As the title suggests, Jet Set Spain is a memorable journey featuring superb service and posh accommodations. It is also a unique experience where you will be touring the country with your private chauffeur and enjoying the personal services of private local guides in each city you visit. The carefully designed itinerary includes major tourist points such as Madrid and Marbella but also historic cities such as Toledo, Cordoba, Seville and Granada, and a journey back in time to the Spain of yesteryear in the heart of rural Andalusia. Come and enjoy our Marbella Tours.
DAY 1: Arrive in Madrid: Unfasten, unpack, unwind...
Upon arrival at the airport in Madrid, you will be greeted by our local crew and escorted to your hotel in the city. Join your personal guide for a fresh cup of coffee or tea and leisurely plan the days ahead before retiring to your room for some deserved rest. This afternoon we have arranged a soothing massage session so your body and mind can start tuning in to your restful holiday ahead. Dinner is a private affair. Your guide will share his favorite spots and let you delve into the culinary delights of this ancestral land. Overnight.
Your Exclusive Agenda includes:
- Airport transfers
- Meeting with your personal guide
- Soothing massage
- Accommodations for three nights in Madrid
DAYS 2/3: Madrid
Originally the enclave of an Arab fortress which spurred an ugly dispute with neighboring Christians, Madrid became (once the Christians took over the fortress) an unassuming, small town until a cunning king decided to move his Court from the intrigues of nearby Toledo and build Madrid as the capital of his vast empire. Unlike other Spanish cities, studded with Roman and Arab relics, Madrid stands out as one of Europe's most beautiful neoclassic cities, with its grand squares, broad boulevards, monumental fountains and graceful palaces. Beyond its architectural façade, Madrid is a feast for the senses, a melting pot of Spain's regional cuisines, a kaleidoscope of taverns, inviting cafes and posh restaurants, a never-ending entertainment affair and one of the world's cultural capitals thanks to its impressive museum collections. Lively, elegant, vibrant, glowing, and fashionable, its philosophy of life could be best summed up in the final words of Luis Candelas, Madrid's most famous bandit and ladies' man: "Be happy, my beloved city".
Your Exclusive Agenda includes:
- Breakfast at your hotel
- Your choice of:
A walking tour in the historic district
A rolling panoramic tour and visit to the Royal Palace OR
A private shopping tour
"Spice up Your Exclusive Journey" ideas in Madrid (at extra cost):
- Gastronomic experience: Cooking class with a private chef
- Walking tour at dusk (tapas included)
- Touring the museum of your choice with a private curator
- Watch a premier league soccer match with a true aficionado
- Let a fashion expert lead you on a unique shopping tour
- Private excursion of your choice: Segovia and La Granja or Avila and El Escorial
DAY 4: Toledo en route to Cordoba
While the rest of Europe languished during the Middle Ages, Cordoba thrived as the grandest city of the Western world. Paved roads, libraries, synagogues and mosques, Arab baths, and a world-renowned university made the city a haven for the greatest minds of the times. Jewish, Arabs and Christians lived in harmony forming a merging culture that can still be appreciated in the congeniality and conviviality of its inhabitants. Proud and steeped in tradition, Cordoba hides its true heart behind the deserved fame of the historic Jewish Quarter and the stunning Mosque. A closer look will reveal exuberant patios (arguably the most beautiful you have ever seen), inventive tapas, the Montilla wine (ordering sherry is considered heresy in Cordoba), aristocratic Cordobes hat shops, and a countryside filled with olive groves and fighting bulls. En route to Cordoba, stop at Toledo, the walled city that was once the capital of the Spanish empire and where scenes of that glorious past can still be seen and experienced.
Your Exclusive Agenda includes:
- Breakfast at your hotel
- Chauffeured-driven transfer from Madrid to Cordoba via Toledo
- Accommodations for one night in Cordoba
DAY 5: Cordoba - Seville
Morning visit of Cordoba including the resplendent Mosque, a captivating architectural treasure containing a 16th-century cathedral and the 14th-century palace gardens of the Catholic Monarchs, and the Jewish Quarter, a maze of winding, cobblestone alleys and lovely flowered patios. Then continue to Seville along olive orchards, small towns, and traditional ranches where famous Spanish bulls can be seen. If time permits you may stop at Carmona, a medieval city that is worth a stroll.
Your Exclusive Agenda includes:
- Breakfast at your hotel
- Cordoba private walking tour
- Chauffeured-driven transfer from Cordoba to Seville
- Accommodations for three nights in Seville
DAYS 6/7: Seville
A fertile land and favored climate have made Seville a preferred settlement for numerous civilizations, from Phoenicians to Romans to Arabs. In fact, the city boasts an impressive collection of Moorish architectural jewels and was the birthplace of two of ancient Rome emperors. But there is more to Seville than its expansive history and aesthetic treasures, something ethereal and magical that cannot be put into words, and that locals refer to as "embrujo" or spell. The city is bathed in a special light, carries a unique passion that is most faithfully represented in the arts, in the universal character of Don Juan or in the notes and spirited dances of flamenco. Locals are borne with an innate and legendary sense of humor, life is lived outdoors, in cafes and tapas bars and impromptu debates in squares and alleys, and any occasion, religious or mundane, is good enough for another fiesta. It is hard to come to Seville and not fall in love with it…we don't know anybody who hasn't.
Your Exclusive Agenda includes:
- Breakfast at your hotel
- Your choice of:
A walking tour
A rolling panoramic tour OR
A private shopping tour
- A tapas walking tour and flamenco show
"Spice up Your Exclusive Journey" ideas in Seville (at extra cost):
- The wines of Al Andalus: Sherry and "Paso" horses
- Join a group of spirited dancers and take your first steps on Flamenco
- Watch a premier league soccer match with a true aficionado
DAY 8: The Route of the White Villages
Suffused with light, color and gaiety, the so-called "Pueblos Blancos" are stark white specs dotting rugged mountainous areas or coastal plains. They are one of the last remaining strongholds of Spanish traditions, the bucolic Spain of yesteryear so cherished by those who visited the country in the 60s and 70s. At first glimpse they all look the same but they are all distinct, be it for the wrought iron of its balconies, the artistic arrangement of flowerpots, or the primitive irregularity of houses and chimneys and, still, they all speak of Andalucia's long-lasting Arab influence. We will revisit them, starting with charming Arcos de la Frontera and then winding through mountains roads until we arrive in seigniorial Ronda.
Your Exclusive Agenda includes:
- Breakfast at your hotel
- Chauffeured-driven excursion "Route of the White Villages" ending in Ronda
- Accommodations for one night in Ronda
DAY 9: Ronda to Granada
Ronda well deserves a few hours to learn about its tumultuous history and admire its palatial homes and spectacular bridge. Granada awaits a mere hour away. Your very unique plan for the afternoon includes a leisure stroll along the ancient Albayzin Quarter ending at a traditional Hamman Spa, where you will be pampered as royal caliphs did when they reigned over this ancestral land.
Your Exclusive Agenda includes:
- Breakfast at your hotel
- Chauffeured-driven transfer from Ronda to Granada
- Accommodations for two nights in Granada
- Walking tour and treatment at traditional Hamman Spa
DAYS 10: Granada
When King Boabdil lost Granada to the Catholic Monarchs, his hardhearted mother reportedly exclaimed: "Cry like a woman for that you could not defend as a man". Years later, King Charles V echoed her words when he declared: "I would rather take the Alhambra as my grave rather than live without my kingdom". Not in vain, Granada is Spain's most beautiful city, as magical and ethereal as a fairy tale. Seven hills at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains make for an incomparable setting, where Moorish-style villas with beautiful enclosed gardens line hills crowned by caves inhabited by gypsies. The Red Castle of the Moorish kings, the fabled Alhambra, seems to float over the city, stern and massive, a fortress that became a city. Inside, the rugged exterior gives way to a dreamlike scenery of courtyards, gurgling fountains, immaculate gardens, palaces, intricately wood inlaid ceilings, colorful ceramic tiles, magnificent honeycomb stuccowork, and stylized columns and arches, that combine to create a sensual atmosphere that has captivated one too many visitors, including American writer Washington Irving. Read his "Tales of the Alhambra" and then see it with your own eyes.
Your Exclusive Agenda includes:
- Breakfast at your hotel
- A private visit to the Alhambra castle and Generalife Gardens
"Spice up Your Exclusive Journey" ideas in Granada (at extra cost):
- Handcraft shopping at Albaicin and Alcaiceria districts
- Alpujarras full day
- Guadix cave-houses and Calahorra Castle
DAY 11-13: Marbella
As southern Spain's answer to St Tropez, Marbella has been attracting the rich and famous for several decades now. Puerto Banus, its laureate sports port, abounds with yachts from all over the world and movie stars, aristocrats, and oil tycoons are regular scenes in the famous promenade. Water sports, casinos, golf courses, clubs, design boutiques, and miles of sandy beaches provide ample entertainment for world class travelers. But Marbella is also a charming, traditional village where you can soak with scenes and scents of rural Andalusia. Take a stroll and explore back streets in the old part of town, or much better, visit lively Plaza de los Naranjos Square, and enjoy stately buildings, small shops, art galleries, bars and bistros. In the evenings, mingle with locals at unassuming tapas bars, enjoy the weather and views at an outside café, or hit Puerto Banus promenade for upscale shopping, dining, dancing, and gambling.
Your Exclusive Agenda includes:
- Breakfast at your hotel
- Chauffeured-driven transfer from Granada to Marbella
- Accommodations for three nights in Marbella
DAY 14: Return home, energized and wiser
Time to bid farewell to this ancestral land. Your guide will drive you to the airport in time for your return flight. We hope you have enjoyed your Exclusive Journey and look forward to hosting you again in the near future. Safe journeys...
Your Exclusive Agenda includes:
- Breakfast at your hotel
- Airport departure transfer
Included:
- All land transportation at the destination
- Lodging
- Breakfast daily
- Other meals per itinerary
- Private guide services except as indicated
- Excursions per itinerary
- Hotel taxes
- English-speaking assistance
Not Included
- International flights
- Domestic flights
- Airport departure taxes
- "Spice up" ideas
- Meals not specified in itinerary
- Incidentals at hotels
- Souvenirs
- Tips and gratuities
* Itineraries subject to change.