Day 1
Arrive at Malaga airport and make your way to central meeting point for coach transfer (1.5 hrs) to our rural hotel in the small village of Mairena in the Alpujarra region, the Casa las Chimeneas, a series of restored village houses offering spacious, charming accommodation. Dinner with your Tour Leader in the hotel’s excellent restaurant. Meal: D
Day 2
In the morning, enjoy a guided walking tour of the valley below the hotel, visiting the huertas (allotments) by the river where all manner of vegetables and fruits are grown. A picnic lunch with local products, is included. After free time to enjoy the gardens of Casa las Chimeneas, you will have a cookery class, preparing a traditional local dish using seasonal ingredients. Dinner is in the hotel’s restaurant, where the terrace provides uninterrupted views over the surrounding mountain ranges and on to the Mediterranean in the distance. Meals: B, L, D
Day 3
The upper Alpujarra region is blessed with a microclimate which favours the cultivation of vines. Our stay here coincides in early September with the vendimia – harvest – so what better way to gain an insight into the whole process of wine-making than to get involved? We will spend the morning in the nearby vineyard of Dominio Buenavista, helping with the harvesting (September departure only), and the afternoon in the bodega, seeing some of the processes involved, and sampling the results from previous vintages! Dinner in the hotel’s restaurant. Meals: B, L, D
Day 4
We drive to the nearby Barranco Poqueira, where we walk between three spectacularly situated white villages which seem literally to cling to the steep sides of the barranco. We will visit a secadero – where the mountain air is used to naturally cure legs of ham (the famous Spanish jamón serrano) - and the allotment and orchards of a local resident. We will then have a light lunch based on the products of his huerta before continuing our journey to Granada, where our hotel, Zaguan del Darro, lies in the historic Albaicín quarter. It is a beautifully restored 16th century nobleman’s house built around a central patio, facing the Alhambra and the river Darro. Free time to explore the old city centre and its exhaustive supply of bars serving great local wines and free tapas. Meals: B, L
Day 5
A young Spanish chef, who has worked in some of the top Madrid restaurants, will be our guide round the covered markets and stalls near the cathedral this morning, as we purchase some of the ingredients for a lunch-time cookery class with him in his kitchen-classroom, ending by sampling the results. Free time to explore the city before an early evening tasting dinner in a stylish delicatessen which stocks only the best products from all over southern Spain. We’ll try extra virgin olive oils, cured meats and ham, local cheeses and a selection of Spanish regional wines. The day is capped with a guided night-time visit of the stunning Nasrid Palaces of the Alhambra, the jewel in Granada’s crown and Spain’s most-visited monument. Meals: B, L, D
Day 6
The coastline of Granada Province is known as “la Costa Tropical” due to a sub-tropical microclimate in which fruits such as avocadoes, bananas, mangoes, sugar cane and custard apples are cultivated. We will have a guided tour of a plantation, sampling the fruits that are in season, before spending the rest of the day at the small resort of Salobreña. Here you can choose between exploring the narrow, steep streets around its 12th century Moorish castle, or just relaxing at the beach. We’ll have a paella cooked for us on an open fire, then time for a siesta before we head back to Granada. This evening we will spend in the Sacromonte, a district of cave houses which maintains strong gypsy roots and a lively culture based around flamenco. We’ll dine in a great little local restaurant, with views of the floodlit Alhambra, before seeing one of the flamenco zambras in a cave house. Meals: B, L, D
Day 7
This morning is free time to further explore Granada and try out one of our recommended restaurants for lunch. The afternoon is dedicated to the historic areas of the Sacromonte (with a visit to a fascinating cave house museum) and the old Moorish quarter, the Albaicín, with a local guide showing us around. In the evening we dine at the Carmen de la Victoria, a residence owned by the university which sits facing the Alhambra and which has delightful, shady terraced gardens which we will enjoy over an aperitif before dinner. Meals: B, D
Day 8
After breakfast, transfer to the airport. Meal: B
This trip can be run as required, please contact us for more information.
