Spain Luxury Travel Review: Andalucia, Granada, Cordoba, Jerez, Seville, Alhambra, Sierra de Grazalema Nature Park, Private Tours

There were so many but foremost were the visits to the Mosque Cathedral in Cordoba and the Alhambra Palace in Granada. We had private tours in each and our guides were excellent. Our sherry tasting day in Jerez combined a visit to a small in-town sherry bodega followed by a visit to a small family vineyard just outside of town where the owners gave us a tour of their small property and then shared a fabulous homemade lunch. Our guide and hosts were knowledgeable and most hospitable. A morning hike of the Salto del Cabrero trail in Sierra de Grazalema Nature Park with our naturalist was a pleasant change and an opportunity to appreciate this mountainous area.  We walked past the Payoya goats who provide milk for the local Payoyo cheese and learned about local flora and fauna. A highlight was watching scores of vultures fly in and out of their cliff-side cave nests. We finished with a picnic lunch, which was simple and excellent and included some of that the local cheese.  In Seville we had a wonderful guide who toured us through the Jewish Quarter and walked with us up the tower of the Cathedral of Seville—no steps, just ramps. Also, we had a fun bike tour in Seville on the first afternoon after our arrival, which was the perfect way to get an overview of the city and stay awake.  Finally, visiting Gibraltar was worthwhile. We got to see North Africa and to visit with the museum guide who explained Graham’s Cave, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to the last surviving Neanderthals in Europe.