Travel Review: Luxury Vacation in Spain, Morocco & Portugal, Barcelona, Madrid, Marrakech, Porto, Lisbon, Fez, Tapas Tour

What an extraordinary experience our Spain, Portugal, and Morocco adventure was that was so well engineered by this travel company. It was, by far, the best vacation my wife and I have ever had.

I had been planning this trip for many months before contacting Zicasso. We are experienced independent travelers and the plan was to do this trip ourselves. Over time, it became evident that covering three countries over the course of three-plus weeks would logistically be a challenge. It would not have been a vacation for me to manage our itinerary with so many pieces to track.

Our travel  company exceeded all our expectations with choices of highest-quality, boutique-like hotels and riads, extraordinarily prepared local guides, and travel components that made everything fit together resulting in a dream-like vacation experience beyond any comparison. This company has forever changed the way I will take vacations in the future. Zicasso will be my first stop, and let me say, this travel company has set the bar very high in terms of future comparisons and expectations.

Every hotel and riad we stayed at was wonderful in terms of location, proximity to major sites, customer service, and overall amenities. Each was unique in some way, and it got to a point that, as we arrived in a new city, we looked forward with some excitement, as to what the new hotel would offer. I’m not sure we would replace any of the hotels selected for us, but if forced to pick favorites, the hotel in Barcelona and the Riad in Marrakech would be in the conversation.

+ Barcelona Hotel – Our first stop and it left a lasting impression. Outstanding breakfast spread, and outstanding customer service. Perhaps the best in terms of proximity to major sights, restaurants, public transportation, and shopping. We started our itinerary here with a very loud “Wow!” and we kept saying “Wow” day-after-day throughout the trip.

+ Riad in Marrakech – I don’t think I will ever forget the rooftop breakfasts we had overlooking Marrakech’s medina under bright, sunny, blue skies. It was magical… as if out of a movie. Our room was wonderful, and the front desk staff was exceptional. This was our first riad and we loved this place. The customer service stood out, as front desk staff arranged for us to have a full-day Moroccan cooking class at another riad, and also arranged camel rides for us.

Almost without exception, the local guides were treasures of information and were outstanding ambassadors representing the cities and towns, and the monuments and other attractions they were presenting. They were always on time, and had the flexibility to add or modify, at our request, the tour plan. They all had deep historical knowledge, and were clearly passionate about their work. It was as if we had university professors as local guides. All were great, but some were exceptionally great.

+ Tanger City Tour – Our guides, with our land cruiser driver, drove us out of town to Cap Spartel and the Caves of Hercules, and showed us where the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean came together. The tour was fun and memorable. We had perfect weather and the sights we saw were “knock-out” beautiful.

+ Porto City Tour – This was one of the few days it rained on our trip, and our guide, (who was also our driver from Lisbon to Porto), abandon the idea of a walking tour, and drove us out to the suburbs (Matosinhos and other), along the ocean, and showed us where the Douro River flows into the Atlantic Ocean. He also arranged for us, a port wine tour and made lunch reservations for us at Graham’s Port Winery. He put sunshine into a rainy day.

+ Madrid Tapas Tour – This evening was one of the most memorable times of our entire vacation. Our guide crafted an evening for my wife and I that we will never forget. The three of us immediately hit it off like old friends going out for a night of tapas and drinks. The first two places he took us to were off the tourist path, in local neighborhoods. We had tapas and drinks that we hadn’t had yet. Vermut for example! We had shrimp and grilled peppers, salmon with cheese… I can’t remember the Spanish names but they were all great… the whole night was special. 

In summary, the trip that our travel company put together was a vacation that my wife and I will always cherish. Thanks again to our agent and this company for putting all this together for us, and helping make a dream come alive.