Immersive Food & Culture Tour of Barcelona

My wife and I returned home safely last night after such a memorable trip to Spain thanks  entirely to your absolutely perfect arrangement for the trip.

Thank you so very much indeed for your efforts. Although I was thinking to call you in Spain to express our gratitude, the six hour time difference between the US and Spain wasn't easy to find a right time to speak with you on the phone as we were either on a tour during the day or late return from dinner.

Now we are home and I am wide awake in this wee hour of this first morning home due to the seven hour hour differnce, and I haste to write you to say thank you.

Upon arrival at Barcelona airport the driver was waiting in the arrival hall and took us to hotel very courteously, and we found in the room all the hard copied plan of yours that gave us a well informed plan to start the tour with the names of guide and the times to meet. The guide was a very professional gentleman with a wealth of knowledge and we had a very pleasant tour with him. The restaurant was in the right next alley from hotel and food was good. The next evening,  the restaurant turned out to be very friendly with typical Italian/Catalonian dishes. My wife and I enjoyed their food very much.

On Tuesday it was very good suggestion of yours to take a train to Seville which made us to experience of witnessing the vast expanse of Spain with mostly orange groves. Upon arrival it wasn't any problem to go the Hall Principal with your clear instruction to follow to meet the waiting driver. The hotel was a very interesting place to stay with a labyrinth-like corridors to find your  room with many courtyards and for even one guest room. The evening was another memorable one. The guide was indeed a perfect lady with very friendly character let alone her professional knowledge of history of the town. The evening was one of the most impressive evenings with the Flamenco show she chose to take us. We only learnt that night that the flamenco was an art expressing our humanlife and the artists, singer, dancers and guitarist, were so explicitly expressing the agony or the happiness of human life from deep in heart. They made us feel the way they performed and we were so moved to tear or to be happy as they led us with their performance.

The wine and tapas that followed the show was, as you said not to worry about dinner, a some kind of expierence and we had our guide with us and he taught us about flamenco and rhythm of the music while having wine and tapas here and there.

On the fifth your guide was good showing us the planned tour of all the historical places. and in the afternoon we took a boat ride on the river and visited a bull fighting ring with great interest. Unfortunately we had to cancel the restaurant you reserved for us  which was the only one we  cancelled. Since we were to leave early the next morning for Granada I asked to call them to ask if we could have an early dinner than the reserved time of 9:30, but they said eventhough they open from 9:30 they would practically have customers coming  until around 10:30 and thus no way to have an earlier dinner. Thus we cancelled with regret. Other than that we went to all restaurants as reserved throughout the trip and found your suggestions of restaurants were all good as much as we wanted to experience local dishes of the areas.

As I am getting sleepy  now I like to shorten this trip report rather short.

All in all I was lucky to have had you for asking our trip arrangement and I like to thank you for materializing our trip very comfortable and perfect in every way we needed to have. And all your guides were very professional and good history teachers of Spain with such a long history as a country. And I like you to pass our thanks to those guides of yours on your next contacts with them.

Thank you and with very best personal regards,

Yun 

Our food and wine tour of Northern Spain was amazing. Everything was taken care of and we had an absolutely worry free adventure. The hotels were everything we hoped for and our guides were so wonderful, friendly and knowledgeable. In addition to great food and wine experiences, we learned so much about the Basque and Catalonia cultures.

Compared to trips we planned ourselves, this was so much better as our time was maximized and we saw the best sights with local inside knowledge. Compared with small group trips, it was better as our accommodations were truly first class and for about the same cost the trip was personalized just for us. Everyday was special.

Overall, we had a great adventure and left Spain with many great memories. 

I have rarely been moved to leave a review of any kind, but my experience with Zicasso's travel partner was so extraordinary that I'm excited to share some details. For about nine months, I worked with our tour operator to put together a 13-day itinerary in Spain, including Barcelona, Seville, Granada, Malaga, and Madrid. During planning, he was patient, informative, and always accommodating. For example, after the trip was planned and partially booked for five travelers, we added two more! Our travel agency was able to fix everything, so our mix of beautiful hotels, a stunning apartment in Seville, and a fabulous villa in Granada (everyone told us it's the nicest accommodation in the city) didn't have to change. A miracle!

Our group ranged in age from the 20s to the 60s, with a variety of interests and likes/dislikes. Our travel agent worked with me to include something for everyone, from Michelin-star restaurants (where he was able to get a reservation no one I know has ever been able to get) to a cooking class, an e-bike tour, a tapas tour in each city (a great way to explore and learn the local culture), tours of the big monuments and three vineyards (all fabulous), an authentic flamenco show, and skip-the-line tickets to a museum.

Since we were traveling over the Christmas holiday, our tour operator arranged to have cooks come in to make us breakfast on the mornings we didn't have breakfast included in a hotel stay, just in case we had a hard time finding something open. He anticipated all of our needs and provided things like directions to a grocery store, the best food markets and gelaterias in each city, and recommendations for rooftop bars. He and his team were also available during and after our trip. When one of our group wasn't feeling well, he arranged on-the-spot transportation back to our hotel and he is currently tracking down a retainer my son left in our last hotel. This is truly first-class customer service!

We had English-speaking drivers meet us at the airport and take us everywhere we needed to go, which eliminated the stress of finding, arranging, and waiting for transportation. This is priceless for anyone who has sat with bags at a train station or had to walk back to their hotel at night in a strange city.

So, to conclude, our agency arranged top-shelf accommodations and a wide range of activities and tours that were all with English-speaking guides and extremely well done. We were provided with extraordinary customer service before, during, and after our trip. I really can't say enough good things about them.

The trip was supposed to cover Spain, Portugal, and Morocco for our supposed honeymoon in May 2020, but COVID-19 hit and the plan had to be changed. Notes:

- In the introduction phase, I could tell that Samuel is a service-oriented person, by the way he acted quickly to schedule a call to discuss what our preferences are. He is warm, friendly, and efficient, and he will want to get to know a client well before giving recommendations.

- I also had a smooth time with the refund process. I was given options to defer the trip to 2021 or cancel; I chose the former in March but as things became even more uncertain, I ultimately canceled the trip in June 2020. The refund process was smooth, and Samuel responded very promptly and considerately, as usual.

My wife and I got married eventually, and we moved to France in 2021. In October 2021, we decided to continue with the trip but condensed it to 6 days and within Spain only. We got in touch with Samuel again to plan a trip for November 2021. Notes:

- We want to commend Samuel for putting together the trip on such short notice. We were impressed by such a level of expertise and connections. Further proof that our trip would be in good hands.

We went on a 6-day tour covering Barcelona, Madrid, and Seville. We were surprised at how pampered we were throughout the whole trip. And we want to commend Samuel, Paloma, and the team for curating such a unique experience for us. Notes:

- Samuel and Paloma are very, very detailed. Prior to the trip, we received reminders about the EU Digital COVID Certificate, a detailed itinerary, a restaurant and food guide, and a travel pack containing our train tickets and detailed instructions regarding transportation along every step of the journey.

- Barcelona: Our guide was very passionate about the architecture of the city, Gaudi's works, and the Sagrada Familia. We had a very informative tour of Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, and many others, and she gave tips about the Barcelona dining scene. Overall, it was a very pleasant, educational experience.

- Madrid: Another amazing experience for us. Our guide took us around the sights of the city, explaining its architecture in detail. We appreciated how she structured her tour of the Prado Museum and the old city, which gave us a deeper understanding of Spanish history and its national psyche. In the evening, we watched a flamenco show (part of the tour), which was also quite a unique experience. The next day, our guide took us on a gastronomical journey around Madrid, and all stops were fantastic. He introduced Madrid to us in such a warm manner, evoking their own memories and experiences as Madrilenos while having us experience such sumptuous food.

- Seville: The last leg, and yet no less wonderful. On the day of arrival, our guide took us on a tapas tour, and then some. We had just so many amazing local tapas and drinks, but she also gave us insights about life in Seville and its past. As with Madrid, the food choices were very good; but after the tour, our guide gave even more recommendations of what to eat in Seville. Last, our guide gave us our last, and no less insightful, tour of landmarks such as the Alcazar and the cathedral. It was another enriching experience for us.

Overall, the trip was well-organized and well-curated. The timing was perfect, and the selection of sights, guides, and accommodation was excellent. Though we never got to meet Samuel in person, we felt that he got to know us and planned our trip well based on that. We will definitely get their services again.

BONUS: We went on a separate group trip to Tenerife in December 2021, and Samuel was quick to share his recommendations on things to see and do and where to eat as soon as he learned we went there. Excellent service, even to past clients! You'll be in good hands, for sure.