Gourmand Breaks Wine, Food & Cultural Tours Reviews 17

Gourmand Breaks: A Culinary Wine Adventure Across Spain and France

Our Unforgettable 20th Anniversary Trip with Gourmand Breaks
After fifteen years of dreaming and saving for our 20th anniversary, we entrusted Gourmand Breaks to help create an experience that would be nothing short of incredible. From the very first day, their planning and attention to detail exceeded our expectations, delivering a journey filled with unforgettable moments, exquisite food, and cultural immersion.

Days 1-2: Barcelona Bound
Our adventure began in Barcelona, following a lively first-class flight filled with non-stop laughter and gourmet meals. Even jet-lagged with minimal sleep, we dove into the city’s vibrance, enjoying a rooftop brunch crafted by a Michelin Star chef—a three-hour culinary delight that set the bar high. Exploring Barcelona’s iconic sights, we quickly realized this trip was going to be one for the books.

Day 3: Touring Barcelona’s Heart
The hotel breakfast was a feast in itself, boasting everything from croissants to mimosas. We spent the day with our knowledgeable guide, Bego, who led us through the stunning La Sagrada Familia and the Gothic Quarter, and introduced us to local treats at La Pineda and Vila Viniteca. Our evening at Hisop, our first Michelin Star restaurant, was a masterclass in culinary artistry.

Day 4: Priorat Wine Country
After a delicious breakfast, we set out for Priorat. Mas Doix impressed us with its sustainable practices and exceptional wines, followed by a delightful “light lunch” at Clos Figueres—anything but light! Our private tastings continued at Clos de l’Obac, where we became members and looked forward to future shipments of their aged red wines. The day ended with fantastic tapas and local wines at Slate, and the realization that Spanish white wines were a surprising favorite.

Days 5-6: La Rioja’s Vineyards and Villages
A scenic drive brought us to La Rioja, where Bodegas Luis Canas and Torre de Ona offered immersive tours and exceptional wines, with Ana and Melissa providing warm hospitality. Our hotel evoked “Beauty and the Beast” charm and the dinner—king prawns with fried egg and incredible French toast dessert—was a highlight. Casa Primicia’s historical wine caves added depth to our appreciation of the region’s viticulture.

Day 6-8: San Sebastián and Basque Country
San Sebastián welcomed us with breathtaking views and culinary wonders. With Esther, our tour guide, we explored pintxos bars, tasted gildas, monkfish, pressed beef, and award-winning carpaccio. Birthday celebrations in Biarritz and Hondarribia were made even more special by the Gourmand Breaks team, complete with surprise cakes and memorable meals. Michelin star dinners at Kokotxa and other local favorites showcased the artistry and diversity of Basque cuisine.

Day 9-11: Bordeaux and Beyond
Arriving at Les Sources de Caudelie in Bordeaux, we enjoyed peaceful surroundings, wine tastings at Smith Haut Lafitte, and a remarkable dinner at Le Soléna. Our exploration of Bordeaux’s chateaux, including Chateau Giscours and Chateau Pinchon Baron, revealed unique wine-making traditions and beautiful estates. Each meal, from marinated scallops to chocolate praline desserts, was thoughtfully paired and expertly crafted.

Gourmand Breaks made every moment seamless and special, from securing hard-to-get reservations to arranging thoughtful birthday surprises. The guides were personable and knowledgeable, the accommodations were luxurious, and every culinary experience felt curated just for us. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or planning a milestone celebration, Gourmand Breaks will exceed your expectations and leave you with memories that last a lifetime.

Final Thoughts
This trip was a true celebration of food, wine, and culture. We returned home tired but profoundly grateful for every detail and every bite. If you’re looking for a travel company that delivers a magical, immersive experience, Gourmand Breaks is the one to trust. We can’t wait to relive our favorite moments and start dreaming of the next adventure!

We had an unforgettable trip to Italy and the French Riviera thanks to Lydia and Ursala at Gourmand Breaks. From start to finish, everything was perfectly organized so we never had to worry about a single detail. Trains, drivers, hotels, and dinner reservations were all taken care of, and the daily schedule they provided made it so easy to know where to be and when. It allowed us to completely relax and focus on enjoying the trip.

What really set Gourmand Breaks apart was how they took an already great itinerary and made it feel completely tailored to us. Every experience felt thoughtfully chosen and high quality. We loved the private tours in Venice and Nice, the food tour in Bologna, and the intimate wine tastings in Valpolicella and Barolo, where we actually sat in the winemaker’s living room tasting his wines firsthand—a truly unique and personal experience.

Everything felt personal and stress-free from start to finish. The hotels were wonderful, the restaurant recommendations were spot on, and any question we had was immediately taken care of. It was clear that Gourmand Breaks genuinely cared about our experience. Because of that, our trip was seamless, memorable, and so much fun. We would recommend them without hesitation to anyone looking for a truly special, customized travel experience.

Every day of our trip was unique and special, thanks to the attention to detail by Gourmand Breaks. We had several email
Sessions back and forth as we worked together to design an experience tailored to our preferences. Every hotel, winery and restaurant was carefully chosen to make sure that every day extended the wonderful experience. Every guide was excellent! Our walking tour guide of Lisbon is a sommelier. We asked her to accompany us with our wine pairing lunch and give us her perspective on Portuguese wines. Our driver for our tours of wineries and historic sites in Setubal and the Sintra region was excellent and attended to every detail. The accommodations chosen for us were historic and excellent. Most were wine hotels in unique locations, with excellent service, restaurants and private wineries. Several of the hotels dated back several centuries with excellent modern accommodations. One special wine hotel was a once royal summer home from 14th century with a Michelin recommend restaurant and winery, in the middle of the Alentejo countryside with only 20 suites. We went on a wine safari at one winery and had a tasting and lunch with wine pairings. We were there for 3 hours, and had the sole attention of the host for the entire time. It was hard to believe that every day of our tour could be as good or better than the last, but it was. That is what Gourmand Breaks does. Our previous trip with Gourmand was to the Basque and Rioja region in Spain. It was just as tailored, special and unique. We are planning our 3rd trip with them, this one to the Loire.

My husband and I booked a 2-week trip through Spain and Portugal with Gourmand Breaks and I cannot say enough good things about the entire experience. Ursula, Lydia and Smita were my main contacts throughout the process and they were very responsive to all questions. They will work with you to customize the trip to your interests. For us, we wanted to learn about history and architecture, but our primary focus was the food and wine. Gourmand Breaks planned the trip for us with these goals in mind.

When you get close to your trip, Gourmand Breaks will create a personalized website with your itinerary and suggestions for downtime activities. The website was particularly helpful for finding unique restaurants - we tried several and were not disappointed.

In each city we had a private guide to walk us through the main attractions, with no waiting in lines, and we'd end each tour with a long lunch. The guides were all super personable, knowledgeable of their city history and overall great to hang out with for a few hours.

Overall, this experience changed my opinion on working with a travel company. In the past I've always booked all our travel myself, but going forward, I'll always look to a company like Gourmand Breaks because this was by far the easiest and best trip we've ever taken.

Just recently returned from a wonderful, bespoke private tour of France, from Paris to Marseille, and focussing on Provence. All was organized expertly and superbly by Gourmand Breaks. The itinerary was meticulous, our special cultural and personal requests attended to, and the options for dining fabulous. Our hotel in Bonnieux was well chosen—picturesque and with great service.
The organizing team led by Ursula was most responsive, and easy to access at all times. Caroline, our guide in parts of Provence, was one of the best we’ve ever had. All in all, a five star experience!

Our recent trip to Florence and Tuscany, planned by Gourmand Breaks, was absolutely incredible—truly the perfect mother-daughter getaway! From the moment we arrived, everything was seamless, beautifully curated, and thoughtfully personalized.

A huge highlight of our experience was Marco, our local driver. Not only was he punctual and professional, but he also had the best local recommendations—restaurants, scenic routes, hidden gems—we felt like we had our own insider tour guide the whole time. Thanks to Marco, we experienced Tuscany like locals, not just tourists.

Gourmand Breaks made the entire planning process stress-free and tailored every detail to our tastes. If you’re dreaming of a delicious, luxurious, and memorable Italian escape, you’re in excellent hands with them. Highly recommend!

We were thoroughly impressed with the service provided to us by Gourmand Breaks for our Spain and Portugal tour in May 2025. We have used small private group tour agencies before, but the level of detail and follow through we experienced with Gourmand Breaks amazed and delighted us. Ursula texted us daily to get our feedback on our various tours, guides and drivers and to provide additional details for the next day's events. Anything that wasn't correct or up to par was immediately attended to. We requested 5 star hotels, and we were very satisfied with our lodgings. Restaurant meals that GB organized were always delicious and top notch. Recommendations for activities during "down time" were also very good. The guides were all passionate about their jobs and conveyed historical and architectural information to us that made our tours a fantastic educational experience. Overall, an extremely professional and involved agency that take very good care of their customers. We recommend them highly.

Barry and I just finished a very memorable 10 day Italian trip designed by Gourmand Breaks. We were able to experience all the must see spots and more. The incredible details that were arranged made this trip so easy and worry-free that all we had to do was enjoy every minute. Thank you to everyone at Gourmand Breaks for an incredible trip.

Gourmand Breaks Tours is the most professional, attentive, and knowledgeable travel agency I have ever experienced. They responded in a timely manner to every request made, even on evenings, weekends and holidays. (Even after making my final payment). This agency offers truly bespoke tours. They listened to my requests and have the flexibility to adapt their tours on the fly. Their contacts with hotel venues, restaurants, tour guides and drivers are first rate. I had bid the tour, and they were neither the cheapest nor most expensive, but in my view the quality/cost ratio was a fair value. I highly recommend them for tours in the regions they cover

Our recent Italy tour, including Sicily, through Gourmand Breaks was the best organized, immersive and thorough of any that we have ever taken. We travel frequently and have been on many small group and some large group tours but based on our experience using Gourmand Breaks, their custom tour is far superior to any that we have experienced before. Their timeliness in meeting us in airports, hotels, tourist spots and anywhere else we wanted was flawless. Their drivers were always punctual, prepared and very knowledgeable about the areas we were visiting. The drivers’ ability to maneuver in the local traffic was unbelievable and they can find parking spots where there just aren’t any. Our drivers were so flexible in catering to our desires that we may never be able to go back to having to adhere to a set schedule on future trips.
The tour company’s selection of hotels and restaurants was always first class. Some where very unique in their quiet and remote locations and others were right in desirable downtown spots. We never had to haul luggage thanks to the convenient hotel selection, the helpful drivers and doormen at most hotels. We ate so many gourmet meals based on their recommendations that we are all seriously dieting now that we have returned home.
Ursula from Gourmand Breaks was always in contact with us during the trip and made adjustments based on traffic delays, the Pope’s funeral and other unpredictable events. She even arranged to comp us a lovely dinner at our hotel when we arrived late due to traffic.
All in all, a great experience and we will not hesitate to use Gourmand Breaks in the future.

My husband and I just returned from a 3 week trip to Spain organized by GB. I can not say enough about the professionalism and high standards of this company. Working with GB was a pleasure from the minute we started the planning of our custom itinerary. GB listened carefully to our ideas and requests, made some suggestions, and together we crafted a marvelous, unique itinerary. Once in Spain, GB was with us every step of the way and responded immediately to our messages. The trip went like clockwork. Our guides displayed an impressive depth of knowledge. We stayed in several distinct and historic hotels we would never have located on our own. And we were taken to sone impressive and interesting locations by our very competent drivers who knew the terrain like the back of their hands. GB is outstanding. You don’t have to be a Gourmand to love Gourmand Breaks.

We are repeat travelers with Gourmand Breaks and have never been disappointed. While we have traveled to Spain on multiple occasions with them, this was the first time we ventured to Italy using Gourmand Breaks. The experiences created have all been unique and personal. I highly recommend Ursula and her team!

Last month we traveled for two weeks in Spain, mostly through Andalusia. While over the past 40 years I have typically planned our travel myself, we decided a few years ago that driving abroad was no longer a pleasure. We had also come to appreciate the enormous value that good guides can provide. So, with a bit of trepidation, I became researching a company that could assist us with our trip. Happily, I found Gourmand Breaks.
I was initially attracted by one of the sample itineraries on their website and used that as a starting point. As an inveterate planner, I had lots of requests for personalization, and Ursula and Jessica were easy to work with and, equally important, after we spoke they understood our travel style and gave me a wealth of suggestions. They also did all the hard work - organizing the itinerary, providing hotel and restaurants recommendations and reservations, as requested, train tickets where rail travel was advisable, and a car and driver between stops where it made the most sense. I had the fun of being involved in the planning without any of the labor.
But it was when the trip started that I really appreciated the company. The hotels were lovely and unique with great locations in the 5 towns we visited. For example, since we were staying 5 days in Madrid, we requested an apartment rather than an hotel, and they really delivered. A lovely two bedroom around the corner from the Opera and the Royal Palace, close to lots of restaurants, the metro and markets.
The guides they arranged at every stop were charming and knowledgeable, and the drivers were exceptionally reliable and friendly. The restaurant recommendations were spot on, and although I added a few ones of my own, they happily made the arrangements.
Their communication throughout the trip was great, checking in on us and answering any questions promptly. They were even reachable on a state holiday and were able to book me a table when that seemed impossible at a very desirable restaurant that evening.

So I can heartily recommend Gourmand Breaks to help plan and execute a relaxing Spanish holiday. I hope to be using them again myself for a trip to the Basque region in the near future.

We can’t say enough about the magical vacation Gourmand Breaks created for us. It truly was a once in a lifetime trip, but we’d like to do it again! Ursula and her team were consummate professionals. Ursula listened carefully and met all of our requests, creating the perfect vacation in Northern Spain, France (Dordogne Valley, Bordeaux) and Portugal (Douro Valley, Porto). They provided a detailed itinerary with an extensive list of dining and activity recommendations. Her team was always accommodating and if anything did go wrong they went over the top to fix it. They were always just a text away. They even secured a last minute reservation for us at three Michelin starred, El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain! We loved staying in the historical Paradores, walking the cobbled streets of ancient towns and castles, and dining in Michelin starred restaurants. Although we hated to leave each place, we were excited to experience the next destination. The accommodations, restaurants, private historical tours, and charming informative guides made for a perfect three week vacation.

Gourmand Breaks made our honeymoon absolutely perfect! We gave them the difficult task of balancing my husband’s and my very different interests across multiple countries and they did a phenomenal job! They gave the best recommendations and set up unique experiences for us that we’ll never forget.

I also reached out to them several times during the trip to see if they could arrange things I thought would be impossible and they moved mountains! At one point we were going to miss a guided tour I set up separately (due to rain) and I reached out to Ursula. She was able to call the place and make sure they didn’t forfeit our tickets! Completely above and beyond anything I could expect!

I knew immediately from the warmth and love I felt from Ursula and Jessica that we had chosen the right people to plan our trip. When you hire them you’re not hiring a company, you’re adding family members! We will be keeping in touch and hiring them again in the future!

Gourmand Breaks is absolutely wonderful. I cannot more strongly recommend hiring them to plan your trip, and my wife and I certainly will do so again.

We hired Gourmand to plan our three-week honeymoon through Paris, Spain, and Portugal. They took into account all the details and experiences we wanted and created an itinerary that matched our vision perfectly.

We visited eight different locations. Every accommodation was top-notch, and all of our guides and chauffeurs were friendly, thoughtful, and a pleasure to be with. Our itinerary introduced us to hidden gems and experiences that we hadn't known about, yet aligned exactly with our interests.

The Gourmand Breaks team was also a breeze to work with—they stayed on top of everything. If even the smallest detail wasn’t as expected or needed adjustment, they responded immediately, resolving any issue or making a requested change as if by magic.

Finally, the value they offer for the price is unparalleled in our experience.

We still can’t believe how fortunate we were to have found Gourmand Breaks. We plan to use them again for all our European travel and will gladly take their recommendations if we travel outside their area of expertise.

Three Weeks in Italy! An Incredible Experience from Start to Finish!

I cannot say enough good things about this tour company! From the moment we booked our trip, everything was handled with the utmost professionalism and care. The booking process was smooth, and the staff was always quick to respond to any questions we had. Our tour guides were knowledgeable, friendly, and truly passionate about the destination, which made the experience even more enjoyable. They took us to hidden gems we would have never found on our own, and the itinerary was the perfect mix of sightseeing and local food and wine experiences. All of our accommodations were outstanding! The transportation was comfortable, and everything ran on time.

What really stood out was the attention to detail—the little extras, like surprise local treats and personalized recommendations, made the trip feel special. We came away with wonderful memories and a deeper appreciation for the culture and history of Italy. I highly recommend Gourmand Breaks to anyone looking for an unforgettable travel experience