your free time in each of the places you will visit.
– All taxes.
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This price excludes
– Your international flights
– Any meals not mentioned right above
– Your accommodation in Zahara de los Atunes
– Taxi ride to get from your hotel near Madrid airport to Madrid airport
– Anything else not mentioned right above
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Confirmation and payments
In order to confirm this trip at this price we require a 30% deposit of the grand total via credit/debit card no later than the 3rd of August 2023 at 11:59pm (Madrid time). 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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Grand total of this bespoke trip: 8975 Euros
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30% deposit needed no later than the 3rd of August 2023 to confirm the trip: 2692,5 Euros
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Final 70% needed no later than 30 days prior to the start of the trip: 6282,5 Euros
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Cancellation policy
– If you cancel your trip more than 30 days prior to its scheduled start, we will charge the 30% deposit only.
– If you cancel your trip between 30 and 15 days prior to its scheduled start, we will change 50% of the full cost of the trip and we will refund the other 50%.
– If you cancel your trip between 14 and 4 days prior to its scheduled start, we will charge 70% of the full cost of the trip and we will refund the 30%.
– 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 the duration / activities of the trip.
(**) Genuine Andalusia strongly recommends purchasing travel insurance for any international trip. Most of our US guests buy their travel insurance from Medjet.
(***) If Spain closes its borders due to a national or global emergency and you are not able to enter the country because of this, we will give you a full refund.
