Culinary Quests

Prior to your cooking class, at 8 AM you will travel with chef Jorge and your interpreter to the market of San Agustin, situated in the historic center of the city.  You will also visit a few small, traditional shops located outside the market and famous for a different specialty product such as fish, meat, or spices.  Jorge will introduce you to unique local products while you obtain some of the ingredients for your cooking class.  Take advantage of his knowledge to pick up a few items for yourselves!  Minimum 2 participants.

Join a guided group tour of the most-visited landmark in Spain, and the symbol of Granada, the Alhambra.  The Alhambra, with its strategic hilltop location, was the royal city of the last Muslim kingdom in Spain.  The impressive detailed Islamic architecture of the Nasrid Palaces and the peacefulness of the Gardens, the embodiment of the Islamic concept of Paradise with its flowering plants, orange, lemon and pomegranate trees and omnipresent sound of running water, cannot be missed.  The price includes an English-speaking guide, entrance fees to the Alhambra and the Generalife Gardens, and transportation from and to your hotel (within a radius of 5 km from the city center).  Depart between 9:15 AM and 10:00 AM depending on hotel location.  Minimum 2 participants.

Reserve a private guided tour of the Alhambra with your own English-speaking guide.  The price includes entrance fees to the monument. Minimum of 2 participants required.  Weekend entry is an additional $25.

You don’t need to leave the hills of Granada to explore the culinary riches of Spain.  In the historic center of Granada lies a specialty shop carrying all of the highest quality delicacies of the different regions of Spain.  The shop owner, Francisco, a chef and expert in gastronomy, will prepare a tasting dinner of perfectly-paired wine and small plates and will explain all about the origins of these gourmet products during your leisurely dinner.  You will sample 3 of the best extra virgin olive oils from Spain, wine from Jerez, Iberian cured sausages, white wine from Granada, seasonal Spanish salads such as “pipirrana” or fresh spinach with shrimp fried with garlic, pate of quail, red wine with traditional Spanish stews such as “cocido” or broad beans with Iberian cured ham, cheeses, and muscat wine paired with turron and chocolates. Depart at 7:30 PM and return at 11 PM.  Minimum of 2 participants required.

Tapas and Granada go hand-in-hand.  You cannot truly know Granada without experiencing the social tradition of going out for tapas (“tapear”).  Tapas are small plates of food that, according to some versions of history, originated in Andalucia and were placed on top of the glass of wine, thereby covering (“tapando”) the drink.  Unlike in other cities of Spain, in Granada, tapas are offered free of charge with your beverage.  Granada has thousands of bars that offer unique and tasty tapas.  Come discover them with us!  We will explore three different typical bars and taste 7 different tapas, such as watermelon with cured ham or noodle with clams, along with your choice of beer, soda, wine or “tinto verano.”  Your interpreter and guide will meet you at the Alhambra Palace Hotel and escort you to town, giving you a walking tour of the area.  Depart at 8 PM and return at 11:30 PM.  Minimum of 2 participants required.

Travel through the beautiful countryside and picturesque Andalucian villages to discover the local olive groves and learn about the methods of harvesting and pressing the olives to create the golden olive oil that forms the base of culinary tradition in the area.  Following the tour of the groves and the perfectly preserved 15th Century oil mill, you will enjoy an olive oil tasting – comparing the most representative oils and learning how to sense the bitter, spicy, or fruity sensations of the oil, as well as the other characteristics of olive oils.  You will learn about the different kinds of oils and their labels – organic, virgin, extra virgin, single olive variety, acidity percentage, origin, etc. – as well as the benefits of olive oil for health and culinary uses.  Minimum of 2 participants required.  Depart between 4 PM and 4:30 PM and return between 7 PM and 7:30 PM. 

One of the major cultural contributions of the Moors is the hamman, or Arab bath.  The Arab bath was considered a social meeting center, where business agreements were made and important issues of daily life were discussed.  The bath soothes the body and soul, with its soft lighting, aromatherapy of essential oils, and the taking of the waters from seven different pools of varying temperatures.  Your hour and a half bath experience is finished off with a 30 minute massage and a traditional mint tea.  You will need to bring your swimsuit for entrance to the baths.  A towel and flip flops will be provided.  Bathrobe rental is available for an extra charge.  Minimum of 2 participants required.  For individual participants, the price is an additional $65.

– (2.5-3.5 hour experience) – Get close to the passionate world of flamenco – possibly modern Andalusia’s greatest cultural gift to the wider world.  Granada has produced many past and present flamenco greats, often from the Sacromonte district.  This semi-rural idyll of cave houses, winding streets and fabulous views of the Alhambra is the best place to uncover the soul of flamenco.  There is no logic to Sacromonte, with its cave houses dug out of the legendary sacred mountain, the Monte Sacro del Valparaíso; mystery is more what defines this part of Granada that has been the inspiration behind so many poets’ verses, with its dense moon-like gardens of prickly pear and aloe. The chronicles tell us that the first settlers in this quarter were the gypsies who arrived with the Christian troops of the Catholic Monarchs, for whom they worked as metal craftsmen. Their song and dance merged with the Andalusí musical traditions and the dance of the zambra was born, an ancestral flamenco with steps based on the gypsy wedding dances.  The Sacromonte neighbourhood is made famous by its caves, in which the gypsies continue celebrating every night their flamenco songs and dance celebrations.  This experience is available in combination with a dinner of traditional local dishes for $119 per person, if you so choose (with 7:30 pm pickup from the hotel).