There are all sorts of reason our clients choose to travel to Spain. For some it’s the architecture and rich history. For others it’s all about the culinary experience, with tapas and wine at every turn. Yet for these recent clients, it was a trip down memory lane to the start of their Spanish love story.

We rarely have the chance to spotlight our clients here on the blog. But when we heard this beautiful love story, we felt it deserved a spot of its own. This summer Bill and Tina took their entire family – kids, grandkids, and all, ages 10 to 81 – on a trip to the Costa del Sol in southern Spain to celebrate Tina’s 80th birthday. Why choose southern Spain? It was here in 1967 on the beach of La Carihuela that Bill and Tina fell in love.

Bill’s cousin, Susan, should really get all the credit here. She went to college with Tina where they became very best friends. (In fact, they still talk 1-2 times a day after 57 years of friendship!) As Bill says, Susan decided it was time he settle down, so she first introduced the two of them at a pub in San Francisco. Tina walked into the bar and apparently wasn’t too excited when she saw the man who was talking to Susan. But there was a gentlemen on the other side of the bar who caught her eye. She thought to herself, “That’s the man I’m going to marry.” Turns out, this was Bill all along!

Bill and Tina talked long into the morning, walking across the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset. Soon after, Tina accompanied Bill on his family vacation to Oregon and she made quite an impression! Afterwards, Bill had plans to go to Europe and Tina decided to plan her own solo European trip. They met up in the beach town of Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol, and it was here they truly fell for each other.

Bill and Tina rented a room from a local Spanish family who regularly made them fresh seafood paellas out of their little cafe. The couple spent the days washing it all down with icy sangria, swimming in the warm Mediterranean, and taking siestas in the sand. “Soaking up the romance of the region really sealed the deal for their love story,” says their daughter, Heidi. The photo below was taken on a little hill above Torremolinos and hangs in the hallway of their home today.

One year later in March of 1968 they tied the knot! And 57 years after their romantic getaway, they came back to celebrate their Spanish love story. This beautiful family reunion trip was full of adventure and surprises. A month before the trip, the family all surprised Tina on a family video call, revealing the destination she’d been longing to return to for years:

“When I thought about my mother and father turning 80, I wanted us to do something really special. And since my mother loves to travel more than anything in the world, I started asking her in a discreet way, ‘Mommy, where in the world do you want to travel to, what is on your bucket list?’ Every time I asked her over the course of a year and a half, she’d say, ‘There isn’t anywhere I’ve been that I wouldn’t want to go back to— I’ve loved them all! But where I’d really love to go is back to the Costa del Sol to La Carihuela beach where I fell in love with your father.'” – Heidi

Three generations (21 people!) traveled all over southern Spain, visiting destinations like Málaga, Gibraltar, Ronda, and Granada. Bill arranged a sweet surprise for Tina on the trip as well. Susan and her husband Roy flew to Spain last minute to join in on some of the festivities! But Tina wasn’t the only one who got some surprises. The family arranged for another special surprise for both Bill and Tina. On the beach in La Carihuela, the Spain Savvy team helped plan an intimate vow renewal ceremony complete with a palm branch arch, a flower crown for Tina, a lei for Bill, and a beachside lunch to celebrate.

Susan performed the beautiful ceremony and their grand-niece Anais presented a ring they found in the town for Bill to place on Tina’s finger. The ring had a larger round gem in the center with other smaller gem stones around it. Anais explained how the ring represents their little solar system of a family and how Tina and Bill (her Nana and Papa) are the their sun— the center of their solar system that always brings them together and supports them. They all feel so blessed to have their love and light in their lives! Bill even made up his own vows on the spot: “So even though you now know all my faults and idiosyncrasies, will you marry me again?” he said. Tina, of course, said yes: “I couldn’t stop crying, it was so sweet!”

After so many years of marriage, we wanted to know what the secret was to their happiness. Was it a weekend paella? Sangria every night? Turns out it’s much simpler. “Ordering two tubs of popcorn saved our marriage,” they said. Heidi told us they each have their preferred way of eating popcorn at the movies, so they each purchase their own tub. “Whether popcorn or something more important, they respect how each other embraced the world differently with a lot of patience and grace—and never lose sight of their own inner-selves,” she said.

Overall the trip was a raving success for the whole family. Our team was honored to be a part of it. We can’t wait to welcome them back someday.

“Having Sarah and Spain Savvy help us organize this trip made me be able to relax and enjoy it all! My father and I feel so lucky to have found her.” – Heidi

 

“Thank you, Sarah, you made such a special and memorial trip with all our grandchildren and children possible. Thank you! We all fell in love with Spain.” – Tina 

 

Looking to book a family reunion trip? We’re no strangers to large groups. Reach out to us at Spain Savvy for a unique itinerary.