Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary

Iván organized an 8-day family trip over the Christmas holiday. We were based in two exquisite hotels, Club Seta Hotel in Granada and Alfonso XIII in Seville. Highlights included a hike on the Caminito del Rey, Alhambra, tapas tours, and performance of the Royal Equestrian School in Jerez (ie, horse ballet). Iván was almost always very rapidly available by text and was very diligent at negotiating solutions for the few hiccups that inevitably will come up. In designing the trip, he was very responsive to our needs in landing on just the right balance of doing and down time. We are very grateful for his excellence and would highly recommend using his services if you are planning a trip to the Andalusia region.

We travelled to Spain in October ‘24 with Ivan as our WOW List planner. His itinerary was accommodating and well-curated for our needs. His special ability to listen and respond is what makes him a true WOW guy! My guess is that he is a guide as well as a planner, which gives him a unique understanding of what works well… and how to execute those plans.

We asked for a tour of history mixed with culture and some bike riding…. and each activity was really wonderful. Flamenco dancing, tropical fruit orchard, a day cooking with a chef, visits to artisans in their leather shop, cape shop and espadrille shop…

Drivers were professional in every way and although we had several guides, each was so knowledgeable for that experience. Anytime we chose the guide or Ivan’s meal recommendations, we were pleased, anytime we took the hotel advice, we were disappointed.

My husband and I recently spent 3 days in Barcelona prior to a cruise. I reached out to Ivan from Wendy’s Wow list, who answered me quickly to set up a call to talk about what we were interested in doing and seeing. We had previously been to Barcelona and so wanted to do different things this trip. Ivan quickly came up with suggestions that we loved.

On the day we arrived Ivan arranged a driver to meet us at the airport. We were quickly taken to our Hotel the El Palace which we loved. That evening we were met with our fabulous guide Nestor. We spent a couple hours on a walking tour of the old town and then went to a couple tapas bars. Nestor truly loves his city and is very knowledgeable about everything in it, we learned so much. The tapas bars were much better than the restaurants I booked on my own. The next morning we were met at our hotel by Chef Ricard for a private cooking class and visit to a local market. The cooking class was so much fun and the food was delicious. I’m looking forward to getting the recipes and trying to cook it ourselves.

Later that afternoon we were meet by Nestor at our hotel to tour Park Güell and the church of La Sagrada Familia. We had previously been to both places, but this time we learned so much more. We arrived at La Sagrada Familia in time for sunset. The church was stunning with all the stained glass windows and the perfect time to go. Nestor then escorted us to the restaurant that I had booked and asked the waiter to make sure we got to Taxi for the return to the hotel. This was on his time and not included in the tour.

On our last day Nestor again met us at the hotel with a driver to tour a family winery in the Penedes wine region. We were treated like royalty and given a wonderful tour. Nestor recommended a great lunch spot in the small town before we headed back to Barcelona. Nestor was a great guide and now friend, and Ivan definitely booked the best of the best for us and handled everything perfectly. He also checked in every day to make sure everything was going as planned and if we were happy. I look forward to booking another tour with him in the future!

Ivan, our trip planner, listened to our interests and he delivered. We had many gastronomic activities which included visiting a cheesemaker, an olive oil producer, and our favorite—an Iberian pig farm. We learned about the strict regulations in this industry and the diets and exercise requirements for the pigs!

Every guide and driver we had was excellent. They felt like friends by the end of the afternoon. We loved the charm of Seville and Cadiz—there was nothing better than wandering down the centuries-old narrow streets and squares filled with restaurants and fountains.

The trip was perfect and we will never hesitate to use your travel services and network of consummate professionals again in the future.

The WOW List: Best Local Travel Fixers Worldwide

by Wendy Perrin | January 20, 2025

How to Get an Extraordinary Trip: Wendy’s WOW Way

by Wendy Perrin | January 1, 2023

Wendy Wants To Amp Up Your Trip!

by WendyPerrin.com | January 1, 2023

Our Latest Newsletters