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Andalucía
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Tue
25th
Sep
– Fri 5th Oct 2012
Mon
8th
– Thurs 18th Oct 2012
10 nights
Price: £1700 per
person
(i.e. £3400 for you and your personal assistant/companion)
Price includes
5 nights at the Hotel Chancilleria (Jerez)
5 nights at Las Piedras (Alcaucin)
Half board, with dinner
taken at a variety of restaurants while in Jerez,
then at home while at Las Piedras
Transfer from Jerez or
Gibraltar Airport at start
Transfer from Jerez to Las Piedras
Transfer to Malaga Airport at end
Full programme of daily
excursions
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Andalucía is often thought
of as typically Spanish. That's not quite true. We once travelled
down there with some friends from northern Spain who were even more fascinated
than ourselves by its foreign feel. Here, the Moors stayed far longer than
anywhere else, and their legacy is apparent in architecture, agriculture,
cuisine, and customs. Perhaps the most flamboyant aspect is flamenco,
believed to have travelled with Gypsies all the way from India via North Africa,
now finally achieving worldwide respect.
We begin by getting to know
Jerez, home of sherry, riding, and most definitely flamenco, staying right in
the heart of things in
the Hotel Chancelleria. From Jerez we'll also visit romantic Seville,
breathtaking Ronda, and the Atlantic coast.
Seville was fortunate indeed to gain the monopoly on trade with the "New
World". As a consequence the city had a golden age, with the
expansion of the Royal Alcázar
(palace), and a Gothic cathedral that is no less than the third largest in the
world.
Ronda is probably most famous for its precipitous clifftop setting, but has a
distinguished history dating back to the Romans.
The Atlantic coast is far less developed than its Mediterranean neighbour, and
consequently has considerable charm.
After 5 nights we move on to the east of Málaga, with a diversion to take in Córdoba's
Mezquita, the grandest and most beautiful of Moorish mosques, a
"forest" of pillars that reflect its time as Europe's greatest city,
around a thousand years ago.
We then spend 5 nights at the
guest house of Las Piedras, which has an unspoilt peaceful rural location
looking across a valley to a mountain nearly twice as high as Snowdon.
Down to earth hospitality and excellent food, plus accessible pool make for a
relaxing rural contrast.
From here we'll be able to visit the extraordinary
Alhambra palace at Granada, the
last stronghold of the Nasrid dynasty, perhaps the pinnacle of Moorish architecture, set
below the dramatic Sierra Nevada. We'll also take time to enjoy some
fabulous local villages, the Mediterranean coast, and the city of Málaga.
We're sure that you'll take vivid experiences away with you, and wonder just
exactly where that bit of Spain that's supposed to be spoiled might be!
Accommodation & Dining
We stay the first 5 nights in the Hotel
Chancelleria, Jerez. It's small & characterful, and comes second
out of the 33 hotels listed in the town (scoring 4.5 out of 5) as judged by
visitors on Trip
Advisor. It's also wheelchair accessible.
This
comment sums it up rather well, "Located in the gypsy quarter, this
place has all the moorish charm combined with mod cons you could wish for. The
owner was very welcoming and informative and the food in the restaurant was
fantastic!"
While there, we'll be sure to take advantage of their own restaurant, as well as
dining out around town.
We
then move on to Las Piedras for a further 5 nights. Built & run by
Adrian & Hannah Stone, who used to do tours similar to ours (& hence
fully understand our clients' needs), this is a fully accessible guest house
situated in the mountains of the remarkably
unspoilt Axarquía region, yet just
30 minutes north of the Mediterranean Costa. It looks across to La Maroma,
which at not far off 7000ft is the highest mountain around.
Their natural hospitality is complemented by enviable culinary skills.
During our stay we'll dine here each evening, after each day's tour.

Weather
Average highs of 27ºC in Jerez, 23ºC in the Axarquía, and 25 dry days per month, according to
online resources.
Jerez
Weather
Jerez
Climate
Alcaucin
Weather
Alcaucin
Climate
Dates
We are offering two tours.
Tour 1 will run from 25th September to 5th October.
Tour 2 will run from 8th to 18th October.
Our packages do not include flights
(Click here to learn why).
However, we are more than happy to assist in identifying the best value and most suitable flights for you, and indeed need to liaise with all clients prior to ticket purchase in order to be sure all the transfers to & from hotel are feasible.
Below are some flights that our clients are
likely to use, with links for more details
(To simplify results, remove
tick from "+1" & "+2" stops in left column).
Please contact us to discuss other
possibilities.
You can also search Skyscanner to
research other routes, times, & prices.
25th Sep Luton-Gibraltar 0700-1100 Monarch
25th Sep Gatwick-Gibraltar 1015-1410 Easyjet
25th Sep Liverpool-Gibraltar 0700-1100 Easyjet
25th Sep Gatwick-Seville 1555-1935 Ryanair
Tour 1 Return
5th Oct - Frankly too many flights to list from Malaga to
UK!
Best probably early afternoon, but we could no doubt accommodate most times.
Tour 2 Outward
8th Oct Stansted-Jerez 1710-2100 Ryanair
8th Oct Luton-Gibraltar 0700-1100 Monarch
8th Oct Gatwick-Gibraltar 1015-1410 Easyjet
18th Oct -
Again, frankly too many flights to list from Malaga to
UK!
Best probably early afternoon, but we could no doubt accommodate most times.
Other
Useful
Web Links
Hotel
Chancelleria
Las
Piedras
Lonely
Planet Andalucía
LP
Seville
Alhambra
Palace
Alhambra
(Wiki)
Alcázar
reviews
Mezquita Córdoba
Ronda
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