Barcelona 2019

Spain | Jun 12 - Jun 19, 2019

Our trip was to Barcelona and the Coasta Brava (staying in Calella de Palafrugell).
James planned a great itinerary for us! He asked the right questions to learn what we would enjoy and made great suggestions. Our favorite parts of the trip were things that we wouldn’t have done without his help in planning. (The more forgettable parts were the “must dos” that I found on lists and asked him to include!). In fact, it was James who suggested visiting the Coasta Brava and it was the perfect suggestion: we saw medieval towns, a vineyard that juxtaposed the old and new worlds (12th and 21st centuries), the world of Salvadore Dali, and the gorgeous coast.
We had great tour guides throughout (Gracia, Ariadna, Craig, Laia, Jose Luis, and Olga). They were all punctual and personable. They cared about our comfort (bringing water, etc.) and were willing to adjust the tours to our preferences. We loved having time to really talk to each guide and learn about the culture and people as well as the history. When we had meals included in our day, the restaurants selected were perfect: authentic, local, friendly, tasty.
Everything was seamless. Our transportation was arranged, tickets ready, etc. When there was a small error on our first day, James and our local assistant, Rocio, took care of it calmly and easily; they even apologized with a thoughtful surprise in our room despite the error not being theirs. Bad weather also required us to change plans as the last minute. After speaking with us, Rocio put together an itinerary that was better than we could have imagined! It turned out to be a highlight rather than a disappointment.
We got more out of our days by having guides. We had never done a vacation with private guides before and were pleasantly surprised by the small extras we enjoyed (learning to make tomato bread and tinto de verano at lunch (Jose Luis), eating fruit from the tree and fresh cheese from the cheese maker during a bike tour (Olga)).
This was easily one of the best, if not the best, vacation we’ve had. I’m so glad I took the gamble to work with kimkim and TailormadeAndalucia. I look forward to doing so again! Thanks, James and Rocio!