Seville City Add-On

We thoroughly enjoyed this glorious Spanish sampler. This was our first trip to Southern Spain but surely not our last. We combined visits to Seville and Granada with the Ronda/Grazalema walking trip. We fell in love with Seville -- the accommodations were ideally situated and the walking tour included in our travel documents allowed us to see the city's highlights thoroughly and at our own pace. Ronda was swarming with tourists but our hotel was quiet and we found opportunities to explore the gorgeous hiking trails outside of town, visiting a massive gorge and the Chapel of the Virgin de la Cabeza, which was carved out of rock in the 9th century by the Visigoths. Grazalema was quietly stunning with surprisingly good restaurants for such a small town, warm, friendly residents and breathtaking hiking and vistas. We finished off in Granada with a visit to the Alhambra and two glorious days of exploration. We recommend extra nights in Grazalema, because the hiking is so good, as well as in both Seville and Granada. Not enough time so we'll just have to go back!

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our short walking break Ronda and the Grazalema Sierra with our city add-ons in Seville and Granada

The hotel was a little gem -  intimate, understated elegance reflecting regional traditional design with very friendly and accommodating staff. Pretty, cool courtyards and little roof-top terrace provided perfect spots for resting weary feet and relaxing at the end of the day with a refreshing drink.   The location was a great starting point for exploration on foot - everything within easy reach. We particularly enjoyed Inntravel's suggested self-guided walking tour of Santa Cruz area - would recommend starting early when the temperature is cooler and the streets quieter.  Our evening at "Rinconcello", Seville's oldest tapas bar, was another particular highlight - a not-to-be missed experience.

We combined 3 nights in Seville before with a week in the Aracena Sierra.  

The hotel (Las Casas Del Rey Baeza) is delightful and felt more like a family-run establishment. The hotel restaurant was also good on the one night we ate there.

Alajar is a perfect village to get away from the stress of city life, particularly after a few days in Seville. The village is in delightful and picturesque countryside with plenty of varied and excellent walks, both those recommended in the trip notes and also those by the hotel - more than enough to keep us occupied for the week. The Posada San Marcos (and owners) fitted the bill perfectly: Angel was a great - and enthusiastic - source of knowledge of the local area and customs, including a guided walk and explanation and tasting of the local jamon; Lucy provided excellent food. There are plenty of restaurants in the village (although not all are open during weekdays) but Lucy’s first-class cooking meant we ate in the Posada whenever possible. Her packed lunches were also the best we have experienced.  

A thoroughly recommended combination!

We would recommend flying to Seville and having the add-on there. The Alcazar in Seville was the highlight and we were glad we booked our tickets online in advance because the queue is long otherwise. The Cathedral is also very interesting. The bus from Seville Airport was good and cheap but the stops were confusing on the trip in and are a long walk from the hotel. You may prefer to get a taxi from the airport. 

Grazalema is very pretty with spectacular mountain scenery and vultures and other birds of prey all around. We had a lovely sunny week and found there were more than enough walks in the pack at the appropriate level to do. We would also recommend the walks in the 2018 Cicerone guide to the Mountains of Ronda and Grazalema. We were impressed with the quality of and interpretation on the footpaths. We particularly enjoyed walking into the reserve to see the ancient pine forest and a day in Ronda. Both restaurants were good and reasonably priced. 

1) Although Las Casas del Rey de Baeza is a very pleasant hotel, conveniently placed, its evening meals are not as good and varied as those at nearby restaurants that it recommends.

2) It is easy to get from Seville to Cordoba and back by train, for the day (45 mins each way), if one desires to do so.

3) We would certainly go again to the Posada San Marcos in Alajar.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers added a 4 night stay at Las Casas Del Rey Baeza, in Seville, before the Treasures of Aracena walking holiday.

The walk from the hotel to the cathedral, Alcazar etc was very interesting as en route we were able to identify inviting-looking Tapas bars, cake shops and restaurants as well as locate the Flamenco museum. The flamenco show at the museum was an oustanding experience, especially after learning so much of the history of flamenco and its peoples. The Murillo exhibition at the art gallery was also very good. We had a wonderful evening at restaurant El Rinconcillo 5 minutes walk from Hotel Casas del Rey de Baeza and recommended by them; great atmosphere and wonderful food, the tapas looked delicious too.

Very difficult to pick out anything as it was a perfect 10 days. I was pleased to note that drivers in Spain proved to be very courteous and the sat-nav was a bonus. Chatting to Lucy and Angel was fantastic and we felt we learnt a lot more about the area and about Spain. I would recommend a visit to the Coto Donana. The driver we had from the base in El Rocio was excellent and very knowledgeable. We were lucky that we saw very many birds and mammals. I will add that we are not twitchers and just like visiting the countryside and learning more.