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Post by bet on Jun 26, 2015 6:46:35 GMT
TRAFALGAR - HIGHLIGHTS OF SPAIN, MOROCCO AND PORTUGAL
September 2014
This was my very first Trafalgar tour and despite it being a Costsaver, I was impressed and thought it was excellent value for money. The TD, Javier was exceptional, he was warm, personable, informative and went above and beyond, he was also incredibly funny.
There were exactly 50 people on tour and I found traveling with so many a bit frustrating at times, as I’m so used to traveling on my own or in small groups, but there was a good mix of people including 3 other single travelers.
Most hotels were better than what I would have expected from a Costsaver, some were very nice, others were more simple but were centrally located, but all were clean and comfortable, the only real basic hotel was in Riad. None of the hotels were what I would consider too far from the action or in the middle of nowhere. All had free wifi.
All the Local Guides including the national guide we had in Morocco were excellent, the only exception was the local guide in Fez.
Spain and Portugal were countries that I never really had much interest in, although I still wanted to see them for myself one day. Morocco interested me and I thought this tour was a great way to get a taste of all three countries.
While I enjoyed Spain, it’s not a place I have the desire to return to, but I thought Segovia, Seville and Salamanca were beautiful.
From the little I saw of Portugal, I thought it had a uniqueness about it, it was less touristy and I enjoyed Portugal more. One of the things that stood out the most was how friendly and welcoming the Portuguese people were. I would like to go back to Portugal one day.
Morocco was fascinating and a country full of contrasts, which I loved. I didn’t find it a culture shock as I kind of knew what to expect, having been to other similar places before. I was surprised at how westernised Morocco was in some ways, but some people on tour found it all a bit too much. Not once did I feel unsafe or threaten in Morocco.
Day 1 - Madrid
This tour began the same day as my Insight’s Country Roads of Switzerland tour ended so I had an early morning start, catching the first flight of the day from Zurich to Madrid, arriving in Madrid at 9am in time for the included hotel transfer at 10:30am.
There were four tours starting in Madrid the same day, including the First Class version of this tour and we were all divided into our respective tours and coaches. I was the only one being picked up on my tour and my driver welcomed me on board. He was Portuguese, was young and good looking, he was also a good driver. We then drove the short distance to terminal 4 where we picked up a few other tour members before continuing on to our hotel.
The TD was there waiting for us, he gave a general overview of things and offered suggestions on what to do for the rest of the day. After a disappointing Insight tour I became a bit apprehensive regarding this tour, but after meeting the TD I instantly knew this tour would be different and so much better.
The hotel was decent, the rooms were on the small side but had a good size bathroom, there was free wifi, good buffet breakfast and was in a fairly good location. It was only a 5 minute walk from the Prado museum, the Retiro Park and the Atocha metro station and we were able to check in straight away.
My plan for the day was to see the Plaza Mayor, before doing a walking tour and visiting the Royal Palace. I caught the metro to Sol station where I had a good look around and accidentally went on my own walking tour so by the time I got back to Sol to start the planned walking tour I was too hot and tired so I opted out and went and had a late lunch instead, it was a very hot day.
Still feeling exhausted, I decided to head back to the hotel for a rest. While walking back I thought I’ll have a quick look at the Prado Museum, entry was free after 6pm so decided to come back for a visit then. I then walked over to Retiro Park for what was meant to be a quick look but I underestimated how big it was and ended up getting lost. Two hours later I finally found my way out and fortunately found my way back to the hotel easily enough.
By the time I got back, there was no time to rest as I wanted to go to the Welcome Meeting the TD had organised. After that was all over the TD had arranged his own optional as nobody was interested in the official optional, which was dinner in the Plaza Mayor, and at €60 I wasn’t surprised as it was a bit expensive just for dinner.
The TD’s optional sounded good - a sightseeing tour of Madrid and tapas in the Plaza Mayor and at only €22 I decided to go with it instead of visiting the Prado. We began with a drive around Madrid and I realised just how much more there is to Madrid than what I thought, the tour was also more extensive than the included sightseeing we would do the following day.
We then had a short walking tour around Sol and the Plaza Mayor where we then visited a quaint restaurant for tapas with one drink included, afterwards we had free time to look around. The optional ended with another sightseeing drive and as it was now dark it was an illumination drive, and it was beautiful to see Madrid lit up. It was quite late by the time we got back to the hotel so it was a long but good start to the tour.
Day 2 - Madrid
Our included sightseeing of Madrid began at 9am, 15 minutes behind schedule as we were all waiting on one couple. The orientation drive lasted 2½ hours and having a full coach I realised just how cramped the coach was in comparison to the half empty Insight coach I had on my Switzerland tour. It was very difficult to look out and see things unless you had a window seat and I generally found the coach to be quite uncomfortable, especially on some of the long drives.
After the included sightseeing was over it was then free time or there was the Segovia optional which I did and enjoyed it a lot. The walking tour of Segovia included seeing the Aqueduct, Cathedral, Calle Real and the Plaza Mayor, where we had our one hour lunch break. The walking tour then continued on with a visit to the Alcazar, which was great. I thought Segovia was beautiful and was one of my favorite places I saw of Spain. We arrived back in Madrid at 5:30pm for free time and dinner.
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Post by bet on Jun 26, 2015 6:55:49 GMT
Day 3 - Madrid - Toledo - Granada
Today was a very long day and we left Madrid at around 8:30am and it was around a 1 hour drive to Toledo. Our first stop was to the lookout and the views of Toledo were beautiful. Toledo was one of the places I was looking forward to the most as I heard how beautiful it was, but for some reason it didn’t live up to my expectations, it was nice but not a stand out for me.
We had a local guide for our walking tour who was good but was a bit rushed and with such a large group I found it very difficult to keep pace with the guide, take photos, and just have time to stop and enjoy the moment. In the end I decided to stay at the back of the group so I had time to take photos, but I was then always playing catch up and lost a lot of what the guide was saying. We had a 10 minute toilet break in the quiet part of town but had no actual free time to look around ourselves which was very disappointing.
After the walking tour we had the visit to the steel workshop, which was nothing more than a sales pitch, the demonstration itself lasted 5 seconds, nevertheless I still managed to part with some euros, buying a necklace that I just had to have, despite not being a jewelry person.
We then drove towards Granada and after a 1½ hours drive we stopped for lunch at a simple roadside restaurant we then continued on our way and we reached the Alhambra for our next optional at 5:30pm.
Im not quite sure why the Alhambra is an optional even on a Costsaver and I was surprised that there were a number of people who didn’t sign up for this optional. When I asked two sisters why they weren’t going they replied that weren’t paying to see a garden. Obviously they hadn’t done their research. I couldn’t imagine going to Spain and not seeing the Alhambra, but each to their own.
I was a bit disappointed how this optional was done as again we had no free time at the Alhambra. The group was divided into 2 groups and the local guide was very good, she gave us a reasonable amount of time to take photos before moving on, but just a little more time would have been so much better. We left the Alhambra at 7pm for the short drive to our hotel, where a fairly basic included dinner of soup and chicken with salsa was awaiting.
At 9pm I left for the next optional, which was the Gypsy Night Out, we were taken to the caves in the old quarter in Granada for a flamenco show. This optional wasn’t as exciting as it sounded, the show was average at best, the dancers looked bored and the dresses were all split and falling apart. One drink was included, I had Coke which was warm and flat and the Sangria wasn’t any better either.
The TD was right when he mentioned this optional was just ok and can be skipped in favour of the flamenco show in Seville.The show finished at 11pm and by the time I got back to the hotel, packed my bag for tomorrow it was almost midnight by the time I finally hoped into bed. I was exhausted.
Day 4 -Granada - Costa del Sol
We had an early start today, beginning with a walking tour of Granada, the TD showed us the main highlights and then we had free time. I enjoyed Granada, it was a pretty city and it offered a taste of what to expect in Morocco. As busy as yesterday was, I appreciated the TD organizing the Alhambra optional yesterday which allowed us time to see Granada this morning as otherwise it would have been one or the other.
We left Granada at 11am and we stopped at 12:30pm for lunch at a very nice sea side restaurant where I had the Spanish tortilla. We then continued on and we arrived at our hotel in the Costa del Sol at 2:30pm.
This hotel was very nice and was located right on the beach front, my room was enormous had ocean views and a balcony. The hotel also had a good size pool but the hotel wasn’t located in a very happening area of the Costa del Sol.
I was feeling really exhausted from the heat and long days that I just crashed as soon as I got to my room. After waking up I went for a walk along the beach and then relaxed by the hotel pool before dinner, afterwards I went back to my room watched the sunset and had an early night. It was nice to have time away from the group and have a less hectic day. There was a seafood dinner optional which I didn’t sign up for.
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Post by bet on Jun 26, 2015 6:57:12 GMT
Day 5 - Costa del Sol - Fez
We left Costa del Sol at 8:30am for the very long drive to Fez, I was really excited to finally be on my way to Morocco. We stopped to take photos of the rock of Gibraltar and then stopped at a supermarket where I bought some snacks and stocked up on supplies for Morocco.
We caught the ferry at Tarifa at 12pm bound for Tangier in Morocco. The ferry ride took just under one hour and most of that time was spent waiting in line to get my passport stamped. With Morocco one hour behind Spain we arrived at the same time we left at 12pm and we were greeted with the unpleasant smell of stale urine along the corridors linking the ferry to the terminal.
It was here that we met our excellent national guide who was with us during our entire stay in Morocco and he took us to exchange some money, I noticed all the banks were French. We then waited for our coach to be unloaded and do all the official stuff, which looked like a real nightmare.
Once we were back onboard our TD had organised an orientation drive of Tangier. I had read Tangier was a typical unattractive port town, but I didn’t find it that bad, from the little I saw. Our drive naturally took us through the attractive wealthy part of the city and then the beach.
We then made our way towards Fez passing the Rif mountains, we stopped twice along the way to buy drinks and ice creams, a Magnum ice cream was 30Dhm approx €3, so we quickly realised that Morocco wasn’t going to be that cheap after all, not for western products anyway.
We continued further and eventually arrived at our Fez hotel at 7:30pm, which was nice but simple, a single story hotel with a nice pool surrounded by a lush garden. It also had a beauty salon so I booked myself a Reflexology massage for the following afternoon. My room was huge but my tv didn’t work properly, it needed an aerial.
A Moroccan buffet dinner was included tonight and most of the group really enjoyed this, however for me being a fussy eater I didn’t, even though being spicy I thought I would like Moroccan food.
Day 6 - Fez
The hotel had a decent enough breakfast buffet including some made to order Moroccan pancakes which were good, but the highlight was the most delicious orange juice I’ve ever had.
We departed at 9:15am for our included city tour of Fez. We saw the city walls, the Royal Palace and stopped to take photos over the city before our walking tour of the Medina. We were divided into 2 groups and the tour lasted around 3 hours. Our Local Guide was informative but conveniently became pushy at the carpet and leather shop visits.
I really enjoyed visiting the Medina and thought it was fascinating but some people had enough after 5 minutes. I found it more civilized than what I had imagined. Even though it was hectic I found the locals to be polite and didn’t push and shove their way through as I was expecting and I didn’t feel unsafe.
There was no time to stop and shop but while walking around I bought some Moroccan bracelets for €20, probably getting ripped off in the process, but I didn’t care. During the Medina tour, we were taken to a carpet shop where we seem to have unlimited time for another sales pitch. I was the first to be singled out, as they must of assumed that being one of the more younger travellers in the group, I was easy prey. While some of the carpets were beautiful I had no intentions nor the €800+ to buy one.
After the carpet visit we were lead to the tannery and a leather shop for another sales pitch. I wasn’t interested in buying a leather bag or a jacket but I was interested in seeing the tannery. While it was fascinating to see, I found it quite sad as well and while the smell was offensive it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be either.
The tour was then over and we returned to our hotel for a late lunch at 3pm. I then had a quick rest and shower before my massage, which only cost 130 dirhams (€13), it was money well spent.
Just before 7pm we left for our Moroccan Dinner and Belly Dancing optional and most people did this optional. The restaurant had lovely Moroccan decor and was located at the beginning of the Medina. There were musicians, a magician and 3 belly dancers that entertained us through the night. Dinner was a traditional Moroccan soup and a chicken tagine dish, followed by a sweet mince savory nut pie, melon and mint tee. People talked highly of the dinner but again there was little that I ate, nevertheless it was the entertainment that I was after and it was a very enjoyable night and a worthwhile optional. It finished at 9pm.
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Post by bet on Jun 26, 2015 6:58:31 GMT
Day 7 - Fez - Marrakech
Today was another early start, leaving the hotel at 7:30am for another long drive to Marrakech. We first stopped at Ifrane a winter ski resort, it was hard to imagine snow in Morocco on such a hot day. It was a nice touristy westernised place. We then continued on and stopped again for lunch and another break before arriving at our hotel just after 6pm.
Our hotel was a very nice large modern hotel and was well located. A smallish buffet dinner was included tonight. There was a Morrocan reggae band playing at the hotel bar, it sounded fantastic so I stayed on and was one of the best nights on tour.
Day 8 - Marrakech
Today we had a slightly later start to the day and at 8:30am we left for the Berber family optional. It was a nice drive and I really enjoyed having the opportunity to meet a Berber family and have an authentic experience We were able to look around their home, had the opportunity to buy some ornaments or get a henna tattoo if you wished. We then had some mint tea with bread, butter, honey and olive oil, all were homemade.
Once we left the family we drove further up the road where we had the opportunity to have a camel ride, which wasn’t part of the optional. We then returned to our hotel at 11am, and picked up the people who didn’t do the optional and we left straightaway for the included sightseeing tour.
It was an extremely hot day, and was too hot to enjoy any of it, but there was a bit of relief from the heat when we visited Bahia Palace and the spice market. The spice market itself was a bit of a joke and was again another sales pitch. I was disappointed as I was expecting a genuine market with a million and one different spices on show, instead all we got was a shop selling overpriced Argan oil cosmetics. The packaging looked cheap and tacky which made me question the quality of the products. The only spice I got to see was a bit of Saffron in one of those medical specimen containers.
After the visit to the ‘Spice Market’ was over we moved onto Jamaa el Fna Square where we had a short amount of time to take photos but no time to have a real look around and it was here that the tour ended. We had the option to return to hotel on the coach or look around the Square and catch the taxi back to the hotel.
The TD showed us where to catch the taxi and how much to pay the driver 20Dhm. I had planned to stay on but decided at the last minute to go back to the hotel on the coach as it was extremely hot and I was exhausted. I knew it would be my one regret on the tour but I was simply too exhausted to care. About half the group returned by coach and we all had lunch at the hotel restaurant and spent the rest of afternoon relaxing poolside.
In the evening we had another optional and we drove back to Jamaa el Fna Square and had a very brief visit through the food stalls before making our way to the restaurant. I wished the included sightseeing visited the Jamaa el Fna Square at night when it all comes to life and the weather is pleasant.
The restaurant was nice but not as fancy as our Fez dinner optional, there was the usual belly dancing entertainment. Food was plentiful and typically Moroccan. The optional concluded with the horse carriage ride from the square through the streets back to the hotel.
Day 9 - Marrakech - Casablanca - Rabat
This morning we had a 8:30am departure for another long drive to Casablanca and Rabat. Despite reading many negative reviews of Casablanca, I really enjoyed my brief visit and wished more time was available. We stopped at the corniche where we had free time to look around and have lunch. Most of us went straight to McDonalds and after 4 days in Morocco I was looking forward to having something familiar, even if it was only McDonalds. I had the limited edition medium Cajun Chicken Burger Meal and at 58Dhm approx €6 it was fairly expensive by Moroccan standards.
After lunch we walked along the beach front and simply enjoyed the atmosphere as I felt that I could be anywhere in the world. Casablanca was a welcome relief from the scorching heat we had experienced so far in Morocco, while it was still hot it was pleasant and bearable. Leaving Casablanca we had a photo stop at the Hassan II mosque and drove past the famous Ricks Cafe before making our way to Rabat.
Upon arrival in Rabat we drove past the Royal Palace and then spent 15 minutes visiting the Mosquera before a 5 minute drive to our hotel, where we arrived just after 4pm. This was probably the only real basic hotel we had on tour. The surrounding area didn’t help as it was a bit run down looking. My room was clean and comfortable and thats all that mattered to me at the end of the day.
The french supermarket Carrefour was directly opposite the hotel and I couldn’t resist checking it out and stocking up on some french products. I then spent the rest of the night working out how I was going to fit my latest shopping into my already overweight and overflowing suitcase.
Dinner was included tonight but I couldn’t be bothered going, knowing I probably wouldn’t eat what was on offer. I was happy to snack on what I bought earlier in the day and watched some Moroccan tv including Masterchef Arabia.
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Post by bet on Jun 26, 2015 7:01:15 GMT
Day 10 - Rabat - Seville
Breakfast this morning was fairly uninspiring and we left early for the journey back to Spain. We arrived at the port at 11:30am, went through immigration before we boarded our boat and left Morocco at 1:15pm, we were back in Spain less than an hour later.
Getting off the boat was a bit chaotic and dangerous as both passengers and vehicles were disembarking from the same exit. We then had to wait for our coach as we had to off load our luggage, just incase Spanish customs wanted to inspect any of it, which they didn’t. Immigration was also nonexistent, I was surprised at how lapse entry back into the EU was.
Everybody, including myself was happy to back in mainland Europe. It was like coming home in a way, as everything was more familiar and we didn’t have to worry about what we ate and drank.
We arrived in Seville at 6:45pm where we had a short orientation before arriving at our hotel. The hotel was simple but still nice and clean, my room was quite small but had a decent size bathroom which was decked out in traditional Sevillien tiles. A buffet dinner was included tonight and it was delicious, the best included dinner on tour.
At 9pm we left for the flamenco show, which started at 9:30pm and it was fantastic, one drink was included and the show finished at 11:30pm.
Day 11 - Seville
We had a bit of a sleep in this morning as the sightseeing tour of Seville didn’t begin until 9:30am. The sightseeing tour was excellent and so was the Local Guide. I really enjoyed Seville and our group photo was taken at Maria Luisa.
The walking tour ended at the Cathedral, where you could return to the hotel on the coach or stay on and catch a taxi back, everyone stayed on to do more sightseeing and for my seat mate and I some shopping as well. We left the visit to the Cathedral to the end when it was less crowded and from there we caught the taxi back to the hotel, it wasn’t far and the fare was only €8 between us.
Tonight there was the Tapas optional, which I didn’t do.
Day 12 - Seville - Lisbon
We left Seville and made our way towards Lisbon at 8:30am, there was a bit of light rain and fog and the weather was quite changeable for most of the day. We had a quick stop at a shop that sells souvenirs and all sorts of junk, and from there the Portuguese border was just meters away. I was eager to see what Portugal would bring and I had high expectations of Lisbon as I heard only good about it.
We stopped for lunch at a basic restaurant serving typical Portuguese food, they also sold a small selection of cork made souvenirs, there were bags, jewelry and even umbrellas. I was amazed at what they could make from cork, but there was nothing to my taste.
It was also our driver’s last day before his scheduled time off, it was a shame as he was excellent and before we arrived at out hotel we stopped at National Sanctuary of Christ and from the lookout we had views over the Tagus river towards Lisbon, the 25 de Abril Bridge as well as seeing the shrine.
We had a change of hotels in Lisbon and we arrived there shortly before 3pm. The hotel was very good and looked near new. We had some time to relax before having a free drink and nibbles at the hotel bar which the TD had organised for us. I’m not a drinker, but I tried the Port that was on offer, and like all other alcohol I found it too bitter.
The TD also asked us if we wanted some free time in Lisbon before we went to the Fado optional. The hotel was around a 5 minute drive from the centre and we had 2 hours to ourselves to look around Lisbon. Although 2 hours wasn’t long enough it was better than nothing. It would be the only opportunity to have some free time in Lisbon, as all day tomorrow would be taken up with the included sightseeing and the optional excursion to Sintra and Cascais, which I definitely wanted to do.
I instantly liked Lisbon, friendly people, good atmosphere and the buildings were beautiful. Lisbon for some reason reminded me of Prague, I think it was the trams, the buildings, the castle on the hill and each district had it own unique look and atmosphere.
I was in two minds about doing the Fado dinner, as I heard mixed reviews and didn’t know if I wanted to spend more money on another dinner I knew I would not eat and wondered if the show was good enough for the money spent. In the end I stuck with my original plan and signed up for it, as I knew I had to see it for myself and couldn’t leave Portugal with out seeing a Fado show.
My thoughts of Fado was that it was just OK, everything was quite repetitive a dance then a song then the guitar, then another dance, the dancing itself reminded me of polish dancing, and I was over it pretty quickly, I did however enjoy the singing. Dinner was some sort of grainy soup, Portuguese chicken which was bland and had a strange taste like it had been sitting around for a while and some sort of mousse texture dessert. The show finished at 9:30pm and while I was glad to see it I was also glad it was over.
Day 13 - Lisbon
The day began with a sightseeing tour of Lisbon which was good but wished we had a stop to see some of the Alfama district and the castle as well. After stopping at Belem Tower, Monument to the Discoveries and Jerónimos monastery, we visited the church and then the TD treated us to some delicious Portuguese pasteries from the Confeitaria Nacional, the oldest pastry shop in Lisbon.
Afterwards was free time or the Cascais and Sintra optional, this optional was excellent and was one of my favorites. We drove past the most westerly point in Europe and I was surprised in the change of scenery so close to Lisbon. I had a simple lunch, chicken & chips with peri peri sauce it was delicious and quite cheap. By the time lunch was over there was only enough time to have a quick look around. We then left for Sintra and had the option to tour the castle or just have free time there. I choose the castle tour, which I really enjoyed and there was still enough free time to have a quick look around and do some shopping before returning to Lisbon.
The weather was quite changeable again today but it hadn’t rained up until it was time to be picked up and typically it poured. There was also a Cosmos tour group who also got rained on and I noticed their coach was not only more modern, it was also more spacious than our Trafalgar coach.
There was a seafood optional dinner tonight which I skipped and instead went for a good walk and dinner back at the hotel.
Day 14 - Lisbon - Fatima - Salamanca
We left Lisbon this morning at 7:45am with our new driver, who was a good but a bit grumpy. We made our way towards Fatima, arriving there at 9:15am. Our first stop was the large factory souvenir shop, we then drove to see the shrine, unfortunately we couldn’t visit the basilica as a service was taking place. Fatima was exactly what I had imagined it to be and I found it rather boring and I was ready to leave after our one hour visit there.
We continued on and left Portugal behind, arriving back in Spain where we had an overnight in Salamanca, arriving there around 5:30pm. The TD gave us around 2 hours to look around, which wasn’t quite enough, Salamanca was beautiful and worthy of further exploration.
A late dinner was included tonight and was very basic, 3 small pieces of pork and chips and a salad to share around the table.
Day 15 - Salamanca - Madrid
We left today for our return to Madrid and along the way the TD made a surprise visit to Avila, where Trafalgar shouted us Churros and Hot Chocolate, after out treat we had a short amount of time to look around the town walls of Avila.
We then continued on our way to Madrid, stopping on the way for the El Escorial and the Valley of the Fallen optional. I had originally planned to this but I lost interest and decided against going, instead returning to Madrid earlier to do last minute sightseeing and shopping.
We stayed at a different and more fancier hotel than the one we stayed at the start of the tour, and the TD had organised our final dinner at a Tapas restaurant just around the corner. After our dinner and our farewells, around 15 of us went to an American style diner directly opposite the hotel. It was a great end to the tour and by the end of the night only myself and the other single travellers along with the TD were up celebrating. The diner closed at 1am and thats when I decided to call it for the night. I still had to sort out my suitcase which was grossly overweight and needed to work out what to leave behind.
I got little sleep as I was up at 6am ready for the 8am transfer to the airport. When I left the TD gave me a small pendant from Toledo, it was a nice gesture and I thanked him for doing an absolutely fabulous job.
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Post by tiffany on Jun 26, 2015 11:35:59 GMT
Looking forward to reading your tour tale Bet. I just have to finish Chech’s tale first!
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Post by tiffany on Jul 14, 2015 16:59:59 GMT
I’ve finally had a chance to start reading your tour tale Bet. I really enjoyed both Spain and Portugal (Portugal more as you know) so I’m looking forward to reading your tale.
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Post by tiffany on Jul 15, 2015 12:04:46 GMT
I just finished reading your tale Bet, and it sounds like you enjoyed the tour, despite not liking a lot of the food. I loved the food in Morocco when I was there, but I like that type of food. I too loved Lisbon and Portugal in general, and if you get a chance, you should look at going on the Best of Portugal tour. It’s one of the best tours I’ve ever been on.
I hope to go on Trafalgar’s Northern Spain tour in a few years. I liked Spain, and have been told by a few people that the North of Spain is the best part of the country.
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Post by bet on Jul 24, 2015 6:27:12 GMT
Hi Tiffany, I'd like to see more of Portugal one day and the Trafalgar tour you did sounds good but I dont think I'll be going any time soon, too many other places to tick off first.
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Post by tiffany on Jul 24, 2015 11:39:36 GMT
I hear you Bet. So many places to go, and not enough time or money to go to them all! I will suggest not putting Portugal off for too long. Right now it’s a fairly cheap tour, but tourism is growing in Portugal, and it may get more expensive soon.
The Trafalgar tour of Portugal was one of the best tours I’ve done with them. I highly recommend it!
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Post by poodlegirl on Jul 24, 2015 15:30:03 GMT
Hi Bet
I agree with Tiffany try to see Portugal soon. The scenery, history, food and especially the friendly people. I loved Best of Portugal with Trafalgar as well.
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Post by poodlegirl on Jul 24, 2015 15:39:19 GMT
Bet,
Thanks for posting your tour. I will look into the costsaver option in the future. Your TD's optional for 22 euros sounded lovely. I would not want to spend 60 euro for a meal!!
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Post by plane2catch on Nov 25, 2015 5:44:04 GMT
TRAFALGAR - HIGHLIGHTS OF SPAIN, MOROCCO AND PORTUGAL September 2014 This was my very first Trafalgar tour and despite it being a Costsaver, I was impressed and thought it was excellent value for money. The TD, Javier was exceptional, he was warm, personable, informative and went above and beyond, he was also incredibly funny. There were exactly 50 people on tour and I found traveling with so many a bit frustrating at times, as I’m so used to traveling on my own or in small groups, but there was a good mix of people including 3 other single travelers. Most hotels were better than what I would have expected from a Costsaver, some were very nice, others were more simple but were centrally located, but all were clean and comfortable, the only real basic hotel was in Riad. None of the hotels were what I would consider too far from the action or in the middle of nowhere. All had free wifi. All the Local Guides including the national guide we had in Morocco were excellent, the only exception was the local guide in Fez. Spain and Portugal were countries that I never really had much interest in, although I still wanted to see them for myself one day. Morocco interested me and I thought this tour was a great way to get a taste of all three countries. While I enjoyed Spain, it’s not a place I have the desire to return to, but I thought Segovia, Seville and Salamanca were beautiful. From the little I saw of Portugal, I thought it had a uniqueness about it, it was less touristy and I enjoyed Portugal more. One of the things that stood out the most was how friendly and welcoming the Portuguese people were. I would like to go back to Portugal one day. Morocco was fascinating and a country full of contrasts, which I loved. I didn’t find it a culture shock as I kind of knew what to expect, having been to other similar places before. I was surprised at how westernised Morocco was in some ways, but some people on tour found it all a bit too much. Not once did I feel unsafe or threaten in Morocco. Day 1 - Madrid This tour began the same day as my Insight’s Country Roads of Switzerland tour ended so I had an early morning start, catching the first flight of the day from Zurich to Madrid, arriving in Madrid at 9am in time for the included hotel transfer at 10:30am. There were four tours starting in Madrid the same day, including the First Class version of this tour and we were all divided into our respective tours and coaches. I was the only one being picked up on my tour and my driver welcomed me on board. He was Portuguese, was young and good looking, he was also a good driver. We then drove the short distance to terminal 4 where we picked up a few other tour members before continuing on to our hotel. The TD was there waiting for us, he gave a general overview of things and offered suggestions on what to do for the rest of the day. After a disappointing Insight tour I became a bit apprehensive regarding this tour, but after meeting the TD I instantly knew this tour would be different and so much better. The hotel was decent, the rooms were on the small side but had a good size bathroom, there was free wifi, good buffet breakfast and was in a fairly good location. It was only a 5 minute walk from the Prado museum, the Retiro Park and the Atocha metro station and we were able to check in straight away. My plan for the day was to see the Plaza Mayor, before doing a walking tour and visiting the Royal Palace. I caught the metro to Sol station where I had a good look around and accidentally went on my own walking tour so by the time I got back to Sol to start the planned walking tour I was too hot and tired so I opted out and went and had a late lunch instead, it was a very hot day. Still feeling exhausted, I decided to head back to the hotel for a rest. While walking back I thought I’ll have a quick look at the Prado Museum, entry was free after 6pm so decided to come back for a visit then. I then walked over to Retiro Park for what was meant to be a quick look but I underestimated how big it was and ended up getting lost. Two hours later I finally found my way out and fortunately found my way back to the hotel easily enough. By the time I got back, there was no time to rest as I wanted to go to the Welcome Meeting the TD had organised. After that was all over the TD had arranged his own optional as nobody was interested in the official optional, which was dinner in the Plaza Mayor, and at €60 I wasn’t surprised as it was a bit expensive just for dinner. The TD’s optional sounded good - a sightseeing tour of Madrid and tapas in the Plaza Mayor and at only €22 I decided to go with it instead of visiting the Prado. We began with a drive around Madrid and I realised just how much more there is to Madrid than what I thought, the tour was also more extensive than the included sightseeing we would do the following day. We then had a short walking tour around Sol and the Plaza Mayor where we then visited a quaint restaurant for tapas with one drink included, afterwards we had free time to look around. The optional ended with another sightseeing drive and as it was now dark it was an illumination drive, and it was beautiful to see Madrid lit up. It was quite late by the time we got back to the hotel so it was a long but good start to the tour. Day 2 - Madrid Our included sightseeing of Madrid began at 9am, 15 minutes behind schedule as we were all waiting on one couple. The orientation drive lasted 2½ hours and having a full coach I realised just how cramped the coach was in comparison to the half empty Insight coach I had on my Switzerland tour. It was very difficult to look out and see things unless you had a window seat and I generally found the coach to be quite uncomfortable, especially on some of the long drives. After the included sightseeing was over it was then free time or there was the Segovia optional which I did and enjoyed it a lot. The walking tour of Segovia included seeing the Aqueduct, Cathedral, Calle Real and the Plaza Mayor, where we had our one hour lunch break. The walking tour then continued on with a visit to the Alcazar, which was great. I thought Segovia was beautiful and was one of my favorite places I saw of Spain. We arrived back in Madrid at 5:30pm for free time and dinner. |
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