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Food Wine & Culture - and shopping!
CdSE is organizing a series of Mediterranean Cooking, Culture, Wine & gourmet tapas tasting holidays in 2008 (scroll down for dates and details ) in Southern Spain. Group size is between 4 – 10 people and the activities will appeal to people interested in a cultural exchange either traveling on your own, as a couple, or with a group. Each long weekend will be the perfect opportunity to recharge your batteries in Spain's beautiful sunshine - and to shop 'til you drop if this is your therapy!
If you are a group of 4 or more, you can enquire about alternative dates.
Cost including accommodation is €590.00 per person. Flights are not included. Airport transfers on Sunday is €25 for 2 people / less per unit for 4+. A different price applies to those not requiring accommodation.
Accommodation is provided in luxury Andalucian villas. Views from the roof terraces will make you smile and are an ideal location from which to enjoy tapas & a night-cap (cava & wine supplied). Each villa has a swimming pool 2 minutes from its front door with sun loungers for your comfort. All accommodation has been carefully selected with you in mind.
You can extend your stay if you wish, subject to availability, and perhaps experience some of the other activities on our A la Carte menu (see bottom of page). A different price to the above will apply.
Email Finola to reserve a place(s) at finola@costadelsolevents.com or phone 00353 87 6393468 or 0034 607 340523
Thursday
- 11am - 1pm (please ensure you get a morning flight to Malaga airport): Collection from the airport and taken to lunch in a traditional tapas bodega in Malaga City, the birthplace of Pablo Picasso and Antonio Banderas. The driver will either wait with your luggage or take it to your villa.
- Following lunch, cultural visits to the Picasso Museum, the Roman Theatre, the Alcazaba, the Gibralfaro Castle and the Cathedral - tickets provided - all in the Old Town.
- Malaga's most famous shopping street, Calle Larios, is within walking distance and you may like to have cocktails on a Malaga roof terrace here which overlooks the city and the Alcazaba, before departing by car or coach for your accommodation. This is further down the Coast, West of Malaga airport.
- 7pm approx: Check in to your accommodation, a peaceful haven minutes from mountainous countryside and the beach, with a short guide of the area by foot a half hour later before relaxing for the night. You will be tired by now.
Friday
- 9am: Breakfast on your terrace - fresh fruit salad, organic yogurts, bread from the local bakery, tea/coffee.
- 10.00am: Collection from your accommodation for your mediterranean cookery class.
- 11am – 3.30pm: Cookery class with lots of chatter! on Rashida's terrace kitchen overlooking the sea. Mint tea available throughout. Lunch outdoors with both Organic & Rueda wines at approx 2pm, sharing and tasting what everyone has prepared during the morning - you will enjoy this meal!
- 3.30pm: Collection from Rashida's to go shopping at a beautiful beachside village nearby. Our Style Consultant, Renee, can join you if you wish to have her professional help & advice. This is followed by a visit to Gunnel's boutique (approx 5pm) on the grounds of her beautiful home Casa la Marotte surrounded by lemon, olive, grapefruit, fig and pomegranate trees - great discounts in clothes with a difference, golf wear, beach wear and fashion jewellery for women. Enjoy a glass or two of cava while you browse - there is no rush to leave, unless we are invited to an art or fashion launch in Marbella.
- 6.30 - 7pm: Depart Gunnel's
- Free Time. A good taxi service is available and will be at your villa within minutes.
Saturday
- Breakfast, as above
- 10am: Visit to the local market, a real shopping paradise, where fantastic bargains are to be had - comfortable shoes recommended.
- 2pm: Depart for a Wine & Gourmet Tapas Pairing with a Spanish wine expert. This food and wine feast will take place in an old historic building in a pueblo blanco in the mountains and takes over 2 hours. Sample the world's best gourmet ham - jamon de bellota - from acorn-fed free range black pigs.
- 5pm: A visit to the village's bullring nearby with bullfighting memorabilia is recommended as is a visit to the local history museum showing Andalucian village life as it was long ago. Walk through the narrow and picturesque streets of this lovely village overlooking the whole Coast line; you will see the local people working on their crafts through small cottage windows. This is an ideal place to buy a gift and special discounts apply in certain artisan stores.
- 7pm: Return home
- Free Time
Sunday
- Breakfast, as before
- Lounge by the pool or take a walk on the beach before returning to the airport - or go shopping again!
| Dates Available Now for Booking | Availability |
|---|---|
| Thursday 21 February - Sunday 24 Februay 2008 | Fully booked |
| Thursday 28 February - 2 March 2008 | Fully booked |
| Thursday 6 March - Sunday 9 March 2008 | Fully booked |
| Thursday 13 March - Sunday 16 March 2008 | Fully booked |
| The next dates will be in October and November 2008 | Please enquire |
Points of interest and included in the price:
3 Nights accommodation with buffet breakfast; lunch each day is included in the activities. You will be provided with a welcome bottle of cava on arrival and your fridge will be generously stocked with basic foodstuffs. Wireless internet connection is available during your stay if required. Guests are welcome to enjoy the pool & pool loungers and are encouraged to take a walk in the area and enjoy the sights.
Culture tours to Malaga's (1) Picasso Museum (2) Roman Theatre (3) the Alcazaba (4) the Gibralfaro Castle and (5) the Cathedral. Includes a delightful tapas luncheon in a famous tapas bodega near Picasso's birthplace.
Mediterranean cookery class and lunch in Estepona, West of Marbella. Rashida has a lifetime of cooking experience and entertaining in her home and her classes teach local Andalucian cuisine as well as dishes from the cultures of Arabo-Andaluz that so greatly influence the south of Spain. Rashida’s beachside villa is the ideal setting to learn and create delicious dishes in her 'open air kitchen' overlooking the blue Mediterranean sea.
Wine & Tapas Tasting with a Spanish wine expert in a beautifully-restored historic building – this is a treat for wine lovers and the tapas include locally-cured hams, including Bellota, and cheeses. Olive oil tastings can also be arranged. Lunch on Saturday will be incorporated into this wine & food pairing feast and the venue is in an Andalucian white-washed village in the mountains.
Shopping in Malaga City on Thursday, in a boutique designer village by the sea on Friday and in the local flea market on Saturday morning. Prices are a lot lower in Southern Spain so there are lots of savings to be made.
Information packs supplied on arrival will contain useful details e.g. a map highlighting the areas the activities take place, local taxi number for the evenings, fiestas if any, names of restaurants with flamenco, traditional bodegas i.e. wine restaurants usually with an impressive wine cellar on display, and more.
A coach will transport you to the activities described in the programme. For groups of 4 and less, private cars will take you to the various activities.
Competitive car rental rates can be provided if required by you and also luxury cars with drivers.
A la Carte activities (outside the planned itinerary)
Talk to Finola about doing any of the following activities during your stay in Spain:
- 1-1 yoga tuition. Yoga mats will be provided for your use during the holiday
- Painting class
- Quad Biking into the ‘Campo’ with views of cliff faces, streams and castle ruins. A great way to see the countryside and feel invigorated.
- Diving & Snorkelling - this requires a full day.
- Cycling. Can include a 4,000 ft mountain descent. Bilkes and helmets provided.
- Shopping, combined with a style workshop if desired. This can include a complete style and fashion makeover which will take years off your age - really, it works and no surgery is involved!
Other options in your free time
Book in advance of your arrival in Spain if possible, either through CdSE or directly:
Therapeutic massage in your room. This massage encompasses a unique blend of Shiatsu, acupressure points and aromatherapy and is highly effective at releasing stress, tension and pain from your body. Also available are Indian Head Massage and Reflexology. T: 0034 627 060042 E: maria_petrak@yahoo.de
Go shopping for the current trends in holiday fashions and learn how to create a capsule of clothing, for men & women, in order to create different looks for the beach, dinner, out and about etc. with Image & Style Consultant, Renée Coppinger. T: 0034 616 051071 E: renee@stylemakers.info
Further queries and to make a booking contact Costa del Sol Events at: finola@costadelsolevents.com / 00353 87 6393468 & 0034 607 340523