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| WJ's Top Travel Pick Viv & Jill's Insight Vacations Review ~ The Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco 16-Night Motorcoach Trip Article & photos by Viv Chapleo & Jill Hoelting July 2011 |
A Woman's Directory For Travel and Life.
WAVE Journey is your one-stop online resource for women-oriented travel businesses & services
around the world.
WAVE Journey is for every woman to enjoy. If you love to travel, cook, read or revel in outdoor activities this website
is for you. If you are looking to connect with other like-minded women or if you are interested in finding businesses
or services that cater to women, WAVE Journey is your number one online travel resource.
WAVE Journey is your one-stop online resource for women-oriented travel businesses & services
around the world.
WAVE Journey is for every woman to enjoy. If you love to travel, cook, read or revel in outdoor activities this website
is for you. If you are looking to connect with other like-minded women or if you are interested in finding businesses
or services that cater to women, WAVE Journey is your number one online travel resource.
Europe is our favorite continent for experiencing an immensely diversified super-serving of culture within a geographic
area that allows for easy travel connections. At every turn history sparks our curiosity, while food from each region
delights our tastebuds. Wine, beer and liquors have their own uniqueness rooted in the different regions which
requires diligent sampling. And people-watching expands our horizons giving us a glimpse into what makes each
town, city and country special. So when Insight Vacations invited WAVEJourney.com to join their 16-night Treasures of
Spain, Portugal & Morocco motorcoach tour at the end of April we readily agreed to climb aboard.
Whenever we take trips like this and plan on reporting about the experience, we tend to prefer to travel to places
with which we are familiar (just to make sure the tour guide knows his/her stuff), but we also like to be surprised by
brand-new-to-us locations. While we had previously travelled to a fair number of the Spanish and Portuguese itinerary
destinations this tour offered, the Gibraltar and Morocco legs would be a first for both of us, therefore a good mix of
both familiar and new experiences.
area that allows for easy travel connections. At every turn history sparks our curiosity, while food from each region
delights our tastebuds. Wine, beer and liquors have their own uniqueness rooted in the different regions which
requires diligent sampling. And people-watching expands our horizons giving us a glimpse into what makes each
town, city and country special. So when Insight Vacations invited WAVEJourney.com to join their 16-night Treasures of
Spain, Portugal & Morocco motorcoach tour at the end of April we readily agreed to climb aboard.
Whenever we take trips like this and plan on reporting about the experience, we tend to prefer to travel to places
with which we are familiar (just to make sure the tour guide knows his/her stuff), but we also like to be surprised by
brand-new-to-us locations. While we had previously travelled to a fair number of the Spanish and Portuguese itinerary
destinations this tour offered, the Gibraltar and Morocco legs would be a first for both of us, therefore a good mix of
both familiar and new experiences.
| Insight Vacations coach during a photo stop at Avila in Spain |
1 of 21 | Previous | Next
| Explore more of WJ's trip with Insight Vacations - Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco Overview | Itinerary | Hotels | Photos | Videos | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 | Day 16 | |
Optional excursions (for an additional fee) were available throughout the tour and all of our group members signed up
for most of them (i.e. non-seafood lovers didn't go to the Lisbon seafood dinner). Whether it was a night out in Lisbon
for dinner while being entertained by Fado music, taking a horse buggy ride through the streets of Marrakesh to a
restaurant for traditional Moroccan music, dancing and dining, or an afternoon drive to Segovia for sightseeing, we
were pleased with our choices and felt further enriched by the experiences.
for most of them (i.e. non-seafood lovers didn't go to the Lisbon seafood dinner). Whether it was a night out in Lisbon
for dinner while being entertained by Fado music, taking a horse buggy ride through the streets of Marrakesh to a
restaurant for traditional Moroccan music, dancing and dining, or an afternoon drive to Segovia for sightseeing, we
were pleased with our choices and felt further enriched by the experiences.
Jill and I joined the Insight Vacations tour at the Hotel Conde Duque
in Madrid, Spain where we first met our Tour Director Extraordinaire,
Javier Rodriguez Soto, and fellow passengers (22 in total) for a
one-hour briefing and welcome drink. Javier (a dishy Spaniard with a
twinkle in his eye and great sense of humor) quickly impressed us
with his extensive knowledge, passion for travel and enthusiasm for
the places he would introduce us to during the course of the trip. Our
collective was comprised of nationalities from around the world,
including: South Africa (2); New Zealand (2); Australia (8); USA (9);
Canada (1). The age range of this fun, friendly, considerate and
compatible group of travellers was from 40s to 80s, with the majority
being married couples.
During the tour our itinerary slated us for 8 nights in Spain, 2 nights
in Portugal and 6 nights in Morocco. We started with a two-night
stay in Madrid, then it was off to Salamanca for one night before
heading into Portugal and spending two nights in Lisbon. After that
we returned to Spain for two nights in Seville, followed by a brief
sightseeing visit to Gibraltar before a late-afternoon sailing to
Morocco with one night in Tangier. Two nights were then spent in
Fes, another two nights in Marrakesh and the final night in Morocco
was spent in Rabat. Following an afternoon sailing back to Spain we
stayed one night in Torremolinos, one night in Granada and our final
night in Madrid concluded the tour.
This was a tour that had a good mix of one and two-night stays in 4
and 5-star hotels, with some situated centrally and others on the
outskirts of the towns and cities we visited. Although our coach had
enough seating for 40 passengers (the extra leg room on Insight
coaches is well worth the price), we were very fortunate that with
only 22 adventurers (plus driver and tour director) we could really
spread out and have our own row and window seat. For anyone
considering a motorcoach tour, keep in mind that this type of
sightseeing tour is jam-packed with things to see, places to go and
territory to cover -- so not the best pick for those not wanting to be
in Madrid, Spain where we first met our Tour Director Extraordinaire,
Javier Rodriguez Soto, and fellow passengers (22 in total) for a
one-hour briefing and welcome drink. Javier (a dishy Spaniard with a
twinkle in his eye and great sense of humor) quickly impressed us
with his extensive knowledge, passion for travel and enthusiasm for
the places he would introduce us to during the course of the trip. Our
collective was comprised of nationalities from around the world,
including: South Africa (2); New Zealand (2); Australia (8); USA (9);
Canada (1). The age range of this fun, friendly, considerate and
compatible group of travellers was from 40s to 80s, with the majority
being married couples.
During the tour our itinerary slated us for 8 nights in Spain, 2 nights
in Portugal and 6 nights in Morocco. We started with a two-night
stay in Madrid, then it was off to Salamanca for one night before
heading into Portugal and spending two nights in Lisbon. After that
we returned to Spain for two nights in Seville, followed by a brief
sightseeing visit to Gibraltar before a late-afternoon sailing to
Morocco with one night in Tangier. Two nights were then spent in
Fes, another two nights in Marrakesh and the final night in Morocco
was spent in Rabat. Following an afternoon sailing back to Spain we
stayed one night in Torremolinos, one night in Granada and our final
night in Madrid concluded the tour.
This was a tour that had a good mix of one and two-night stays in 4
and 5-star hotels, with some situated centrally and others on the
outskirts of the towns and cities we visited. Although our coach had
enough seating for 40 passengers (the extra leg room on Insight
coaches is well worth the price), we were very fortunate that with
only 22 adventurers (plus driver and tour director) we could really
spread out and have our own row and window seat. For anyone
considering a motorcoach tour, keep in mind that this type of
sightseeing tour is jam-packed with things to see, places to go and
territory to cover -- so not the best pick for those not wanting to be
| Insight Vacations Tour Director extraordinaire, Javier Rodriguez Soto |
up and at it and exploring each and every day. Saying that, only a couple of mornings required very early rise (5:30
am) and departure times (7:00 am). Typically we were up at 6:30 am (Javier arranged wake-up calls for everyone at
every hotel) followed by an included breakfast buffet and on the road by 8 am. Our very compatible group was all on
board with the schedule; we didn't have any grumblers or complainers, and best of all, we were all incredibly punctual
for departure times.
am) and departure times (7:00 am). Typically we were up at 6:30 am (Javier arranged wake-up calls for everyone at
every hotel) followed by an included breakfast buffet and on the road by 8 am. Our very compatible group was all on
board with the schedule; we didn't have any grumblers or complainers, and best of all, we were all incredibly punctual
for departure times.
Towns and cities that we visited on our journey reflected some of the
best sightseeing each country had to offer, and while we didn't spend
a huge amount of time in any one place we did come away with a
good sense of the highlights and where we would want to return and
spend more time exploring in the future. We will never forget the
sights, sounds and smells of the Medina in Fes or being invited into
the home of a Berber family in Morocco's Ourika Valley for a traditional
tea ceremony. We treasure our memories of visiting UNESCO heritage
sites in Spain, which included: Segovia's Roman Aqueduct; Granada's
Alhambra Palace; and the Mosque of Cordoba. We revel in having
followed the Pilgrim's footsteps in Fatima, Portugal on the way to
Lisbon where we saw Belem Tower and visited nearby Sintra. We
have all-too-vivid memories of dodging Barbary Macaques (monkeys)
in Gibraltar during a visit to St. Michael's Cave... and the list goes on
and on.
best sightseeing each country had to offer, and while we didn't spend
a huge amount of time in any one place we did come away with a
good sense of the highlights and where we would want to return and
spend more time exploring in the future. We will never forget the
sights, sounds and smells of the Medina in Fes or being invited into
the home of a Berber family in Morocco's Ourika Valley for a traditional
tea ceremony. We treasure our memories of visiting UNESCO heritage
sites in Spain, which included: Segovia's Roman Aqueduct; Granada's
Alhambra Palace; and the Mosque of Cordoba. We revel in having
followed the Pilgrim's footsteps in Fatima, Portugal on the way to
Lisbon where we saw Belem Tower and visited nearby Sintra. We
have all-too-vivid memories of dodging Barbary Macaques (monkeys)
in Gibraltar during a visit to St. Michael's Cave... and the list goes on
and on.
| Visiting a Berber family in Morocco |
The countryside was magnificent and Javier's request for perfect
weather conditions was graciously granted by Mother Nature. As part
of the tour we spent time with local guides exploring on foot the
smaller towns (while listening to the commentary via the VOX system)
and driving around larger cities. Javier kept us enthralled with his
commentary expounding on the local history and providing tantilizing
tidbits of information for each area as we drove from place to place.
During the tour we had two excellent drivers, both from Portugal. Joao
started with us in Madrid and drove us for the first 4 days and then
Philip took over for the remainder of the journey from Lisbon all the
weather conditions was graciously granted by Mother Nature. As part
of the tour we spent time with local guides exploring on foot the
smaller towns (while listening to the commentary via the VOX system)
and driving around larger cities. Javier kept us enthralled with his
commentary expounding on the local history and providing tantilizing
tidbits of information for each area as we drove from place to place.
During the tour we had two excellent drivers, both from Portugal. Joao
started with us in Madrid and drove us for the first 4 days and then
Philip took over for the remainder of the journey from Lisbon all the
way back to Madrid. We couldn't have asked for better and nicer drivers and they did a terrific job of keeping the coach
cleaned and ready for us each morning.
cleaned and ready for us each morning.
| Javier gives our group a detailed history on Salamanca in Spain |
Our Insight Vacations tour provided us with a great
way to cover a lot of ground and see an impressive
number of sights in a stress-free manner. Letting
somebody else do the driving, having all our hotels
pre-booked and arranged, following local tour guides
through their town or city while getting the lowdown
on the history and culture, being in the hands of an
expert tour director and making 20 new like-minded
friends from around the world... for us, equals a
perfect way to vacation!
way to cover a lot of ground and see an impressive
number of sights in a stress-free manner. Letting
somebody else do the driving, having all our hotels
pre-booked and arranged, following local tour guides
through their town or city while getting the lowdown
on the history and culture, being in the hands of an
expert tour director and making 20 new like-minded
friends from around the world... for us, equals a
perfect way to vacation!
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