Ten Days in Spain: A Virtuoso Family Trip
In October/November of last year I had the privilege of being invited to attend the Valesa Cultural Services MTA Virtuoso Family Trip to Spain, having not travelled there for 30 years as a backpacker and Spain being one of my biggest sellers I was excited to see all that Spain has to offer and this trip didn’t disappoint.
This 9 night tour packed in visits to Barcelona, the Costa Brava, Valencia, Madrid, Marbella and Seville to name a few.
Day 1: Barcelona
We made our way to El Palace Hotel to meet our Valesa Representative, Consuela (Coco as she affectionately became know) and meet up with the other MTA Agents. This hotel was formerly a Ritz Hotel so had all the opulence and elegance you would expect from a 5 star property.
We had lunch at the nearby Tenorio Restaurant and then made our made to Parc Guell by bus and Gaudis La Pedrera. Our guides explained the Gaudi history and we learn’t so much about the man and his struggles to be accepted, he was clearly ahead of his time as an artist. We visited La Pedrera at night which is a beautiful time to witness the changing light and sculptures on the rooftop.
Dinner tonight was at Restaurant Maritim overlooking the old part of Barcelona.
Day 2: Costa Brava
Today we drove for 2 hours to Girona where we met our gastro-botanical expert Evarist March. The spent the morning picking mushrooms and then participated in a private coking class and then ate our lunch. From lunch we did a walking tour of Girona taking in the old town with incredible laneways and architecture. Dinner tonight involved a very quick change before Restaurant Monvinic. This hotel also hosts a contemporary wine centre and all meals are paired with their spectacular wines.
Day 3: Penedes Wine Country
Today we visited the incredible Torres Cellar in the Penedes wine country, which frankly was like no other wine cellar I have visited in Australia. Very high tech and professional. After our private wine tasting we had probably my favourite lunch of the trip at Club Torres at Mas Rabell. After this we went for a much needed walk around the seaside town of Sitges, before making our way to Simon Coll Chocolatier.
Once back at the hotel, it was a quick change before a spectacular dinner on the rooftop of the El Palace Hotel – The Wintergarden. Our hosts were very hospitable and welcoming and we had yet another beautiful dinner matched with fine wines.
Day 4: Barcelona > Valencia > Madrid
Today was a very early morning departure for the train to Valencia. We were met at the station and taken to the Westin Valencia, a contemporary 5* hotel located between the old and new sections of the city. We had a fantastic Paella lunch and then visited Valencia’s City of Arts and Science - definitely worth a visit.
After lunch, we were back on the train to Madrid. This was a fast train and in 1st class. We had a food and drink service included. On arriving in Madrid late this afternoon, we checked in to 5* Ritz Madrid, before meeting Fabio, Sales Manager, for a tour followed by dinner at the incredible Goya restaurant located in the hotel. This hotel is the definition of opulence with Chandeliers and marble adorning the lobby.
Day 5: Madrid
Today was a visit of Madrid’s sights including San Miguel Market in the old quarter, the Real Madrid Stadium, and Prado Museum. Lunch today was at Posada de la Villa, a great Castilian restaurant in the Old Quarter where we met up with Marcy the owner of Valesa Cultural. After lunch we were onto Retiro Park for a Segway tour. This is a must do - the park is beautiful and the Segway tour was a lot of fun. The gardens and lakes are also beautiful.
We then had drinks and tapas at Hospes Puerta de Alcala Hotel across the road from the park. A really good little hotel very well located and great rates.
Day 6: Madrid > Malaga > Marbella
An early start for our flight to Malaga then straight to the Pier to the Pompidou Centre on arrival for a tour before lunch at El Palmeral Restaurant on the waterfront. The tour of the old town of Malaga was one of my highlights of the trip, a really pretty little town with cute little lanes and flowers everywhere. Then onto the Picasso Museum and a walk to the outside of the Alcazaba (a restored Moorish fortification); before our bus trip to Marbella and arrival at the most amazing resort - 5* Puente Romano.
I was lucky enough to be in a 4 bedroom villa with our own private pool located off my bedroom window. The rate for this room is around EUR5000 per night. Novak Djokovic was staying in a nearby villa as the resort has its own full size tennis stadium! We also inspected the Marbella Beach Club, an equally impressive resort next door to Puente Romano. Dinner tonight was at the Marbella Beach Club hosted by a German Count and the Sales Manager of the hotel, Eduardo; mixing it with the rich and famous. The dinner and wines were beautiful and it was a very special night.
Day 8: Marbella > Ronda > Seville
On our way to Ronda this morning, we visited the Unesco protected reserve of Spanish bulls and horses at Reservatauro, hosted by bullfighter Rafael.
We then took a historical tour of Ronda. This is a very picturesque town set up high on the hill with great views of the countryside. Well worth a visit. Lunch was at the Parador hotel followed before making our way to an ecological wine cellar, Finca La Melonera, to see how they operated and did a short wine tasting there. It was on our way to Seville.
We then checked in to the 5* Alfonso XIII Hotel. This hotel was in a fantastic location right in the middle of all the action in the city. It did have a pool but this was being renovated, it also had a great rooftop bar and restaurant.
Day 9: Seville
Today was a walking tour of Seville taking in the Royal Palace and the Cathedral and another bullring as well as Barrio de Santa Cruz (the Old Jewish Quarter).
Another highlight of the trip was a trip to the Triana Market and a Paella Cooking class at Taller Andaluz de Cocina which was fantastic and very interactive. We were starving as we eventually ate lunch around 3pm! We then did a panoramic bus tour which incorporated the beautiful Plaza D’Espagna and then onto a fun Flamenco dance class prior to a professional performance at the Museo de Flamenco. Our last dinner was back at the Alfonso XIII a lovely way to finish our trip.
Day 10: Goodbyes
Sandy, Susie, Donna and I say our goodbyes to everyone at breakfast and we travelled by fast train to Cordoba for the day. Cordoba was an important Roman city and a major Islamic centre in the Middle Ages and is best known for La Mezquita, an immense mosque dating from 784 A.D., featuring a columned prayer hall and older Byzantine mosaics. That afternoon we travelled to Granada and stayed at the beautiful 5* boutique hotel, Hospes Palacio de los Patos, located in the new part of town but very accessible to restaurants, bars and shops.
The next day we visited La Alhambra, the magnificent palace and fortress complex located in Granada. I would thoroughly recommend a guided tour which you can only organise prior to arrival and you must book an entry time as numbers are limited to get into the complex. The Albaysin area is worth visiting as it retains the narrow winding cobblestone streets of its Medieval Moorish past and has amazing views of La Alhambra both during the day and night.
That afternoon, we took another bus back to Seville and stayed a night at the 4* Fontencruz Seville, a quaint little boutique hotel located right in the heart of the Santa Cruz district next to the Cathedral. The following day was spent walking around the streets of Seville and then we stumbled upon a fantastic 5* boutique hotel/bar called the Eme Hotel. It was across the road with uninterrupted views of the Cathedral which at night was spectacular when lit up. The hotel’s rooftop bar was very impressive as were the lobby bar and common areas.
All in all, I cannot recommend Spain enough, Valesa Cultural Services created an incredible immersive experience every stop of the way.