Spain: Returning to our roots with you September 21st - October 4th - Your Custom Travels
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2 Presents: SPAIN: Returning to our roots with you September 21st - October 4th, 2021 Your Trip Includes: Madrid, Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, Santander, San Sebastian and Barcelona * 14 days & 13 nights * Air between Madrid and Coruña * Train between Zaragoza and Barcelona * Ground transportation within and between cities as required * All accommodations in Luxury Boutique hotels * Entrance fees when applicable. * All gratuities are included. * Experienced tour guides (English, Spanish, Portuguese and French speaking are available). * Included meals: Breakfast each morning, all lunches, and all dinners * (5 Michelin Stars, 11 Michelin Guide, and The oldest restaurant in the world) * Alcoholic drinks will be specified. (At least 1 each lunch and 2 each dinner included) Please advise us about any dietary restrictions or food allergies. Not Included: * Baggage fees are common upon check-in at the airport. These fees are the responsibility of the passenger. * Airport transfer from Madrid airport to our first hotel. * Fees for theatrical or live performances outside of our tour itinerary are the responsibility of the passenger. * Travel insurance is recommended for all travelers, in the event that they have need to cancel. * Items in Mini-Bar are at the expense of the customer. * International airfare from originating city to Madrid, Spain. And return airfare from Barcelona to home.
3 Day 1/2 Arriving early morning MADRID - 9-21/22-2021 Tuesday/Wednesday Hola and happy arrival to Madrid! The capital of Spain is a city that shines due to its culture and fullness of life. Its prominence dating back to the 14th century as the seat of the Spanish Crown makes Madrid a wonderfully historic destination. The next two evenings will be spent in this stately renaissance masterpiece city. Our hotel is conveniently located in the Plaza de España steps away from the Gran Via and a short walk to the Royal Palace of Madrid. Housed within the Torre de Madrid, what was once the tallest concrete building in the world, is a microcosm of the city itself with its classic style and modern construction. (This is where the group will meet for the first time) We begin our journey with a half day walking tour of the city and palace broken up with an excellent first lunch at one of the most popular and traditional restaurants in the trendiest neighborhood in town. Once we finish our walking tour we will enjoy welcome cocktails and tapas at Mercado San Miguel or San Anton, before finishing our first evening with a lovely meal in the chic and polka-dotted interior that accompanies the best Sangria in town! We will begin our second morning with breakfast at our hotel. Followed by a walking tour of the Bourbon district, the home of enlightenment thought and architecture in Madrid. Within this district we find two of the top 15 most visited and well respected art museums in the world- the Prado museum as well as the Reina Sofia art museum. We will visit both before adjourning to the world’s oldest restaurant and the specialty of suckling pig so delicious that Ernest Hemingway had to write about it twice in both “The Sun Also Rises” and “Death in the Afternoon”. After we stroll, shop or relax for the remainder of the afternoon, we will work up our appetites for our first Michelin star experience- and ensure we are prepared as this one is eleven courses!
4 Day 3/4 GALICIA - 9-23/24-2021 Thursday/Friday Breakfast is included at our hotel. Though we start the morning in Madrid, we will take an early flight to Coruña, the former capital of Galicia and a city which has been conquered by many nations, shortly after breakfast. Once referred to as the end of the world by the Romans, Galicia is the north-westernmost community of Spain. Covered in attractive flora and fauna, wide rocky estuaries that resemble Fjords, and a rich tradition of Spanish-Celtic folklore. We will take a panoramic tour of Coruña to see the main sites, including the only working Roman Lighthouse in the world, the Tower of Hercules. Once we get hungry we will enjoy lunch at the highest rated Michelin guide restaurant in the city to try local specialties.
6 Leaving Coruña we will drive to our home for the next two nights, UNESCO world Heritage city and the culmination point of the Camino pilgrimage, Santiago de Compostela. Our Hotel is located in the historical center of the Galician capital just a short walk from the Cathedral. After we settle in and walk the town for a bit, we will enjoy a truly unique dining experience at the rural cottage of a couple who will prepare and serve an authentic meal for us from their heart. The next morning we will awaken with breakfast at our hotel before taking a more formal walking tour of Santiago. We will learn more about this deeply spiritual city before setting out to enjoy the southern region of Galicia. Rias Baixas is also known as Albariño country for the creation and prominence of this crisp light wine at over 20,000 vineyards in the area. Our day will be filled with a tour of a wine cellar, a visit to a traditional village, stopping for photos at a beautiful island and enjoying the wine and a lunch of locally caught fish and seafood. We will accomplish all this in Rias Baixas before returning to Santiago de Compostela in the afternoon to relax and again enjoy the town. We will finish our day with a farm to table style fresh meal in the greenhouse of a 400 year old musician’s home which has been converted by two prominent local chefs into a specialized experience.
7 Day 5 ASTURIAS - 9-25-2021 Saturday Breakfast is included at our hotel. We will leave Santiago de Compostela and Galicia behind today as we begin to traverse the Northern Spanish coast beginning in the Principality of Asturias. A wild region known for its beautiful coastline and jagged mountains which cover 80% of the area, many of which are Karst limestone like the Mogotes in Viñales. Our first stop in Asturias will be the pristine port town of Luarca, known for the contrast between its white houses and colorful fishing boats which dot the bay. In Luarca we will visit several sites like the Cliffside church and cemetery, and the Jardines de la Fonte Baxa botanical gardens before visiting the port for some coffee or cider seaside. Leaving Luarca we will next stop in Cudillero. Arguably Spain’s most beautiful seaside town and very reminiscent of Italy’s Amalfi coast, Cudillero’s kaleidoscope of colors will impress as we casually explore the towns sites. After visiting the Cabo Vidio lighthouse, we will have a hearty traditional lunch and wander the town until we decide to head towards our hotel outside of Oviedo. The castle town of Oviedo is located between the Bay of Biscay and Cantabrian Mountains. Known for its medieval old town, the capital of Asturias is filled with history and culture. Our hotel fits this aesthetic well as it is among the 25 best luxury hotels in Spain, and is housed in an emblematic palace from the early 20th century in the beautiful heart of the Asturian countryside. Our castle stay will not be complete without a grand multi-course feast and free evening to enjoy the grounds as we choose.
8 Day 6 ASTURIAS - 9-26-2021 Sunday Breakfast is included at our hotel. While we passed through Oviedo in the evening on the way to our hotel, we will explore the city more thoroughly this morning after breakfast with a walking tour. We will explore the famous Oviedo cathedral, traditionally maintained old town, and two UNESCO heritage churches Santa María del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo. In between sites we will visit a traditional Sidrería or two as Oviedo is Spain’s cider capital. After a few drinks we can stroll through the lush Campo de San Francisco amongst the peacocks before enjoying a modern twist on the traditional Sidrería with a heavy emphasis on the gastronomic element to pair with the beloved beverage. From Oviedo we will depart to Cofiño, one of the most remote of the 17 parishes in the region. While the stay here is short, the landscape in this region along with the service at this special boutique property will become lifetime memories. Our Hotel is located between the mountain valley and the Cantabric Sea, sharing spectacular views of the Picos de Europa National Park and is honored to have been voted the second best hotel in Spain last year by Tripadvisor. The rooms are renovated traditional farmhouses owned by a local noble and cover more than half of the tiny village. Complete with an infinity pool and all modern amenities, we will be comfortably transported to the past in comfort and style. For dinner tonight we will enjoy our second Michelin starred restaurant, with a special twist on traditional Asturian cuisine, the 15 courses will surprise you with their creativity and special touches which take the endemic cuisine to new levels.
10 Day 7 ASTURIAS-CANTABRIA-SANTILLANA DEL MAR – 9-27-2021 Monday This morning we will start with a farm-to-table style slow breakfast prepared by the chef of our hotel. This meal changes frequently so we will enjoy seasonal local produce grown on site for a breakfast to rival our Michelin starred dinners. Once we complete our meal and say goodbye to our farmhouses, we will travel to the eastern edge of the Asturias region to the coastal towns of Llanes and Colombres. We will explore caves, geysers and other beautiful natural environments amongst the seaside cliffs. From there we will see some local art in the port as Los Cubos de la Memoria depict scenes of the town’s history in colorful fashion. To continue our historical study, we will tour the emigration museum at Colombres’ Archivo de Indianos. Housed in a colonial mansion from 1906, the airy structure is painted to evoke the blues and green hues of the ocean the people of Asturias crossed to colonize the Caribbean islands and Latin America.
11 Leaving Asturias we will cross into Cantabria and visit an old village of cultural designation, San Vicente de la Barquera, which enjoys both the coast and snowcapped mountains on its borders. Fortified walls and a four hundred year old bridge restrict access to a local specialty of lobster and rice not unlike Paella Valenciana. This dish is also the main offer at our lunch restaurant though a variety of very fresh simple and elegant food is available. Leaving San Vicente we will pass through Comillas to see our first of Antoni Gaudí’s works. El Capricho de Gaudí is one of the few buildings the young man designed outside of Catalonia and offers a colorful Moorish inspired version of the artist’s classic style. As a long day of driving comes to an end, we will arrive in quant Santillana del Mar, while small in size, the town is respected due to its renaissance palaces and historical-artistic influence on the region. Our Hotel itself is even filled with amazing history dating back to the 15th century. Once the home of the original Marquess of Santillana, one of the most prominent poets and politicians of his era, today this five star retreat has been fully restored to its original glory. We’ll walk into town for a dinner that changes pace a bit as the open grill kitchen offers a variety of local meats like lamb, venison, and primitive cattle breeds. Tradition is everything tonight.
12 Day 8/9 SANTANDER-BILBAO-SAN SEBASTIAN - 9-28/29-2021 Tuesday/Wednesday Breakfast is included at our hotel before we depart for Santander. The day will be spent between three important Cantabrian and Basque cities. We will start with Santander the capital city of the Cantabria region and a prominent port since ancient times. We will visit the emblematic Royal Summer residence, the Palace of la Magdalena. We will also tour the Centro Botín art gallery and Cabo Mayor Lighthouse. From Santander we will drive to Bilbao, capital of Basque country and the largest city in northern Spain. We will tour Frank Gehry’s master architectural design of the Guggenheim Museum before visiting the pedestrian old town to see examples of gothic, art deco, contemporary, and art nouveau styles all in one place. Lunch will be served in a beautiful modern open kitchen where we will see several chefs’ artistry as they prepare our tasting meal in front of us. The restaurant itself also boasts a traditional Iberian ham bar unchanged from 1927 to highlight the duality of Bilbao as a whole.
13 Once we finish our meal, we will continue to our home for the next two nights, San Sebastian. Located in the mountainous Basque County, San Sebastian is a coveted resort town on the Bay of Biscay. Our two evenings in this region will include beach time, walking the cobblestoned streets and enjoying vibrant pintxo bars with local wines of course! For dinner tonight we will enjoy the artistry of presentation and culinary mastery for which San Sebastian is so well known. Bright, fresh and elaborate are three excellent adjectives to describe our first meal in this culinary mecca. With Mansion right in the name, our hotel is a stately nineteenth century villa with perfectly manicured grounds and historical heritage status that has been fully renovated and is waiting to spoil its guest’s just steps from the center of town. We will stay here for two nights as we enjoy one of the world’s greatest culinary cities. We begin our first morning in San Sebastian with breakfast at the hotel followed by a walking tour of “La Parte Vieja”, San Sebastian’s historic old town. We will duck into narrow pedestrian alleyways and many varieties of shops as we enjoy the beautiful colonial and baroque architecture. We can also take the funicular to the top of Monte Igueldo to see the city as a whole from above.
14 For lunch we will visit our third Michelin starred restaurant, the newest creation by Spain’s top chef Martín Berasategui, who holds thirteen stars in total. During his illustrious career San Sebastian began without a single star to now having the second densest concentration of Michelin stars in the world. This afternoon we will have time to visit la concha beach and relax if we choose, or we can take a short boat ride to Santa Clara Island to take advantage of the clear waters and sheltered beaches it offers. We will have plenty of time to enjoy our afternoon in town or at the hotel as we choose. Dinner this evening will be a very intimate experience as the restaurant has fewer than seven tables, which is also roughly the number of courses we’ll enjoy at this elegant gem. As a final sweet surprise we can enjoy the sixty year old recipe for world famous cheesecake at La Viña- its lightly burnt top and custard like texture will stand out as unlike any cheesecake you’ve had before.
15 Day 10/11 SAN SEBASTIAN - ABLITAS 9-30/10-1-2021 Thursday/Friday Breakfast is included at our hotel. We will enjoy our last morning in San Sebastian slowly as we visit any last sites or just take a longer breakfast before heading south towards Navarra. En route we will enjoy a creative lunch with a variety of fun and diversely prepared dishes. We have time to enjoy the journey before arriving into the region where we will soon settle. Nestled between the Pyrenees Mountains and France to the north and east, Navarra as a whole and particularly the small gothic town of Tudela enjoys fertile soil due to the Ebro River that runs through it. Our hotel, surrounded by vineyards and olive trees in typical French style will be our home for the next two evenings, a place that certainly puts the local minerals to good use. This impressive landscape is one that will fascinate those that enjoy the world of wine.
16 Our first night will allow us to settle comfortably into the bodega lifestyle as we will enjoy a wine pairing dinner presenting the special flavors grown on site in both the food and beverage. We will continue to enjoy the comfortable ambiance as we enjoy breakfast on site the next morning and relax on the perfectly manicured grounds or enjoy the pool. We can choose to go into nearby Tudela for an elaborate lunch or allow the hotel chef to create a different specialty food tasting for us today. (We will either have lunch or dinner in town, as we choose) We will tour the grounds and the inner workings of the vineyard and will enjoy another extensive taste of the house blends. Taking the day we see fit, we can spend as much of the day on site as we wish or visit the nearby towns or even slightly more distant Pamplona.
17 Day 12 ZARAGOZA FAREWELL (departure to airport/train) 10-2-2021 Saturday On our final day, breakfast is included at our hotel amongst the grapevines. This morning we will enjoy the vineyard for the last time before a quick ride to Zaragoza and a short panoramic tour. Unfortunately this will be our final activity as a complete group together for the main tour. We will say our goodbyes as some of the group departs towards home from Zaragoza. Those who choose to do the extension will continue on with us to Barcelona by train as it is only a two hour ride. The above delineated tour is USD $6,400.00 per person Single Supplement – Contact us for additional fee information $1,500 per person deposit required to secure your space, final payment is due 90 days prior to departure. (This deposit is not refundable)
18 BARCELONA EXTENSION
19 Day 12 Continued/ Day 13 ZARAGOZA FAREWELL – BARCELONA 10-2/3-2021 Saturday/Sunday Barcelona the capital of the Catalonia region and second largest city of the country is a unique architectural wonder with many famous artists calling the city home. From Gaudi, Salvador Dali, Picasso and Joan Miró, to the lively contemporary street performers and unique tapas bars this city only offers colorful surreal experiences. Our Hotel located in the hub of the city is only 200 meters from the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia, with the city’s most iconic landmark rising large in the view of our rooftop courtyard- it doesn’t get any better than that! We will begin our day in Barcelona with arguably the best Catalonian tapas in the city as we dive into the local fresh cuisine that further cements Barcelona as a global icon. We will tour the impressive Sagrada Familia and a portion of the city today, though we will leave time in the afternoon to shop on La Rambla and stop for a few treats along the way.
20 Once we have a craving for something sweet, we can try a special ice cream experience crafted by Jordi Roca, the desert chef of a three Michelin starred restaurant that has been awarded top 3 restaurant in the world status for the last eight years. Following our shopping time we will continue to explore the city or relax at our hotel before a late dinner at a restaurant as eclectic as Barcelona. From burratta cheese topped with roasted pears, to spicy fried chicken Bao buns and prawn omelets, you will definitely find something to surprise you as you sit back and sip wine on the golden sofas. Our final day of the tour will begin as usual with breakfast at our hotel. This morning we will tour the gothic quarter of the city and the Barcelona Cathedral. We will see many of Gaudi’s architectural works in Park Güell, as well as throughout the city as a whole. We will tour Casa Batlló and Casa
21 Milà. We will also visit the Jewish quarter and several other important sites before and after we break for lunch. For lunch we will enjoy a rainbow of colors and flavors at this modern bohemian twist of a Catalonian tapas bar. We can experience a variety of flavors but will aim for a slightly lighter meal than the usual to allow space for our final dinner event. Between meals we will continue to take in the colors, sights and sounds of the city as we finish any shopping and touring before returning to the hotel to change for the evening. Tonight for our final celebration we will delight in a meal of a level few people have the privilege to experience. We will enjoy our final wine pairing tasting dinner at the two Michelin starred restaurant where Spain’s youngest chef to receive stars, Jordi Cruz (5 Stars currently), earned his fame. This meal will be an excellent end and a proper farewell for our journey.
22 Day 14 DEPARTURE TO USA - 10-4-2021 Monday Breakfast is included at our hotel on our final morning before we prepare for the airport. Airport transport is included and will be accounted for based on each person’s departure time. The above delineated extension is USD $1,550.00 per person Single Supplement – Contact us for additional fee information $1,500 per person deposit required to secure your space, final payment is due 90 days prior to departure. (This deposit is not refundable)
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