Destination Spotlight: Andalusia, Spain
One of the great joys of the travel industry is that it does, in fact, sometimes involve traveling to places I love.
Sevilla is a destinations I could head to again and again. Once you get past the usual tourist attractions - the stunning Real Alcazar (Royal Palace; you likely know it as the stand-in for the Water Gardens of Dorne on Game of Thrones) and the enormous gothic/baroque Cathedral - there isn’t that much to do in Sevilla. So it becomes a great place to live for a week or two. Or, who am I kidding, I’ve halfway talked myself into moving there.
Many of the characteristics we consider to be quintessentially ‘Spanish’ are actually Andalusian - flamenco is traditionally thought to have been born as a combination of Roma influence meeting with the long-mingled Sephardic and Moorish cultures of Andalusia; siesta is still a necessity in many parts of the region - they had a sustained period in the summer of 2019 when temperatures topped 110 degrees Farenheit; even Spanish bullfighting, while an ancient tradition with roots in Roman gladiatorial games, has roots in Andalusia - the oldest modern bullring is in Ronda, about an hour south of Sevilla.
The seed for this fall’s trip began with an invitation to the Emotions Travel Community conference in Sevilla. I knew I wanted to build my fall vacation around that conference, so I gave my husband a couple of prospective itineraries for consideration: we could fulfill his lifelong dream of clubbing in Ibiza (while mostly actually relaxing on the other Balearic islands, namely Mallorca); we could head to Valencia, on the eastern coast of Spain, and spend some time at a renowned wellness resort; or we could do a classic Andalusian swing and dig into the layers of history on display in Córdoba and Granada.
Reader, he surprised me by choosing Option C…I thought for sure we’d be lazing about a gorgeous country estate on Mallorca or having medical tests run while vigorously working out. In a nutshell, here’s the outline of what we did do and my notes on what was amazing, what I’d probably do different next time, and what I wish we’d had a chance to work into the itinerary.
Day 1: Mr. Anthology arrives in Sevilla and joins me at the Mercer Hotel Sevilla. The Mercer was, hands-down, my favorite of the seven hotels I experienced on this trip. With just 12 rooms located in a renovated palace (Sevilla is full of these, and this is really the best of the best), and the kind of friendly, unobtrusive service you wish every hotel would be able to provide, as well as perhaps the best breakfast spread I’ve ever had at a hotel, the Mercer is beautiful, refined, and (best of all) comfortable. I wish we’d had more time there and that the weather had cooperated so we could enjoy the lovely rooftop deck and swimming pool.
The room, a junior suite, is stunning. The ceilings are at least 15’ high, the bathroom is blindingly white and enormous, with plenty of storage, and there’s a huge walk-in closet. All of the furnishings are incredibly comfortable; my only gripe is the lack of native USB ports.
After a brief walk through the neighborhood, we head to Petit Comité for what turned out to be one of the best meals of our trip. After lunch, we stroll through some of Sevilla’s highlights - Plaza de España, the Real Alcazar, and the Cathedral. I am apparently not the best tour guide, as Mr. A is delighted to hear that we have professional guides for the remainder of the trip.
Day 2: We pick up our rental car at Sevilla’s Santa Justa train station (we used Sixt, which I’ve had great experiences with in Europe) and head off to Córdoba in our exceedingly comfortable Audi A6, whose trunk looks like it could fit four bodies, much less our four bags (yes, Reader, I took two suitcases with me for this trip, a mistake I shall never repeat). Spain’s highways, for the most part, are well-marked and we were on toll roads the majority of the way, so it was smooth sailing (says I, who drive approximately 0.00% of this trip).
We arrive in Córdoba and check into our hotel, Hospes Palacio del Bailio. We’re a bit early, so the room isn’t ready; we instead take a quick tour of the hotel with the sales manager, including the coolest bit - the rediscovered remains of a Roman villa located underneath the restaurant. It’s a great reminder that this part of Spain is a mishmash of cultures and influences from pre-Roman times onward. The hotel is lovely, with courtyards and gardens galore, a highly-regarded restaurant, and a tapas bar. I am not in love with our room (it’s quite small, with virtually no storage), but we were given a very generous industry rate and it does have a bathtub, so I make my peace with it.
After a snack at the tapas bar, we head to the Mezquita - Cordoba’s Mosque-Cathedral, where we meet up with Cristina for a guided tour. The history of the Mezquita is like a miniature history of southern Spain - originally the site of a small Visigothic church (and likely episcopal building), the original caliph of Córdoba, Abd ar-Rahman I, allowed the existing Christian communities and the Muslim community to co-use the space before ordering the construction of a new mosque in 784. The resulting building, and its subsequent additions and expansions, stands as one of the most exemplary instances of Moorish architecture and design. After Córdoba was conquered by the Castilian King Ferdinand III, the building was converted to a cathedral; in the 16th century, a cathedral in truth was built in the the Renaissance style in the center of the mosque. Needless to say, the juxtaposition of style is somewhat jarring and one longs to see what the original, finished mosque looked like without the Renaissance cathedral. Luckily, there’s an app, VirTimePlace, that uses virtual reality to show you what the mosque used to look like.
Day 3: Our lovely guide, Mariano, and driver, Jesús, pick us up at Palacio del Bailio. Our destination? The Medina Azahara, a 10th-century city erected by caliph Abd ar-Rahman III as the seat of the al-Andalus empire. Construction began in 936, and the palace-city was sacked in 1010, so its occupation was short-lived. Contemporary accounts tell of extravagant gardens, impressive military displays, exotic animals, and wonders such as huge bowls of mercury positioned to catch the sun and cast a kaleidoscope around reception rooms. Materials from the site were hauled away and used for other building projects, and what remains was rediscovered in 1910. Approximately 10% of the site has been excavated and partially reconstructed. Nevertheless, you can get a sense from visiting of how grand Abd ar-Rahman III’s vision was, and how wondrous the city must have seen to visitors from other parts of Europe (remember, we’re talking about the Dark Ages everywhere else). This is a site that was not on my radar until I started talking with supplier partners about what to do while in Córdoba, which just reinforces for me the value of not depending on google.
I take a photo of my fool-proof method for not forgetting my passport in the hotel safe: put one of a pair of shoes in the safe with the passport. Since I’m never going to repack and not notice I’ve only got one boot, I’ll remember to pull both the boot and the passports out. [This becomes important later.]
Day 4: We head off to Granada, about 2.5 hours east of Córdoba. The weather is not amazing, and we have an afternoon tour, so we don’t stop in any of the smaller towns and cities along the way. We check into Hospes Palacio del los Patos, located in the more modern section of Granada, in an art deco-era mansion. Again, our room is fine, if not amazing, but the building is spectacular. WiFi appears to be non-existent in the rooms, probably due to all the marble. I resolve to take a lot of baths rather than work.
Our guide for the afternoon, Susanna, meets us at the hotel and we taxi together up to the Alhambra. It’s certainly possible to walk up to the Alhambra from the center of Granada, but unless you’re looking for the exercise, I wouldn’t recommend it - just taxi to the top and walk down if you’re so inclined. If the weather is good (ours was drizzly, so not worth this), stop in at the bar at the Alhambra hotel for a drink overlooking the city.
I’d already visited the Alhambra twice, both about twenty years ago, so I knew what to expect going in - even as a blasé twenty-something, I remember being incredibly impressed by both the scale and artistry of the Alhambra, as well as the gardens.
Day 5: Today we have completely free in Granada and mercifully have some sunshine, so we climb up to the Albaicín neighborhood, the oldest neighborhood in Granada. A warren of tiny medieval streets, the Albaicín and its surrounding neighborhood is one of the more charming and genuinely authentic sights in Spain…between terrific views of the Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada mountains in the background and tiny sunny squares in which to leisurely nurse a drink, I can’t think of a better way to spend a few hours in Granada. For some background on the Albaicín, check out Granada: A Pomegranate in the Hand of God - a captivating memoir/history of the neighborhood.
Day 6: We head to Marbella, approximately 2.5 hours on a windy mountain road until we reach Málaga and Spain’s Costa del Sol. Thirty minutes later, we arrive at Puente Romano, for a three-night resort stay…we’re super excited to hand over the car, head to our room, and do absolutely nothing for three days. At which point it becomes evident that I did not, in fact, put a shoe in the hotel safe in Granada, as we have arrived sans passports. Luckily, the service at Puente Romano is terrific; they arrange with Palacio de los Patos to have our passports overnighted down - but let this be a lesson to you, Reader…when I request that clients send me a photograph of their passports, not just the information contained therein, this is the exact scenario I’m envisioning.
We head to our room, and it’s lovely…we’ve been upgraded to a one-bedroom suite that I would happily live in. The closet is about the size of my bedroom at home. There are Pringles in the minibar; I need nothing more.
Day 7: Today we have a food tour of some sort scheduled in old town Marbella; it’s raining quite a bit, though, so our guide, Lucía, has arranged for an olive-oil tasting at a wine/olive oil shop in the old town. We get an idea of what Marbella must look like during the season (lovely, if a bit commercial) and the tasting is spectacular. We experience oils from varying parts of the region, including one so fresh it looks to have been bottled the day before - cloudy and green, the taste is like no olive oil I’ve experienced before. We buy more olive oil than I’m comfortable putting in my packed luggage, but reason that I’ll have a lot of dirty laundry by the time we return and I’ll take my chances. (It was fine.)
Day 8: At the conference, I had a lovely meeting with a representative from El Corte Inglés, Spain’s luxury department store. El Corte Inglés offers, for Virtuoso clients, a VIP shopping experience - black car pick-up and drop-off, a consultation with the store’s personal shopper, and all the time in their gorgeous private luxury suite. While I happen to love wandering a store by myself, I still found the private suite to be delightful and could envision an excellent girls’ day out for a group of friends staying at a nearby resort. I wander back to Puente Romano, two new pairs of shoes in hand, and head to the Six Senses Spa for a massage…
Day 9: We pack up the car (seriously, am never bringing two suitcases again) and drive back up to Sevilla. We head to our last hotel of the trip, Palacio de Villapanes. Had I not stayed at Hotel Mercer Sevilla earlier in the trip, this would certainly have been my favorite hotel…gorgeous palace hotel, with a lovely large central courtyard (sadly, too rainy & chilly for us to enjoy, but I imagine it’s heavenly during warmer months), and located within close walking distance to the charming Barrio de Santa Cruz.
Day 10: Today is all about food…I’m exhausted and ready to head home; Mr. Anthology is not, in fact, ready to head home and is excited to hit the town with Virginia, our delightful guide booked through Mimo Food. We meet at Hotel Alfonso XIII and wind our way through the Barrio Santa Cruz, hitting up local spots overflowing with tourists. It’s a Sunday, the sun’s out, and Sevillanos are out and about and ready to mingle. Calle Mateos Gago, in particular, seems to have locals spilling out onto the sidewalk of every establishment. We finish up at La Azotea (which was so delicious we revisit it again the next day).
Day 11: Sadly, the final day of our trip is upon us. I originally hesitated about booking this tour at all, but I had wanted to try Context Travel for myself for some time, as it’s a partner I use with clients all the time. I knew the tour would be very very good, but their only Sevilla offering is an “Introduction to Sevilla" tour…having just spent a solid week among the Spanish tourism industry and having undergone several Sevilla tours during that week, I wasn’t sure whether I’d learn anything new, but figured I’d chalk it up to learning about one of my favorite suppliers. WELL. Reader, I need not have worried. Daniel, our guide for the morning, is a professor of medieval history at the University of Sevilla. His specific expertise allowed us to wander the city and see it’s layers uncover from its time as a Roman trading city; to a bustling center with strong Jewish, Moorish, and Christian communities; to a renaissance gem. We followed Daniel through unassuming squares and learned to distill the history from the street and square names; down into the bowels of parking garages we went, searching in one for an ancient Roman kiln, in another for a 2nd-century Jewish burial site. Like so many cities in Spain, Sevilla’s layered history makes it fascinating to unpeel…Daniel added so much additional color to each layer.
Day 12: Homeward bound…I gladly hand both suitcases off to the desk agent, practically skip onto the first of our three flights, and am eager to be home. I can’t wait to visit Andalucia again, though…am already thinking next year of perhaps a road trip through Southern Spain and Portugal…