Spain Travel Review: History, Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, 10-Day Trip

It is now more than a week since Lillian and I returned from our wonderful trip to Spain. I wanted to tell you that the trip was fantastic and the responsiveness of your travel company throughout was amazing. If ever we had a question or needed some help, the team was always available. The WhatsApp group worked perfectly and I literally never had to wait more than five minutes to get a response. Let me discuss the different aspects of the trip.

First, the guides were uniformly excellent, some, of course, better than others. They were always on time and very knowledgeable of the subject matter, the places, and the history. We felt very comfortable with them and indeed felt so close to some of them that we invited them to visit us in Boston if they are ever in that part of the US. We maximized the touring opportunities and were able to get to just about everything that was on our list. They also shared some of their personal stories, which proved to be quite meaningful as we heard about their Jewish connections and their interest in the history of the Jews in Spain.

Second, the accommodations were very good. I would say the place we stayed at in Madrid was our least favorite. It was in a great location, but the room was very small and there were very few “surfaces” to put things down on. We were pleased that for breakfast, every hotel had gluten-free bread for us. All of the hotels did a good job on breakfast. The staff were very accommodating. The hotel room in Barcelona was a bit larger and more comfortable. The staff were also very accommodating. The last two hotels we stayed at were spectacular. The one in Seville was just so beautifully laid out and the room was so elegant and detail oriented. It’s too bad we were only there for one night. The other hotel was extraordinary. The location and room rivaled the previous hotel and the gardens were just incredible. Also, we were so close to the Alhambra. The views from the room and the lunch option outside on the terrace were just wonderful.

The drivers were excellent and always on time. They did a great job and we were never rushed getting to sites or taking our time there.

The development of the itinerary was a cooperative process and our agents were always available and willing to make changes if we expressed interest in doing something that was not planned (like having a walking tour in Barcelona on a Saturday afternoon).

The following are suggestions that could have improved the trip a bit. These are not meant to be criticisms. Rather, looking back, they might have been nice.

When we arrived in Madrid and went into our room for the first time, it would have been nice to have a welcome package waiting for us with some info on the area in which we were staying, the plans for the next day, and perhaps a bottle of wine. I had sort of expected something like that.

I think a guide for the Prado would have been useful. It was a little confusing finding our way around and a guide could have provided some commentary on the paintings there.

For us, it might have been useful to have a little background on the shops and stores worth visiting in Madrid and Barcelona, and make some time for that. (We didn’t ask for this, but now it seems it would have been useful.)

Since we have returned, we have continually sung the praises of the trip and the various features you provided. It was a trip in which there was no tension about finding places, getting to places, and moving from place to place. Everything was organized beautifully. In fact, a friend just told me that because of our recommendation, she has been in touch with Zicasso for a trip she and her husband are planning for September to Austria and Berlin.

Thanks again for all the work that was put in for this trip.