We had an amazing and memorable trip to Spain...
Spain | Jun 9 - Jun 20, 2023

Tricia
Tricia Z.
Jollyville, TX | Reviewed on Jun 27, 2023

We had an amazing and memorable trip to Spain thanks to Marina! She was so wonderful to work with, very detailed, very thoughtful, and so patient with all of our requests and changes. All of Marina’s recommendations were five stars from restaurants to tours to cities, hotels, as well as well thought out travel arrangements that were most convenient. We first traveled to Madrid where our very kind personal driver took us to our first hotel. The hotel was in a central location next to Plaza royale, the location was super convenient and within walking distance to all central Madrid attractions,. The breakfast was great at the hotel. The hotel rooms were a bit small for a family room, but it worked out OK. Our first tour of Madrid was with Antonio. He was a local. He was so knowledgeable and sweet. I believe we spent about four hours touring the city with him on a walking tour and we had a really great time. He made the tour wonderful We really loved the culture in Madrid and all the sites were definitely a highlight, the next city was Seville. Our hotel was only about a 15 minute walk from the Cathedral of Seville, which was so fascinating. There were many restaurants and shops near the cathedral and it was an area we spent quite a bit of time around. We had a bike tour of the city’s main attractions with Fernando , he was the best we had so much fun. The bike tour was totally relaxing and enjoyable and we got to see all the highlights of the city. Another great tour that marina recommended. We also had a cooking class that we took and learned to make local Spain dishes. We shopped at the local market and had a really great time. Highly recommended . Our hotel was super nice and comfortable in a central location and definitely offer the best breakfast of all the hotels we stayed in . Marina recommended really fantastic restaurants and made all of our dinner reservations, and in each city we stayed in, our teenage daughters would ask did Marina make that dinner reservation?… as they knew if she made the reservation it was going to be good . The third city we visited was a day trip to Toledo. We ended up taking a taxi instead of the train that marina recommended simply because we were tired and just wanted to get there and the drive was not too far. We did pay extra but decided on the convenience over the price. Toledo was a lot of fun. We really enjoyed our day there and we were so happy that Marina recommended this day trip, another highlight on our trip. Our next city was Granada. On our way to Granada we had a private driver take us to Caminito del Rey, where we did a 5 mile hike through the canyon. This was a beautiful hike. It was a mellow but long hike, guided, something not to miss… the only negative to this was we were hiking in the heat of the day and we did all get super overheated by the end of the hike. I think next time we would want to do it early in the morning to avoid the heat of the day otherwise well worth it so beautiful, highly recommended. We then arrived to Grenada, which was one of our favorite little cities and absolutely our favorite boutique hotel. We only stayed two nights in Grenada and we all had wished we were there for three nights, we stayed in the historic San Pedro district. Our hotel could not have been a better location. It was quiet and a bit off the main path and close to everything . The rooms were big we had plenty of room to spread out, super comfortable. We saw a very memorable flamenco show in a cave in the historical gypsy neighborhood,.., we once again had wonderful local meals. It was really fun to shop there and walk around the town. We had the best view of the Seville castle from our hotel room. I apologize I’m not giving all the formal names as I do not have the itinerary right in front of me. Granada was a favorite stop and honestly difficult to leave. Our last stop was a flight to Barcelona…. while we didn’t wanna get back on a plane it was the best and fastest route to Barcelona from Granada. Barcelona is a huge international hub, really an amazing city with lots to offer, Marina made reservations at all the best restaurants of course, our hotel had a City Terrace rooftop view that we spent quite a bit of time relaxing on enjoying wine, very nice hotel rooms, small but nice and decent breakfasts. It was a central location where we could walk everywhere… we loved visiting La Sagrada Familia and the Picasso museum, there were so many sites to see in Barcelona we didn’t get to them all. We did cancel a day trip which we really wanted to do but our teenage girls were very tired so still on our bucket list to see more of Barcelona as well in the surrounding areas. On our last night we ended vacation with a Sunset sail boat cruise in the Mediterranean with a guitar concert, it was a really nice end to an amazing trip. All thanks to Marina. Our experience with Marina and Kim Kim has been nothing short of perfect and we will certainly be planning future vacations with Kimkim. We highly recommend Marina as well. She was so patient and so responsive, she thought of everything, we loved working with her. The Trip App was the most convenient itinerary we have ever used, so easy too.

Hotel Reviews
Petit Palace Posada del Peine
Madrid

Super convenient location to the plaza Royale and all Madrid attractions rooms were super small though

Authenticity & Character
Historical and we had a lovely balcony
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Petit Palace Puerta de Triana
Seville

This hotel had very nice rooms. They were small, but super nice and clean and this hotel offered the best breakfast of all the places we stayed.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Super convenient location close to everything within walking distance, especially the Seville Cathedral
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Palacio de Santa Inés Hotel
Granada

I can’t say enough about this hotel. This was our favorite hotel of all places we stayed. The rooms were super big the hotel was very historical. The views were amazing. The location was fantastic and within walking distance to everything.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Yurbban Ramblas Boutique Hotel
Barceolona

This was a nice hotel and a central location. The rooms were super updated and nice small but very nice. Our favorite feature of this hotel was the rooftop terrace. It was so beautiful. They offered a mini bar and snacks and there was plenty of seating. The hotel was also very centrally located within walking distance to many things.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Guided Visit of Madrid:  History, Culture & Architecture of the Capital of Spain
Guided Visit of Madrid: History, Culture & Architecture of the Capital of Spain
Madrid

Antonio was the best we really enjoyed our tour with him. He was a local and New so much and he was so friendly and fun to spend time with.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Private City Bike Tour
Private City Bike Tour
Seville

Fernando was the best we had a really great time on this bike tour. We saw so many attractions that we otherwise would not have seen. It was a relaxing chill experience so much fun Fernando was so kind the bikes for super comfortable. It was definitely a highlight.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Traditional Andalusian Market Visit & Cooking Class
Traditional Andalusian Market Visit & Cooking Class
Seville

Another great experience we learned local recipes, and had a fantastic time touring the market. This event was so much fun.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Caminito del Rey
Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Caminito del Rey
Spain

This was really a beautiful, breathtaking experience. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Our driver, Antonio was the best he took us from Seville to the hike and then on to Granada. He was exceptional and when we got off the hike and we were overheated, he was right there with an air-conditioned, comfortable car awaiting us. It was perfect.
Flamenco Show
Flamenco Show
Granada

This was such a memorable experience. We were in the prime location of history for flamingo shows in a cave in the old gypsy district. The musicians and flamenco dancers were incredible. What a memorable experience we had.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Easy and scenic walk from our hotel
Barcelona Sailboat Experience &  Spanish Guitar Concert
Barcelona Sailboat Experience & Spanish Guitar Concert
Barcelona

This was a nice close to a wonderful and memorable trip. The Mediterranean was quite choppy that day, so it definitely added some spark to the boat ride, but we also cruise through the bay, which was very calm are skipper was so sweet and we had a guitarist who never missed a beat despite some waves out in the Mediterranean the views were amazing and we all had a wonderful time.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Marina Courtaut
Marina
Marina Courtaut
Local specialist in Madrid | Replied on Jun 29, 2023
Hi Tricia, first of all, WOW, thank you so so much for taking the time to write such a detailed review and your kind words! It has been a true pleasure helping you plan your family trip to Spain. I am glad to hear you enjoyed all your tours and restaurant recommendations, hopefully you tried a bit of all Spanish gastronomy :) Indeed Palacio Santa Inés Hotel is a fantastic accommodation and has a great location. The view of the Alhambra is just breathtaking! Spain is a wonderful country but... Read more

Hi Tricia, first of all, WOW, thank you so so much for taking the time to write such a detailed review and your kind words! It has been a true pleasure helping you plan your family trip to Spain. I am glad to hear you enjoyed all your tours and restaurant recommendations, hopefully you tried a bit of all Spanish gastronomy :)

Indeed Palacio Santa Inés Hotel is a fantastic accommodation and has a great location. The view of the Alhambra is just breathtaking! Spain is a wonderful country but it is even more so when travelers see it with your eyes and enjoy it as you have. I will pass your kind words to all the team :)

I hope you come back soon to Spain to visit Córdoba and Montserrat, you always have to leave something to come back! Again, thank you SO much for this impressive feedback on your trip, I will be more than happy to work with you again in the future for the next adventure! Best regards, Marina.