Seville & the Aracena Sierra

This was our third trip with Inntravel booked quite late as a short break so we didn't extend it all this time, but still managed to fit a lot into our 4 days and enjoyed it immensely. We chose to focus on Seville and managed a full day plus two long mornings, by taking the later afternoon bus to Aracena and a late flight home. On our first evening we came across the astonishing Setas de Sevilla (or Metropol Parasol), an enormous wooden structure shaped like mushrooms. We didn't get the chance to visit it properly but ate in the relaxed tapas bars nearby both evenings.

Day 1, We followed Tour 1 visiting the Alcazar, pre-booked online as suggested. Day 2 we followed Tour 2, but as it was rather rainy by then, we gave up on visiting Plaza de Espana and the instructions were a bit confusing. So we followed the directions to Triana across the river which was delightful and much quieter than the main tourist areas. We didn't have much time so we just followed the route and had excellent tapas (all our meals in Seville were tapas and each time the portions were much larger than we expected!) in a tiny bar opposite the more formal Primera del Puente restaurant. If we return, we would spend more time in Triana and visit the market and ceramic museum.

We only had one day in Alajar so we chose to follow the walk to Linares and back and had contacted Lucy at the Posada in advance to ask her to book Meson Arrieros for us. We arrived in plenty of time to wander around the village and turned up at the restaurant at 1:15pm - everyone else arrived at 2pm but we wanted to walk back before it got dark. The meal was excellent and the host, possibly the owner, more or less chose for us and she got it spot on. Highly recommended. The walk was very enjoyable and the instructions perfect.

On our last morning we still had a few hours in Seville so we left our luggage at the lockers in Plaza de Armas Bus Station, where you arrive from Aracena. There are a few large lockers which fitted all our bags and you need to buy a token for 3.50 UR from the information kiosk. We wanted to visit the cathedral and joined the queue not long after 10 - it opens at 11 - and managed to get in quite easily. It is certainly worth seeing. Otherwise we had read that you can buy a combined ticket from the nearby El Salvador church and then bypass the cathedral queues.

On arrival we had taken an taxi from the airport to the hotel (Las Casas del Rey de Baeza) for 26 EUR but took the airport bus back from the bus station Plaza de Armas where we had left the luggage. Ignore any instructions about needing to get another bus into the city to catch the airport bus. The bus starts at Plaza de Armas and fills up quite quickly and costs 4 EUR single.

We combined our walking holiday in the Sierra de Aracena with a couple of days in Sevilla, which gave us the perfect blend of activity, sightseeing and relaxation, plus a bit of shopping. Las Casas de la Judería was a really charming and interesting place to stay in Sevilla, much more so than many of the larger, up-market ‘corporate’ chains. I would happily stay there again and highly recommend; the hotel also has a lovely spa, where I had a very good massage. Our second Sevilla hotel, Hospes las Casas del Rey de Baeza, was also excellent but less characterful.

The middle part of our stay was spent in Alájar and this beautiful village was really the highlight of the trip with its narrow, winding streets, little shops and bars and a few very good restaurants. The Posada de San Marcos was lovely and our hosts Lucy and Angel were really welcoming and helpful. The room was simple but comfortable and spotlessly clean, with views over the garden and outdoor pool (sadly, it wasn’t quite warm enough for a swim when we were there). Breakfast, our packed lunch and dinner were all excellent. All the walks started from the Posada and we chose to do the two longer circular routes from the selection we were given. The first one took us up and beyond La Peña (which overlooks Alájar) through chestnut woods, to an outcrop with vultures riding the thermals overhead. This was stunning and well worth the climb and the scramble over some rocky terrain. The second walk was a slightly gentler climb to the beautiful village of Linares, where we had a very good lunch of ‘tapas’. Both walks passed through wooded areas and pastures where there was plenty of wildlife to be seen and few people; the small number of other walkers we encountered were usually families or small student-age groups out for a ramble. Much of the terrain is quite rough and rocky, so a bit more than a gentle stroll but well worth it to experience such a beautiful and unspoilt area of Andalucía.

We really liked the combinaton of time in Seville and walking in the hills of the Aracena Sierra.  The walks were very easy and staying at La Poseda de Sam Marcos de was a joy.  Their efforts on sustainable tourism to reduce water and electricy use are to be applauded, along with provising a homely feel and much piece and quiet. We took the bus from Seville which was very easy and had no need for a car even though we extended our stay to 5 nights.

We added extra nights to make this a full week, with 3 full days in Alajar for walking. Overall this was an excellent holiday - Seville was a magic place to visit and the suggested walks here worked very well despite queues for the major attractions, all of which were worth the effort (although sadly a good percentage of the gardens in the Pilatos House were closed). We used taxis to/from the airport - relatively cheap and very efficient and convenient. The bus transfer to Aracena worked well - it really is worth booking tickets in advance either from UK or via your hotel. In Seville we stayed at Las Casas de la Juderia, the alternative hotel -  obviously we don't know what the other one is like, but ours was really excellent - great location, very helpful staff and a lovely room. The Posada de San Marcos in Alajar is also a real find - the owners are very informative and helpful, and enthusiastic about the local area and traditions; they also have recommendations for extra walks if you have the time. We ate in on one evening and the food was really good, as were the breakfasts. One real must here is combining one of the walks with lunch at Mesón Arrieros in Linares - one of the best meals I've had on a walking trip and in a lovely restaurant (which seems very used to people in walking gear!). Overall this was a great break, combining a lively and fascinating city with some great walking in a less well known area.

We loved this holiday. The contrast between the buzz of the City and the serenity of the country made for a brilliant experience.

Seville is a wonderful city with so much to see. Our 2 nights there, at the lovely La Casas del Rey de Baeza, were split over the beginning and end of the holiday. I would strongly recommend you book in advance for the Alcázar and jump the queues which were quite horrendous when we were there. The ticketing website is in Spanish only so if, like me, your Spanish isn't that good, I would enlist the help of the hotel at some point. We were extremely lucky on our final night in Seville where we had booked dinner at the hotel which turned out to be a flamenco night. As we also received a surprise room upgrade this was the icing on the cake as far as we were concerned.

Alájar was also lovely and we were glad that we added a 3rd night and we did all 3 walks that were included in our notes. Lucy and Angel are lovely hosts. Lucy is an excellent cook and her dinners are first class. There are quite a few restaurants in the village but most tend to be open at the end of the week; we were there at the beginning. We ate on 1 of the nights at Casa Cruz which was nice but the portions served are huge - sharing is good. Angel is very knowledgeable about the area as is Lucy.

As always the organisation by Inntravel was first class and their walking notes detailed and easy to follow. We've lost count of the number of Inntravel holidays we've been on (over 15 I think) but this is another one we'd recommend.

Our second walk, up the hills overlooking Alajar, was one of the best we've done. We heard woodpeckers, saw Griffon vultures, beautiful wildflowers, ancient oaks and chestnut trees and breathtaking view. We felt like we had the whole of Andalusia to ourselves. The weather was perfect and we returned to a fantastic home-cooked meal made with seasonal, local produce, then sat on our sunny terrace with a glass of sherry.  Heaven!