When Plans Change, Trust A Travel Agent! Alison Heads To Andalucia
Alison Swallow, from our Highfield Road store, recently had her tour holiday cancelled with just a few week's notice. Thankfully, she was able to put her skills as a travel agent to great use and designed herself a Spanish getaway. Here's her account...
What do you do when the tour you had been looking forward to is cancelled (Israel, which was understandable), just three weeks before departure? Normally, I'd tell you to see your friendly local travel agent... but seeing as I am one, I got my thinking cap on. I still wanted to visit an area of the world that we hadn't previously touched, so this was an exciting opportunity to create something rather spontaneously. Quite honestly we were leaning towards Southern Ireland, but, based on the weather forecast, Andalucia in Southern Spain held just too much appeal. So off we went, full steam ahead with planning.
I quickly mapped out an itinerary, flying into Malaga, to coincide with the exact days we had booked previously. The tour would start with a night in Ronda, followed by 3 nights in Seville, 2 nights in the Granada region, and finishing with 2 nights in Cordoba.
Ryanair was the only airline flying on the days we required, and I'll be honest... I'm normally very sceptical about this airline. Regardless, we bit the bullet and booked them, as the flight times were very convenient for us. We made sure that we made clever baggage choices and pre-booked our seats.
Our car rental was booked through Flexible Autos, which is a broker we use at The Travel Village. Their wide choice of companies, from the well known Avis to local companies, and all inclusive rates were important to us, as we did not want to get stung at the airport for "Extras". We decided on a Jeep, with RecordGo. We used our own phones for the sat nav, which came through on the cars screen, so driving directions and instructions were excellent. And off we went, with radio 2 blasting through the airwaves, to our amazing destinations, and it all made for smooth and relaxing road journeys!
I had meticulously researched and chosen, all through our Travel Village bedbanks, 4* hotels in Ronda, Seville and Granada, and 5* for our last stop in Cordoba. It was obviously important that, aside from location, room standard and onsite amenities, the hotels also had car parking or a valet parking service!
After picking up the car, from start to finish, took 30 minutes, we were soon on our way to our first stop, Ronda. After exiting the airport, after a few kilometres, we were on the two lane motorway, we were on the motorway with very few cars on it!
We chose Ronda as our first stop because it was somewhere I'd always seen pictures of and thought "wow!". Add to that the convenience of it being only just over an hour's drive from Malaga Airport, and it's a no-brainer. We didn't want a particularly long drive on the first day, as we had been to bed late (2:15am) and up early, 5:45am! Ronda was absolutely wonderful, and our hotel Catalonia Ronda, was very central - a modern hotel with first class service. A highlight of the hotel is the roof-top terrace, which offered excellent views of The Plaza de Toros (the Bullring), which is the second oldest in Spain - and somewhere we would be visiting the next day.
Our second stop in Seville, was a short two-hour drive away. We'd chosen the Catalonia Seville Giralda for our base here, and it was just a ten-minute walk into town. After a meal in the Old Town, we walked to Real Betis football stadium to watch a European Football League game, versus Aris Limassol. The game started at 9pm, later than we are used to, but how can you not get into the spirit of the beautiful game with over 40,000 fans shouting and singing to a 4-1 win! We walked to and from the game - 40 minutes away from our hotel, but a lovely walk regardless.
The drive from Granada to Cordoba was just over two hours, and the roads are wonderfully quiet once you exit the city and townships. Our final hotel was the 5* Hospes de Baili. It's tucked away in the Old Town, and was a little difficult to find - I even had to leave Paul in the car whilst I went on foot to find it!!
From check-in to check-out, the hotel's service was superb. You'll feel like you're taking a trip back to Roman times... within the hotel grounds there was the remains of an impressive villa and an indoor Roman Baths, plus the outdoor swimming pool is surrounded by fruit trees and plants. All the rooms had a very high ceiling and luxurious amenities. The Arbequina Restaurant in the hotel was superb, both for breakfast and dinner.
Cordoba is famous for its mosque, situated in the heart of the Old Town, and it's a must see. Alcazar and the Cathedral are also top highlights. We walked across the famous Roman Bridge in Cordoba, which afforded wonderful views of the city. Our last sightseeing in Andalucia was to the Royal Equestrian Centre, Cordoba. It's set in a unique monumental environment, and it also offers a flamenco experience. Shows operate at different times, depending on the time of year,
We finished our trip in style with a wonderful meal, perfectly paired with a fine Spanish Rioja!
This was a wonderful holiday (although unexpected). I would highly recommend visiting this region, either early Spring or late Autumn, when the queues at the major sights are shorter.
All arrangements went exactly to schedule. Our flights and car hire were fantastic, and the hotels were well located and offered car parking or valet parking for convenience. If you fancy a trip like this for yourself, feel free to pop in and see me or my amazing colleagues, and we'll arrange a trip that suits your needs. You can also call us on 01253 40 11 33.
