For expert help planning your Spain vacation, call a travel specialist at 1-800-942-3301
| Cooking in the Heart of Andalusian Olive Country
A 7-Day tour starting from $2,800
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| About This Tour | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Explore one of the most picturesque and authentic parts of Spain, the gorgeous Andalusia. Relax in the informal and intimate atmosphere of a restored traditional Andalusian farmhouse, where the owner will teach you to prepare the finest of Spanish and Mediterranean food. Stunning views of the surrounding olive groves and excursions to Córdoba, Zuheros, and Granada (including the Alhambra Palace) round out this exceptional week. 3 night or 6 night program |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Welcome drinks and dinner
• Six nights in double room accommodations • Daily breakfast • Four hands-on cooking lessons followed by meal with wine, water and coffee • Three lunches at typical Andalusian bars and one at the finca • One dinner at restaurant and one at the finca • Cultural excursions and local product tastings as per the program • Roundtrip transfers Granada or Málaga international airport, or Antequera-Bobadilla train station • Recipe booklet and a gift • All taxes and service (gratuities not included)
Day One - Monday
• Pick up at Granada or Málaga international airport or Antequera/Bobadilla train station and transfer to Finca Las Encinas in the heartland of Andalusia. • Enjoy welcome drinks followed with some free time to settle in. • In the early evening you will have an opportunity to take a stroll around the charming whitewashed lakeside village of Iznájar, perched on a rocky outcrop, where you will enjoy a spectacular view of the Lake of Andalusia. • Tonight's dinner will feature contemporary Andalusian cuisine and will be served by your hosts at the finca. • Overnight. Day Two - Tuesday • After breakfast, you will travel through the delightful Andalusian countryside to visit one of the world's greatest architectural masterpieces, Mezquita in Córdoba. You will learn about the different cultures that shape the region — Moorish, Jewish and Christian. You will visit the most famous street, the Callejón de las Flores, whose balconies and walls are decorated with hanging pots of vibrant-colored geraniums in summer. • Following, you will have a quick stop at the Moroccan tea salon and then free time to wonder around the World Heritage site, the Judería, or old Jewish quarter. • Lunch will take place at a popular tavern with a Moorish-style patio offering some of the most celebrated regional cuisine. • Return to the farmhouse, refresh and attend your first hands-on cooking session with your host, followed by dinner. Day Three - Wednesday • After breakfast you will be transported to Priego, a fertile land full of olive groves, vineyards and orchards, where you will visit a producer of olive oil to taste their different types of oils. • Afterwards, head to one of the most picturesque villages in Andalusia — Zuheros. The town lies in a gorge backed by impressive rock cliffs and it enjoys superb scenery across the dusty plains. It is a typical Arabic-Andalus with a Moorish castle built on and into the rock and flanking a sixteenth-century church. Here you will enjoy a hearty welcome at a renowned restaurant that specializes in meat from the Subbética Mountain. • Return back to the farmhouse, rest and then into the kitchen for your second cooking session followed by dinner. Day Four - Thursday • After leisurely breakfast, you will visit an energetic and lively town, Priego de Cordoba, the home of an award-winning olive oil. It is known as the Baroque Jewel in Andalusia with its glorious Baroque architecture, national monuments and stunning attractions, and yet it is delightfully unspoilt. • Following a gentle stroll in the narrow passageways of Barrio de la Villa, or the Arab Quarter, bedecked with a myriad of colorful flowers, you will stop at a typical Andalusian tapas bar for lunch with fino, the local sherry wine. • Return to the farmhouse and time for a little relaxation. • Meet Clive for your next cooking session, followed by dinner. • Overnight. Day Five - Friday • After breakfast, depart for Granada to visit another World Heritage Site: the exquisite Moorish Alhambra Palace is the highlight of any visitor's trip to Spain. An expert will guide you through the palace. • After your tour, will have a chance to walk around the maze of narrow alleyways in the Albaicin district before settling in at a traditional Granadian bar for tapas lunch. • After lunch you will have a chance to do some shopping before making your way back to the finca to rest. • Later in the evening, you will enjoy an innovative dinner prepared by your hosts. Day Six -Saturday • Following breakfast, your day begins with a visit and tasting at one of the best-known producers of sherry wine, a vineyard founded in the eighteenth century in Montilla. Nobel Prize writer Camílo José Cela praised the wine from Montilla in his travel essays, declaring "its quality is as good as its soil: so pure, so gold, so delicate... and the taste is superior!" • Return to the Finca to unwind by the pool or by the terrace for a light lunch. • In the late afternoon, you will enjoy a farewell cooking session outdoors (weather permitting), followed by dinner. Day Seven - Sunday • After breakfast transfer to Granada or Málaga international airport, or Antequera/Bobadilla train station.
About the cooking lessons:Your host chef Clive has been a professional Chef of the highest caliber for over twenty years, with a distinguished career in the United Kingdom. He specializes in Mediterranean cuisine, and his passion for food and cooking led him to launch his own cooking retreat in rural Andalusia with his wife Maki in 2005. A true food connoisseur, Clive will teach you the preparation of standard Andalusian fare and will lead you in an exploration of the Moorish flavors that have influenced the cuisine of the region. Most of the produce will be picked from their own garden. The fun-filled cooking sessions are casual, informative and very hands-on, usually based around the preparation of a three-course menu. Clive's laid-back style and gentle nature will increase your confidence in cooking and inspire your imagination.
All tour prices are per person, in US dollars, based on double occupancy.
Three Night Program available US$2900 per person for luxury suite option US$475 Single supplement |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Note: All prices are per person, double occupancy, subject to availability. These pages are not endorsed or supported by the tour operator in any way. All information presented is based on promotional material provided by the tour operator. All prices, itineraries, accommodations and dates are subject to change without notice and at any time by the tour operators. Availability is limited and must be reconfirmed at time of booking. The prices on this website are not guaranteed. We are not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes in pricing. Please call us toll free at 1-800-942-3301 to confirm availability and pricing. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||