619371 Tue May 12 16:34:03 -0700 2009 8 50 Spain/Portugal 0 4678099 hello - getting married late August and heading to Spain and SW France for a 3 week honeymoon. We are flying in to Barcelona, but so far have no plans to spend time there. Looking for advice/tips/suggestions on how best to spend our 3 weeks. We will unwind from the wedding madness/jet lag for a few days in Begur, Costa Brava before heading North by car which we'll have the entire trip. We want to fit in a cooking class or two, wine tour, and possibly meet with local cheese and olive oil makers for tours+ tastings. Have looked at a ton of tour companies, but most don't have exactly what we want to do and are 5-7 days in length. Costs are also prohibitive. We are now looking to create our own tour and hire knowledgeable people to provide classes/instruction in English. Definite stops include San Sebastian, Bilbao, and Rioja region for wine. Everything else is up in the air: Bordeaux, Cahors, Toulouse area for Cassoulet, Gallicia, Asturias/Cantabria, and possibly back to Barcelona if it's really worth it. Can we do it all? What would you leave out or definitely include? We already have a long list of restaurants from previous post suggestions. But more than just eating out, we want to really be immersed in this amazing food and wine culture, stay in some of the beautiful old farm houses, and see some of the lesser known areas of Spain/France. Your suggestions are greatly appreciated! Tue May 12 16:34:03 -0700 2009 290348 PDXbride 1 4679359 I wudn't dream of being in northern Spain w/o spending time in Barcelona...if only to go back to La Boqueria and Jamonissimo. Clearly pintxos hopping in San Sebastien is a must and I'd go back and do that again. We went thru Rioja and thought Laguardia charming - it's just beautiful wine country. Ate thru lots of Michelin stars, too... Wed May 13 06:54:47 -0700 2009 4678099 132103 Peech 1 4682092 You can fit a lot into three weeks. Definitely spend at least a couple of days in Barcelona, one of the world's most beautiful and charming cities. Just do a search on this board and you will find many recs for restaurants at all price levels and with food varying from traditional to cutting-edge. San Sebastian has a high concentration of major restaurants, and a wonderful assortment of tapas/pintxos bars. It's a great base for visiting Bilbao and Pamplona too. The scenery is spectacular. You should also post a question on the France board, and do some searches there too. I would skip Bordeaux. We found it rather inhospitable, and not all that attractive. Definitely go to Toulouse, it is a beautiful city, and take a side trip to Carcassonne. Also, as you drive from Spain into France, see the area around Biarritz. Espalette is a charming village famous for its red peppers. There is a wonderful Michelin-starred restaurant just outside of Biarritz, La Table des Freres Ibarboure. They also rent rooms. Pau is also an interesting city somewhat off the tourist radar. It is smaller than Toulouse, and not as spectacular architecturally, but it makea a nice base for drives in the Pyrenees, and there are some very good restaurants. Pau castle was one of the highlights of our tour of this area. Wed May 13 20:00:32 -0700 2009 4678099 126803 rrems 2 4992196 hello everyone - just an update on our honeymoon and a last bid for help on where we should stop to eat and drink along the way! got married over the weekend and take off in 3 days for a 3 wk honeymoon. Here is our latest itinerary: We have only made a few reservations, and have yet to figure out where all we want to stop and eat along the way. Any further/new suggestions would be greatly appreciated by all you Chow Hounders. Day 1-4 - Costa Brava. mostly relaxing and recovering from post-wedding stress here... Day 5-6 Carcassonne. Day 7-11 Toulouse/Albi area. Day 12-15 St Jean De Luz/Biarritz/Bayonne/Pau (hopefully) Day 16-17 San Sebastian. Dinner at Mugaritz, lunch at Extebarri followed Tapas tasting late that night. Day 18-20 Guggenheim in Bilbao on the way to La Rioja for 2 days of wine tasting. Then, train to Barcelona for the last 3 days. It's going to be a whirlwind, but we can't wait! Mon Aug 31 06:53:48 -0700 2009 4682092 290348 PDXbride 3 5004167 It's a bit "touristy" by now after Bourdain and "Spain...On the Road Again" but I loved my lunch at Rafa's in Roses. Wonderfully fresh seafood cooked simply. Not cheap though since he knows people look for him after all the celeb endorsements. I would definitely do Akelarre in San Sebastian for lunch. View is absolutely beautiful and the food is great, too. Fri Sep 04 00:49:20 -0700 2009 4992196 132103 Peech 1 4720370 I will also be heading to Spain for a culinary honeymoon in late-June. We are only staying about about two weeks so will not be able to fit in many cities. We are landing in Madrid and headed south (Seville, Granada and Ronda) for the first week and SS, Bilboa and Roija) for the second. If I had to choose two high stops where/which eateries do you suggest? Thanks in advance... Wed May 27 17:55:46 -0700 2009 4678099 249133 burgertime83 2 4721017 If you want to sample some of the best of modern Spanish cooking then: "La Alqueria" at the El Bulli hotel just outside Seville, serves El Bulli's "greatest hits". In San Sebastian head to "Mugaritz". Thu May 28 00:01:09 -0700 2009 4720370 64584 PhilD 2 4721236 Etxebarri in Axpe between Bilbao and San Sebastian-sublime. Ate there a week ago and did the tasting menu. Among the ten or so courses were excellent baby octopus, squid, eel, and of course, chuleta. Half the price of Mugaritz, which we found dismally disappointing. Thu May 28 05:39:40 -0700 2009 4720370 255653 slsharp 3 4721667 Been to Mugaritz twice and had great meals both times - we obviously have different tastes. Thu May 28 08:10:33 -0700 2009 4721236 64584 PhilD