Fino & Flamenco

This was a wonderful trip. We especially the sherry tasting at El Puerto di Santa Maria - a bargain and the Viceroy's House tour in Jerez. The meals we enjoyed were wonderful from simple tapas to great fish simply grilled in Cadiz and a superb croquetas in Sevilla in our hotel.

El Rey de Baeza Hotel in Seville was secluded and quiet and the breakfasts were memorable due to personal service in the preparation of omelettes and coffee. On the first evening we popped into El Rinconcillo, the oldest bar in Seville, where we found the gambas to be over-priced and the jamon well below par. There were two highlights of the second day: the Alcazar and the Plaza de Espana. The Alcazar has all the grandeur of Granada with the added benefit that tiles are artefacts which have not been plundered by gypsies over the centuries. Even in January, the temperature in the garden was sufficient to make walking pleasant.  The Plaza de Espana is a must-visit in Seville for its wonderful fountains and the frequent presence of genuine Flamencos busking.

Jerez was closed. It was January 6th and our bad luck that all Bodegas, equestrian displays and the Alcazar were enjoying a quiet holiday day. Not that the town was quiet; it was filled with the whirring noise made by new electronic cars and bikes which were raced through the streets by novice children excited with their new presents. The night before had been anything but quiet too, with thousands of people lining the street to see The Three Kings floats filled with sweets. These are thrown gently by children on the floats, but you need to duck if adults are chucking - because they throw hard and take no prisoners. Do try the Rigodon Bistro – the food and ambience there are delightful. We had problems with the hotel door at La Casa Grande in Jerez as it would not open after 11 pm. We had to ring Inntravel emergency line to resolve the issue.

Cadiz was memorable - mostly for the disappointing Hotel Argantonio. We were allocated a dingy double room. Our protestation was returned with an ‘everything is full except this deluxe double room which is ** euros extra a night’. Feeling that hands were tied, we agreed - only for the shower screen to leak copiously and the bidet to flood.  We were then allocated a room with single beds and the hotel wanted to charge us even more per night. We felt the hotel was over-priced, service was forthright and breakfast is mediocre (no hot food except toast). Cadiz itself is pretty, but quite enclosed, perhaps because it has sea on three sides. The Phoenician museum is a highlight and the two Inntravel walks are well researched. We can recommend El Taperia de la Columela in Cadiz for its delicious pintxos. However, do ensure you arrive for 1950 hrs to avoid the queues. The extra day to El Puerto de Santa Maria is worth the time if you have not yet done a Bodega because of the Castillo San Marcos. The sherry tasting there is informative and the medley of architectural styles in the castle are interesting.

In Jerez: la Carbona did an excellent sherry pairing meal - highly recommended.

We were disappointed by the visit to Bodegas Tradicion. Much better value and (excellent English speaking guide) more interesting was Diez-Merito. (We did the VORS tour). We particularly recommend Lustau too because they produce sherry from all 3 towns which can all be tasted in a single tasting trip. We bought several bottles from here as their products were varied and interesting. We confirm that La Gitana in Sanlucar is an excellent tour. We booked upgraded tours at Bodegas (ie better wines and tapas pairing) which offered an enhanced experience.

Highlights and recommendations:

Cadiz: sherry at Taberna Manzanilla and a day trip to El Perto de Santa Maria

Jerez: don't miss flamenco at Tabanco El Pasaje 

Seville: Casa de Pilatos and a late afternoon swim in the roof top pool at the hotel (even if the water was a bit chilly!)

Seville and Cádiz were excellent cities to visit, Cádiz being our favourite based on the fact that it combined interesting walks and buildings as well as fabulous views of the sea. Restaurants and Tapas bars interesting and excellent. Jerez was great in terms of the places to visit but the city was very untidy with lots of litter everywhere. 

Seville - main attractions - Alcazar and Cathedral - very long queues for most of the day - go early when queues are at their (relative) shortest. Jerez Alcazar - no queues whatsoever and in many ways just as impressive as that of Seville. Cadiz Cathedral - no queues whatsoever and great views of the city from the tower.

A relaxing and interesting sight seeing holiday. Each city was had its similarities and uniqueness. We used tripadvisor to find restaurants for dinner.

Timing of flights and travel connections were excellent. No early starts!

Highlight was watching the World go by at 1030pm dinner in Jerez - a delightful town.

Jerez and Cadiz were both lovely, particularly the delightful green squares in Cadiz. We enjoyed the archaeological museums in Jerez and Cadiz, the tours of sherry bodegas (Tradicion in Jerez - although quite expensive - and castle in El Puerto de Santa Maria), Viceroys house in Jerez, the amphitheatre and cafes and bars in Cadiz (especially around Virgin de la Palma).

Another great holiday wih InnTravel. A few comments and tips.

The tasting dinner at Las Casas del Rey de Baeza was excellent, they improvised options for my wife who is coeliac and the wines to go with it were astounding value

You might want to book your trip round the cathedral in advance especially if you want to do rooftop tour,

There is a ceramics museum newly opened in Triana near the ceramics shops, only€2 entry and very interesting (even if you are not an amateur potter)

In Jerez, if you go past Bodega Tradicion and round the corner you will find a part of the old city wall and gate and some interesting buildings in the square opposite.

If going to SanLucar the bus for us did not go into the bus station but stopped at a cross roads just down from it. If you turn right up the road you should see the bus station (or Aldi). The bus went from the same crossroads (but opposite side of road) NOT FROM THE BUS STATION

In Cadiz there is a chapel over the gate at the start of Calle Pelota (on the tour), it was open & free on the Suday we were there

We found the Phoenician experience closed without any reason when we went there, it was open the next day. I think that the InnTravel guide overrates it a little but still worth seeing.

If going into Cadiz Cathedral make sure you go into crypt, great accoustic effect in the centre and some famous graves

The ferry to El Puerto de Santa Maria does not go if there are strong winds. Instead there is a bus which does give the fun of going over the big bridge. It left 10 mins before the ferry was due to go. If you do go by coach then check the timetable for return coaches in the terminal before you start exploring

The Castillo de San Marcos now has more frequent booking times and seems to have the tasting with all of them. It was highlight of trip and should not be missed. In practice we were the only people who had booked and everybody who showed up got in. The so called bodega at the back is more for show I think as it looked nothing like the other bodegas we toured. It is not the same as a large Bodega so if you want to see a proper one do that as well. You do get an exlanantion of how sherry is made and a tasting of Lustau wines.

In Cadiz we liked the restaurant "Ninos" on Calle Doctor Dacarrette.

A couple of sherries you might like to consider buying (1)  Pastrana at La Gitana, this is a Manzanilla Pasada i.e. slightly older than the normall Manzanilla. Highly rated by our wine club. There is an En Rama version too which we bought but have not tasted yet. (2) If you do go to the Castillo in El Puerte then the Anada 1998 is outstanding value (IMHO) and a very interesting wine, almost as sweet as a cream (3) The Lustau VORS PX is wonderful but to behonest our club thought it not worth the extra cost over a straightforward PX

We found another super restaurant in Seville, the Taberna El Alabardero, again not far from the Bull Ring. The lunch menu was excellent and very good value. 

In Jerez the Bodegas Tradicion was even better than expected, a visit here is well recommended. We also visited Gonzales Byass which was a poor commercialised tour by comparison.

El Casino, the sister restaurant of El Balandro, in Cadiz was also very good.

Cadiz was a super city to visit and our hotel made the stay even better, they fully deserve your recommendation.

We also found Malaga [the Malaga City Add-On] a pleasant place especially enjoying your walk to the Castle and the peaceful descent back into town.

A super holiday which we have come to expect from Inntravel! Highly recommended.

Thoroughly enjoyed our trip - and everything went very smoothly.  Loved the Juderias hotel in Seville, and the city and sights.  Would advise prebooking the Alcazar due to the long queues.

Jerez was a pleasant surprise with enough to keep us occupied - the Alcazar there was worth a visit.  Palacio Garvey was very comfortable but we were a bit disappointed by the restaurant there - the food was good enough but the general service and atmosphere were not great.

Cadiz hotel was great  - the Quatro Torres.  Breakfast was enhanced by homemade cakes and bakes.  Our room was lovely but unfortunately had an underlying sewage smell which was most notable when you first went in and was apparently caused by the Levante wind which was pretty strong for the first couple of days we were there. 

The trains were all on time and comfortable.  The extra days we'd added in Malaga contributed to a great break. 

We'd thoroughly recommend the trip - we were very lucky with the weather but wouldn't have wanted it any hotter for exploring the towns, especially Seville. 

This new train journey was a delight. Arriving at the beginning of the Semana Santa week we were amazed at the fantastic processions in Seville, Jerez and Cadiz and  enjoyed the wonderful holiday atmosphere wherever we went. Surprisingly, although there were brass bands playing for hours we managed to sleep like logs - the courtyard design of the hotels worked a treat. I would recommend adding extra nights and taking the bus to Sanlucar de Barrameda and also the lovely boat trip to El Puerto de Santa Maria across the bay from Cadiz. Both towns were very intreresting and it was lovely to sit with a glass of sherry whilst eating a delicious plate of seafood and watch the world go by.

What a surprise - all three destinations are pedestrian friendly, indeed it is difficult for motor traffic to get into large parts of the towns. So much to enjoy. Seville is a must. In Jerez bodega Diez Merito is very close to the hotel, and they showed us some magnificent wines and gave us an excellent tour, so I suggest it should be firmly recommended. The wines at Tio Pepe were at the bottom of the scale, and after Diez Merito even the famous eponymous fino was distinctly outclassed. We had the misfortune to arrive in Jerez on Sunday of the Andalucia fiesta weekend, meaning that bodegas and other sites were generally closed. This also affected us in Cadiz as the ferry was running an abbreviated timetable, but we caught the train instead. Do take the boat to El Puerto de Santa Maria - worth it for the boat trip alone - and the little backstreet Bodegas Obregon which is the equivalent of our local pub, but where everyone was drinking sherry from the tops of upturned barrels on the street corner. And we enjoyed splendid (Spanish) community singing on the return ferry journey.

Fantastic stay in Seville again (second time in a year). Highlight was the walk in the Triana area, which had a lovely, relaxed vibe. We had lunch in the recommended Rio Grande. Great position, right on the river, but the food was very bland and tasteless. It would have been better to have just had a drink there and then lunch at the Mercado, just before you reach the Puente de San Telmo. We explored this (after we had eaten!) and found it full of stalls selling delicious things to eat! We also ate at the other new Mercado, which is down by the Triana bridge. Again, good food, not expensive, and great for people watching.

Jerez was a jewel. A very nice feeling to it, as soon as we stepped of the train. Small enough, but plenty to see. The sherry tasting at the Bodegas Tradicion was definitely worth the extra cost (and was open by mid February, contrary to the notes, although not every day). It is very popular, so pre-booking is essential: the girls at the hotel were very helpful in organising this. We had two of the best tapas here - at the recommended restaurants of Albores and El Almacen. Also close by is the Gorilla bar, which is a craft ale bar. Worth a visit as has locally brewed beer aged in sherry barrels, which makes for a different taste.

Finally onto the fascinating city of Cadiz, which is steeped in history. Highlights for us were the roman amphitheatre and the even older remains of the Phoenician village. Both jaw dropping in scale and the way they have been so well preserved, made even more amazing by the fact that they were only discovered this century. We had a fantastic meal in the Cafe Royale (well worth a visit, even if only for a drink: this gets busy, so pre-booking is essential) and great tapas (and people watching) in the central Mercado.

A trip that went too quickly, and we can't wait to go back again.

We thoroughly enjoyed this trip; thank you very much for arranging it for us at such short notice. Seville was very interesting, and we were grateful for the walks which took us away from the hotspots of the Cathedral, the Giralda and the Alcazar. We visited both of these in the afternoon when the worst of the queues had eased. Personally we found Jerez less interesting, although the sherry bodega Tradicion tour was extremely interesting and very good value despite the price. However we loved Cadiz, a fascinating, vibrant small city; we hope to return there within the year. The staff at the hotel Argantonio were lovely and very helpful.

First holiday with Inntravel and would thoroughly recommend. Information and walking routes were excellent. Would upgrade rooms particularly at the Casa Grande and the Argantonio as the standard rooms were small. The Casas del Rey Baeza suggests eating at the Catalina - don't it's dreadful! We enjoyed the Albores and AMar in Jerez and San Francisco Uno in Cadiz. Great choice of fish restaurants too along the c/Virgen de la Palma. We did go to the horse show in Jerez but were a bit uncomfortable with the horses performing jumping tricks. We did enjoy the Bodegas Tradition sherry tour and the flamenco at Tabanco El Pasaje.

An excellent, very well organised holiday. The hotels were beautiful, the travel went very smoothly and it was so easy to see each of the lovely cities we visited by following the trails provided. The highlight was the Casa de Cuatro Torres.

We really enjoyed the break. Weather was glorious - not particularly warm until say 11.00 but fine thereafter, indeed perfect for a city break. Hotels all very good. Coffee from machine in Jerez hotel pretty poor but a lovely woman made perfect poached eggs. 

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers enjoyed our New Year Break in Vejer de la Frontera followed by our Fino and Flamenco journey by rail.

Excellent hotels, fabulous destinations and a good variety of experiences. Two unmissable places to visit. In Granada the CajaGRANADA Museo and Colecion de Art - a short walk from the hotel.  We found an interestingly curated and excellent exhibition from the collection and fascinating modern museum on the history of Andelucia. In Cordoba, the Fundacion Helga de Alvear, Sala Vimcorsa, Calle Angel Saavedra, which caught our eye on our Inntravel walk. Small outstanding exhibition of international photography from the collection. Also in Jerez, fantastic tapas bar Tabanco Las Banderilla, Calle Caballeros 12. Line up with everyone else pressing to get in at 8pm and enjoy!

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers enjoyed a tailored itinerary taking in aspects of our Fino & Flamenco and our Splendours of Al-Andalus journeys by rail.

Despite the weather (we picked the wet week in between periods of glorious sun), we enjoyed this holiday. All three towns were interesting and 'tourist friendly' and the hotels all had character. As it was low season, the restaurants and shops had more time to put up with my attempts at Spanish.  We were pleased we extended each stay (4+3+3).  Lots of choice when it came to food and drink, from standard tourist fare to interesting 'tapas nuevas' with the modern twist (Rosario Uno in Jerez a particular highlight).   We expected to like Seville and that was confirmed with lots to see and do. Jerez was interesting (horses, sherry, alcazar) but not as 'pretty'. From Cadiz we did not expect so much but loved it and half seriously considered a couple of extra days  - but the cost of changing flights made us see sense.

This is an excellent addition to the Inntravel stable. Three very different cities but all charming, easy to navigate your way round and fascinating. Phoenician, Roman, Islamic and Spanish history to enjoy. And that's before you start on the copa and tapas! If you think city walks are too easy - we clocked up over 11 km each day without noticing. If staying at the Casa de las Cuatro Torres in Cadiz make sure you go up into the tower (if not right to the top which is up a spiral staircase) and see how the owners have restored what was originally used as a look out over the port to make sure there was no dodgy dealing going on with the goods arriving. The hotel is lovely and the staff and owners even more so. We will go back!

One of the best holidays we've had with Inntravel. Impressed by the Spanish rail system and ease of getting a taxi once we'd reached our destinations. The upgrade especially at Las Casas del Rey Baeza [Seville] was really worthwhile. For us the concept of fly, train and taxi was excellent. Do book Seville Cathedral tickets in advance - we didn't manage to get there. The tour of the bull ring was very good as was Las Setas (the mushrooms). In Seville we would recommend Almirante Taberra and El Rincorcillo to eat. In Jerez the Spanish Riding School was terrific. Can book and get a voucher via the hotel. Would recommend Taberna for tapas and La Carbona (outstanding). Cadiz was lots of fun following the routes painted on the pavements. Would recommend [restaurants] Los Fogones and Casa Manteca but NOT El Faro which we found overpriced and the service was dreadful. I've seen happier chaps following a coffin. Many thanks to the staff at Inntravel for managing to keep this break a secret from my husband until his 70th birthday.

Sunday and Monday are not brilliant days for this part of Spain - quite a lot wasn't open or wasn't open all day, maybe it beacuse it was late-ish in the season? There was a parade with some religious effigies in Jerez - apparently this happens every Saturday there, although we were sceptical - but it was quite a spectacle. The Gonzalo-Byass bodega is well worth a visit (we now love sherry...) and good value, as it the Roman Theatre in Cadiz. On the other hand, we found Cadiz cathedral disappointing.  

So difficult to pick out favourites as we enjoyed it all so much.

Seville: Discovered a fabulous tapas bar while wandering the streets of Seville called Bar Pelayo. So friendly, great atmosphere and tapas to die for! Really loved Casa de Pilatos and the Flamenco Museum. Well worth the detour. Recommend crossing the river to the Triana district to get a different perspective of the city. Particularly liked the indoor market and found an amazing jamon stall selling little paper cornets of delicious nibbles. We spent a happy hour sheltering from the heat perched on bar stools with a cornet of spicy pork bits and one of local smoked ham and a glass of chilled white wine. Perfect! 

Jerez: Visited the Bodegas Tradicion which you recommended for sherry tour and tasting. Top-class and beautiful surroundings. Well worth it. The receptionist at Casa Grande was so helpful in booking this for us as we arrived at 12 on a Saturday and she managed to book us in for the final tour at 1! She also booked us in to the flamenco evening at Tabanco el Pasaje. A tiny bar with a tiny stage about the size of a table top. No entry fee, but you buy drinks and tapas. We had a table right at the front which was incredible. The atmosphere was electric and the guitar playing and singing was marvellous. The flamenco dancer was sensational. She danced with such passion and energy. We have been to other flamenco shows, but this was truly unforgettable. We loved the Alcazar too - an outstanding visit. A lovely thing to do after a night out is to take a glass of wine up on to the roof terrace of the hotel and soak up the atmosphere under the stars.

Cadiz: We did the 2 tours recommended by you and they were both terrific. Don't be put off by the seemingly long distances on the map. Cadiz is actually very compact and easily walkable. In fact, it is the perfect place to wander. It was lovely to be by the sea. We enjoyed a drink and ice-cream at the beach, Playa de la Caleta and dinner at Rosario One. Opening times of churches and buildings are somewhat erratic, so go with the flow and move on! One memory which will stay with us is the vibrant atmosphere in the plazas in the early evening when families crowd into the squares for a chat and a drink. Children playing football and running around and the noise of grandparents and parents talking. So unlike the UK. They all wander home about 8.30 and the square returns to it's normal hubbub.

2 things we discovered: tinto de verano (a delicious cold drink of red wine with lemon soda) - so refreshing on a hot day and tortilla de camarones (crispy fried tapas made with chickpea flour and local small shrimps) - completely addictive. They don't always appear on the menu, but just ask and they will appear!

Seville - Clients of Casas de la Juderia shouldn’t miss the tunnel, nicely decorated and offering some antique windows. Wandering about the different houses that have been renovated for hotel needs is really worth the time. We had an unpleasant experience visiting the Alcazar: the upper floor (royal apartments) was open to visitors. But we were given specific audio guides with no possibility to pause. As my wife had a technical issue with hers, I tried to help her and went back to the beginning of the spoken tour on mine. But it of course made me be a bit late in the visit. The security guard who accompanied us had no knowledge whatsoever of the device and kept urging me to move on, whilst I was listening to the audio guide. Moreover, he called his younger colleague and both of them spoke to one another, preventing us visitors from being able to listen to the audio guide. And when I complained at the end of the visit, the young security guard dismissed my complaint saying that I should file one on the book I would find at the exit - of course there was no such book, or no sign to help tourists having an issue. Too bad, because the royal apartments have much to offer to the visitor’s eyes! Cruceros Torre del Oro was a rather good experience. But the Guadalquivir banks are not Paris (sorry if this sounds chauvinistic), one should expect enjoying a boat ride rather than great views. Audio comments were pretty good, in five languages (Spanish English French German Italian), and the route includes views on buildings of the World’s Fair exhibit. Rather than Casa de Flamenco, we picked Casa de la Guitarra (Calle Mesón del Moro 12) for a Flamenco show, it was excellent. Re your picks about visiting the town, we think you missed something most worth seeing, the Plaza España.

Jerez de la Frontera - The so-called Junior Suite was large and pleasant. Unfortunately, there was a recurrent wifi access issue that seemed more or less linked to the fact that we had a (European) second floor room. The receptionist said that nothing could be done as it was weekend time and no technician was available. We asked for some compensation and were waived one room service dinner. Visiting the Tio Pepe winery was disappointing: a huge crowd of tourists was packed in a cellar for a very long movie about the history of the brand. Not a bad documentary, but most of it was - of course - in Spanish, and the English subtitles, at the bottom of the very large screen, could only be read by people sitting in the front row! The guide knew what he was talking about but didn’t have a good contact with the audience. And the tour of the grounds was done in a little train where customers were really squeezed against one another. Chance had it that because one of their cellars was closed due to a private event, they offered some sherry and tapas as a compensation, which was fair. As a Frenchman, I was disappointed that they had no French language tour, though they had a French flag on one of their advertising posters and there were a lot of French tourists. And my wife, an American, found it hard to understand the guide’s talk in English. We want to add that we weren’t the only visitors to think that this visit was overpriced and somewhat unpleasant. We visited the Alcazar and liked it, but for some reason, the “camera obscura” was not accessible. Visitors whose main incentive is this device should double check about it. Close to both Cathedral and Hammam, the Bar Restaurante La Riva, C/José Luis Diez 13 has a nice terrace, simple but good food, a courtesy glass of sherry and a friendly owner.

Cádiz - Hotel 4 Torres was a great experience, a very helpful staff who provided a copious takeaway breakfast as we had to leave for an early train. Clients shouldn’t miss going to the terrace and tower which can be accessed by elevator, then a specific staircase. We did have good dining experiences at Balandro and El Faro. I was surprised by your mentioning that the Roman Amphitheater was “the second largest one in the Roman world”. I am not an archeologist, but what about Orange? Unless what visitors can see nowadays is just a small part of what existed 2,000 years ago. 

Puerto de San Maria - We second your suggesting a day trip there, though we couldn’t make it to the Castle due to bad planning (our mistake).

Leaving Cádiz - We first were perplexed that you only considered leaving Cádiz by plane, though we understand most of your clients may be British. We then realized that you did mention how to go from the station to your hotels when arriving in Cádiz, and it’s of course just a round trip if you have to go back to the station. You may consider adding a paragraph referring to the arrival page.

Transportation - You mention that “AVE ticket holders can travel free of charge on the suburban (Cercanias) line in Madrid.” Once there, we were confirmed this by a RENFE representative. But we had forgotten about the 5 digit password and the ticket office employee didn’t know anything about this and has us buy tickets. You seem to only consider people arriving in Seville Airport.  I think it would be a good idea to also give tips to customers who arrive by train. In many places we discovered it is possible to take a bus directly from the station to the hotel, thereby avoiding the cost of a taxi. We think that you should take into account the Spanish habits of eating late, therefore avoid trains around 10 as the one you first booked for us. Having a leisure morning in the nice hotels you provide is pleasant, and you should at least offer a choice between different train schedules. Moreover, because we happened to arrive earlier than expected at the Jerez de la Frontera train station, we not only changed our tickets easily for an earlier train than scheduled, but got a €15 refund (for two pax). Your train booking partner doesn’t seem to be very good in getting the best available rates.

Walking notes - For a variety of reasons, we didn’t often use your walking notes, but we found them well done when following them in Cádiz.

Conclusion - This feedback has been written to help future visitors. Whatever some criticism, we want to congratulate you for providing a very useful information altogether; Fino and Flamenco was altogether a good experience.

Highly recommend Lamata Restaurante at Puerta de la Carne 6, just a short way from Las Casas de Juderia. Excellent food and service. Went there a second time as we were in Seville for 4 nights. And we will never forget staying in Las Casas de Juderia, the most atmospheric, strangest hotel ever but with brilliant breakfasts. These three cities, Seville, Jerez and Cadiz, allowed us to feel that we were really deep in Southern Spain, getting a taste of its past glories but also sadness and present vigorous life. And of course we were there in a heatwave!