Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary

My husband, 17-year-old son and I had the most amazing trip to Spain! During the planning stages we had an hour-long zoom meeting with Ivan where we discussed what we’ve done, seen and experienced on some of our favorite travels in the past. We wanted to have a vacation where we interacted with locals while also experiencing the culture of Spain. Ivan came up with the perfect itinerary that immersed us in Spanish and Andalusian culture. Everything was turnkey where all we needed to know was what time to meet our driver and guide in the lobby. Ivan checked in by email every night and immediately answered our phone call when we went to the wrong platform to meet our driver at the Madrid train station. All of our guides and drivers were excellent and it never took long for us to feel like we were hanging out with friends.

We had so many amazing experiences and tours that it’s not possible to pick just one or two favorites. Spending a half day at a bull farm where we learned about the history and tradition of breeding bulls and going out into the fields in a 4×4 to see them up close was so exciting. Attending a Betis FC vs Real Madrid soccer match was epic. The flamenco show and sailing across the Bay of Cádiz was exhilarating.

The food we ate was all exceptional! The tapas tour was informational and delicious. Stopping at a cheese-making workshop was interesting and tasty. Baking bread with a local family in Benalauria and then enjoying it with our lunch that was prepared by a local winemaker and Chef was phenomenal. The market tour and cooking class was exceptional and we’ve already tried making one of the recipes back home!

Our favorite souvenirs are the tiles that we painted in a ceramics and pottery workshop in Triana, the Sherry we purchased in a Sherry bodega where we learned about the aging process and sampled the different types with the owner, and the Olive Oil we shipped home from the Olive Oil mill we toured. The only thing we wished was that we could have stayed longer. We will definitely return to Spain and will contact Ivan to plan our itinerary!!!

My wife and I had travelled extensively from the US to 30+ countries around the world. We had been to Spain 5 times and loved the country more each trip. After being together for over 35 years, she passed away last year. After 9 months as a 75- year-old new widower, I decided to take my 1st solo trip. Andalusia kept popping into my head. My wife had been on Wendy Perrin’s email list and had always spoken about her, but we had never used her…now was the time!

Wendy put me in touch with Ivan, her Andalusia specialist. He and I had an hour-long Zoom call where he listened to what I thought I wanted out of this trip. I had been to most of the World Heritage Sites in the area and therefore wanted to focus on architecture, gastronomy, viniculture, lifestyle, and the culture of the people in and around the White Villages.

The trip was amazing! Every day was with a car, driver, and English-speaking guide—11 days on the ground with 7 different guides, each of whom was friendly, courteous, extremely knowledgeable and a pleasure to be with. Sevilla, Cadiz and Ronda were my country bases before returning to Madrid for the trip back to New York.

There was not one event Ivan had planned that was not exceptional. He was proactive all the way through and even showed up at a small vineyard I was visiting to personally introduce himself and give me some wine that wasn’t available in the US. So many extra little details he put in place made my stay in Spain everything I wanted and more. The immersion I had originally requested was handled perfectly and most professionally. All the hotels, White Villages, restaurants, sights in the cities and guides were exactly what I wanted. Vejer de la Frontera was my favorite village where I plan on returning for a few weeks next winter.

It is deeply impressive when one listens to what is being said and is then able to put it all into place. Ivan is that person. His knowledge, understanding, professionalism, client concern and communication skills are what elevates him to the top of the business. He is a true “Fixer” in the best sense of the word, who I thank for making my trip so successful. I would highly recommend him to anyone thinking about a holiday in Spain!

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.

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