Spanish Holidays in the Pyrenees – House-party Style.

Lunch in Ziga

“Stunning place and lovely people, the best holiday I have ever had when travelling alone”.Llinos Rowlands, September 2010 (See comments)

Every year our home in the Pyrenees in Northern Spain welcomes people from all over the world.

For over a decade our Basque farmhouse in the tiny mountain village of Ituren has run our personal brand of house-party walking holidays and Spanish language courses. Here, nature lovers, walkers, Spanish language students and cultural adventurers find a home-from-home; a meeting of minds, dinners on the terrace and wildly pretty walks straight from the farmhouse door.

Spanish dinner in Azpilikueta

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• Relaxed house-parties in a mountain paradise
• Farmhouse cooking and local food and wine
• A Spanish community of neighbours and friends
• Local guides and professional Spanish teachers
• Ideal for people of all ages and solo travellers
• NO single supplements
• Small, exclusive groups

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Where are we?

The landscapes of the Spanish Pyrenees

Most of our holidays take place in Ameztia, Ituren, a very beautiful mountain village nestled in the western borderlands of the Spanish Pyrenees. Ituren is a village of mediaeval landscapes with a small bi-lingual Basque/Spanish population with a strong sense of community and lively cultural life. It has been recognised internationally for the depths of its Basque culture, its pagan carnivals and fiestas.

Just an hour away on the Atlantic coast lies San Sebastian, without doubt one of the most beautiful cities in Northern Spain (and the location of our exclusive Spanish & San Sebastian Holidays.) The mediaeval town of Pamplona and the sandy beaches of Biarritz are also near by.

Who are we?

We are a small family company totally integrated into the local farming community. This allows us to give a personal approach to every day we plan and every guest we meet. Spanish friends and neighbours often join our walks and dinners – intrigued by the rare presence of foreign visitors to these parts!

Who are you?

Autumn walks in the Spanish Pyrenees

Someone with a desire to get off the beaten track, with a love of rural landscapes and a genuine curiosity in people, culture and tradition.

Someone with an interest in any of the following:

• Walking Holidays in the Pyrenees of a personal nature
• A Spanish Language School is Spain with a difference
• Regional Spanish culture: Basque gastronomy, carnivals & fiestas
• The Wildlife of the Pyrenees & farming traditions
• Tailor-made Holidays for Individuals or small groups
• Cottage Rentals and local B & B’s

Our ethos is relaxed and informal, the international house-party spirit is dynamic and fun and every meal and glass of wine is on the house (which seems to me the only civilised way to run a holiday). But do not be deceived by the lazy lunches on the terrace, or the views of vultures in the valley below for we are also a team of highly-focused professionals passionately dedicated to all that we do. We see absolutely no reason why ‘enjoyment’ and ‘learning’ should not go hand-in-hand!

Georgina Howard

Author:
Freedom to Choose
Breaking the Language Barrier

Email us from here, or phone (UK) + 44 (0)121 711 3428 or (E) + 34 650 713 759  for a brochure.

P.S. A note on international recognition
In 2008, these valleys finally gained international recognition when a UNESCO-related project safeguarded our village carnivals in Ituren as part of Spain’s intangible cultural heritage. These carnivals – in which my neighbours and daughter take part – are an extremely moving and intense pagan event linked to the energies of the earth and among the oldest carnivals in Europe. Change is inevitable in the area, not only through this new-found anthropological interest, but also as new generations of farmers slowly leave their lands. One aim of our projects is also to help support the farming community in which we live and, among other things, much of our food comes from just a few metres down the track!