Madrid Natural landmarks sightseeing Trips

Travel director was a beautiful superstar. Hotels were all excellent. Included meals were great. And we had so much fun during the included sightseeing, and the optional experiences that we participated in. Overall I would recommend this trip to anyone, and I’d do the exact same trip again next year.

Firstly, I will start with a disclaimer I would like to stay in touch with our guide Malina as a friend. While I was walking the Camino she was a true friend to me. She always had best interests of everyone on the tour at heart. I valued her honest council on the walk and will continue to value it through life. My previous review mentioned how much I appreciated the guide and the taxi being there to meet me at the airport. On this occasion neither was there. The guide was out to dinner with the group. The taxi driver left after 1.5 hours. (There was a long delay in collecting our luggage) . Malina left me a whatsapp message which I was unable to access due to no internet connection on my phone. I was able to get an internet connection on a different device and checked the explore itinerary to get the name of the hotel. I then got a taxi to the hotel. When I phoned explore I was told that both the hotel name and address as well as an emergency number are in the final confirmation email. I would highly recommend writing both down before you leave home. I would say the main reason for having a guide is not to point out all the interesting things and the great views but to prevent things going wrong and to deal with them when they do. I successfully walked the Camino last year, ok I had a few blisters but still completed it. It was difficult for me to accept that I would have to do shorter walks this year because of blisters and the heat. But Malina was correct. She took a difficult decision with my best interest at heart to ensure that I not only enjoyed my holiday but also returned home without any health issues. Instead of walking in the heat which was difficult for me I got the opportunity to fully experience the excellent hotels and interesting places on the journey. Which Camino was best I cannot really answer that question. In both cases I was in groups made up of wonderful people with guides who went the extra mile to ensure that everyone had a great holiday. I had two different holidays the first was walking place to place mainly enjoying the journey in the second I had more time to experience the destination. The main thing that both had in common was the camaraderie of the Camino.

We had a wonderful trip to Spain and Portugal with Trafalgar! We saw so many amazing places in two weeks! We were happy we opted for all the Optional Experiences. We were able to see and learn so much more about each location from the tour guides. They were very knowledgeable and spoke passionately about their tours, along with adding their own humor to the stories. Our tour director, Javier, was excellent! He was like our father away from home. He cared for us, watched over us and guided us from beginning to end. He was a fun-loving man who made us laugh all the time! I cannot say enough good things about Javier. He made our trip extra memorable! João was an amazing driver! He kept us safe on the roads, he was timely with pick up and drop offs. Worked so hard to unload our luggages behind the scenes. His driving and parking skills were superb! They made a great team! This is our second tour with Trafalgar and we love this company! We're already booked for our next adventure with Trafalgar!

The trip will be memorable for many reasons. Our tour leader Lucas is a commendable young man, who knew exactly when and were he was needed and when to relax and let us enjoy our own company. His knowledge of the area and the environment was extensive and he delivered it in a relaxed and unobtrusive way. A special thank you must also go to our two leaders, who hosted the tours in Leon and Santiago. Both were incredibly knowledgeable and made everything funny and not at all dry, which some tours can be. The hotels were of a good standard and a special mention has to made about Hotel Pazo de Sedor. After a very long day it was like an oasis at the end of a very long walk. The building, which is an old manor house, the staff and food were quite brilliant. A special thank you, has to go to my fellow travellers, we were an amazing group which made everything even more special.

The Tour Director kept the entire group on the straight and narrow with little fuss - it was almost a military operation! He was also good at suggesting viable alternatives for me as I was suffering from mobility issues. Kudos to !

It was a wonderful experience. I wouldn't change a thing. I was part of a group of seven led by an awesome tour leader (Lucas). From start to finish, the trip exceeded my expectations. The itinerary was the perfect pace. Accommodation was all lovely. It was an ideal balance of walking, cultural experiences, group revelry, and reflection time. I highly recommend this tour and look forward to traveling with Explore again.