Spanish Detours

A Tailor-made Holiday Exclusively for You

Spanish Detours has the flexibility to plan for you a unique and stress free tour of Spain. We will work with you to plan an exclusive private tour of Andalucía bursting with memories that will last a lifetime.

Quite simply your holiday with Spanish Detours will be like no other. Our aim is to give you a good overview of Andalucía, its history, its people and its culture.

Every aspect of your stay is planned with you and exclusively for you, giving you the re-assurance of a stress free holiday.

The advantages of choosing to tour Spain with Spanish Detours are:-

• Individuality and flexibility of private touring.
• Exclusive use of a 2 bed-roomed, 2 bath-roomed, recently renovated townhouse situated on the church square in the traditional market town of Riogordo.
• Full use of an air-conditioned vehicle with Shane and Jess, your tour leaders.
• Personal planning of your individual itinerary.
• 24/7 help and assistance of your Spanish-speaking tour leaders.
• We don’t lose sight of the fact that it’s your holiday.

We want to share with you the stunning cities of Seville, Ronda, Cordoba and Malaga, not only to see the historical sights but also to absorb the Spanish way of life.

We also want to show you the sheer opulence of ancient Moorish palaces and the natural beauty of the mountains, lakes, national parks and the Mediterranean coastline.

Listed below is a sample itinerary, based upon an 8 day/7 night stay, to show how all this can be achieved:-

Day 1 - Arrive at either Malaga airport or Santa Ana (Antequera) train station. Transfer to Riogordo and settle into your home for the week. After a brief welcome meeting and familiarisation of the house we will take an orientation tour of Riogordo. The Andalucíans are very welcoming and don’t be surprised if, around town, you are greeted with a cheery "hola" or "buenas dias".

Day 2 - We’ll head up to the picturesque hilltop Andalucían white town of Comares, which is setback about 15 miles from the coast. From there we can head either to the beach for Sunday lunch or head inland to one of the many large ventas. Sunday lunch is a big social occasion in Spain and if you know the right places the atmosphere can be buzzing. After lunch we can make our way to the national park of El Torcal, one of our favourite places. A limestone plateau set at about 4000 feet where the boulders over millions of years of sea and wind erosion have been chiselled away leaving strange layers of rocks that appear to have been placed on top of each other. For orchid enthusiasts there are 30 different species found here.

Day 3 - The Alhambra, the jewel in Spain’s crown. The Moorish palace complex normally takes 4 hours to cover with its palaces, fortifications and the Generalife gardens. From here we return to Riogordo via the scenic route through the mountains.

Day 4 - Cordoba. A small city with a big heart. The standout attraction here is La Mezquita, the world’s third largest mosque that has a Cathedral built in its centre. There is also the Juderia (Jewish quarter) with its maze of narrow alleyways and shops. The atmosphere here with the hubbub of tourists virtually recreates how life was in this part of the city during the 10th century in the medina. The 13th Century Real Alcazar has some beautiful gardens.

Day 5 - Malaga. We can start the day by driving through the Montes de Malaga. We have negotiated a personal wine tour of the oldest Malaga wine producing bodega in the province. From here we can head to a 14th century Moorish Castle that has panoramic views across the city. After which we would go into the historic centre which includes Roman remains and a Moorish Alcazaba.

The must see is the Picasso Museum which houses over 150 of his works from throughout his life.

Another optional extra is to finish the day off just north of Torremolinos at the Andalucían horse show based at El Ranchito ranch.

Day 6 - Ronda. A town packed full of history including an 18th century bridge spanning a stunning 120 metre gorge, plus the oldest and most revered bullring in Spain that has a very informative museum.

Day 7 - Seville. A fantastically vibrant city which is the heartbeat of Andalucía. The must sees here are the 15th century Cathedral, the 9th century Real Alcazar royal palace complex which is still used by the Spanish royal family, and the Plaza de España, the centrepiece of the doomed 1929 Spanish/Hispanic exhibition situated in the Parque de Maria Luisa.

Day 8 - After an action packed holiday it is time to bid a fond farewell and a safe onward journey full of happy memories.

The above is just a sample of what your time with Spanish Detours may consist of.

This is a truly flexible holiday whereby given the vast range of activities available in the area as listed below, you can literally put together your own itinerary thus creating a tailor-made holiday to suit your group.

• Flamenco
• Ferias and Fiestas
• Day trip to Gibraltar
• A visit to see the ancient dolmens in Antequera
• Chill out time on one of the many miles of beaches for which the Costa del Sol is famous
• Quad biking adventures
• National parks
• Horse riding
• Spanish cookery school
• A visit to the local wolf park
• Sea fishing
• Lakes and gorges
• Dolphin watching cruise
• A visit to the local donkey sanctuary
• Caves
• Scuba diving
• Country walks
• Aqua park (in season)
• Gardens