Tours of Southern Spain

and Valencia in the past, I was looking for a trip focused on the southern region of Andalusia. This trip was very well organized including the cities visited, the transportation from city to city, the tours offered and the hotels. The private tours were excellent and comprehensive. The hotels were also of the highest quality and the combination of activities throughout the trip were perfect for me. My travel designer was also available 24/7 by email or phone.

arrangements,(hotels, tours, pickup service ) was outstanding. Our travel consultant was very helpful as we had to make a few changes. Also they were very flexible in switching some of the scheduled tours without any cost to me. I would definitely recommend this travel company!

and guides. Our travel planner and this travel company planned a two week trip for three of us to Madrid and southern Spain. Everything exceeded our expectations from the selection of beautiful and unique accomodations, to our guides and transportation. When the weather turned unseasonably warm, the guides and our planner provided additional transportation so my 88 year old mother would not need to walk in the heat. He gave us a mobile wifi unit so we could stay connected without incurring international roaming fees. We also appreciated his list of recommended restaurants in each city, from Michelin-starred to casual tapas bars; all were wonderful. I have used Zicasso for trips to Africa, Argentina, Japan and now, Spain with this travel company. I recommend this agency without any hestiations. Work with this travel planner: you will be in for a wonderful adventure. 

to anyone that I knew, this travel company was awesome and constantly kept in touch with me to make sure all accommodations are good and we have everything we want and need as planned.

very best we have had. The itinerary, hotels, guides and drivers were top notch in every way.

Spain.  Wines, ports, sherry’s, food tasting tours, culture, people, bullfights, private guided tours, cultural sites, simple history and architecture, centrally located luxurious accommodations, and topped off with cooking class in a private Seville home. 

The entire planning process with this travel company, from concept to completion was very smooth and organized.  Inquiries, questions, and itinerary changes were handled quickly and met with positive comments and suggestions. The trip consisted of a combination of time to explore and discover on our own, and private guided tours.  The guides were always on time, flexible to adapt tours to our questions and interests, knowledgeable in many areas, and seemed genuinely interested in providing us the education about our tour topic.  On self exploring days this travel company provided many options with suggestions of places to visit and restaurants to eat.  

excellent itinerary for our private tour of Morocco and Spain. Not only did they give us a detailed explanation of what we were doing each day, but also kept in touch with us through emails and then actually met with us in Madrid. The guides and drivers were on time, courteous and very knowledgeable. The information provided to us before (Tips for Morocco and Spain) were very helpful in planning for our departure and while we were traveling. I would definitely use them again and will recommend them to our friends.

of different tour companies. The travel company and their founder and CEO, surpassed our expectation in every way.  The founder/CEO quickly replied to questions we had before and while on the trip. He incorporated our requests and ideas of what we wanted to do while planning the itinerary and the guides that were chosen were very knowledgeable and professional. The founder/CEO's eye for details and the knowledge he has made our trip to Spain a 110% success! We have already recommended this company to friends of ours.

Our trip consultant did an amazing job collaborating with me on the itinerary.  She paid close attention to my preferences and every detail so that we had an optimal experience.  She recommended the right guides and places so that we had an opportunity to see all the important sites, while making sure we had time for rest and relaxation.  My family of four and my parents took a trip to Barcelona, Southern Spain and the island of Mallorca so it took someone with in depth knowledge to make sure all our needs were met.  We are accustom to a five star experience and this was all and more.  The trip was exceptionally planned and very customized to our needs and interests.  Our drivers were prompt and helpful which made for ease in getting to our destinations without difficulty and plenty of time to truly enjoy the experience. Our trip consultant listened to how we wanted to spend our time and was extremely knowledgeable about the destinations and where and what to do.  I couldn’t have done it without her! The hotels she reserved were outstanding and we particularly liked the hotel in Mallorca, which had a beautiful view of the ocean.  It paid off to have someone as exceptional as the consultant; it’s exactly why we like using local travel agents for the inside information so precious time is not wasted.  Trip consultant thank you for the fantastic job! Moreover, our consultant and her team provided very individualized and quality service while we were on the trip.  There were a few times we needed some immediate assistance and they were always available and more than willing  and able to assist.  They called everyday to make sure we knew the plan for the day and that we were having a good time. Very customized attentive service. I liked our consultant so much, that I’m trying to return back before the end of summer.  This time a girls trip to the North; and I wouldn’t dream of using anyone other than our trip consultant!

our recent three week trip to Spain.  Honestly, I have nothing but great things to say about this company.  The agent who contacted us was wonderful.  She was very professional and listened to our plans, offering suggestions to make things easier for us and as time went on we felt like we were working with a friend.  She helped us with transportation, booked us into small, centrally located hotels and B & B's, suggested restaurants, and tours we might be interested in taking.  Once we arrived in Spain she would check to make sure things were going smoothly and to see if we needed anything.  We did some private tours and our guides we knowledgeable and fun.  Yet, we always had time to relax and explore on our own.  I know this travel company made our visit to Spain personal and a great experience.  I would highly recommend them to anyone thinking of traveling on their own to Spain and looking to enhance his visit.This travel company made our time in Spain personal, easy and great fun!  I would highly recommend this company to anyone planning a trip to Spain.

have gone any smoother. My husband and I didn't bicker once during the 10 day vacation in Spain! Highly recommend them. Looking forward to the next trip with this travel company.

a long time that finally materialized this past September. I visited Madrid, Granada, Cordoba, Seville, and Malaga. I have traveled a lot and continue to do as best as I can. I was raised in Europe and live in New York for almost 40 years so I’m familiar with this type of traveling. Normally, when I travel alone, as I did this time, I use reputable travel companies with good reviews but rely heavily on my friends’/family’s experience and suggestions. When I do that it seems that I enjoy my travels. This time things were different.

Unfortunately, this time I relied only on internet reviews when I picked Zicasso. The reviews were mostly favorable. Zicasso’s response was professional and quick. They matched me with an agent in Andalusia, this company. Initially, this travel company appeared quite responsive and professional.  They assumed responsibility when they realized they were accountable for their many mistakes in the beginning and end of my trip. However, they totally lacked organizational skills, consistency in their provided services, ability to maintaining a level of quality expected, especially within my budget parameters (not to mention disregard of my indicated budget at first contact as they initially proposed a trip that cost more than double the amount I had indicated). I insisted that they stayed withing the budget I indicated. I even gave them a sample of an itinerary I wanted with details and proposed hotels. This company appeared to want to compete with upscale, seasoned operators seemingly lacking the necessary knowledge and ability to do basic things, and follow through. They seem to be driven by greed reflecting in their bookings of unjustifiable, confusing, occasionally random, or super-commercialized activities (any mainstream agent would have easily done that on a much lower budget). They lost perspective of my priorities or personal needs which I had originally indicated.Here is the list:

I wanted to spend 10 days in Andalusia. Perfectly reasonable amount of time within a generous budget. Apparently, my trip was cut short to only 6 nights. Perhaps, to fit the company's budget needs. I went with it. Regardless, the company kept adding way too many, and often unnecessary, things/destinations in their effort to justify the spending of money. In general, the logistics of that trip were not thought out well or in realistic terms. In retrospect, I had several indications that communication between myself and this company, though prompt, was not very good.  I admit that I might have not been willing to acknowledge this at that time being too eager to go to Andalusia.Because of the above I ended up doing what I told this company I wanted to avoid: rushing through cities; spending only one night in most and then packing up again and leave for the next. I wasted incredible amount of time traveling this way, let alone the time I needed to orient myself around each new place with the need of a map (and self-education that slows the process) since no guides were assigned to me! Felt like a student level tourist experience! I regret this and find it shameful (I’m 60 y/o with good mobility but many health considerations that this company was aware of because I had discussed them with them). They could have advised me towards a more comfortable and meaningful itinerary. Of course, this would have meant fewer places, hotels bookings etc. that agents normally benefit from....

Worst example: with only one full day and night in Madrid, the itinerary was filled with too many things to do, all good if you have a few days, except surprisingly limited time for museums! Fitting in Prado museum, after I requested it, seemed as an afterthought.  With an unpractical and unrealistic itinerary the travel company deemed appropriate to  issue me the most expensive museum option: a 3 museum pass vs. a plain ticket to Prado (not even necessary since I could have bought it myself on location)!  How would anyone realistically fit 3 museums visits (that’s the pass) when you hardly have time for one and even then only for 1 or 2 galleries?  I needed to catch a train to Granada at 1pm and allow time to a) fetch my luggage from the hotel, b) go to the station. Unable to find enough time to even visit Goya and El Greco galleries properly made me very sad and upset and almost made me loose the train to Granada. And of course, left me with an awful taste of resentment toward this company. They tried to correct it by promising me a driver service from then on, something that should have been expected anyway.

For what I've considered (and known) to be a generous proposed budget I did not get personal transportation to/from points of entry to all destinations until I had a problem with the hotel in Madrid, an in or posada not uncommon there. My extremely tiny room was like a trailer without a windows (there was a tinted glass facing the hallway for light but not a proper window. Food smells from the restaurant downstairs permeated the room. No appropriate closet or space to walk around the bed. A night light overhead would not be turned off keeping me up all night. The only ventilation was through inadequate A/C. Management did not want to change me.  The travel company tried to resolve it. Unable to do this they promised a driver from/to all my destinations instead. This should have been included in the first place and not as a make-up gesture.Madrid should not have been squeezed in this itinerary. Not enough time. Yet, the company believed that it was a doable option even in a short period of time and although I was skeptical about it I agreed to it since I did not know the size and richness of Madrid. A good planner would have advised against it and concentrated on a better use of time in Andalusia which was the focus of my trip. Thankfully, I had the sense to refuse other stops that this company tried to squeeze in while I was traveling in Spain. It became anxiety provoking to always rush and not enjoy sufficiently.Level of tour guiding: inconsistent and erratic. In Granada I met with a wonderful tour guide for a private tour to the Alhambra. Fascinating, professional and appropriate as expected. In Cordoba I was thrown in a group that I did not expect.  Luckily, the tour guide was exceptional and the tour was not too big so I let it go and enjoyed the tour. In Seville, I was thrown to a huge unpredictable group. The guide was late by 45 min in meeting me that the assigned location. I was not notified of the delay. Once again I was thrown to a huge group and order to get on a bus that was supposed to deliver people who would then be separated to language specific sub groups. The guide’s English was average, quality of tour mediocre, overall boring and hectic. Sad and unpleasant experience for a marvelous city like Seville! I would have been better off by myself but would benefit from a private guide as one would have expected with the budget I presented.Biggest blow: In order to negotiate 2 nights in Seville and save some time lost in travelling back to Madrid for my departure to another country, I helped this company figure out an alternative departure from Malaga. What a disaster. I ended up losing my flight because the company (are you ready for this?) read 1:55 departure as an afternoon departure instead of 1:55am. Needless to say, that by this time it had stopped being a vacation for me. Damage control was the name of the game. The company took responsibility to transfer me via train to Madrid, book me to a hotel there, pay for a drive to/from stations, and fly me to Athens, Greece and of course the paid for all this. Nevertheless, this ordeal cost me anguish and high levels of anxiety and discomfort (undoing any benefit I was hoping to gain from this vacation), disruption of my personal and family plans, loss of money (I had prepaid a rental car in Athens; lost a business meeting and income generating opportunity there); and waste of valuable time I had planned with family.

Would I use this travel company again? Never. I would be happy to share details with anyone who is interested. The company left a very bad taste and would not recommend them. I will share similar reviews to the above on other travel platforms.