Wellness & Culinary Tour – Andalucia, Spain

ITINERARY

• DAY 1
  Dancing Spanish woman

  Welcome to Vejer de la Frontera, Spain!

  Upon arrival at Malaga Airport, a private transfer to your hotel in Vejer de la Frontera (approx. 2.5h). You will be staying at a small luxury boutique hotel in a traditional whitewashed building surrounded by a breath-taking natural setting. The hotel seamlessly combines fantastic modern facilities, such as a large outdoor swimming pool, with the charm and traditions of rural life. During your stay, enjoy the peace on the 2 Andalusian-style patios, where you can soak up the sun in a relaxed atmosphere.
  You can savor delicious traditional dining on the panoramic terrace. The restaurant’s large windows also offer great views of the landscape. After a day out by the pool or on the beach, relax by the large fireplace.
  The afternoon and evening are free to get acquainted with this pretty town and the fantastic hotel you will be staying at before heading to the restaurant where you will enjoy a delicious Mediterranean welcome dinner.

  What's included?

  • Dinner
  • Accommodation
  • Transfer
• DAY 2
  Seafood paella in Spain

  Vejer de la Frontera - The food tour in the beautiful small town of Vejer

  After breakfast, we are strong believers that the best way to appreciate the culture of any area is through its gastronomy and wine. Nowhere is this truer than in Southern Spain.
  This culinary experience will begin with shopping for supplies in Vejer's local market.
  
  Depending on the season, the dishes which you will help prepare and get to savor are likely to include gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp), tuna & red pepper salad, gazpacho (melon & mint, traditional tomato, or almond & garlic). Fresh boiled octopus and boquerones (anchovies) are also a delicacy of this region as it is close to the sea!
  
  Your passionate guide will help you uncover the secrets to the perfect tortilla (Spanish omelet), introduce you to albondigas (Spanish meatballs), and treat you to a yummy cake for dessert. Being in the province of Cadiz, this culinary experience would not be complete without sampling the region's specialties, which is why you will enjoy a preserved tuna and sherry tasting!
  
  You will have the rest of the afternoon free to relax and enjoy at your leisure. This evening, you will have a lovely light dinner at your hotel. Based in beautiful Vejer de la Frontera, on the Costa de la Luz in Cadiz Province, Andalucía, this food tour will give you a unique insight into Spanish food culture. During this creative hands-on class using delicious local ingredients, a hint of exotic Moroccan flavors, and more than just a splash of Spanish wine and Sherry, you will create authentic Spanish “slow food”. With a relaxed and fun atmosphere, this cooking class is the ideal food experience, even for non-cooks!

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
• DAY 3
  Yoga experience in Spain

  Vejer de la Frontera - A breath of fresh air in Yoga Class

  Early morning Yoga session:
  Start your day off right by taking the time to work on improving your health, flexibility, and inner wellness.
  Revitalize your body and mind with this 1.5-hour rejuvenating yoga class led by your hotel's professional Yoga instructor with more than 10 years of training in Hatha yoga, Vinyasa yoga, meditation, yoga anatomy, and movement anatomy. Classes have a creative style and focus on Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga.
  
  Morning Hike in La Breña Natural Park:
  Your private driver and tour guide will pick you up from your hotel to take you on a short drive to the La Breña Natural Park (approx. 15 mins). On this pleasant and leisurely 3-hour guided hike, you will take in great views of Vejer de la Frontera as well as the saltmarshes of Barbate, and Cape Trafalgar. You will visit one of the largest dovecotes in Europe while learning about the many culinary, medicinal, and traditional uses of Mediterranean plants found within the Cadiz province.
  After your hike, you will enjoy a lovely outdoor picnic lunch in the middle of the pine tree forest; a truly gorgeous natural setting.
  
  After lunch, you will be transferred back to your hotel where you will have the rest of the afternoon free to enjoy your leisure at your hotel before meeting up with your group again for a pleasant orientation walk of Vejer de la Frontera... La Breña Natural Park provides a landscape of overwhelming beauty, with the pine forest growing right up to the sea’s edge, forming spectacular cliffs. This nature reserve located in an area on the southern coast of the province of Cadiz is home to a large pine forest known in these parts as La Breña. These grow on a platform until the point where land meets the sea in the form of a cliff rising to a height of almost 100 meters (328 ft). In other areas, the pine forest slopes gently down to the beach. This is a landscape of harmonious balance and singular beauty. The area is also particularly interesting from a scenic, geological and biological point of view, and is home to valuable flora and fauna. Species to be found here include the cattle egret, egret, Caspian gull, various mammals, and migratory and overwintering birds.
  
  Evening orientations walk & tapas dinner
  You will enjoy a lovely orientation walk in Vejer (approx 1.5hrs) to get a little more acquainted with this beautiful town.
  This will be followed by a delicious tapas dinner at La Juderia restaurant; where you’ll be treated to their fantastic selection of Andalusian wines and breath-taking views of Vejer.
  Vejer de la Frontera, perched high above the steep gorge of the River Barbate, is a serene, compact white labyrinth of a town with twisting streets, beautiful viewpoints, a ruined castle, a surprisingly elaborate culinary scene, and a tangible Moorish influence. Vejer de la Frontera is one of the most beautiful towns in the region of Cádiz, Spain, and was in fact declared Historic-Artistic Grouping in 1976 as well as being awarded the National Prize for Town Embellishment and Improvement in 1978.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
• DAY 4
  Hiking in Spain

  La Vinuela - Relax & Reconnect with Nature

  You will spend a lovely day in the countryside on this truly rural adventure and delightful gastronomic experience. Today, we invite you to enjoy the quiet, tranquility of rural Southern Spain and learn about organic farming. This morning, you will be taken on a beautiful drive to the Natural Park of Grazalema to take in and explore the surrounding wilderness and natural beauty of the Andalusian countryside.
  
  La Dehesa Biodinámica is an agroecological project that brings people closer to biodynamic agriculture and permaculture with the goal of teaching and re-educating us on our eating habits. With more than 700 hectares of land, the experience in La Dehesa Biodinamica covers different parts:
  1. Direct contact with the animals: interacting with the beautiful Lusitano horses, cows, sheep, and goats in the wild and being able to collect the eggs from the free-range chickens.
  2. Enjoying nature and the landscape: the visit is done on an eco-friendly 4x4 car so you can have access to all the areas of the farm
  3. Traditional vegetable garden: you will learn how they prepare the garden, create their
  own compost and biodynamic preparations.
  4. Horse dressage (rejoneo): you will admire the strength of the Lusitano horse in the farm's arena showing the different dressage techniques.
  5. Farm to the table experience: there is no better way to end this fabulous morning than tasting the fruits of the countryside we have just discovered. You will try their olive oil, their wine and will be delighted with a delicious lunch of seasonal and organic products harvested in their garden, paired with organic drinks, water, and homemade bread (yummy and healthy!).
  Note: We can accommodate all sorts of food preferences and/or allergies. Please make a request when booking.
  After lunch, you will be transferred to your hotel in La Viñuela.
  
  The Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park in the northeastern part of the province of Cádiz encompasses a complex of mountain ranges. It is a karstic region and contains several large limestone caverns, including the Cueva del Gato, the Cueva de la Pileta, and the Garganta Verde. The Sierra de Grazalema is also home to many colonies of vultures, including a few pairs of Egyptian vultures, a species that is seriously threatened. The natural park was declared a biosphere reserve in 1977.
  
  In the afternoon, enjoy some well-deserved pampering at your hotel's marvelously relaxing on-location Spa and find your inner peace. Start your journey by toning your body with aromatherapy and contrast showers, then plunge into the Hamman, perfect to help release any muscle tension from your hike this morning.
  Unwind in the sauna and tubs, both overlooking the beautiful La Viñuela reservoir offering breathtaking views of the natural surroundings. Then, indulge in a 45-minute full-body relaxing massage. Finally, give free rein to your imagination and all your senses by savoring a delicious tea in the rest area. This experience is sure to leave you feeling completely serene and calm: a unique and unparalleled unforgettable experience.
  
  *We kindly request that customers inform us of any health-related issues: allergies, cardiovascular diseases, pregnancy, etc.
  
  You will then head to your hotel's restaurant for a delicious dinner.
  The charming village of La Vinuela (Little Vineyard) lies amongst some of the most spectacular scenery in Andalusia. Close by is the man-made reservoir Lake Vinuela, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the province of Malaga, which not only serves to irrigate the surrounding land but is also the perfect place for a picnic and watersports. It is a great spot to get-away spot, where the only sounds you hear are the calling of the birds and small animals that inhabit the countryside and olive groves.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
• DAY 5
  Tiny houses in Frigiliana, Spain

  La Vinuela - A Prettiest Village in Andalusia Country, Frigiliana & A Little Zen

  This morning, visit a tropical farm in La Herradura and taste. Discover Andalusia’s little-known sub-tropical products on this unique and unforgettable experience at a villa and farm nestled on a hillside, just between Almuñécar and La Herradura bay.
  
  Upon your arrival, you will be greeted by the owners at the gate and as you ascend the driveway, you will be taken on a tour of their farm to learn about the incredible variety of fruits they grow. You will even be able to pick some right off the trees!
  
  Once you arrive at the villa itself, you’ll get to enjoy the spectacular sea views from the terrace while tasting about 10-12 varieties of fruits, grown right on this farm and their many uses including organic healthcare products.
  South of Granada city, the coastline of Granada is called the Costa Tropical about its decidedly mild climate. There are 47 miles (50 miles) of coastline to enjoy on this lesser-known Spanish Costa. The `Tropical Coast´ is a fantastic location for water sports and discovering the local history which goes back to the Bronze age. Phoenicians, Romans, and Arab settlers left various archaeological remains in this area. In addition to the fantastic climate, rich history, and gorgeous sea views, the area has some fabulous local produce. A large variety of delicious tropical fruit is grown in the region and seafood is quite simply fabulous. Not only that, but the region also boasts a great selection of locally produced wines as well as Rum!
  
  After this scrumptious and educational morning, you will be transferred to the charming white village of Frigiliana, where you will enjoy a guided walk through the whitewashed narrow streets stopping at the most breath-taking viewpoints. Here, you will have the opportunity to take pictures of the ocean and the mountains. The guided walk will be followed by a wonderful lunch and some free time to wander around and do some shopping, local wine, leather, or ceramics. This fantastic day will be completed with a calming and centering yoga session by the beach. You will then head back to your hotel for dinner.
  
  Frigiliana is a maze of cobbled streets, with meticulously maintained whitewashed houses, that provide a stunning contrast against the blue skies and red slate roofs. The plant pots brimming with bougainvillea, lavender, and jasmine all add an extra dash of color to this enchanting scene. As you wander up the hillside through the pedestrianized cobbled streets, past the white houses with doors painted an array of shades of pastel, you can fully understand why Frigiliana is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful villages in Andalusia.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
• DAY 6
  Spanish Wine Cellar

  La Vinuela - Visit Fish Market & Sailing with Catamaran

  Your private driver will pick you up and will take you to Caleta de Velez, one of the busiest fishing ports on the entire Mediterranean coast of Spain. You'll discover how fish prices are allocated and purchased at the local fish market. You won't, however, be able to buy anything since only chefs or licensed vendors are allowed to do so. Then, it's on to the port for a unique experience on a Catamaran. You'll get to see the beautiful coast of La Axarquía from another perspective and if you are lucky, you might enjoy the company of dolphins! In addition to drinks on board, you'll have the opportunity to get some snorkeling and swimming in before the Paella show cooking begins!
  
  After a lovely lunch on board, you will be driven back to your hotel where you will have the rest of the afternoon free before your farewell dinner.
  
  Caleta de Velez is a charming little fishing village to the east of Málaga with a vibrant fish market and harbor; the fish from the region comes from the Alborán Sea, a passage of water between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean rich in plankton. This, together with the high-temperature fluctuations of the water, enriches the flavor of the fish caught in the area giving a uniquely distinct taste. More of an exchange than a market, “La Lonja” as it is known, see local fisherman unload their daily catches fresh from the sea in separate boxes for display within the exchange. A large screen displays the various lots, and the registered buyers make bids from handheld devices until bidding is closed and the money changes hands. Much of the fish purchased here will not even make it to market but will become dinner that same evening in many of the quality seafood restaurants all along the coast of Malaga Province.
  

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
  • Cruise/Boat
• DAY 7

  Goodbye to Spain!

  Transfer with a private driver to take you to the Malaga airport for your flight home.
  
  Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end... We hope you enjoyed your stay here in Spain.
  Hasta pronto!

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Transfer