2-Night Escape From Madrid: Food, Wine, Hidden Village & A Castle

The three day/two night adventure was well worth the cost. Our hosts - Paul, Ian & Juan - were amazing and made us feel very welcome. Communication was top notch. The itinerary crafted for us based on our interests was perfect. We were able to visit places that we never could have reached on our own. Paul graciously met us in the early afternoon when we arrived in Madrid and stored our luggage while we wandered around Madrid. The drive to Zoritas De Los Canes was picturesque and Ian provide a wealth of background information on the drive. Our first stop was the local pub in Zoritas, a storybook-looking town of 68 people. We stayed in a charming guest cottage with a balcony overlooking the river. Wine and tapas at the host's home was a memorable evening. On day 2, we visited a cooperative olive oil processing faciity in Almoguera, went to a local arisanal bakery, took a lovely walk in the hills outside Zoritas, ate a memorable multi course lunch at the hosts' home highlighting localy sourced porducts, wandered in the tunnels under the Zaritas castle, and had dinner and drinks in Pastrana. On our final day we had breakfast at the Churreria in Albalate, toure the Fincas de Estacada winery, wandered around the monastery in Ucles, and ate lunch back at the winery. It was a full three days and we are so glad we did the excursion.

Spending a few days solo around this 10th Century castle over looking the medieval village of a population of just 68 is something of a magical experience. Highlights: diligent communication from hosts, convenience with transportation to/from hotel, hiking the unspoiled valley, picking fruits and herbs growing naturally on the grounds, hands-on cooking of our meals and dining at host’s beautiful home, buying fresh local products from respective producers (olive oil, cheese, baked goods), visiting Cuenca medieval fortified city, walking though secret tunnels under castle. Cheers to the friendly and accommodating great hosts Paul and Juan for this truly spectacular experience! Very highly recommend!