Totally Spain Customer testimonials

2ND CUSTOM TRIP WITH TOTALLY SPAIN

Totally Spain has customized 2 vacations (both over 35 days) for us. It would have been very challenging for us to plan these trips on our own without Belen’s help. Both trips were spectacular, well organized and stress free. We had experiences and saw things that we never would have without Totally Spain guiding us with their knowledge of the local areas. We highly recommend Belen and Totally Spain!

Re-produced from Totally Spain's Google Reviews

Ken arranged a vacation for me and my husband after I finished walking the Camino. I asked him for an itinerary that would allow my husband to see some of the Camino, a relaxing and comfortable drive across Northern Spain as we returned to Madrid together, and a variety of scenery. He nailed it! He understood what we wanted and we were continually delighted with the destinations, lodging, and restaurant/activity suggestions he made for us. He was available and responsive both before and during our trip whenever we had questions. I would definitely travel with Ken again and recommend him to my friends!

Belen Encinas from Totally Spain assisted us in planning an unforgettable trip to northern Spain! I had taken a similar trip 16 years ago with my younger son, who was studying in Spain. My husband was not able to join us because of work responsibilities. I vowed that one day I would bring him to Galicia and surrounding areas to have a similar wonderful experience.

Belen was terrific! We did not want to drive, so she booked us a car and driver to use between cities. She booked the same paradores in which my son and I had stayed, and then she booked all sorts of other amazing paradores and exquisite hotels. She booked wine tours, city guides, an amazing pintxos tour in San Sebastian, train tickets. museum tickets, a prehistoric cave tour, etc., whatever we wanted, with much guidance re times, distances, etc.

We arrived at our first parador and they handed us a suitcase of maps, local guides, restaurant recommendations and other materials for our trip, courtesy of Totally Spain. Much of this material had been already been provided ahead of time via email, to orient us. so it was great not to have to print out everything ahead of time, but all of the printed maps and city guides were a godsend.

Our trip was amazing. We will never forget it! While we were on our own, we felt the guiding hand of Belen, and knew that we could reach out to her for help should we need it, which we did a couple of times.

I can recommend Totally Spain and Belen Encinas without reservation. She can make your dream vacation come true!

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Spain in September 2021. The food was great as were the mosques, temples, hotel accommodations and people. We traveled through Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Ronda, Granada, Cordoba and Barcelona. The Totally Spain organizers were first rate.

Dear Ken

We enjoyed our holiday immensely.  Your itinerary and hotel choices worked very well for us and every pickup and transfer went perfectly to plan which took any stress out of our trip and made the holiday most enjoyable.

We especially enjoyed the half day personal tour of the Alhambra. Please extend our thanks to the whole team who made the trip work so well.

I look forward to reaching out to you again.

Belen at Totally Spain went above and beyond all our expectations for our month long vacation touring Portugal and Spain in September, 2021. Every hotel/apartment (12 of them!), winery, train, rental car, tour, tour guide/driver, restaurant recommendation was phenomenal! She sent a briefcase to our first hotel upon arriving filled with all our information - itineraries, tickets, further suggestions, everything! It was a trip of a lifetime, and no way could we have seen everything we did, stayed everywhere we did, and experienced everything we did had we not contracted with Totally Spain for arrangements. Thank you Belen, and we will most definitely use your services again!

Reproduced from Google Reviews

I have travelled with Totally Spain many times over the last 10 years. Every time I have received excellent service. The staff are very helpful and respond to queries and questions quickly. They offer really good suggestions for tours and there is no pressure to buy extras. The hotels they have booked for us have always been exceptional. The information packs they send out are jam packed full of amazing leaflets, maps and recommendations. I have recommended Totally Spain to friends and family, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone.

Review reproduced from reviews on our Facebook page.

Dear Olaia, Thank you, and all your team, so much for organising an excellent holiday for us. We thoroughly enjoyed it and were lucky to have good sunny weather virtually all the time.

Re-Produced from YELP reviews

We were a group of 8 friends touring Portugal and Spain in September. We had some of our trip planned out (a villa and a river cruise) but being our first trip to either country we had several blanks to fill in. We worked with Ken and he did a spectacular job of working with us and providing proposals. We gave him guidance of our preferences. For example he would be fired if he booked us into a Marriott or Hilton. Not that we have anything against those chains, just that we travel extensively in the US for work and wanted to experience something more "historical". Ken hit the nail on the head. Stayed at some fantastic places. We had a couple of misses as well with museums being closed on the days we were scheduled to tour. But considering the amount of things we asked him to coordinate (transportation nearly every day, hotels, restaurants) I can easily overlook a couple of misses. We asked Totally Spain to handle almost all of our local transportation needs. Being a group of 8 we asked for private transportation on most days. We booked out windows of time based on our schedule (5 hours, 8 hours etc.) All of the equipment (Mercedes Sprinters) were in perfect shape and our drivers were always on time and most helpful. We also scheduled several city tours and our guides were fantastic. Completely professional and very knowledgeable. I feel like we got to see places we NEVER would have seen if we were trying to figure things out on our own, and even if we found some of these places, having a guide explain the history and the geography take the experience to a completely new level.

With the amount of logistics we asked Ken to coordinate for us I can easily overlook a couple miscues. Besides which when we informed Ken of the couple of issues, he worked very hard to resolve them.

I would highly recommend Totally Spain. I think the cost of having someone coordinate your trip, and choosing places you would never know about, is not only worth it but it enhances your trip immeasurably.

Dear Belen, I am sending this e-mail, to thank you for organising my fantastic trip through Spain, which I shall never forget.

Everything from the moment I landed in Barcelona, to sadly leaving
Spain from Malaga, ran very smoothly, which were undoubtedly due to your miticulous attention to detail. 

The personal guided tour in Toledo and Cordoba were fabulous.  I was
amazed with their detailed knowledge of the history of the period.

The accommodation you booked were fantastic.  I love the hotel in
Sevilla, and next time I would love to stay longer in Granada and
Malaga.

Thank you again for everything and my best regards and wishes to you
and your team.

Review from Yelp

We travel extensively and we had never had a Travel Agent/Consultant as thorough and detail oriented as Belen at Totally Spain. Everything was arranged and no detail was overlooked, whether it was superb Hotel locations and accommodations, train tickets, private transfers, car rental, tours, or attraction tickets.  Restaurant recommendations were detailed, as well as travel tips.  Every transfer was on time at the location specified, every tour guide was on time at exactly the right meeting point.  All the worries of foreign travel were non-existent.  
She contacted us part way through our trip when she found out there was an anticipated taxi protest in Seville which might impact getting to our train to Cordoba.  She moved up our transfer time and arranged for new train tickets just like that.  So thorough.  It took any stress out of the equation.  We would not hesitate to contact Belen and Totally Spain for any future travel in Spain.  I'll go one step further - we wouldn't think of going to Spain again without contacting Belen and Totally Spain.  Thank you so much Belen.

Belen,

Now that we are back home and caught up with most things after being away, let me say while I have moment that we had a wonderful time and you took care of us very well.

No other travel agent I have ever used has gone into so much detail to ensure that everything was taken care of.  You took all of the stress out of travelling for us, and gave us wonderful memories which we will cherish for a lifetime.

All the best to you and your company in the future.

Belen, We had such a WONDERFUL time on our trip to Spain, Tangier and Lisbon—all because of your excellent work and suggestions.  Everything went like clockwork, down to the minute, which was amazing.  We especially loved our tour guides who were all knowledgeable and friendly. Our pick up servicers were extremely professional, had great language skills and were timely and helpful.  The cars themselves were immaculate and first-rate.

Our hotels were terrific!  Loved the El Minzah and the Hotel America in Barcelona.  Of course, the paradores in the Alhambra and Ronda were beyond superb!  I wish I could express how much we truly enjoyed this trip and how much thanks we owe you.  It never would have gone this well without you.

ADDITIONAL REVIEW FROM SAME CLIENT ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE 29/11/2019

I highly recommend Totally Spain because they did a fantastic job of planning our Spain-Morocco-Lisbon trip. Belen was, by far, the best travel agent I've ever had--from supplying maps, tips and great tours, we had the time of our lives!! If we go back, we will definitely be using their impeccable services! Simply delightful!

First to your extension plan.  It was terrific.  The drivers were all on time and courteous.  Plus, the vehicles were all very nice.  All of the rooms you booked were first rate and spacious.  All the locations made walking around very convenient.  We especially liked your choice back in Lisbon, as it was just across the street from where we stayed with our group, so we were familiar with the area. Our guide in Seville was especially delightful!  We are so thankful that you had gotten advance tickets to the Alhambra and the Alcazar.  Our special thanks to you for the wonderful job you did for us.

The larger tour with our group was also a joy.  The accommodations were all well located, and allowed easy walking in the area.  We marveled at the skill of the bus drivers, as they got us into some places that seemed impossible.  There were many highlights to this part of the trip. I learned an incredible amount about the cork industry.  The engineer in me was also fascinated with our tour of the olive oil plantation and production.  The entire port wine experience was also quite nice.  The grounds are fantastic, and it was interesting to hear about the port wine production.  

Overall it was a wonderful trip.  Thank you so much for making it so memorable for us!

Ken, I wanted to thank you for your attention to detail, your coordination of our vacation and for your excellent suggestions on places to stay and places to eat. We had a great time.

We were very happy with everything your company did for us. What a difference when you get off a train or plane with 100 pounds of luggage and someone is waiting to take you to your hotel. What a benefit to have someone meet you at your hotel to show you around a city or village and explain history geography and culture to you. So much better than sitting around as a group each reading your Spain or Portugal books and trying to decide what to do for the first hour or two of the day.

Overall I would say the guides and drivers you arranged for us were excellent, professional and friendly. Our group are all down to earth people and really appreciated the interaction with everyone we met. 

The overall perception was overwhelmingly positive.

Ken, thank you for your time, professionalism and planning out a fabulous vacation for us! Very much appreciated!

Review from Yelp

Less than 24 hours before departure, Totally Spain saved our entire trip!

This was our third trip to Spain under the expert guiding hands at Totally Spain. We were in Madrid for business and pleasure and the wonderful Olaia made her usual magic with tours, guides, drivers, train tickets and recommendations. We were excited and looking forward to our departure, when my confirmed, paid-in-full airbnb host just stopped responding. Airbnbs solution? A refund and some suggestions for new apartments. Madrid hotels had been sold out for some time, remaining airbnbs were distant or dismal at best, and their protocol is to give hosts 24-hours to respond to your request. How was this supposed to work?? I was sure we were going to have to cancel everything and was devastated.

I began emailing Totally Spain at 4am and reached Belen who 1) calmed me down, 2) comprehended my situation when I'm sure I was anything but clear, and 3) got us the hotel accommodations we needed right on Gran Via! She then updated all our tour guides and drivers to our new location, which I would have forgotten to do, and later - when our flight was delayed 5 hours - changed the start time of our first tour.

All of our trips with Totally Spain have been amazing. They really understand the experience you're looking for and never disappoint. Everything runs like clockwork, and yet they are very flexible. Most importantly, unlike airbnb, they are always there for you.

Highly, highly recommend these wonderful ladies and this great company!

Belen, I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am to you for everything you organized.  Every single detail was handled and everything was perfect, exactly as you planned it.  Each hotel gave us two beds, as I reminded them at check-in had been requested.  Every guide and driver showed up exactly as they were supposed to and every thing went smoothly with no bumps along the way.  

The hotels were all very well located, which I appreciated.  I really can't imagine better locations for all the hotels and I was so glad that I left the booking to you! I am very grateful that you organized the taxi tour of Gibraltar, as that was a FANTASTIC tour! The roof tour of the Cathedral in Seville was well worth it and I'm glad we added it. For our Morocco trip, I felt that we were treated like royalty by Jamal and his staff.

Thank you again for everything you did to organize our trip and to make sure it was perfect!  I'm so glad I found you and look forward to any trip in the future where we might be able to use your services.

Hello Belen. I wanted to write you to tell you we had an amazing trip. Everything was perfect from the moment we landed in Madrid- when the driver so graciously waited for our late arrival and while we dealt with our lost bags. 
We were so impressed with the way all the information was organized and available so easy in their individual packets by city.
The hotels were at great  locations and the service was excellent.
You did an amazing job and we had a wonderful trip- not one problem!
The Ave trains were impressive- we had never done them before and we were so impressed!
Thank you so much for all your work, help and patience!
We will definitely recommend your company and God willing, use you again as well!!
Very appreciative of everything

Ken from Totally Spain organised a wine tour for my wine club through Rioja and Ribera del Duero. He did an excellent job and I can thoroughly recommend his company. He organised everything, including Wine tasting, Wine tour guide, accomodation, transport and special tours and dinners.
We had previously done a family holiday with Totally Spain and this was an excellent tour as well and this prompted us to use them again for our wine club tour. We were very glad we did.

Re-Produced from our Google Reviews.

Belen, we were thrilled with the arrangements you made for us. As you know, this was our first trip with individual drivers and guides and recommended hotels. Things went very smoothly and stress free. The pace was good in general.  
 
The hotels were all unique, high quality, and exceptionally well located. The check-in was very easy and the staff always pleasant and helpful.  

Drivers all were prompt, efficient and good drivers. The vehicles were of high quality and very comfortable. 

Guides were particularly good with deep knowledge of history, art and architecture.  They were flexible and worked with our interests. This was very much to our liking. 

Again Belen, we were very impressed with your services. We liked the way you worked with our interests. You were very knowledgable with excellent communication skills. Your recommendations were always spot-on. 
We hope to work with you again and have already shared your contact information with many others.

Ken, A note of appreciation for organizing a wonderful & most memorable trip. I'm so impressed how smoothly it all went.
The restaurants you organized were outstanding. Everything including your documentation was faultless.
You're obviously well respected by all the people you deal with.  Portugal will be next on our agenda & I look forward to dealing with you again in a few years when I'm fully retired.
 

Re-Producced from our Google Reviews
Spanish Sojourn 2019. Ken runs a first class organization. Ken leaves no stone unturned. He has the ability to tailor according to ones requirements. Ken's guides are obviously hand picked as they are knowledgeable & courteous. Accommodation, restaurants, local tours of any description flawless. No request is too small. We are looking forward to booking Portugal with him next year. Adrienne & Lyall from Australia

We just completed our 4th trip with Totally Spain. They are a wonderful travel company with a superior group of tour guides, hotels, and recommendations. We will be back again!

Ken, In brief the trip was outstanding—flawless in terms of execution by you and your team.  Rosalia was a remarkable guide in Burgos with fantastic knowledge and passion about the area and the Cathedral.  She kept a group of very critical physicians and spouses truly enamored for the full 2 hours (we had no one leave the group to go off on their own).  Lunch was also a real treat—fantastic chef and team and great setting.  Thanks for adding that in—a great closer.  Also greatly appreciated our highly competent and professional driver Luis.  We will be sure to use your group again and I would be quite surprised if you didn't get some return business from several of those attending  as well, who no doubt will plan future visits to Spain/Portugal.  Thanks again for making me look good in picking your group to run our tour. 

Review from Yelp

We spent almost a month in Spain, and the experience was so successful thanks in large part to the expertise, guidance, and support from Olaia and Totally Spain. They were able to help us plan and book all the essentials of our travel, from the hotel rooms to the trains to the guides and even tours and activities. We are at the point in our traveling lives where we don't want to plan every single step of our journey, yet we want the freedom to not be a part of any big group. With Totally Spain, we received a personalized itinerary that represented everything that we wanted to see and do, and more. What's more, at every location, they included detailed information about the places we were seeing, the best restaurants nearby, and some of the main points of interest that we should check out. All the while, we never felt rushed or a number. They truly understand customer service.

The best part was that they were with us every step of the way. When I had an unexpected medical emergency and had to change our plans, Olaia was right there for me, taking care of the changes that had to be made to our itinerary, and showing genuine concern for my health. When we were able to resume our trip, she was able to quickly and professionally book us to our next destination. She did it on a Friday afternoon, just before she had to leave work. We were so thankful that she could pull it off in so short a time.

Totally Spain knows what travelers like ourselves want and need. They are experts on everything travel-related for Spain, Portugal, and Morrocco. I highly recommend their services, especially if you want someone who knows these countries to take the guesswork out of trip-planning.

Review from Yelp

We had just come back from 10 days in Andalusia organized by Olaia that was really wonderful. Olaia prepared for us a trip of driving through Andalusia and staying at beautiful Paradors.

Every detailed was thought of and it was perfectly organized with very good, knowledgeable and very personable guides, who got us into the main tourist sights with no lines and away from the crowds.
We will definitely use Olaia and Totally Spain for future trips in Spain, Portugal or Morocco and we highly recommend them.

Dear Olaia, Yoram and I wanted to thank you so for an excellently planned trip you organized for us in Andalusia.

We loved the Paradors and the fact that a couple of them were outside of
cities, which gave a sense of the country side and was quiet and more
restful.
Both guides were really good and we highly recommend them. 
The Flamenco performance too was wonderful and we are left with a taste of more from your wonderful country.

Again thanks very much for all your help and we will certainly recommend
your services to our friends who may plan a trip to your wonderful country.

Dear Belen, Thank you so much for all your arrangements and help. Everything went smoothly. My only disappointment was not winning the lottery for Altamira.

Albert was fantastic. He was very enjoyable company. I learned much about the local food and customs thanks to him. He was also very helpful at all the sites. He also showed me some of the landscape around the caves which was very informative.

The cave visits were wonderful. I especially liked having the private tours as I could ask questions and I was not rushed.
The caves were a mix of type with some being a deep cave with a steep descent, like El Pendo. Others were nearly horizontal river beds, like Tito Bustillo.
The cave paintings were spectacular, especially at Tito Bustillo and El Castillo. The Altamira museum and recreation of the ceiling are a model that could be followed elsewhere.

The Bahia hotel worked out perfectly for me. I had plenty of space and a nice desk to work at. And, it was nice going down to the cafe to read for the next day and enjoy a coffee/tea and the extra light and view. It is also has the best designed bathrooms of almost any where.

Thank you, Loeta

Review from Yelp

We completed a month long trip to Spain in October, and with the help of Olaia at Totally Spain, had a wonderful experience. The guides we had were expert, flexible, and introduced us to their respective cities.  It was fantastic to have prepaid tickets and our own guide to avoid the long lines and waiting times at museums, cathedrals, the Alhambra and Mezquita.  Every transfer and pickup except one local bus (we traveled by plane, train, car) was on time- pretty amazing, and completely stress free. Our accommodations were also arranged by Olaia and each location was  within walking distance of the major sights we wanted to see; in Barcelona we had a driver and guide, and in Andalusia we rented a car to drive among the white towns. Olaia also arranged a tapas tour in Seville, and other tours that we requested.  
I would definitely recommend Totally Spain to make arrangements if you are planning a trip to Portugal or Spain.

Review from Yelp

"Totally Spain came through for us with A+++ service.
I am on my 15th and last day of traveling in Spain - just my husband and I. We didn't want the lack of freedom with a tour, but, in our 70's, we also didn't want the trip to be difficult to navigate. We worked with Totally Spain and hit the jackpot. 8 cities - Madrid, Seville, Toledo, Córdoba, Ronda, Malaga, Grenada, and Barcelona- on our own by air, train, and rented car- and every connection, every day tour, every pickup worked like clockwork.
We were very reluctant to work with an unknown agency, even more worried about sending in money up front, but did what research we could and took the leap. They were great.
Their biggest asset is they are detail oriented to perfection. We got detailed itinerary, maps, directions, city histories, entrance tickets, train tickets, places to visit, restaurant recommendations, even a cheat sheet of restaurant food translations. They were packaged and organized like an efficiency exert did it.
Their other asset is they seem to know the best drivers and tour guides. We went on 3 private 1/2 day tours with some of the best tour guides I've ever met. We felt like family when parting.
Totally Spain took our desires and acted on them. I wanted to be in very centrally situated locations and wanted nice hotels but didn't need large expensive luxury. The gave us many boutique hotels in the heart of the cities - just perfect. I had to weed out some of the many activities they first proposed, but ended up with a custom made trip for our preferences. I'm sure they made money on our trip, but the results were worth it.
I highly recommend them. "

Review from Yelp

Totally Spain did a wonderful job for us on our trip to Spain to complete "The Camino".  Olaia was most efficient, providing quick answers to any questions we had, and made reservations at fantastic accommodations along The Way.  Our bags were transported to each accommodation and were always there on time.  The drivers transporting us also arrived on time and were so pleasant.  If you want to complete The Way, talk with Olaia, and she will take care of you.