I'm a big fan of us of local travel agents when visiting new countries for the most local experience positive. Back in 2019 I decided I was going to ring in my 40th bday in Spain in 2020 (little did I know the world had other plans for us). Someone had recommended Spain Unspoilt as a luxury travel agency in Spain and I reached out to Elana to start planning. I knew my husband and I wanted to go to Spain, but hadn't quite decided where in Spain. Thanks to Elena's help we narrowed it down to Barcelona and San Sebastián based on our interests, length of travel time and where my husband had been in Spain in the past.
The trip was set for May 2020, which obviously didn't happen, but I didn't give up. And 2 years later just wrapped up a magnificent trip to Barcelona and San Sebastián that was well worth the wait.
Thanks to Elena and her team we didn't have to do any planning ahead of time besides booking our own hotels. They'll do this for you, but we prefer to research and book our own (and Elena confirmed our choices of Hotel Arts Barcelona and Maria Cristina in San Sebastián were good choices). I do suggest looking over the itinerary carefully because they had the dates a bit mixed up from when we were staying in each place, but they fixed it as soon as I alerted them.
All tours/activities and restaurants were booked by Spain Unspoilt. And everything could not have been more perfect. In Barcelona we did a Picasso tour, gaudi highlights tour and a market tour with a food critic. Shoutout to our amazing guides: ona, ester and Alex for taking us under their wings.
Barcelona was amazing, but San Sebastián was extra special. Spain Unspoilt had set up special experiences via Basque Tours for a pintxo tour, wine/cheese day, and day trip to villages in France.
All their restaurants were also spot on (a mixture of casual and Michelin) and being an avid yelper I am extra picky when it comes to restaurant selections.
Everything was so well organized that we didn't need to contact them much during our trip besides a restaurant reservation mix up (they fixed it right away) and assistance getting home for a trip delay due to some health issues. I wasn't able to reach them when I called the main # but learned email during the day or Elena's # is the best way to contact them.
Now I just need to find a Spain Unspoilt in all the other countries I plan to visit in my lifetime, but when I make it back to Spain (hopefully soon) I'll plan to be in touch with them again. read more