We had the most perfect day with Juan. We met half-way in this village and then went in Juan's 4x4. We walked up to a church up on a romantic hilltop. (My partner and I circled around the church, to see it and the setting from all sides.) --I think that we also saw something else that was up on another hilltop. We visited a salt mine that was in use anymore and tasted the water that was in one of the wooden troughs, where the water was still running, and compared it to the salt crystals that crystallized at the top edge of the trough. We would not have known that we could do that, taste, had we not been with Juan. :) I like to walk and hike. So this was my first walk of the day. I walked to the monastery nearby and Juan took the car with my partner. Juan made sure that I took the correct fork in the fork in the path--he came to find me, after dropping my partner off, just in case I took wrong fork. :) (Before I set off, Juan showed me the map with the path and I had saw that there was a fork.) I enjoyed the walk. Juan picked an easy walk, one that I wouldn't get lost (--that my partner wouldn't minded doing--though he chose the wheels :)). We stopped by a bridge in this village and took a few pictures. (I walked across it and back.) We then went into this bar to get tapas (and for a bathroom break). Juan ordered and treated us! :) He also got something to go for later, which he gave us at the end of our day. --We were told of this bar with good tapas by someone when we were looking at the church. (This is the same kind person who also told us, that if we wanted to visit the church, we could go to the village and ask for the key.) Then it was off to see these waterfalls. We got to this part where no vehicles were allowed. (It was also here, I think, that we saw a local breed of horses.) We could walk 2.4 km (?) to the waterfalls, or try another way by vehicle. Juan decided to try another way. We ended up taking the longer path by car. On the way, Juan explained to us which way we were going, that we were going behind the hills. This was my second walk of the day. My partner had gone on ahead. This is when Juan and I talked science. As we neared the waterfall (which was dry, but so beautiful to me b/c I can see the rock formation), there was a display showing how one hunted wolves in the past, which Juan explained to me later. We saw 2-3 birds that lived in the crack in the rock. This was the most beautiful sight for me, when one of them took flight right below me (--I think that it was gray and yellow)--and I was able to follow it with my binoculars. Then another bird took flight. One of the things that I had wanted to do was do some birding. I got my birding for the day! I *think* that my partner headed back for the car. Juan and I headed back. I waited behind. Juan went ahead (since my partner was heading back already). It was getting dark, but I had my torch. (And there was no way that I could get lost. It was around dusk--so time out for the animals! I saw an animal run across. (I couldn't tell what it was though. The nice thing is, with dusk, the animals come out.) I was afraid that Juan would come back and look for me b/c it was getting quite dark--and I wanted to hike all the way back to the car. He did. There were at least 2-3 parking lots. I was told that I was very close to our parking lot. :) I am glad that I made it back to the car almost the entire way. I noticed this sign earlier in the day and asked Juan what it meant. It was about hunting. I am glad that I asked--b/c it was very interesting. For me, it is not just the place, but the people, what people do, how people live, etc. I want to have a sense of place--that meant the people, too, what they do, etc. :) My partner likes churches and monasteries for their beauty and architecture and art. I do, too--and I also like hiking and being out with nature (plants, animals). Juan planned a perfect day for us that combined our interests. I think that Juan enjoyed it, too. He said that he had to do some research of area. It was like we were doing and exploring all this together. I realize that this is probably too detailed. But, for me, as I type this review, I am re-living our very splendid day with Juan! My recommendation: Go! :) --We already have made plans with Juan on what to do the next time we are back in this part of Spain! :) Practicalities: -I like that Juan really listens to the customer's interests. -Juan shared with me his tentative plan (hikes, birding, villages, etc.), asking me if it sounded good to me and also let me know that he is going to read up on area some more, etc. (I shared the email with my partner.) -Juan made both of us feel very included. My partner and I are not always of the same mind. But both of us felt well taken good care of by Juan. :) -Juan also told us what we could do the next day--besides the museum. :). --So Juan planned the day for us the next day, too! :) (I think we were going to be in Bilbao.)

We booked Juan for two days and the entire experience was amazing! He created an itinerary based on our preferences and made adjustments as needed. We visited mineral mines, Picos de Europa, great restaurants, and a remote village high up in the mountains. Juan’s knowledge of the area, locals, and the English language, made our trip better than it ever could have been if we were on our own. Thanks Juan!

The tour operator cancelled our booking just about two days before the tour began. We booked the tour more than three months in advance to secure a place. We then plan our trip, including purchasing air tickets to fly from Madrid to Bilbao. Planning a trip is not a simple thing like you can eat an orange if there is no apple. It involves time, money, opportunity costs and a lot of thought. Such cancellation with this short notice period has adversely upset our travel plan. Should we have not joined a tour to Picos De Europa, we might not probably fly to Bilbao. The tour operator said “I can cancel whenever I want”. However, this has not been reflected in the cancellation policy. The cancellation policy only says “For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience”. This should mean from the customer’s side. Nowhere can see that the tour operator can cancel whenever he wants. In fact, the tour operator had sent a message to us a few days before the tour began, asking us if we could start or start and finish the tour at Santander and he could arrange a private taxi service for us because he had another tour the next day. He further asked us whether we could join the tour one day before our confirmed scheduled tour. However, before we replied, the tour operator had cancelled our confirmed scheduled tour. We want to point out that the tour operator offers this tour every day. If he does not want to run the tour on any two consecutive dates, he should mark the day before and the day after the confirmed tour unavailable, but he did not do that. It is highly suspicious that he is picking customers. We tried to accommodate his request, thinking that it would not do much harm to us if we could do him a favour. Nevertheless, he said that he had already cancelled our tour without providing any reason, just saying “I can cancel whenever I want”. Such business operation means that the customers have no protection at all. I would blacklist this tour operator and would not recommend it to my friends or relatives.

Juan was knowledgeable, flexible and professional. He easily adjusted the itinerary to accommodate several special requests. Picos de Europa ended up being the highlight of our entire trip to Spain and Portugal!

We took a couples trip to Northern Spain and were very excited to explore Asturias for the first time. We could tell it would be an amazing place in terms of cuisine and natural beauty but felt it would be helpful to have a good guide. Juan was perfect. He worked with us ahead of the trip to plan a two-day itinerary that most interested us Our first day, he picked us up from our hotel and drove us around the most interesting sights (ancient yew trees, mountain villages, etc.) in Picos de Europa, saving a lot of time and treating us to spectacular scenic drives by going off-roading. I am certain we wouldn't have seen the same sights if we had planned the trip ourselves. We covered a lot of ground, and Juan also selected an excellent restaurant for lunch that was not very touristy. Our second day, Juan again picked us up and drove us around a host of different cities and coastal fishing towns in Austrias. He again tailored the trip to our interests--picking a fish and seafood restaurant as well as a tapas/sideria restaurant. We tried many delicacies and learned a lot about the region. We went to many different shops, and Juan was really patient with exploring how we wanted to and adjusting along the way. There's a lot to recommend in Juan. His English is fantastic (although he's very modest). He's friendly and knowledgeable, but he's also very chill and easygoing to be around for multiple days. He's a great driver in offroad and urban settings and makes your trip so enjoyable and easy. He takes very nice photos during the trip and sends them to you afterwards. He's very communicative and will give you suggestions for other parts of your trip. We had a great trip as a couple, but because Juan has kids, I think he would also be a great guide for families and really anyone. We loved our trip and are so grateful to Juan for everything he did to make us feel so welcome and make the trip memorable.

My husband and I took the Picos de Europa tour with Juan as the tour guide. It was an awesome day, probably the best of our days in Cantabria. Unforgettable!