Blog

Sharing Our Secrets

Learn some of Spain’s best-kept secrets and travel tips – we want our blog to help you make the most of your trip to this area. We’ll be sharing information on some of our most popular destinations in our “Destination Spotlights”, delving into the festivals and other customs in our “Culture Corner” section, and showcasing some of our very special collaborators in our “Spain Savvy Partners” posts. Please participate by leaving comments and sharing our posts on social media!!

diciembre 2020

Spain Savvy at the Tourism Innovation Summit in Seville
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Spain Savvy at the Tourism Innovation Summit in Seville

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Spain Savvy at the Tourism Innovation Summit in Seville

Spain Savvy at the Tourism Innovation Summit in Seville From November 25-27, Seville hosted the global event "Tourism Innovation Summit" at its FIBES conference center, a pivotal moment in the rebirth of tourism post-COVID that we were lucky to experience in our home city. Throughout [...]

octubre 2020

Fave Properties: Palacio Bucarelli
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Fave Properties: Palacio Bucarelli

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Fave Properties: Palacio Bucarelli

Fave Properties: Palacio Bucarelli Palacio Bucarelli in Seville Palacio Bucarelli in Seville is a very special place to spend your time in this magical city. Located in the up-and-coming San Lorenzo district just off the Alameda, you will be immersed in residential Seville [...]

julio 2020

Fave Properties: La Nava del Barranco, a luxury retreat in the heart of Spain
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Fave Properties: La Nava del Barranco, a luxury retreat in the heart of Spain

fave properties

Fave Properties: La Nava del Barranco, a luxury retreat in the heart of Spain

Fave Properties: La Nava del Barranco, a luxury retreat in the heart of Spain La Nava is a luxury retreat located in Castilla-La Mancha Tucked away in the peaceful countryside, in the province of Castilla-La Mancha (between Madrid and Andalucia), is a breathtaking [...]

Spain Savvy’s Post-Covid Travel Protocol & Seals of Approval
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Spain Savvy’s Post-Covid Travel Protocol & Seals of Approval

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Spain Savvy’s Post-Covid Travel Protocol & Seals of Approval

Spain Savvy's Post-Covid Travel Protocol & Seals of Approval While travel has come to a halt worldwide, here at Spain Savvy we have been busy learning about how travel will change as we enter the "new normal" post-Covid, and how we must all adapt to [...]

mayo 2020

Destination Spotlight: Porto & the Douro Valley
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Destination Spotlight: Porto & the Douro Valley

destination spotlight

Destination Spotlight: Porto & the Douro Valley

Destination Spotlight: Porto & the Douro Valley Porto is located along the Douro River in the north of Portugal. Porto (or Oporto as it is sometimes known locally) is Portugal's second-largest city behind the capital Lisbon, and is a fascinating area to include [...]

In the Press: Seville Tourism’s post-Covid task force
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In the Press: Seville Tourism’s post-Covid task force

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In the Press: Seville Tourism’s post-Covid task force

In the Press: Seville Tourism's post-Covid task force https://youtu.be/yeOvF6NOHHg Spain Savvy has been participating in the task force set up the local Tourism Board in Seville to brainstorm ways the city will reopen to international visitors post-COVID. “{The panel experts} specifically referred to the [...]

Travel Tips: Share your travel memories!
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Travel Tips: Share your travel memories!

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Travel Tips: Share your travel memories!

Travel Tips: Share your travel memories! The Blackburn family heads to Seville's colorful Spring Fair with Spain Savvy founder, Sarah Gemba We need your travel stories! Since we can't cross borders at the moment, reminiscing about past travel, harking back to our favorite [...]

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Pamela Hathaway

16:44 31 Jan 20

Personalized attention and care at its best. Sarah and her team are truly wonderful people and put together an amazing travel experience for our family which included children/teens. If you are thinking about traveling to Spain do so through SpainSavvy. When our initial flight was delayed and we missed our connecting flight, Sarah was there to reschedule our hotel transportation. She kept us up to date on every detail and her company utilizes an App for your mobile device. I loved that App! Daily itinerary, hotel accommodations, transportation (car, AVE, airplane tickets), museum entrance and tours all easily accessible on my phone. Her recommendations were perfect for our family. These included a family photo session, private museum tours with guides and a food tour to name a few. The kids and adults loved it. This lady loves Spain and her travel families and it shows in everything SpainSavvy does. Thank you Sarah!

Elaine Gast Fawcett

17:48 01 Jan 20

In starting a five-week trip traveling through Spain as a family of five (with three kids under age 7), I realized I needed support and ideas from an expert! Although initially I was doing all the research and planning myself, it was taking up way too much of my time and sanity to try to do all the research and set up the lodging on my own. I reached out to Sarah from Spain Savvy, and right from the start, she was super communicative, helpful, and on it. She provided us a terrific itinerary - with great options for our kids, our food needs (one vegetarian in the group), comfortable lodging in great locations, interesting restaurants and stops we would never have been able to find on our own (and making all reservations for us), and outstanding tours (kids' tour in Barcelona, and a kid-friendly tour guide for the Alhambra in Granada). We had some blips along the way due to weather and timing, and Sarah was always there, checking in and offering her help. She even went beyond our scope and offered ideas for our time in Seville (which we had already booked in advance). I'm convinced - working with Spain Savvy made our trip smooth and outstanding. It's so worth working with someone like Sarah who is knowledgable, warm, and has great finesse in coordinating. Highly recommend.

Edward Elkins

14:28 30 Oct 19

My wife and I were recently in Madrid on business and sought out Sarah online to assist with extending our trip once the business was completed. Sarah did a superb job customizing our trip to our interests and budget. She helped to arrange hotels, train transportation, tours and made many suggestions of points-of-interest and wonderful restaurants. I particularly liked the iPhone app Sarah used which contained an itinerary for each day with attached tickets and vouchers. It also gave general information about traveling in Spain that was very helpful. Sarah’s hotel choices were spot on with price and location. We even scored an upgrade in Granada. Though we now reside in the United States, we have lived overseas for many years and have worked with many travel agents. Sarah is truly one of the best. We would highly recommend her services.

Edward Katsnelson

18:09 22 Oct 19

I have traveled to Europe almost every year during the last two decades. This was the first time I decided to seek outside to maximize our cultural experience. Spain Savvy, and its owner, Sarah Gemba, made our experience so much more enriching than my wife and I ever hoped it could be. All of the tours we went on were conducted by supremely qualified guides who genuinely enjoyed there craft. I would and will recommend Spain Savvy to everyone who plans to visit Iberian Peninsula. Thank you Sarah for taking care of us like old friends.Edward & Denise Katsnelson

Eric Montijo

17:30 13 Oct 19

Sarah made our trip an easy and enjoyable experience. Will definitely use her services again.

Linda Nastari

03:59 24 Sep 19

My girl friend and I just returned from our trip to Portugal and Spain. Sarah designed a great itinerary for us complete with restaurant and shopping recommendations. We ate at most all of the restaurants and they were great! It was nice to not have to wonder where the good restaurants were! Every step of the way Sarah was responsive to our needs, no matter how big or small, getting back to us within 24 hours. She is very professional, knowledgeable and kind. We felt like she really wanted us to experience all of what is wonderful about Spain/Portugal. I would highly recommend Spain Savvy for your travel adeventure.

Dan Castilleja

16:25 22 Sep 19

Sarah and her company are THE BEST. This was a first trip for us to Portugal, her planning, selection of hotels and places to eat, even walking tours was just perfect. We had two small changes during our trip that we asked Sarah to make, she did so quickly and seamlessly. Sarah, thank you immensely for your time and effort and attention. You were there when we needed you, and we have great memories because of your guidance and selections for us. Dan & Lorie

Anne M

03:39 31 Aug 19

I cannot say enough good about Sarah and Spain Savvy. I was working with another luxury travel agent on a last minute first-time trip to Spain with my husband and 3 grown children and the trip planning process was not going well. It was my first time using a travel agent to plan a major trip overseas and the agent I was using had very little knowledge about Spain. Exasperated, I discontinued the services of that agent and began researching other travel agencies and was excited when I discovered Sarah who specialized in Spain travel. I decided to give her a call hoping there was a slim chance she would be able to help me salvage our family trip. She quickly understood my situation and rearranged her schedule in order to plan my trip in a matter of a few days (while I had spent a couple months talking to the other agent and waiting a week at a time to hear back with every iteration of the trip). Sarah understood exactly what I wanted and executed my trip beautifully and right on budget. She knows Spain well and was able to get us the private tours and tickets to everything we wanted even on short notice. She was always accessible and personally touched base with us almost daily throughout the trip to make sure everything was going according to plan and met our expectations. She even personally met up with us during our time in Seville. Also, the travel app she used was awesome. Nice to have our itinerary and electronic travel documents all in one place. I highly recommend Spain Savvy and only wish that Sarah could plan our trips to other countries throughout the world that we intend to visit. If you're looking to plan a trip to Spain, look no further.

Lara LaDage

23:59 09 Jul 19

During the planning phase, Sarah was prompt and thorough, which was greatly appreciated. The itinerary she created for us was very well-organized and specifically tailored to our interests and budget. Also, Sarah made additional suggestions that we wouldn’t have thought of such as renting a car and driving to interesting locations within 2 hours of Sevilla. The app was very helpful, particularly the navigation option when we were driving or navigating the city. I liked that I could access my itinerary offline and all the necessary documents were accessible on the app. During our time in Spain, Sarah made herself available to us without being obtrusive, and our vacation ended up being absolutely perfect. As a bonus, we had the pleasure of sharing a meal and chatting with her about her wealth of experiences as an expat. We highly recommend Spain Savvy and will definitely be using this company again in the future.

Armaan I.

00:52 05 Jul 19

Spain Savvy was a fantastic way to travel through Spain and Portugal. We were able to thoroughly enjoy all of the nuances and history of Spain without the headache of planning each excursion. Sarah was easy to work with, timely, and always willing to help!

Himanshu Chatterjee

18:54 02 Jul 19

I would highly recommend Spain Savvy for travellers who want a custom made travel itinerary and need recommendations to stay in the heart of the city & to eat at restaurants popular with the locals. The digital itinerary developed and shared by Sarah had every last detail you'd need for the trip.

Miriam Mills

02:29 29 Jun 19

Sarah is very responsive, full of ideas, fun to work with, and she tailored our trip exactly to our specifications and interests.

Sarpreet Basra

17:18 22 Jun 19

We recently made our first trip to Spain and used Spain Savvy to help us. Sarah Gemba was very helpful in every step of the way. She stayed in touch with us when we were there and assisted with restaurant reservations, add-ons, etc. She definitely picked the highlights of every city that we visited. We couldn't have known about some of these places without her help. Will highly recommend her to family and friends.

John Reeves

19:25 19 Jun 19

“Sarah, thank you for arranging such a great trip. The early part for my sons on their own was awesome, and the parts that we joined them with the three separate guided tours you arranged had guides that were equally wonderful and enthusiastic. The best parts of the trip were in part from their insights. I highly recommend Spainsavvy.John Reeves, June 2019”

Christy Texeira

10:43 16 Jun 19

Using Spain Savvy took the headache out of trying to perfectly plan our first overseas trip as a family. The business is so well organized and communication was always exceptional! Our trip was so much more enjoyable with the help of Spain Savvy! I would highly recommend their services to all!

Christine Flouton

20:06 02 Jun 19

After researching exhaustively on-line and despairing in my efforts to arrange a first trip to Spain, I thought there must be someone who excels at this. I found Sarah Gamba and Spain Savvy, and was outrageously happy with everything she planned. We started with a questionnaire about where I was going to go in Spain - Madrid and Barcelona as my first entry into Spain - and Sarah asked me what I wanted to do in each city. I gave her my dream wish list of things to do, and amazingly, with a week total, 3.5 days in each city, she literally checked every item on my list. In Madrid, there were tours of the Prado, and a night of tapas, flamenco dancing, and a special detour to see the flamenco guitars being made, plus gardens, open food markets, the royal palace, the first restaurant in the world featuring suckling pig, vermouth bars, and exposure to the most wonderful, civilized culture and history. Then after a short flight to Barcelona, I was treated to a private half-day tour of all the Gaudi sites, and access to another Gaudi house in the afternoon, plus the Picasso museum, spots for the best gazpacho in the world, the Frank Gehry sail, and once again, incredible food and drink and wonderful people and adventures. I can't say enough for the service that Sarah provided. My itinerary was clear and well-planned, with regular breaks and free time scattered amongst the planned events, and and all the hotels and passes and arrangements so I had no queues or anything to worry about. And some unexpected surprises and treats that Sarah thought I would like. I loved it all, and when I found that Spain Savvy also specializes in Portugal and Morocco as well as Spain, I immediately started thinking of my next trip with them. After anticipating a trip to Spain for at least 15 years, my dreams all came true that week. Thank you, Sarah and team, for your exceptional care and service. I was simply delighted and highly recommend Spain Savvy..

Mark Smith

22:17 10 Apr 19

Spain Savvy and Sarah did a phenomenal job developing an itinerary that fit everything we wanted to do with our week in Spain. We had great communication with Sarah before and during our trip. Her recommendations for hotels and restaurants were perfect. Spain Savvy provides an app based itinerary with offline options. It included the day by day schedule and necessary digital documents. We would definitely use Spain Savvy again!

Deborah Aiges

14:45 08 Apr 19

Sarah recommended that we visit Zahara de la Sierra and Vejer de la Frontera in southwestern Spain. Both towns were spectacular, both in terms of visual beauty and the accommodations and food! Through Spain Savvy we also visited southern Morocco which was just incredible. Thank you, Sarah!

Vera Suarez

13:59 23 Mar 19

My husband and I normally arrange everything ourselves and this was our first experience with a travel planner. Sarah was awesome and now I'm spoiled. I can't recommend Sarah enough. We were a party of eight with four kids between 3 and 11, FYI. Two of the most amazing things about using Sarah is that 1) she arranged childcare so the adults could experience some of the late night dinners without the kids (the kids loved the sitter, BTW), and 2) having reservations at amazing restaurants really made every dining experience enjoyable! Also, we didn't have to wait in long lines to buy tickets, as ours were already purchased. This was the first time we travelled to Europe with our daughters (3 and 5 yrs old) and we were worried that it was going to be more work than enjoyable. But, we think this is our best vacation ever! I credit that to Sarah and her planning. Sarah was great to work with and very responsive to our questions and comments.

Hugh Abernethy

19:10 23 Jul 18

My family and I were delighted by the Spain vacation itinerary developed by the team at Spain Savvy. The hotel recommendations, the restaurant reservations and tours were superb. Spain Savvy took time to understand what we were looking for in a trip to Spain. They balanced active tours with time to recuperate. This trip was our third trip to this beautiful country. We wish we know about Spain Savvy before the first two trips! If you want someone to thoroughly understand your needs, develop a comprehensive itinerary - CHOOSE SPAIN SAVVY!