Fino & Flamenco

Cafe Royalty in Cadiz is a must for dinner

The Inntravel walking notes were excellent. We added two extra nights in Seville, thus allowing a day trip to Cordoba (highly recommended) plus an extra day in Seville itself which was most worthwhile. In Jerez the Lustau bodega sherry tour was recommended by the hotel - excellent. In fact, the whole sherry experience was enjoyable and instructive.

Thank you Inntravel – our first ‘Journey’ altho regular walking customers  A great holiday for 2 couples (70+) in early February – 20+ degrees!

Seville – An amazing city bursting with treasures!  Casa de Pilatos – great intro to wonderful architecture, then took Tour 1 to get bearings (approx. 30 mins to Alcazar) 

Booked Alcazar in advance (not that easy) – free Monday visits just for 1 hr and seem impossible to get. 10 am good time for visit to this fantastic place! We took 2.5 hours

Queue for Cathedral /Giralda moved well and interior and views wonderful. Dona Lina for tapas (p56) was closed with for sale sign so ate at Cervecia nearby which was v good – great atmosphere.  Enjoyed a  River boat trip with commentary – good way to ‘chill’ and see sights

Collected tickets bought by phone from Casa Flamenco. Enjoyed sundowners and pool  (refreshing!!) back at hotel then to Café-Bar Teresa for pre performance meal (ok). Flamenco excellent - music, singing, dance absorbing and passionate.

The Bullring - Interesting to see the building, art and hear about the passion of the nation from very good guide. Walked over Triana Bridge to a different world of ceramics and food. Indoor market great – sherry/taps at the Bodega Mercado.  

Jerez – a  very relaxed more commercial feel. Easy to explore. Each night ate at Rigadon close to hotel – international type dishes, all good (not vegan!)

Booked tickets for Bodegas Tradicion tour then explored city – sadly Viceroys House closed. Such helpful locals wanting to talk (even tho we had limited Spanish!) Bodegas very good with excellent tasting matched to different foods. Very relaxing swim/massage at Hamman Baths

Horses! Pre-booked tickets for 12 noon Show (suggest seats in middle the best). Visited stables, museum, gardens beforehand. Display wonderful… Lunched at QuinceArcobas almost opposite - ecommended by guide at Bodega – good sherry and delicious food.

Cadiz – wonderfully relaxing city. Torres Tavira/Camera Obscura gives good overview of its layout and development. Roman and Phoenician ruins exceptional (tickets for latter in person only – get in advance). Enjoyed both suggested routes in the notes – buildings, shops, food and ad hoc entertainment/music. The indoor market amazing – especially the fish. Roof top of Casa Cuatro Torres great for views/sundowners and Balandro exceptional food – v v busy at the bar area but don’t be put off, it’s so good!

Trip to El Puerto de Santa most enjoyable – a lovely relaxed walk around and great lunch at La Pescderia – and the Amontillado from 7 corners Bodega which they will sell to you in a plastic bottle (complete with label!) at 4 euros a litre is delicious!

All the hotels were very comfortable with very helpful staff. Trains easy and efficient. It’s worth taking time to roughly plan each city to ensure you can fit things in before you book train times – eg we changed Jerez to Cadiz times in order to see horse show.

We feel the title may be more accurate as 'Fino, Flamenco and fine architecture'. As first-timers to this part of Spain, having previously only stayed with friends in Valencia many years ago, the combination of cities was a great introduction to this area of Spain, its culture, architecture, history and skills. The itinerary is definitely 'fit for purpose' and we loved every day. Thank you.

In Frontera we thoroughly enjoyed learning about sherry and sampling the various types at the Bodegas Tradicion. Also the tour at Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art was excellent. The guide was well informed and very enthusiastic. As well as watching the students practising, we were able to see the stables and meet some of the horses. We would definitely recommend the cafe in the garden of Palacio Duques de Medina Sidonia in Sanlucar. It is such a tranquil and beautiful place to enjoy a coffee. In Cadiz we liked the walk through the gardens on the waterfront, there are some amazing trees. We went to the restaurant Balandro, which was recommended. There is a formal area with tables but we ate at the bar and it was so good that we went back the following night.    

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.