Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Torremolinos to Granada
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal, Morocco – Granada
WJ Tested: Insight Vacations – Day 15: Torremolinos to Granada, Spain
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Torremolinos to Granada
16-Night Motorcoach Trip in 2011
Torremolinos to Granada
Although this was our latest hotel departure (10:30 am), we decided to get up early (by 7 am) so we could take another beach walk before going to breakfast at the hotel. The temperature was absolutely perfect and we had the entire beach to ourselves for most of the walk. Back at the hotel we had a delicious and leisurely buffet breakfast and realized how much we loved the coffee in Spain (we had been drinking more tea while in Morocco).
Jamon & Green Wine
Driving to Granada
As we departed Torremolinos, Javier picked up with his talk about the Costa del Sol area and shared his knowledge of the nearest large city, Malaga. By 11:30 am we were stopping for a 50-minute comfort stop at a service area that had a nice selection of olive and ham products. When we arrived we were greeted by a friend of Javier’s that worked there and she had trays of the regional green wine with tapas (Serrano ham) for us to taste.
Our first real rain had started as we drove past Malaga and towards the city of Granada and the rain continued the entire way. But it worked perfectly with our schedule as the skies cleared as we drove into the city and towards our hotel.
All of a sudden Javier asked Philip to stop the coach and said anyone that wanted a special treat should follow him. Of course we all followed quickly, as he led us down and across the street and into Los Italianosice cream parlor on Gran Via. We quickly picked out our favorite flavors and proceeded to savor the ice cream cone Javier had treated us to. He remarked that this was the best ice cream in Spain and we were inclined to agree!
Alhambra in Granada
Granada & The Alhambra Palace
Philip looped back with the coach to pick us up and then delivered us to the 4-star Hotel Saray by 2 pm. We had an hour to relax before we departed for our included tour of the Alhambra Palaceand Generalife Gardens guided tour. For 2 hours we toured the grounds with our expert local guide as he showed us the highlights of the famous 14th century Moorish UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Alhambra UNESCO World Heritage Site
By 6 pm we were back in our hotel and the next thing on the agenda was to take our Moroccan carpets to the post office for shipping back home. Thankfully, Javier went with us and helped us fill out the Spanish postal forms (not as quick and easy a process doing the paperwork as we thought it would be).
The Alhambra UNESCO World Heritage Site
Dine Around
After returning to the hotel we met with fellow passengers in the bar for a quick glass of sangria before we all set off on a 15-minute walk to local restaurant, Paco Martin, for an included Dine Around meal (Insight Vacations’ Dine Around allows guests to choose one of two selected local restaurants).
The restaurant was filled to the brim with locals and our small group. A very lively atmosphere kept us engrossed while we dined on a delicious 3-course fixed menu of local specialities. The meal started with a glass of sangria and olives, followed by a choice of cod salad with dried fruits, green asparagus with cured Jabugo ham and prawns, or cold tomato cream soup with boiled egg and cured ham. For the entree the choices were oxtail cooked in Abades red wine, pink hake fish with coal roasted peppers, or ribs in bbq sauce with baked potatoes and vegetables. For dessert we could have either chocolate fondant, fruit salad with molasses or traditional Spanish leche frita. Bread, butter, 2 glasses of Rioja wine or beer and tea or coffee were also included. The meal was excellent, and our fun group bantered back and forth as we strolled back to the hotel, reliving memories of our wonderful day in Granada.
If You Go:
Visit WAVEJourney’s Insight Vacations Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco Review:
Overview | Itinerary | Hotels | Photos | Day 1: Madrid | Day 2: Segovia | Day 3: Toledo & Salamanca | Day 4: Fatima & Lisbon | Day 5: Lisbon & Cascais | Day 6: Sevilla | Day 7: Cordoba | Day 8: Gibraltar & Tangier | Day 9: Fes | Day 10: Fes & Meknes | Day 11: Marrakesh | Day 12: Ourika Valley & Marrakesh | Day 13: Casablanca & Rabat | Day 14: Torremolinos | Day 15: Granada | Day 16: Madrid |
