Totally Spain & Portugal Reviews

We haven't stopped thinking, or talking, about how wonderful the 10-day trip you arranged for us across northern Spain. Everything was so deftly managed by you – the itinerary, the hotels, the guides. We've been unable to settle on the best part of the trip. Sometimes we think it must be Oviedo for all kinds of reasons. Other times it's the foray into the Picos de Europa (Hotel del Oso!), or the food market in Santiago de Compostela, or the beauty of the coast, or the caves of Monte Castillo. The hotel in Santillana del Mar was charming. And we would go back to Toledo, our initial get-over-jet-lag stop, anytime. Your advice prior to and during the trip was the cohesion that kept it all together. Many thanks!

Totally Spain were brilliant. Belen has a great team involved. All hotels were great , transfers were on time . the activities booked were good and the guides were excellent . Thanks Belen for the hard work you put into your organisation as our holiday was treat. Highly recommended. . Philip and Joy

I cannot say enough good things about Belen Encinas and Totally Spain's work on our trip to Spain and Portugal in January of 2024. The process of negotiating and executing the itinerary was very professional. Our drivers and guides during the trip were also very professional and courteous. I highly recommend Totally Spain's services.

Another amazing trip arranged by Belen and the Totally Spain team! The hotels she selected, the tours she arranged, the guides / drivers......all were perfect! This was the second trip Belen created for us, and it was as good as the first. She truly knows her business, and works hard to put together options that meet the customers' needs. We're looking forward to the next Totally Spain adventure!!!

There was no way we could have done this trip without Belen’s expert help! She totally customized it to our needs, including several last minute changes which she graciously accommodated. Not only did she include key sites, but the drivers and guides she booked were fabulous. They included some unplanned stops which turned out to be highlights as well. We intend to go back to Spain and Portugal and we will absolutely use her services again. Thank you, Belen!

Muy buena experiencia

Totally Spain: I can’t say enough about the work and effort Belan put into planning our intended trip to Spain and Portugal – for August 2024. I had seen a Totally Spain tour which took in the 4 main large cities in Spain and Portugal but Belan came back with an even better suggestion so that we visited southern Spain which was not included in the original tour. Unfortunately due to circumstance beyond our control we have to cancel this holiday so we are unable to complete this trip but despite this: Belan of Totally Spain was extremely understanding and accepting of our situation I wanted to point out to anyone considering a customised trip to Spain and Portugal to get in touch with this company. Their knowledge of their tours and their ability to tailor a tour to suit anyone’s’ taste and budget is well worth it. Thank you Belan for your help and understanding of our situation. I have already recommended you to several friends and acquaintances. Penny & Marty Francis Auckland New Zealand

We just finished our third trip with Totally Spain and all three have been amazing! Belen and her team have coordinated our trips to Spain, Portugal and most recently, Italy. We don't always know what we want to do or exactly where we want to go in a country, so their knowledge and recommendations are incredibly helpful. Additionally, they are so patient and answer all of our questions as we can be a bit indecisive. One of our favorite parts of each trip have been our private tour guides and drivers. The guides TS selects are very personable and so incredibly knowledgeable and this expertise adds so much to our travel as we gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for each location we visit! Highly recommend Totally Spain for your travel needs - the attention to detail is impressive and reassuring. (Last thing, your trip excitement really begins when you receive the detailed TS Travel Document Package on your doorstep!)

We had a perfect trip, Totally Spain did a fantastic job! Hotels were great and our guides and drivers were fantastic. Alway on time and extremely knowledgeable. Also your suggestions on the itinerary was excellent. I can’t thank you enough for making our trip so memorable.

We recently spent thirteen days visiting Madrid and Southern Spain on a journey organized by Totally Spain. Belen was a pleasure to work with. She listened to our preferences and was candid and responsive in her answers to our questions. All the arrangements -- hotels, transfers, guides, drivers -- were as promised. Totally Spain's services were excellent and we would encourage anyone looking for an exceptional experience to use their services when planning a visit to Spain. Martin and Donna Gleason (Washington, DC, USA)

Wonderful trip. 3 couples, 2 week customized trip with private transport and guides. Every detail taken care of and all transfers and guides were on time, professional and great. Several guides mentioned Totally Spain best company to work with. Highly recommend them.

We are two artist friends who have wanted to see the Paleolithic cave paintings in Northern Spain for many years and Gaudi’s buildings in Barcelona. We decided to take the trip and combine it with some other experiences. Having found Belen and Totally Spain online we really lucked out. Barcelona Hotel Granvia in Barcelona is a beautifully restored historical hotel with the best breakfast of the entire trip! We were entirely comfortable, and it provided a place to unwind with fellow travelers during several busy days of walking in Barcelona. Belen had provided us with valuable information for museums, restaurants, tours, and shopping recommendations. We felt completely at home in this friendly city. Cantabria The car service was always prompt and reliable with friendly drivers. We flew to Santander after 5 days in Barcelona. Our hotel in Santillana del Mar was charming, and a country experience that was forever memorable. Our host at the hotel, Raffa, became a friend, and the medieval town was picturesque, built around a 9th century monastery, and the perfect home base to travel from. Belen lined up a rental car for us, so we could drive to the six caves, all scheduled for us by Belen with English speaking guides. These were fabulous experiences that go beyond words and we felt as if we had special treatment with these guides who were knowledgeable and proud of their history and heritage. The caves were wonderful and so was driving around in the countryside. Bilbao We left Santillana to drive to Bilbao for one night, and stayed in a hotel that was right next door to the huge football stadium. On that night Madrid and Bilbao played and we could hear and feel the roar of excitement coming from the stadium, making us feel a part of the crowd. At first we weren’t sure about staying next to the stadium, but Spain loves their football and so do we! (2 to 2 with no tiebreaker that night). Belen also booked our Guggenheim tickets ahead of time making the experience as smooth and complete as ever. San Sebastian In San Sebastian our hotel was conveniently located in a chic shopping district which definitely invited us to great shopping and taste pintxos, Basque tapas. Belen set up an evening tasting tour. It was all delicious! She also recommended Diego, a Basque tour guide who spent the day with us taking us to three wonderful French Basque towns along the coast. It was wow! And we will never forget it! We were welcomed everywhere we went with friendly good manners and kind helpful people.Thank you, Belen, for such a wonderful trip! We would not hesitate to recommend Totally Spain to all of our friends; and our next stop with you is Portugal!

Belen organize the perfect trip for us, starting in San Sebastian and working through Asturias Basque Country Cantabria Gipuzkoa and Madrid. This is the fifth trip I have arranged through Totally Spain and don’t think there is any better company to help you navigate perfectly Spain and Portugal

An amazing travel agency and personal agent to work with. Belen planned a 2 week trip for us (a couple) and every leg of the journey was very well planned, all people that helped us were gracious, timely and very professional. It was a wonderful trip and I would choose to work with her and the agency any time!!

Many thanks and well done to Totally Spain! Our 13 day trip was expertly planned and the pace of the itinerary was just right. We toured 4 locations in Andalucía, departing from and returning to Madrid. The hotels were wonderful; locations perfect for walkable exploring. Special thanks to Belen for her expert planning. Also, many thanks to our private 1/2 day tour guides Wallada, Maria, Sonia, Cristina, and Esther, and our driver between two locations, Francisco. Group tours were excellent and hit our wish list including, LA Organic olive oil farm and tasting, wine tasting at Bodegas Lunares (we will order both now that we’re back home), Tejada Reservatauro bull and Andalusian horse ranch, Paella cooking class at Taller Andaluz De Cocina, and Walking Spain Tapas tour and more. The entire Totally Spain team was punctual, professional and personable. So glad we chose Totally Spain over other companies that are NOT located in Spain.

In 2018, Belen planned a wonderful custom private trip in Spain for my husband and I. During our month-long trip, we stayed in eight different cities, and also had numerous day trips to towns outside of the eight cities. All the accommodations and transportation (both private drivers and trains) were perfect and made our trip stress-free. We enjoyed the many half-day city tours that Belen arranged for us. The guides were very knowledgeable and accommodating. This September, Belen planned another outstanding private trip for us… Portugal.. The 16 day itinerary for our trip was perfect. Again, the accommodations that Belen found for us were in perfect locations and had all the amenities that we needed. The drivers and city tour guides were exceptional. Belen did an outstanding job in working with me to plan the itinerary for both our trips. It would be great if Totally Spain gradually became Totally Europe, as I would definitely be calling on Belen again!

Belen was fantastic to work with from day one. She made every effort to put together the perfect itinerary based on getting to know our travel plans and preferences. Every detail was thought of— well paced itinerary with a great mix of guided tours and free time, wonderful accommodations in great locations, and seamless travel accommodations between the cities we visited. The selected guides were fabulous. The guides were fabulous and we saw so much in a compact visit! Belen truly thought of everything and was so kind and caring! Will reach out again for future travel and definitely recommend to others!!! ✈️🎉

We returned home last night from our trip. What can I say but WOW WOW WOW!!! Every city we visited was absolutely wonderful in its own way. Lisbon, Porto, Madrid and Barcelona. Not to mention the trips to Sintra, Vinho Verde, Toledo and Girona. All of our guides were just wonderful, Elsa in Lisbon and Sintra. Lucia in Porto and Vinho Verde, Carmen in Madrid, Alejandra in Toledo, Angel in Barcelona and Cristina in Girona. We felt as though we made new friends of them all! We couldn't have asked for any better. The drivers who did the transfers and assisted the guides were all professional and friendly as well. The hotels were great, a mix of the traditional in Lisbon and Madrid and the modern in Porto and Barcelona. They all accommodated our specific room and bed requests. The location of the hotels was great for getting around and having restaurants, shopping and attractions nearby. All of the tickets were perfect in detail and we experienced no issues whatsoever, with the exception of the tapas tour in Madrid, which was entirely MY fault (I thought I read a 630p meeting time, not 6p, but it was all taken care of and a great time was had!). We couldn't have had a better time visiting these 2 wonderful and different countries. If we ever return to your part of the world I will definitely use you and Totally Spain for the bookings. Thank you Belen for having the patience to work with me during the entire process. You listened to our input and designed a trip full of memories that we will cherish for a lifetime.

We used them back in 2007 for a Spain trip, and then in 2023 for Portugal. Belen is extremely detail oriented and responsive, and took the time to get clear on what it was we were looking for. In addition to managing all the itinerary, she was very helpful little things like emailing us the name of our driver the night before our pickup, or setting up a restaurant reservation for us when we weren't able to figure out how to contact them ourselves. We had positive experiences with all of the hotels, drivers and guides chosen. This agency takes the time to really get to know all the properties and services, so you can be confident you will have a good match for what you want. Highly recommended!

We (two couples) just returned from a two-week trip to Spain planned and organized through Totally Spain. They took care of booking hotels and trains, private transfers to and from airports and train stations, guides, and hotels. Everything was expertly prepared for convenience and efficiency and communication with them was always quick and helpful. We were able to customize our itinerary to reflect our interests and by coincidence we met other clients of Totally Spain and they had tours that were just as unique as ours. I would recommend them without hesitation to any family or friends planning a vacation in Spain.