Dear Ramon,
The Downs Wine Society would like to thank you for the excellent five day trip you organised in September for us to sample some of the wines of the Rioja region of Spain.
The standard of accommodation and food exceeded our expectations. We greatly improved our knowlege about Rioja wine from our visits to the 4 very different bodegas and one of the highlights of the visit was the tour of the museum of wine history. Logrono was very vibrant with its Wine Festival and street entertainment. Our visit to the Guggenheim Museum and tour of the old quarter of Bilbao was a perfect ending to our trip.
Thank you for your expert organisation and for not losing any of us in Bilbao!
With best wishes
Judy Keys
Member of the Downs Wine Society
Dear Ramon
We were looking for something very special and I must admit that you came up with the most outstanding tour we had ever experienced. We will definitely contact you again and will not hesitate to highly recommend you to others who want to experience great food, excellent wines and amazing entertainment.
Thank you for showing us the
Real Spain in such a highly professional manner.
Franz Willmes
Intercapital Brokers
Hi Ramon,
I just wanted to say a BIG thank you for organising my parent's wine tour - they had an absolutely
fabulous time and were so over-excited when I got home from Ibiza, that it was hard for them to contain
themselves!!!!
Thanks so much for making it wonderful for them!!! I will definitely recommend your tours to anyone else
looking for something similar in Spain.
Many Thanks again
Kylie
Hello Ramon,
Firstly I would like to thank you sincerely for all your help in organizing our trip to Spain. I don’t know what I
would have done without your help.
I wish we had more time in London – we are only transiting this time – otherwise we would like to have met you
& thanked you in person. If you are going to be in Spain in September maybe we can meet there !
Whilst we are away – we leave Australia on 31.8.07 ( we are going via Beijing) – we can be contacted on my
mobile XXXXXXXXX.
Thank you once again,
Kind regards,
Suzanne Windrim
We had a great time and loved Spain. People were very friendly. The hotel in Granada was super
location with great assistance. Saw so much history, hiked to St. Michael Church and toured caves
in Sacremente. The Alhambra was amazing. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and to be
honest probably too advanced for our intellect which was maybe why he was so expensive. (a
farmer and a banker) He would be great for professors and educators. You were hesitant about him
due to expense which I don't discredit you. We made the choice and we did learn. Good experience.
Hotel was good in Seville. Great location! Again, they spoke English which helped us. Loved tapas
and the heart of Spain with such old history. You were so kind to check on us with phone calls, etc.
I actually felt confident when flying there because of your assistance. Thank you for everything.
You have been great! You are good at your job!
Leslie
Dear Ramon
It was a fantastic trip.Brenda and I had a wonderful time and appreciated the careful planning which ensured we
enjoyed the wine,food and architecture.A memorable weekend ...and our thanks for your help with the wheelchair!
With our best wishes
Ernie and Brenda
Thank you, Ramond, for the excellent organisation of the Rioja winery tour.
The guides you found for us were good-humoured, charming and professional.
I wish you all the best with your future projects.
Stephen Allender
Dear Ramon
The pleasure was ours.....!
The Gods have certainly gifted La Rioja with perfection in all things - the sun, the gloriously fire-coloured vines
covering such a dramatic landscape, the amazing buildings so fearlessly set into the very best that nature can offer,
the gorgeous wines we tasted which were so plentifully offered and the wonderful food .... and here I am running out
of superlatives to describe what was for us one of the most pleasurable trips we have ever taken.
Our thanks to you for the excellent organisation and I have already been recommending you to friends and
colleagues who were interested in hearing about the trip.
Anthony Hemy
We enjoyed the trip very much - the choice of wineries to visit couldn't have been better. Fortunately the weather
was favourable and Alan has some very good photographs. I am sorry that because of my bad cold and the late
lunch for Alan on the one day - we had to finish our visit early - thank you for arranging the taxi. I hope too that you
haven't caught my cold - goodness knows where I got it from! I am now back at work still feeling pretty ill, but I have
some lovely memories of the holiday - thank you for arranging it with David. I think we went at the best time of the
year to see the beautiful colours of the region - certainly a lovely part of Spain to visit. I especially enjoyed the lunch
on the Saturday in the traditional winery - set against the backdrop of the mountains.
Many thanks, Christine
Dear Ramon
It was a fascinating and relaxing trip, with plenty of time to get to know the group - well done and thank you.
George Bird
Hello Ramon and team at the unique traveller
Pam and I had a marvellous trip to Rioja with you which managed to pack a great deal into a short space
of time whilst still feeling leisurely.
Alberto's explanations were excellent and Antonio was discreetly in support whenever required.
You were quite right to insist on Maria leading us at the first winery: her vigour and enthusiasm got all the
winery visits off on the right foot and was a pleasure.
Yesterday I met the well known Edinburgh modern architect Richard Murphy at the Soane Museum. He
was insistent that Spain sets a very high standard in modern architecture and now has a marvellous
portfolio to show off. I hope that you will be able to offer more excellent tours on these lines to the
architects and to everyone in due course.
Thanks again for a marvellous tour and we hope to travel again with you soon.
Philip and Pam
Dear Ramon,
First of all my sincere apologies for the tardy reply, life has been non stop since we returned from our wonderful
excursion to wineries of Rioja.
Ros and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, the wonderfully creative architecture and the passion of the
winemakers for their art and of course the end product.
We certainly also appreciated the wonderful guidance of Alberto and Antonio who brought significant knowledge to
the tour and enhanced the whole wonderful experience.
The exuberance of the great-grand daughter of the founder of Tondonia certainly proved that genealogy is not a
myth, she shared his passion and his vision for the family tradition and the determination to maintain the exceptional
standards of the Tondonia wines.
The beauty of the Marques de Riscal Winery and the sensational hotel design will live in our memories for ever, not
to mention a most agreeable luncheon and superb wines from the Bodega.
The fantastic roof line of the Calatrava Ysios Winery, so effectively reflecting the Cantabrian Mountains in the
backdrop and the quality of the structure and the processes within in such an efficient and yet striking setting, were
fantastic.
To be followed by another wonderful lunch at the Chateau styled Remelluri Estate and the wonderful talk from
Alberto about his passion for Rioja region, the people and of course the wines!
I am not sure we were ready for the striking winery at Vina Real, the Engineering was stimulating and yet so
effective for the modernity of the winery and its processes. As you know I am very fond of the Vina Real and its
sister wine Contino, so the visit was all the more special for me.
All in all, the whole event was extremely professional and our congratulation to all three of you, but especially you
Ramón as you went totally out of your way to make each and every one of us feel as though it was our personal
tour. Also for your personal care, attention and assistance to Ernie Watkinson, when BA managed to lose his
wheelchair.
I have recommended you to colleague from Lantra, who I sure will be getting in touch shortly.
Once again our congratulations and sincerest thanks for an absolutely super trip, which will remain with us for ever.
Regards to all of you,
Peter & Rosalind Rogerson.
Kina,
had a very good time, wine tour was the best part of the trip. Excellent guide and
great tours of wineries, very good food for the breakfasts and lunches that were
included. What an experience, not one other American the whole time and no English
speaking people except the guide. Were on our own in the evenings and we did fine.
Lots of tapas and walking around these ancient medieval towns. Fascinating. Very
friendly people and even though no English very helpful when we needed assistance.
My high school Spanish came in handy.
All Euros everywhere, no point in taking any American money except to exchange, no one
took it even in big cities or at airports. ATM's everywhere and easy to use. Hotels
did not do money exchanges there not big enough I guess, banks or ATM's only way.
Even though told of pick pockets and thieves never had a problem and felt very safe
physically everywhere we were any time of day or night.
I would have even felt safe on my own as a single woman.
Tours on the cruise were great ie Rome, Florence etc and ship very pretty and nice
but food was very mediocre (Royal Carribean). Was like eating at Holiday Inn, very
standard fare and American food, steak every night on menu but no special sauces and
very bland presentation, no special appetizers or desserts. Would not go Royal
Carribean again due to that. Also shows were not as good as other cruises we have
been on just a few acrobats and not much else.
Barcelona mostly just a big city but hotel you found was very good and very centrally
located. Good service and good beds but what they call a restaurant is a bar with a
few sandwiches and not much else, no one really ate there.
So all in all a very interesting and exciting trip and we saw a whole different way
of life which was good.
Thanks for all of your assistance and we will be in touch again.
Carol
