Tour Details/Dates/Prices Catalan Cooking Holiday. Prices $2,115 (3-Nights) CAD*

Catalan Cooking Holiday Exclusive Wine Offer.

Receive a selection of 6 premium Spanish wines to savour at home after spending a week at our Catalan Cooking Holiday.

We just cooked up this hot new offer! Receive an impressive hand-picked selection of Spanish wines to take home with you after experiencing a week in food heaven.  The Catalonia area of Northern Spain is one of the most inventive areas of the world in terms of cuisine and the wine deserves top marks too.  Experience the Catalan Cooking Holiday, featuring an incredible culinary adventure and take a ‘delicious piece’ of Spain back home with you.  The local Priorat wines are out of this world. Since the area has undergone an incredible transformation, emerging during the 1990s from obscurity to worldwide success, it is now very well known for its wines.  And your hosts know the owners of the area wine estates, so the visits are personalized and interactive. 

Bring a delicious ‘taste’ of Catalonia home with you in 3 simple steps.
STEP 1:
Gather a small intimate group of your closest wine-loving friends together (max 6) to take in our Catalan Cooking Holiday culinary vacation – spend a week cooking, eating and savouring incredible wines and cuisine.

STEP 2:
Take home your 3 bottles of premium hand-picked Priorat Spanish wines (6 per couple).  Simply slip them into a cardboard handheld box that is oh so easy to carry on-board a plane.

STEP 3:
The easy part…sip and savour your gifts of the earth from Spain and travel back in time.

Bonus Behind the Scenes Wine Experience.

Personalized vineyard visits and wine tastings (your hosts know the wines and wine makers personally).

Wine tasting with one of the key winemarkers of the area from the famous La Conreria de Scala Dei winery –  Jordi Vidal, one of the most modest and talented enologists in the area,

Enjoy the fully-stocked wine cellar at your stone-built home away from home…wine heaven.

The Price Tag. 

6-Nights $3,755

Double Occupancy per person. Prices in Canadian Dollars. 

With this exclusive Special Offer each couple will receive.
3 reds: Clos de l'Obac, El Bugader, Clos Fontá
3 whites: Kyrie, Odyseus, Nona

Ask us for more information!

Optional:Extended Stay in Barcelona
Spend an extra day or two in beautiful historic Barcelona – sightseeing & exploring the amazing architecture, market and museum visits & shopping for kitchenware to take home with you. The city itself gives unparalleled opportunities for amazing first-hand gastronomic experiences.
Spend the evening at your Barcelona Hotel before travelling to your private hotel "Can Miquelet del Mano" or stay and return later.

Custom Designed Gourmet Safari
If you’d like to spend more time in the kitchen we can easily arrange it for you. There is also a plethora of other activities in the area if you’d like to spend less time in the kitchen or if your partner doesn’t like to cook: exploring the history and architecture of the area, hiking – there are lots of trails, to visits to vineyards for the wine connoisseur, to rest and relaxation as you take in the country air.

Little Extras
• A Complimentary Apron
• Catacurian Cookbook
• Diploma
• Farewell Gift

Tour Length: 7 days/6 nights
(4 days/3 nights also available – please inquire)

Tour Begins: Barcelona, Spain Tour Concludes: Barcelona, Spain

Tour Dates for 2009:

3 Nights:

Jan 21-24, 2009
Feb 11-14, 2009
Feb 25-28, 2009
Mar 11-14, 2009
Mar 18-24, 2009
Apr 15-18, 2009
Apr 22-25, 2009
May 6 -9, 2009
Jun 10-13, 2009 - 2 ROOMS STILL AVAILABLE
Jun 24-27, 2009
Jul 8-11, 2009
Aug 2009 Upon Request
Sep 9-12, 2009
Sep 30 - Oct 3, 2009 FULL
Oct 28-31, 2009
Nov 25-28, 2009
Dec 9-12, 2009

6-Nights:

May 20-26, 2009
Jul 22-28, 2009
Aug 2009 Upon Request
Sep 16-22, 2009 *Grape Harvest Special* - ONLY 1 ROOM AVAILABLE
Oct 18-25, 2009 7-Day Food & Wine - FULL
Nov 11-17, 2009 *Olive Harvest Special* -
Dec 23-28, 2009 5-Day Cooking & Wine - * Christmas Special* -

Tour Price for 2009:

Please contact us for 2009 prices, thank you.

Tour Price for 2008:

3-Nights
$2,115*

6-Nights
$3,365*
*Double Occupancy per Person. Prices in Canadian Dollars (excluding airfare).

Please note:
Solo traveller prices are also available.
If you would like to purchase airfare please let us know and we’ll arrange it for you right away.
All dates and prices are subject to availability.
Prices may be affected by international exchange rate fluctuations.
Interested or any questions? Contact us.

Payment:
Form of Payment.
We accept VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Diners,cheque or money orders in CAD $.
Place a Deposit on Your Dream.
A deposit of 500 Euros is required at time of booking to secure your culinary vacation dates.
Please note: Your deposit is non-refundable due to the fact that our travel partners will be in receipt of monies, however in most instances the deposit can be applied to future travel.

Balance due.
Balance is due no later than 60 days before departure.

Number of Participants:
Minimum: 1 (simply join an existing group)
Maximum: 6

Travel Accessories:
Local Weather
Currency Conversion
Local time

Questions? Just email or call
E-mail: jackie@gourmetsafari.com
Phone: 416.238.9987 (local Toronto) or 1.800.839.5795 (toll free in North America)


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My Safari Notes.
Our hosts, Jonathan and Alicia warmly greeted us at the Barcelona Airport and whisked us away to our boutique hotel in the countryside. We travelled in a very comfortable vehicle, specially designed and selected for visitors to see the sights and to ride in comfort. We admired the incredible vistas and chatted along the way – the hour, 45 minute drive just flew by. The countryside is stunning, with rolling hills dotted with abandoned and inhabited farmhouses, vineyards terraced into hillsides and numerous olive groves. We immediately noticed the personalized attention and care, Jonathan and Alicia think of everything to ensure your comfort during your stay. There is even a cooler in the vehicle with chilled water and beverages for the drive. It’s the little extras and the attention to detail that makes all the difference and places this experience at a new level…read on.

We arrived, stepped outside and inhaled the country air, what a setting. This exquisite boutique hotel is placed on a breathtaking hilltop location overlooking the area. We entered our ‘new home’ and were immediately struck by the stunning interior. An entire year was spent renovating this 4th generation family house – stone by stone. You could feel the sense of pride as our hosts took us for a tour. It’s tastefully decorated with antiques and personal touches everywhere. The attention to detail does not go by unnoticed – from the beautiful well-laid out and well-equipped kitchen, to the hand-picked beds from Belgium, to the Spiegelau wine glasses; to the heated towel racks…the list is endless. Jonathan and Alicia told us that they designed the place based on their tastes and what they would want to find at a boutique hotel.

Wine is also taken very seriously – in fact there is a fully stocked wine cellar with a great selection of wines from the area and a tasting room. For the wine connoisseur this is the place to come to savour local wines that are growing in popularity and in reputation. We visited 2 wineries over the next 2 days and received personalized tours and tastings – the personal touch was impressive, as were the wines.

We helped in the preparation of dinner in the incredible kitchen – it’s perfectly designed to watch a pro at work. With our beautifully bound recipe books in hand we went to work to help out. It was great to watch Alicia in action; she really knows what she’s doing and really loves the art of Catalan cuisine. Dinner was 4 courses in length paired with local wines – what a feast, as we savoured each course I kept thinking to myself ‘wow, this is amazing.’

Breakfast the next morning was welcome, we had the tortilla that we prepared the night before, as well as an endless supply of coffee, fruit, and yogurt…the list goes on.

Our last night was paella night; we spent hours learning the ‘art of paella’ and created 4 delicious dishes. We ate paella and drank various wines until the wee hours of the morning…what a night and what a stay.

This is a place for connoisseurs of fine foods, fine wines and luxury. Alicia and Jonathan really do offer another level of personalized attention and pay such close attention to detail that nothing escapes their eye. As a guest, you are sure to be pampered and well looked after in the comfort of an incredible boutique hotel. The foods and the wines are out of this world.

Jackie DeKnock – Gourmet Safari Creator

Safari Notes – Lasting Impressions.

Dan Duran, Toronto, Ontario, January 2005

Of the places I visited, this is the most outstanding.  Convert a 15th century stone house into high style and luxury and you're just about here. Of course you’d have to create a dream wine cellar stocked with the regions' best and then find a host that knew all about Spanish cooking and you’d be close.  I could not recommend this place more.