Genuine Andalusia
Genuine Andalusia
5
City ToursCultural ToursPrivate ToursFood ToursDay Trips
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Full view
About
Genuine Andalusia offers bespoke private trips to Southern Spain and beyond, to individuals, small groups and families who prefer to keep a local and respectful perspective away from mass tourism. We specialize in Culture and Heritage, Food and Wine, and Outdoors and Nature and the three concepts describing our services best are comfort, beauty and authenticity.
Jerez De La Frontera, Costa de la Luz, Spain
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
203 reviews
Excellent
202
Very good
1
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
melissamterrill
McFarland, WI10 contributions
Mar 2022
Ivan helped plan a private 9 day trip to Andalusia for our family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids ages 9 and 13) over spring break in March, 2022. We spent 1 night in Nerja, 2 nights in Granada, 2 nights in Ronda, and 3 nights in Seville. We would highly recommend Ivan for trip planning and we enjoyed all of the experiences that he offered to us. He did a great job of planning an itinerary that offered a good blend of cultural and outdoor activities based on our family's needs. Throughout the entire planning process and while in the country traveling he had excellent responsiveness and communication. There were several times we had to communicate regarding alternative plans and questions while traveling and he responded very quickly. We also appreciated the daily check in to ensure our time with the drivers and guides were satisfactory. All of the guides (Julio, Nico, Penelope and Amelia) he recommended were amazing and very personable and we were fortunate to have Ivan has our guide for a day in Sevilla as well! We left Andalusia with great memories of our time there and the personal attention provided by Ivan and our guides were instrumental in our positive experience!
Written April 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much indeed Melissa for taking the time to write this review and for being appreciative of the services we were very pleased to offer you and your family. It fills us with joy that this trip has helped to create great family memories. This was our goal when we designed and conducted this trip for you all and we are very glad to know that we succeeded! Thank you also for being such lovely guests. We wish you many more happy family trips and look forward to welcoming you back in Spain in the future. Warmest regards from all of us.
Written April 2, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Richard W
New York City, NY89 contributions
Sep 2022
We were a group of 4 experienced travelers looking for a high-end private tour of Andalusia. After carefully vetting a number of companies, we chose Ivan and Genuine Andalusia. We could not have been more pleased. All of the guides and drivers were professional, all the transfers and pick-ups happened as schedule. We had a delightful time. Ivan was very responsive to our requests when we put together the itinerary and offered suggestions to make our trip safe, efficient, but not hectic. We covered all the major cities while still have ample free time to explore on our own.
Written September 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much indeed Richard for your review and for your kind words. It was my pleasure to craft this trip for you taking your preferences and expectations into consideration. It fills me with joy to know that you all enjoyed it. Thank you for being such nice guests to all of us and for your interest in learning about our homeland with us. We hope to see you back one day. Warmest regards
Written September 19, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Russ H
4 contributions
Sep 2022
I am a member of the West Yorkshire branch of the International Wine & Food Society and each year the branch organises an overseas trip to learn more about, and enjoy, a particular wine and food region. Members are all very enthusiastic wine and food lovers and these trips have taken us around Europe and to South Africa in the past. This year, we arranged our trip through Ivan at Genuine Andalusia, who created a comprehensive and bespoke 6 day tour of the sherry triangle in South West Spain for a group of twelve of us, based on his exceptional knowledge of the region.
Our tour covered not only tasting visits to small family-run artisan sherry makers in Jerez, El Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlucar (Manzanillas), demonstrating the influence of the different climate on the taste of the sherry, but also a trip to the natural park of Grazalema to an artisan olive oil producer, a shepherd goats cheese maker and wine producer. We also visited an amazing farm in the mountains with a salt-water spring where the salt has been extracted since Roman times and is extracted following the same manual methods as in ancient times. At every visit, the family owners gave us an in-depth tour and described their methods and philosophy, giving us a real understanding of their speciality.
Food in the region is superb and we had arranged meals on the tour varying from a meal in the home of a winemaker and his wife (truly amazing), to a paired sherry tasting lunch at a Michelin level restaurant, to food fresh from the market in Jerez and Cadiz.
Ivan developed our tour by getting to know us and then accompanied us for the whole trip, passing on a wealth of fascinating information to us about the region and its wine and food in extremely good English. It is a tribute to Ivan and his incredibly professional, warm and friendly nature that we all thought the tour one of the best we have had.
If you really to get to know this region and meet passionate wine and food growers and producers, instead of a superficial ‘touristy’ visit, then I thoroughly recommend getting in contact with Ivan at Genuine Andalusia to organise a unique personalised holiday for you.
Our tour covered not only tasting visits to small family-run artisan sherry makers in Jerez, El Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlucar (Manzanillas), demonstrating the influence of the different climate on the taste of the sherry, but also a trip to the natural park of Grazalema to an artisan olive oil producer, a shepherd goats cheese maker and wine producer. We also visited an amazing farm in the mountains with a salt-water spring where the salt has been extracted since Roman times and is extracted following the same manual methods as in ancient times. At every visit, the family owners gave us an in-depth tour and described their methods and philosophy, giving us a real understanding of their speciality.
Food in the region is superb and we had arranged meals on the tour varying from a meal in the home of a winemaker and his wife (truly amazing), to a paired sherry tasting lunch at a Michelin level restaurant, to food fresh from the market in Jerez and Cadiz.
Ivan developed our tour by getting to know us and then accompanied us for the whole trip, passing on a wealth of fascinating information to us about the region and its wine and food in extremely good English. It is a tribute to Ivan and his incredibly professional, warm and friendly nature that we all thought the tour one of the best we have had.
If you really to get to know this region and meet passionate wine and food growers and producers, instead of a superficial ‘touristy’ visit, then I thoroughly recommend getting in contact with Ivan at Genuine Andalusia to organise a unique personalised holiday for you.
Written October 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so very much indeed for this super detailed review and for being such a sensitive and appreciative guest. Few things are more rewarding than designing and conducting a trip with attention and dedication and to know that the effort and energy put into it were understood and well received. We all would also like to say a big GRACIAS to all of you for your enthusiasm, your warmth and your active participation in all the visits we planned for you. If there is a lesson that we knew but that now we know much better is that food and wine bring people together and that the essence of a territory is most present in its food and wine scenes. Again, muchísimas gracias for everything. This trip with you and your travel party will stay in our memory forever
Written October 11, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
LADChicago
Valencia, Spain44 contributions
Sep 2020
It is dicey traveling during Covid, there are so many things to consider you wonder if it is worth the effort. Will it be safe? Will museums, restaurants, cathedrals be open? Will Locals be glad to have tourists in their midst? With all these additional concerns swirling in the background, we still decided to go to Seville. We wanted to start with an overview of the town and contacted Iván at Genuine Andalusia to help us kick-off our stay. We could not have made a better decision. We asked to see Seville from a Local’s perspective and he created the perfect tour. We walked through the various barrios, chatted beside the monuments and cathedrals, saw amazing ceramics and popped into an artist’s studio. Ivan introduced us to Seville’s history, culture and artistic traditions, both their roots and legacies. Our tour ended with a stop at a local bar for sherry and Andalusian wine. It was the most delightful time….we left with our heads full and our hearts overwhelmed. Ivan made us remember all the things we love about traveling…..again. What a gift.
Written September 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so very much indeed for choosing us for your tour and for writing such a detailed and beautiful review. Thank you also for being such warm, lovely, thankful, curious and generous guests. I know I will personally remember you and this tour forever. I was already aware of how much I love sharing my homeland with other people but you made me remember how special and rewarding it is. You have a truly inspiring and wonderful outlook on life and I feel very lucky to have learned from it during my time with you. Thank you very much indeed again for a truly memorable day. See you in Valencia! Warmest regards
Written September 23, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
LeeHueyYi
Sentosa Island, Singapore15 contributions
Dec 2021 • Family
Ivan is a rare gem of a tour organiser and guide. We had several issues during our trip which he handled effectively and professionally for each and every one of them. One of us left a hard disk in a previous hotel in another city. Ivan took to trouble to drive and pick up the item and send it to the next city even when he didn’t need to. We had to make numerous itinerary changes and last minute transfer and travel arrangements for different people in our group during the trip, sometimes with a day’s notice. He took it all in his stride and arranged it expeditiously, giving us excellent advice along the way. For that, our group will always be very grateful to have made the trip under his charge. I would highly recommend Ivan and Genuine Andalusia to anyone who needs a local tour organiser in Spain. Thank you, Ivan!
Written December 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so very much indeed for taking the time the write this review and for being such kind and grateful guests all the time. It is always our pleasure to be there for our guests so that their trip runs as smooth as possible. We understand that sometimes there are unexpected needs along a trip that need quick reactions and we are very grateful that you are appreciative of the work that there is behind the corresponding solutions. It is us who must say a big GRACIAS to you for choosing us for your trip to Spain. We hope you keep good memories of your time in our homeland and to hopefully welcoming you again in the future for more adventures! Warmest regards
Written December 22, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Dan R
Portland, OR50 contributions
Mar 2022
My family of 4 had an amazing trip to Southern Spain, thanks to the planning and efforts of Ivan from Genuine Andalusia. To begin with, Ivan setup a 1-hour Zoom meeting so he could meet me and better understand my family, our travel desires and anything that could make our trip more special. Within a few days, he had multiple options for our itinerary, as well as hotel choices.
We spent 3 nights in Granada and 3 nights in Seville. Both hotels were great and our guides were amazing. Ivan really knows the local area and the local guides, and our hotels were perfectly situated to everything we did.
Our itinerary was a great mix of history, culture, food and family activities. And even though we're experienced travelers, we would have had a very hard time replicating what Ivan was able to deliver.
We spent 3 nights in Granada and 3 nights in Seville. Both hotels were great and our guides were amazing. Ivan really knows the local area and the local guides, and our hotels were perfectly situated to everything we did.
Our itinerary was a great mix of history, culture, food and family activities. And even though we're experienced travelers, we would have had a very hard time replicating what Ivan was able to deliver.
Written April 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much indeed for your review and words of appreciation. We really believe that every traveller is different and that therefore, it is essential to get to know them before starting to plan a trip for them. We deeply enjoy customising trips for our guests. We put a lot of effort and dedication into this, so we are most grateful for your words and for having had the pleasure to be your hosts in our Southern Spain. Warmest regards to you and your family from all the team of Genuine Andalusia
Written April 4, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
convoice
Chicago, IL26 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
In late April after our boat trip on the Sea Cloud Spirit, we did a 7-day tour of southern Spain that was put together by Ivan Ricoy. Ivan is definitely in my top five of travel planners I have ever worked with and there are several reasons I say that:
—He put together a masterful itinerary that had us always stopping in one city or village for a day exploration on the way to our next location, so we saw twice as much as our amount of time suggested without getting tired out.
—He hand picked our tour guides and each one was well informed and had the kind of personality we jelled with. I found myself hugging them goodbye at the end of the day instead of a handshake—there is nothing quite like a talented and personable private guide.
—He checked in with us by email literally every day—just to confirm that all went well and to let us know who our guides and drivers would be the next day.
—Every arrangement was flawless. Every driver was there on time—every guide as well. All gracious and well informed about our itinerary.
—Our itinerary had some really fun things including our WOW Moment in Granada—there is an area where people have carved homes and businesses out of caves and Ivan sent us to Pablo (Spanish) and Hedvik (Norwegian)—a married couple who are bringing back the art of metal tintype photography. In their cave, we had a portrait sitting, and as we were waiting for it to age in chemicals, we went with them and our guide to a bar close by which was fascinating as well. A few hours later, we had made some lovely friends and have a terrific portrait to show for it.
One of our other favorite moments was in the small village of Benelauria. We had hiked a few miles to get to this village of about 400 and the star was Pepe, a chef and winemaker with a small restaurant and winery who prepared lunch for us that went on for two hours. He was such a fun character in this tiny village we never would have seen otherwise.
I truly give 5 stars out of 5 to Ivan. It was all flawless but I also know that if we had a problem, he would have resolved it pronto.
—He put together a masterful itinerary that had us always stopping in one city or village for a day exploration on the way to our next location, so we saw twice as much as our amount of time suggested without getting tired out.
—He hand picked our tour guides and each one was well informed and had the kind of personality we jelled with. I found myself hugging them goodbye at the end of the day instead of a handshake—there is nothing quite like a talented and personable private guide.
—He checked in with us by email literally every day—just to confirm that all went well and to let us know who our guides and drivers would be the next day.
—Every arrangement was flawless. Every driver was there on time—every guide as well. All gracious and well informed about our itinerary.
—Our itinerary had some really fun things including our WOW Moment in Granada—there is an area where people have carved homes and businesses out of caves and Ivan sent us to Pablo (Spanish) and Hedvik (Norwegian)—a married couple who are bringing back the art of metal tintype photography. In their cave, we had a portrait sitting, and as we were waiting for it to age in chemicals, we went with them and our guide to a bar close by which was fascinating as well. A few hours later, we had made some lovely friends and have a terrific portrait to show for it.
One of our other favorite moments was in the small village of Benelauria. We had hiked a few miles to get to this village of about 400 and the star was Pepe, a chef and winemaker with a small restaurant and winery who prepared lunch for us that went on for two hours. He was such a fun character in this tiny village we never would have seen otherwise.
I truly give 5 stars out of 5 to Ivan. It was all flawless but I also know that if we had a problem, he would have resolved it pronto.
Written May 1, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so very much indeed for taking the time to write this detailed review! We are so pleased to know that you had a good trip, that you connected so well with your hosts and that you enjoyed yourselves in our homeland! This truly fills us all with joy.
Thank you also for being appreciative of the planning, coordination and creativity effort that goes with each trip. This says a lot of good things about you and we are very grateful ourselves to have had the opportunity to work for you on this trip.
We look forward to having you back in this part of the world to keep sharing more of homeland with you!
Warmest regards from all of us at Genuine Andalusia
Written May 2, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hanluc
Switzerland61 contributions
Oct 2021
We recently took a tour with Genuine Andalusia visiting Ronda, Granada and Malaga, including transfers and city guides. The level of service provided by our contact, Ivan, exceeded all expectations and was outstanding from first contact to post-tour. They expertly combined our wish list with their own recommendations to create a program which ultimately enhanced our experience. All communications were responded to within 24 hours. All three guides at each of our destinations were friendly, courteous, knowledgeable and overall excellent. We plan to visit other regions of beautiful Andalusia in the future and without doubt will contact Genuine Andalusia again. I cannot recommend this company highly enough and from my fantastic experience, you certainly will not he disappointed. Don’t waste time like we did researching tour operators, just contact GA and rest assured that your tour inquiry will be handled with patience, understanding and expertise that goes above and beyond to deliver a memorable experience.
Written October 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much indeed or your review and for being appreciative of our services. It fills us with joy to know that you had a memorable time in our homeland and that part of it is because of the customised tour program we designed and conducted for you. We very much look forward to sharing with you other parts of Andalusia in your next trip! Warmest regards
Written October 21, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
kalush27
Boulder, CO3 contributions
Nov 2021
Ivan with Genuine Andalusia gave me a bike tour around Seville that was amazing. Ivan gave me a thorough tour of the city and also so much interesting information about the history of the city, its buildings and its culture. I was in Southern Spain for a week and this was one of my favorite days because I not only got some great exercise around a beautiful city but I learned so much! We went for tapas after the bike tour and the food was amazing. I highly recommend using Genuine Andalusia for your next trip in Southern Spain.
Written November 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much indeed Kristin for your review and for being such a great guest! We have a weakness for solo travellers and having you as our first post-lockdown one felt like getting back to normal finally! Thank you also for being so interactive, fun, kind, grateful and generous. We are very glad that you will keep good memories of the day we spent together. Warmest regards
Written November 29, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Duke Vandervort
Creswell, OR7 contributions
May 2022 • Couples
We recently spent three fabulous days with Ivan Rincoy of Genuine Andalusia in the Sherry Triangle. It was the absolute high point of a three week trip in Andalusia and Portugal. Ivan showed us the Sherry Triangle from the inside, starting with the Phoenician history of winemaking in El Puerto de Santa Maria and ending on the beach in Sanlucar where Columbus sailed for the new world. In between we visited wonderful bodegas, tasted outstanding sherries and talked with the winemakers to learn the nuances of sherry from Fino to Pedro Ximenez. We visited a vineyard and learned about the unique terroir of the different areas of the triangle. We visited an almacenista (a sherry storekeeper) to see how the locals drink and purchase their sherry.
Lunches were spectacular, ranging from a meal in the home of a winemaker and his wife (one of our best travel experiences ever), to a paired tasting lunch at a Michelin level restaurant, to a meal of fresh local seafood including a local favorite of fried sea anemone which was delicious! Through it all Ivan was the most knowledgeable and gracious host you could ever ask for! If you really want to learn about sherry and experience the Sherry Triangle indepth look no further than Ivan and Genuine Andalusia! I can't recommend them highly enough!
Lunches were spectacular, ranging from a meal in the home of a winemaker and his wife (one of our best travel experiences ever), to a paired tasting lunch at a Michelin level restaurant, to a meal of fresh local seafood including a local favorite of fried sea anemone which was delicious! Through it all Ivan was the most knowledgeable and gracious host you could ever ask for! If you really want to learn about sherry and experience the Sherry Triangle indepth look no further than Ivan and Genuine Andalusia! I can't recommend them highly enough!
Written May 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much indeed for taking the time to review your sherry triangle tour! We love to share all things Spain with our guests but we have a weakness for the Sherry Triangle and its people, food, landscapes, climate, cities, lifestyle, history and architecture. So I can only say that the pleasure was all ours!. Thank you for being so enthusiastic, motivated and curious about our homeland. Touring with you was an absolute joy. You will be remembered in this part of the world for a long time. Warmest regards from all of us at Genuine Andalusia.
Written May 24, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ivan are you still available as a tour guide for Jerez de la Frontera? Please let me know!
Written December 27, 2019
Hello Daniel! Thank you for your message. Please contact us via email with your request. You can find our contact email in our website. We look forward to hearing from you. Kindest regards
Written December 28, 2019
We already have flight to Tangier on 27 March and hotel reservations for the night.
We need day tour of Tangier on 28 March, ferry to Tarifa, and bus/car to Cadiz.
Can you provide/assist?
Written March 16, 2019
Thank you for your message! We have sent you an answer via email.
Written March 16, 2019
Hola, nos gustaria hacer una excursion el barco por la costa de cadiz donde entrara la comida. Alguna sugenrencia interesante? Gracias!
Written July 18, 2017
Hola Macarena, gracias por tu mensaje.
Puedes ponerte en contacto con nosotros en nuestro correo electrónico (que encontrarás en nuestra web) comentándonos tus preferencias y haremos todo lo posible por diseñar un tour privado a medida ajustado a las mismas.
Atentamente,
Iván Ricoy
Written July 18, 2017
Hi...will be in Estepona 4/28 for 6 nights. Any way of a long day trip to Jerez for feria with a late return to Estepona?
Written January 31, 2016
I am not familiar with Estepona, but I see it is only 1 hour and 40 minutes from Jerez. I would strongly suggest you contact Ivan, the owner of Genuine Andalusia. If anyone can make this happen for you, it most certainly will be Ivan. He is absolutely amazing and goes beyond the extra mile for his customers.
Good Luck, it would be a shame to miss this outstanding area of Spain
Written February 1, 2016
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