In April of 2018 a friend recommended to contact Celia. We visited wiith a couple of friends and…read morewe loved her! All the plans that she suggested were incredible, including unique wineries that we would have never visited otherwise. We had an amazing experience, thanks to her. Highly recommendable!

From the owner: First we were globe trotters, now we are hosts. And we feel lucky showing you our homeland, Rioja…read more Over 15 years of experience on the tourism and wine industry to understand that the perfect tour it is the one made right for you. We know the history, the wine producers, the secrets, only as locals can do. Let us become, not your guide, but better your host, taking you to YOUR Rioja experience.

This tour was simply the best travel and gastro experience in a long time! Our tour guide was top…read morenotch expert on authentic local Basque cuisine and culture. She catered to our dietary needs/preferences and customized the gastropub tour to fit our needs. I loved everything she had us try, not a single pintxo was anything less than superb (which by the way she ensured was freshly made for her tour guests once we arrived). I am still daydreaming about this experience and already planning my next visit in the near future.

When I originally began to design our Northern Spain European vacation, I was overly excited about…read morediscovering San Sebastian. The scenic resort town is on the Bay of Biscay in Spain's mountainous Basque Country. There are two popular beaches also that one can enjoy either on the Bay or on the ocean. These beaches are bordered by a charming Bayfront boardwalk, and popular restaurants with creative chefs. Anyone that is not a seafood lover will have challenges eating in these popular restaurants. Most of our time invested in this fabulous city was in the Old City where we enjoyed pintxos and at one time an awesome cheese cake for desert. San Sebastián was surly well worth the visit. The magnitude of people and their energy draws out the dynamic appeal and absolutely wonderful culture of this delightful city.

From my first email to Kepa at Basque Cooltour, I knew we were going to have a great time. We knew…read morewe wanted to do the cider tour and the cheese tour, but we were also looking around San Sebastian/Bilbao area for a jamon tour. I emailed Kepa about the possibility of putting together a custom cider, cheese, and jamon tour and after some research on his part got back to me with a custom itinerary. On Day 1, Kepa kindly picked us up from the apt. we had rented. He took us to the cider museum where we we treated to a tour that allowed us to try out apple-picking using traditional tools, taste 5 types of their over 70 varieties of apples, drink fresh apple juice, learn the importance of txotx, and taste both cider and apple liqueurs. Kepa then took us to a cider house for a traditional meal. There we had a massive 2-hour lunch that included tons of cider, bread, some amazing fried cod, a cod omelette (so much better than it sounds), Spanish chorizo and a T-bone steak (although not the same T-bone cut Americans are used to seeing), and a local dessert consisting of cheese, nuts, and an apple/quince jam of sorts. It was all delicious, if not overwhelming. Sufficiently stuffed, we then headed to the sheep farm. Ainhoa and her brother Mikel greeted us there, and we were treated to a demonstration of how their sheepdog works, saw some adorable 6-day old lambs, and got a tour of the milking and cheese making process. Ainhoa made it all seem so easy and described how different cheeses are made, even making some of their fresh cheese and "yogurt" right before our eyes. We got to taste the fresh cheese (we bought some to eat over the next few days with breakfast), the "yogurt" which was more like a custard (it was my favorite), and the local idiazabal cheese (which we brought home to the US with us). On Day 2, Kepa again picked us up from the apartment and took us a little further inland to see a pig farm. The scenery was amazing and we got to see the farmhouse and barns built in the 1500 and 1600's still in use. The farmer took us on an great tour and shared with us his farming philosophy which focused on letting the pigs forage and live in a natural habitat. He taught us about the heritage breed of pig that he works with and we got to see a litter of adorable piglets. After a great walking tour of his farm, we sat down to enjoy 4 types of cured meat that come from his pigs. All of which were incredible, but because of US Customs Laws we couldn't bring any home. This might have been the biggest disappointment of the trip. I only we could have brought jamon, lomo, and chorizo home! I would highly recommend using Basque Cooltour. They put together amazing tours for us, speak very good English, were pleasant tour guides, taught us not only about cider, cheese, and jamon, but also gave us tips about the local area, and were a good value for the money. Amazing, amazing time!

My boyfriend and I just finished the French Coast tour to Biarritz and San Jean de Luz and had a…read moremarvelous day. Kepa, our fabulous tour guide gave our group of four people a narrated walking tour of these two French-Basque cities. He told us about the history, architecture and customs. Both villages were quite different. In Biarritz we viewed the castle that Napoleon built for his bride and was told they spent seventeen summers in a row there (I would too!) We walked up to many beautiful areas with abundant sea views that were quite breathtaking. There was a musical festival going on in the main square and we could hear the wonderful live jazz playing as we walked through the square. I even bought a very beautiful pair of espradrilles! San Jean de Luz was a very quaint and it was the village where Louis XIII was married in 1660. The church where he was married is still in the square. This village is very quaint with winding cobblestone streets, outdoor cafes, chocolatiers, and various shops. I would love to stay here for a week or so. The ride though the countryside was very beautiful with lush greenery, rolling hills and quaint villages. We plan on doing the cheese tour next!

We had a wonderful 14 days trip to Spain and Portugal through Totally Spain. All the pickup, drop…read moreoff worked well. Guides were exceptional. Hotel rooms were as per our expectations except one. The hotel at Sevilla had overwhelming sewer smell at the reception and the breakfast area. It was not a pleasant experience having breakfast with the over powering smell. The room we stayed had no issue.

Just completed a 2 week tour of the Basque country and Barcelona. The entire trip was planned by…read moreTotally Spain, including hotels, transportation and timing for each locale. I was extremely pleased with the entire trip and itinerary. I had to make a transportation change during the trip, and their response time was immediate and exactly as needed. I will suggest Totally Spain to any and all.

Ambiance is relaxing and disconnects you from life. Even with two children we felt like it was a…read morewell relaxed meal. The wines here go without saying that they are delicious and they have a great wine list from simple to the depths of your pockets. 1860 Tradición restaurant has excellent menu and great quality food that will not disappoint and the view from its Terrance is simply put, Splendid! Appetizer we had the Croquetas and the Carpaccio de gamba. Carpaccio was delicious and refreshing and won. Great pick of solomillo with jamón and patatatas for The kids. La merluza and adult solomillo were both great dishes and recommend. Would definitely recommend a lunch here which provides great views of the surrounding city.

Venimos de muy lejos, la cata de vinos es una falta de respeto, te dan botellas que están a punto…read morede acabarse por lo cual te dan muy poco, no te explican casi nada y realmente no vale la pena, salimos muy molestos de aquí

We had the good fortune of booking a city sightseeing tour with Keith the day before we left San…read moreSebastián - it was nothing short of fantastic. He was professional, unbelievably knowledgable, added great contextual information to the tour and the best part - it felt like we were seeing the city with a friend who wanted to help us get the lay of the land. Another plus- we had a tour of only 4 people which was really nice. We only left with one regret... We wished we had booked it much earlier- so we would have had more time to explore the city after being given not only the history but also all of the helpful local tips. Don't make the same mistake we did! Book before you go- I promise you won't be disappointed! My husband and I loved San Sebastián much more after seeing it from Keith's perspective!

This tour was amazing. Keith is so knowledgeable as well as personable. He knows his audience and…read moreprovides a wonderful experience! Learned so much and ate the BEST food!