Totally Spain Customer testimonials

REVIEW: 

Wow. So terrific these days to get outstanding service. We spent the most WONDERFUL two weeks in Spain recently - and that was all due to Belen and her team at Totally Spain! Wonderful accommodation everywhere we went, transfers and rail travel all went just like clockwork. And the guides she arranged for private tours - really the very best we've ever experienced! A wonderfully comprehensive set of documentation arrived well before our departure too just full of tips and suggestions. And the team is just so RESPONSIVE! Any request for information or change of plans before or during the trip were all met with really quick, friendly and informed responses. They REALLY know their stuff and we could not recommend them highly enough!

Re-produced from client's 5 star Google Review. (8101)

REVIEW: We spent 20 days in Spain in October of 2024. Totally Spain planned everything perfectly. The activities they suggested were perfect, our accommodations were wonderful and guides were knowledgeable and helpful. We had a transportation snafu in the middle of our trip on a weekend. Totally Spain responded within an hour and helped us rectify the problem. I would highly recommend for anyone wanting to get the most out of their trip to Spain.

Re-produced from client's 5 star Google Review. (8102)

REVIEW: Totally Spain – Guided tours - Belen

La Sagrada Familia – Conchi
We have never experienced a one-on -one private tour guide and Conchi was a very pleasant surprise. We have had the `recorder on a lanyard tour´ to `20- 30 person tours´, the `read and study before you begin tour´, but never anything as satisfying and personal as Conchi. From the moment that she picked us up at the hotel, she was engaging and assessing what we wanted to experience. She is very personal, friendly, outgoing, and passionate about art, history, Spain, and getting to know her clients. She set a very high expectation for those tour guides that followed on this trip. We had not been to La Sagrada Familia for 20 years and were shocked at the progress. Conchi made our understanding of Gaudi’s architectural process very clear.  Best Part of her presentation was feeling that you had spent the time with a good friend.

Logroño – Tapa Tour Guide – José Manuel
José started us at the most exclusive tapa bar in Logroño with their tapa that no one else could create as well. The stack of mushrooms on a stick looked impossible to eat but he demonstrated the technique with gusto and a companion cope de vino. From there, it was a non-stop gastronomical delight from one place to another always with a recommendation of tapas to try and a wine to enjoy. The history of Logoño, information on restaurants, stores to shop, and sights to enjoy were a part of the entire tour. He met the high bar or plateau that Conchi had achieved. Pam and I discussed the vetting/selection process that you use to provide such wonderful guides to share with your clients. The parting was from another friend, and we felt that nothing could equal these two tours.

Vigo – Mussel Experience  Maria and Xoan
We had some difficulty finding the meeting place in the harbor to meet our guide, but the next few hours were worth it . As we approached the first “bateas,” a rainbow appeared and then becomes a double one. Maria was very adept at explaining the process and industry with a wonderful knowledge of the history, Xoan demonstrated an attachment of seed/baby mussel to the rope. They explained the gathering, thinning out, collecting, and examining the seed and final mussel product for toxicity. The importance of the environment to the mollusks and how Spain protected the industry and its’ partners.
Maria and Xoan served mussels and wine that were the best we tasted in Spain this trip and we enjoyed mussels almost every day.
Our parting at the docks was from a pair of friends, continuing the incredible tour guide experience that you provided.

Santiago de Compostela- Rubén
He shared the story of St James and the meaning of the scallop shells. The description of St. James return to Spain and his selection of burial space in Santiago was an intriguing tale.  He introduced the priest that panted the yellow arrows along the path to guide the pilgrims; putting our visit into perspective with the history of St James and his other aliases.

Seamless experience on our several trips to Spain and Portugal based on Totally Spain’s reputation and integrity to smooth the way at every event along the way. We found you by accident (through the internet) for our first trip and were so impressed that we made you our go to company. The transfers throughout our trip were seamless. We were never transferred before we had always done this ourselves. The personal guides were something new that you included!

Four out of 4 amazing tour guides. As teachers for over 30 years, each tour guide impressed us with their training and skills. Our stays were incredible. Our favorites were Baiona and Santiago de Compestela.

Basically, your attention to detail is unparalleled. We are planning on posting this on your site. Please let us know if that would be a problem.

Thank you again for making this the most exciting adventure, relaxation, and connecting us with our love of Spain!

Un abrazo muy fuerte
Pam and Bob

Re-produced from client's 5 star Google Review. (8005)

 

REVIEW: We just returned from a two week trip to Spain, primarily in Andalusia book-ended by Madrid and Barcelona, arranged through Totally Spain. Working with them was a pleasure. They provided recommendations and valuable advice that allowed us to design a great trip. The quality of the guides was excellent, lodging and transportation arrangements were great, and they were always reachable for any questions or advice. Having put together many trips myself, I was impressed with their attention to detail and their knowledge of the places we visited. I highly recommend Totally Spain if you are interested in visiting the Iberian peninsula.
 

Re-produced from client's 5 star Google Review. (8090)

REVIEW:

Totally Spain planned a trip for me and my 82 year old mother through southern Spain. I cannot say enough good things about our experience. In the planning we changed our minds numerous times as we debated what we wanted to do and how much my mother could handle, and TS came up with alternative itineraries over and over again, no complaints. Then when we got to Spain my mother had more trouble than anticipated with vertigo and the time shift, and we had to work with TS to change our itinerary to fit her needs. They were amazingly responsive and major changes in travel and tours went off without a hitch. Plus every guide and driver they gave us was amazing - not just knowledgeable but also totally dedicated to tailoring the experience to my mom's limitations and making sure she had a wonderful time. Seriously, TS was worth every penny for the experience we were able to have together. Highly recommend!!!

Re-produced from Client's 5 star Google Review. (8103)
 

REVIEW:

We loved our vacation in Portugal and Spain. The hotels were located in great locations for us to explore each city that we visited. Every day the drivers and guides were on time and very attentive to our requests as we enjoyed the tours. Ken Baldwin was very understanding and made the changes to our itinerary that we needed. I highly recommend Ken and Totally Spain to anyone visiting Spain and Portugal.

Re-oroduced from client's 5 star Google Review. (8002)


 

REVIEW

We are back home and are slowly managing to get reacquainted with our regular lives. In the meantime, we wanted to take a moment to thank you for helping us put together a fantastic trip. Your advice, suggestions, planning, and support were wonderful.

Every guide you hired for us was intelligent, insightful, friendly, and engaging. Each hotel was lovely, unique, and made us feel welcome. Things went off like clockwork. Drivers showed up when scheduled. Appointments were kept. Your pre-trip documents were extremely helpful and accurate. Your team was responsive when we had questions during our travels, and were wonderfully communicative advising us of any minor changes that came up along the way.

I wish your company wasn’t just ‘Totally Spain’ but, rather, was ‘Totally Everywhere’ so we could use your services to book future trips ‘everywhere.’ Be assured, though, that we will enthusiastically recommend you to all who are planning travels throughout the Iberian Peninsula, and - of course - you will be our first call if/when we return to Spain ourselves.

Muchas Gracias!

Re-produced from clients 5 star Google Review. (7982)

REVIEW

Let me start by saying we are experienced independent travelers who know what we want to see and do and at what pace. Normally, I book all of our travel, lodgings, and experiences. Luckily, I hit a roadblock when trying to figure out how to book visits to Northern Spain's prehistoric caves. As a result, a Google search led me to Totally Spain's website. With the help of Belen Encinas, Director & Specialist Travel Advisor, everything in our customized two-week trip to northern and southern Spain went smoothly. I booked all of our air travel, some of the attractions, and all of the restaurants, which I enjoyed (and she would have done for us if asked). Belen's exceptional attentiveness to detail brought us lovely hotels in great locations, terrific guides in three locations, all our rail tickets, and seamless transfers for times we had luggage. She alerted us when one of our booked museum visits had an unexpected time change. We would have had a really good experience without Totally Spain, but we had a GREAT time thanks to its expertise. Gracias!

Re-produced from clients 5 star Google Review. (8112)

REVIEW
We returned home from our Totally Spain tour yesterday. We found the trip impeccably organized and the activities well-chosen. No other company could have done a better job.

We found every driver and every guide to be amazing! The drivers were friendly, helpful, and safe. Their cars were clean and newer. We are grateful that Luis Timon made our navigation of the train station easy by walking us to the correct platform for the train to Sevilla.

All of our guides seemed to be well known and respected by others. They could move us to the front of the lines by talking to those groups' guides and employees at the doors. Once inside, they often greeted guides and local people they knew. They were skillful at moving us through the crowds and I commented about this to one guide. She said it comes from experience. They were, in fact, all experienced and excited to share what they knew about history and people/cultures. We were impressed.

Both tapas guides made an effort to accommodate my eating preferences. They chose good places to visit and made sure we sampled a variety of foods. We learned different cuts made from a hog, how the meat is cured, what the aging process is, and what distinguishes different qualities of meat.

I think it takes experience and in-depth knowledge to choose good sites and the skill to fit the pieces together to make an outstanding tour. You did that! Totally Spain rocks! (Especially for a needy client.)

Re-produced from clients 5 star Google Review. (8058)

REVIEW

We just returned from a fabulous private tour of Extremadura, Spain. Everything was personally arranged by Belen of Totally Spain, who managed every expectation of our group of 4 adults; including all transfers, hotel reservations and private guides. The accommodations were perfect and the drivers and guides were local, knowledgeable and personable. Totally Spain was always available to handle any questions, and assure that all went smoothly. We enjoyed every minute and would highly recommend Totally Spain for travel arrangements in Spain.
Ellen, USA

Re-produced from clients 5 star Google Review. (8097)

REVIEW:

I cannot say enough good things about Totally Spain. Having recently become immunocompromised due to medications for health issues, I was hesitant about traveling again. Ken put together an amazing, personalized trip for me and two friends. All the hotels were well-located and comfortable. The guides were very friendly, extremely knowledgeable and brought the history of each location we visited (five cities in total) to life. More impressively, because Ken had advised them of my health situation, all the guides and drivers were extremely gracious and considerate in trying to accommodate my needs. This was a trip of a lifetime for my friends and me. Ken created an experience where all we had to do was enjoy ourselves. We will forever cherish our memories of our time in Spain. I will definitely be exploring other parts of Spain in the future and will use Totally Spain again.

Re-produced from client's 5 star Google Review. (8065)

REVIEW

Totally Spain put together a great trip for us! The organization that Belen put into the planning made it run extremely smoothly and allowed us to see everything we hoped to in a timely fashion. We did not make many changes from the listed trip we chose (Honeymoon in Spain) but she was most accommodating with the few we did.

We enjoyed every place we visited, and have to say that Spain is as beautiful as advertised. And the food as delicious as well. We only half joked that each new city became our new favorite! Each lived up to or exceeded our expectations.

The drivers were all prompt, courteous and professional. And the city guides were fantastic. Friendly, knowledgeable and a joy to spend time with learning about each city and share their own personal favorites places to see or eat.

The other thing in particular that we appreciated was the great locations for the hotels. We did take some cab rides but usually only when we were tight on time getting to or from the hotels. Other than that, we were able to get most places by walking , and so , able to experience and feel the cities better.

We would encourage anyone who wants to see Spain or Portugal to look into Totally Spain. Especially if you want to avoid a group tour.

This trip was a dream of ours for over 20 years and we could not be happier with how it all turned out. The combination of basically being on our own but getting a local tour in each city worked perfectly for us.

Muy bien Belen y Totally Spain

Re-produced from clients 5 star Google Review. (8069)

REVIEW

What a wonderful journey we had with our 12 day trip throughout Spain planned with Totally Spain. From Madrid with a trip to Toledo, onward to Sevilla, Ronda onto Granada, Cordoba and then Barcelona, we had a great trip. We started with a planned itinerary that was customized with Belen. Hotel selection, excursions and tours were all planned for maximum enjoyment. Absolutely breathtaking sights and scenery. The guides from the walking tapas tours, to immersive half day tours of the cities, cathedrals, major attractions and everything we could ask for were handled with precision and expert planning. All of the transportation and logistics planned by Totally Spain were spot on perfect.
We can't say enough about the way we were treated by the staff at Totally Spain, the guides, hotel staff and the lovely people of Spain throughout. The food experiences and atmosphere of the country will remain with us for many years to come. Thank you to Belen and Totally Spain.

Re-produced from clients 5 star Google Review. (8042)

Belen and her team at Totally Spain outdid themselves in building and delivering on a wonderful custom travel plan for us in Portugal! Everything, from our drivers, guides, hotels, transportation, arranged meals, wineries, etc. were nothing short of top-notch. The entire trip worked like clockwork - not a single glitch - and the beautiful, historic sites we visited were fascinating and breathtaking. Totally Spain, and Belen in particular, helped create a lifetime of fantastic memories for us. Can't wait to do another trip with Totally Spain. A sincere thanks to the team!

Re-produced from clients 5 star Google Review. (8100)
 

A perfect tour planned by Belen Encinas through Totally Spain and Totally Portugal. We enjoyed, history, food and fun….. as well as 14 days of sun! Thank you for a trip we will always remember.

Re-produced from clients 5 star Google Review. (8105)

Very thorough preparation in advance of your trip. Much information provided , including food recommendations, maps and places to see. Hooked up all the transfers and tours without any issues. Handled a problem with flights during our trip and quickly responded. They have a nice group of tour guides in many places all over Portugal and Spain. We worked with Belen. Belen is the best. She handles everything personally and puts a lot of work into it. Well done and 5 stars.

Re-produced from clients 5 star Google Review. (8078)

A huge thanks to Belen Encinas and Totally Spain for a fantastic job on an unforgettable trip to Andalusia! We all agreed that the trip actually exceeded our already high expectations, and we can't wait to return to Spain to see some more. We will definitely be using Belen and Totally Spain for our next trip as well! Why?

It began with the initial planning stages, where I was immediately impressed with Belen's rapid same-day responses to my email inquiries with her expert advice and recommendations to mold our ambitious itinerary into one that would be the perfect combination of maximizing time while still spending enough time at each site to enjoy it. She was spot-on with the perfect amount of time at each place, and optimized our limited time by having seamless transfers, pre-purchased skip-the-line tickets, a ton of information (printed and on their web site) before the trip so we knew what to not miss, and providing thorough contact information for every guide and driver so we were always "in touch" along the way.

Despite the large number of moving parts due to multiple transfers between cities, there wasn't a single glitch at any step of our journey, much to our surprise and delight. When I mentioned this to some of our guides, they specifically commented how much they LOVE working with Belen and Totally Spain. They said Belen is meticulous, and they knew that if she lined it up, then it was done correctly and was going to go smoothly. They said she not only carefully plans every detail ahead of time, but also follow ups with the guides and drivers behind the scenes during our trip to ensure everything runs smoothly during its execution.

Additionally, Totally Spain clearly had long-term relationships with their hand-picked guides, who were all fantastic, without exception, and who each had nothing but praise for Totally Spain as well. The guides were very friendly, spoke perfect English, and clearly loved their respective cities. They were all eager to share their extensive knowledge, and their infectious enthusiasm greatly enriched our experience beyond just "seeing the sites".

We also appreciated Belen's choice of terrific accommodations. We chose to upgrade at a few special locations, and she had excellent recommendations at all price points in every city, which were all well-located near the sites, restaurants and shopping. She also provided terrific dining recommendations for each city we visited, and was she very quick to respond to any email questions or clarifications I had along the way during our trip.

We felt that out trip was a perfectly-balanced and hassle-free vacation, and we can't wait to use Totally Spain again in the future. Thanks again Belen!

Re-produced from clients 5 star Google Review. (8053)

Ken planned us an amazing honeymoon! Every tour guide and driver he set us up with was amazing, and each place we visited was beautiful. Every detail was very thoughtfully planned out, which made for a very memorable experience!

Re-produced from clients 5 star Google Review. (8059)
 

Belen - from Totally Spain - prepared a wonderful vacation in Portugal for me and my family. We only had six full days in Portugal but Belen gave us excellent suggestions based on our wishes and limitations. We spent two days in/around Lisbon, three days in/around Porto and one day touring the Douro Valley. She sent us extensive information ahead of time both virtually and via mail (including tips, brochures, history, etc.). All the guides and drivers were punctual, friendly and informative. The hotels we stayed in were comfortable, clean and centrally located. Thanks to Belen/Totally Spain we were able to fully enjoy our time in Portugal and did not have to worry about any logistics. We wholeheartedly recommend Belen and Totally Spain's travel agency services!

Re-produced from client's 5 star Google Review here. (8074)

I wanted to thank you for a wonderful experience in Spain.  My family is very happy with our trip, and very tired.  Spain is very beautiful and wonderful to see.  The tour guides you selected were very knowledgeable and excited about their cities. They were splendid people and gave interesting and knowledge-filled tours.  The Alhambra tour was especially fascinating, if also the most tiring.
All of the transfers operated without any problems and helped us relax and not worry about the travel.  The hotels were also exactly what we wanted.  They were extremely comfortable and provided high levels of service.
Thank you so much for planning such a wonderful vacation for us!
Best Regards,
Pacy Ostroff

See also Pacy's 5 star Google Review here. (8049)
 

Excellent organisation with excellent drivers and tour guides.

Re-produced from client's 5 star Google Review. (7991)
 

Totally Spain services are excellent. All the tour guides, hotel accommodations etc are exceptional. Very customer service oriented company. Thank you for a great time in Portugal.

Re-produced from clients 5 star Google review here. (8055)

My husband & I have booked two trips to Spain through Ken. He has been great! Every tour that was planned was incredible. He organizes everything so that all we need to do is show up and enjoy. We highly recommend using Totally Spain to book your next vacation!!!

Re-produced from client's 5 star Google Review here.(7965)

We found Totally Spain through a Web search and couldn't have been happier with the arrangements they made. Having never been to northern Spain (Bilbao, Asturias, and Galicia), we asked Totally Spain to book hotels (all very well located), car rental for part of the trip, and transfers throughout the region as well as train tickets and hotel in Madrid. Unable to find a wine tour we wanted in Rias Baixas, they booked a custom day tour for us. We particularly appreciated the attention from Belen Encinas, who provided extensive travel information, including city and road maps, that made our touring very easy and stress-free. We highly recommend Totally Spain.

Re-produced from client's 5 star Google Review here. (8041)

We just returned from a magical 6 day trip to Andalusia, Spain that Totally Spain packaged for a group of 18 friends including us. We were all celebrating another friend's 80th birthday in Estepona. Ken Baldwin combined that visit with day trips to Marbella, Ronda, and Malaga. The planning and execution were seamless; he pays enormous attention to the daily details and our individual interests that we shared with him beforehand. Activities were varied, creative and fun! I Restaurants were excellent! I would enthusiastically recommend him as a tour planner/ operator.

Re-produced from client's 5 star Google Review here. (7962)

We had a fabulous 16-day trip to Spain planned for us by Totally Spain. We were able to customize one of their itineraries and everything was taken care of and went smoothly. Having private tour guides for each of the major cities was wonderful, and all of the guides were knowledgeable, helpful, and full of passion for their cities. The additional activities planned for us were all enjoyable and high quality (two Tapas tours, a cooking class, sailing excursion, and a Hammam bath). We worked with Ken who was responsive to our requests. We were provided with plenty of information about each destination beforehand. We highly recommend this company and we look forward to working with them in the future when we come back for the rest of Spain and Portugal.

Re-produced from client's 5 star Google Review here. (8047)

Very impressed - everything was so well arranged for us. The transport drivers were always on time and the guides we had in each city were excellent!

Re-produced from client's 5 star Google Review here. (7954)

Belen and Totally Spain arranged a five-week, individualized trip to Spain, Andorra, and Lourdes for my wife and me. Belen handled our hotel, rental car, transfers, and experiences.

Before we left, a giant package arrived with the reservations and with travel brochures and books for every city. We also received electronic versions of the tickets and other materials which were downloadable to the cell phone. On arriving, we had amazing and reasonably priced hotels in Madrid (near Plaza Mayor), San Sebastian (overlooking the ocean), Santillan del Mar (a historic building), Lourdes (a spa), and Santiago de Compostela (a short walk to the town center and cathedral). Every hotel booked she booked was wonderful. Belen managed to get us an private, English-language tour of a cave in Northern Spain with 30,000 to 100,000 year old cave paintings. Everything she planned was perfect.

While we were traveling, we had a few small glitches and she was always available to help us fix everything. The biggest "glitch" was of our own making. We accidentally left my wife's jacket at one of the hotels. Since it had sentimental value, we really wanted the jacket back. The hotel where we left it was not helpful, but Belen persuaded the housekeepers to find our things. Belen then arranged the international shipping to another of our hotels. It still almost didn't happen. The shipper made a mistake and sent the package to the wrong address. Belen intervened and somehow managed to persuade the shipper to redirect the package overnight. My wife's beloved jacket arrived safely at our hotel in Madrid at 8 AM, just before we flew home. I've travelled a lot for work and pleasure over they years. I've arranged some trips myself and used various services and travel agents at different times. Belen and Totally Spain were the best I have ever encountered. I cannot recommend Totally Spain or Belen more highly. I am just starting to plan my next trip, to Portugal this time. Totally Spain also does trips to Portugal. Of course I will use Belen and Totally Spain again.

Re-produced from client's 5 star Google Review here. (8040)

What an amazing 15-day tour of Madrid and Andalusia!! We had beautiful, centrally located hotels everywhere we stayed (the Parador in Cadiz was a gem). The private tour guides in each city were so friendly and incredibly knowledgeable. They really tailored our tours based on our interests. We loved our planned experiences eapecially the olive oil mill tasting and tour, the tapas walking tour, and the flamenco show.  Our drivers were so nice and accommodating. We stayed an extra hour in Jerez in route to Seville as our driver encouraged us to take our time!  I can't say enough wonderful things about Ken at Totally Spain and the package he put together for my husband and I to spend our 35th anniversary. Thanks so much!  Liz and Darryl

Re-produced from client's Google Review here.

We've just returned from an almost 3 week visit to 6 cities and I feel compelled to report that Totally Spain knocked our socks off with their level of service and with their highly curated selection of hotels, guides, places to visit, and means of transportation. Everything was attuned perfectly to our interests and our desired level of support vs independence. And with such a complex travel agenda, you would expect something to go wrong at some point, but there were no missed travel connections, no problems at any hotel, no guides who were less than fantastic, no restaurant recommendations that were lacking. One little problem was addressed instantly by Ken, and on a holiday, no less. I have written plenty of Google reviews and very, very few of them have been this unreservedly positive. You can't do better, I promise you, and I found the price quite reasonable. They are the real deal, folks.

Re-produced from client's Google Review here. 7949