Marbella, Madrid and Menorca with Meliá

Your Spain journey begins in Marbella, where the polished energy of the Costa del Sol meets the older traditions of Andalucía. Marbella is accessible via a nonstop United flight from Newark to Málaga, offered daily during the spring and summer months; alternatively, you can connect across Europe by flight or train. After arriving via private transfer to ME Marbella, settle into the hotel and take a little time to get oriented. With Puerto Banús nearby and the sea just a short walk away, you have a seamless introduction to the destination without needing to overly plan your first afternoon.

Your Spain journey begins in Marbella, where the polished energy of the Costa del Sol meets the older traditions of Andalucía.

Depending on your mood, consider heading into Marbella Old Town with a private guide for your first taste of the city’s historic side. Whitewashed façades, flower-filled balconies and narrow cobblestone streets will lead you toward quaint plazas where you can stop for tapas, coffee or a glass of local wine. The Plaza de los Naranjos offers a natural starting point, but the real pleasure comes from wandering beyond where your intuition leads you.

Return to the hotel as the afternoon light softens. You might take a swim before freshening up before dinner. During your first evening, lean into one of southern Spain’s great pleasures: an unhurried meal. Note, dinners in Spain won’t start until at least nine o’clock, so you’ll also have plenty of time for a drink beforehand. When night falls, Skina is only a ten-minute drive away and boasts two Michelin stars. Chef Mario Cachinero leads the kitchen, pairing traditional Andalusian practices with avant-garde techniques.

Today takes you beyond Marbella’s polished coastline and into the traditions that have shaped Andalucía for generations. Your day will unfold with a holistic introduction to local culture, with extra virgin olive oil as the day’s focus. At D’Oliva, the leading olive oil producer in Marbella, you’ll get access to a private tour and experience that combines gastronomy with wellness. Begin by learning about the role olive oil has long played in Andalusian life before creating a personalized skincare treatment using antioxidant-rich ingredients inspired by Mediterranean beauty traditions. The experience finishes with a guided tasting of twelve distinctive olive oils, paired with wine to illustrate the differences between the olive oils produced across the region.

Return to ME Marbella for lunch and the ultimate beach club experience. Choose a Balinese bed beside the pool and soak up the sun while ordering from the Oasis, the indoor-climate-controlled beach club that is the hotel’s social center. For dinner, a driver will bring you fifteen minutes up the road for seafood at Los Sardinales. Having served up fresh catch for more than thirty years, this beachfront restaurant offers everything from paellas to fried fish. You’ll head back to your hotel for a nightcap at ME Marbella’s sleek and design-forward bar Barlume. We love the Yellow Pepperita cocktail, made with yellow bell peppers, mint, and citrus.

Begin with breakfast at ME Marbella, then decide how much—or how little—you want to be active.

Your final day on Costa del Sol is intentionally flexible. After two days of exploring Marbella and its surrounding traditions, use the morning to experience the destination without a checklist. Begin with breakfast at ME Marbella, then decide how much—or how little—you want to be active. If you’re ready to explore, walk ten minutes toward Puerto Banús, where designer boutiques, waterfront restaurants and the marina offer a distinctly more cosmopolitan side of Marbella. Take a stroll along the promenade and browse the shops before settling at Lalala Puerto Banús for a healthy Mediterranean lunch with marina views and impeccable vibes.

Alternatively, you could follow the coast in search of another beach, returning to the hotel later in the afternoon for a final swim or some time in your room. As evening arrives, make your way to Oasis Grill for a farewell dinner. Mediterranean flavors and garden surroundings provide an appropriately relaxed conclusion to your time in southern Spain.

Leave Costa del Sol behind and continue north to Madrid, where the atmosphere changes from seaside glamour to grand boulevards, historic plazas and some of Europe’s most important art collections. While you could opt to fly, for this route, we recommend taking advantage of Spain’s high-speed train network. To get onboard in downtown Málaga, you’ll need to begin with a pickup by private transfer to the station, located forty-five minutes from the hotel. From there, you’ll board a two-and-a-half-hour high-speed train to Madrid in a comfortable, Wi-Fi-equipped first-class car. Once in Madrid, a private transfer will take you on the quick fifteen-minute drive to Palacio de los Duques Gran Meliá, located on Cuesta de Santo Domingo. The convenient location puts you within easy reach of the Royal Palace, Teatro Real, Almudena Cathedral and Gran Vía.

After settling in, spend the late afternoon getting your bearings in Madrid. With the option to sync up with a private guide, walk through the historic streets surrounding the hotel, pausing for a late, long lunch at Café de Oriente. Under Chef Roberto Hierro, traditional French techniques are delivered in a stunning, historic dining room, matching the palatial excellence of the surrounding splendor. Return to the hotel before dinner to explore the property’s public spaces. The historic garden is a particularly appealing place to spend some time, while the rooftop offers views across the city’s skyline. For your first evening, if you wish to stay on property, opt for dinner at Jardín de los Duques, housed in the hotel’s former palace stables and the hotel’s signature dining option. This reservation will give you an opportunity to experience the character of Madrid without venturing far, with the setting providing a natural introduction to the hotel’s connection with the city’s history. Head to the terrace for a nightcap cocktail if the mood strikes.

Today belongs to Madrid’s museums and royal history. While you can always opt for the classic museums in town—the Prado and Reina Sofía—we have a few other ideas for your cultural immersion into life as a Madrileño. After breakfast at the hotel, a private guide will begin with you at the Galería de las Colecciones Reales, where paintings, decorative arts, and objects connected to the Spanish monarchy offer an all-encompassing look at the country’s rich artistic heritage. From there, your private guide will continue with you to the neighboring Royal Palace, taking time to appreciate both the scale of the building and the details that reveal how generations of Spanish royalty lived and entertained. After these tailored visits, you’ll walk fifteen minutes over to Paco Roncero, a two-Michelin-starred lunch spot known for its outdoor dining space on a spectacular terrace, for an afternoon tasting menu experience.

If you’re still craving more culture, opt to finish up your first full day in Madrid with a visit to Museo Cerralbo, a more intimate experience housed within the former residence of the seventeenth Marquis of Cerralbo. A private guide will lead you through its preserved interiors. Here, the collection of art and decorative objects provides a fascinating counterpoint to the grander royal institutions. Rather than simply viewing individual works, you’ll get a sense of the environment in which a wealthy nineteenth-century collector lived. It’s the perfect way to walk off lunch.

After several hours among galleries and historic rooms, now’s the time to crack open that book or perhaps enjoy the views from the terrace with a cocktail in hand…

Head back to Palacio de los Duques Gran Meliá in the early evening to rest and refresh before dinner. After several hours among galleries and historic rooms, now’s the time to crack open that book or perhaps enjoy the views from the terrace with a cocktail in hand before stepping out for the night. Tonight, you’re venturing out to RavioXO, a Michelin-starred endeavor by Chefs Raúl Bernalte and Valerio Gargiulo that fuses Asian and Spanish cuisine for something truly singular—and worth lingering over. Your SmartFlyer travel advisor will ensure that you secure one of the hard-to-get reservations. We assure you, the twenty-minute drive will be worth it. By the end of the night, you’ll have experienced Madrid through both its grand institutions and its more personal stories of aristocratic life, and some of its most exciting modern expressions of culinary tradition.

After coffee and breakfast at the hotel, a private guide will meet you to begin exploring Barrio de las Letras, the literary quarter associated with some of Spain’s most celebrated writers. Wander its historic streets, where bookshops like the stunning multi-storied, family-owned Miguel Miranda Bookstore, along with cafés and galleries, occupy buildings that have witnessed centuries of the city’s cultural life. The neighborhood is particularly famous for its seventeenth-century writers: Miguel de Cervantes and Lope de Vega are just two of the many writers who lived here during the Golden Age. Take time for a long lunch rather than treating the neighborhood as a checklist of sights. Head to Casa Alberto for lunch (local insiders recommend the rabo de toro), then stop in Le Venencia for a true taste of local flavor. The sherry bar has been open since 1922 and is lauded for its authentic, step-back-in-time energy.

The spa draws on traditional Thai treatments, with interiors influenced by Burmese, Chinese and Tibetan design.

If you’d like to continue shopping, a private driver can take you the short distance to Salamanca, where elegant streets and independent boutiques offer a more polished side of the capital. Stop by the Loewe flagship, one of the numerous can’t-miss stores lining Calle de Serrano. Or if you’re craving some wellbeing, take the fifteen-minute drive back to Palacio de los Duques for a restorative session at Thai Room Wellness. The spa draws on traditional Thai treatments, with interiors influenced by Burmese, Chinese and Tibetan design. After several days of sightseeing, it’s a chance to shift your attention away from museums and streets and simply take some time for yourself.

Spend your final evening in Madrid over dinner at Coque, from brothers Mario and Diego Sandoval, which offers a tasting menu that is locally sourced and toys with what the future of Spanish culinary traditions can look like. Just a fifteen-minute drive from the hotel, it’s a sophisticated, memorable way to spend your final night in this magnificent city.

On your departure morning, a private transfer to Madrid International Airport will pick you up ahead of your short, hour-long flight to Menorca. Upon arrival, you’ll immediately see how the landscape feels wild, lending itself to the free-spirited nature of this Balearic island. After the museums, palaces and busy streets of Madrid, this final stop is your chance to be outside and to let the coastline shape the days ahead. Following the half-hour drive from the airport, you’ll check into Villa Le Blanc Gran Meliá, a property set beside Santo Tomás Beach on the island’s southern coast. The property draws on traditional Menorcan architecture, with whitewashed forms, sweeping arches and abundant natural light that keep the sea and landscape the focal point.

Spend your arrival afternoon getting to know the property and its surrounds instead of heading out immediately. Take a swim, walk along Santo Tomás Beach, or settle on one of the numerous terraces around the property with your book. When you’re ready to explore, take a short walk toward the neighboring coastline to soak up the views of the surrounding coves. Dinner is best kept close to home tonight, at one of the property’s fine dining restaurants, Nivi, which offers views of the Mediterranean and Menorcan produce to round out an Italian-inspired menu.

During your first full day on Menorca, it’s all about seeing the island from the water. Set out on a private boat along the island’s southern coast, where the shoreline reveals a succession of cliffs, pine-covered hills and small coves that are difficult to appreciate fully from land. Your route takes you toward Cala Macarella and Cala Turqueta, two of the island’s best-known beaches. Traveling by boat allows you to relish swimming and snorkeling in spots that would otherwise be unreachable. A leisurely lunch on board gives you another opportunity to enjoy the coast without leaving it. Fresh seafood, local produce and something cold to drink feel particularly appropriate when you’re anchored in a sheltered bay with the water around you.

Return to Villa Le Blanc Gran Meliá during the afternoon. After a morning on the sea, make use of the hotel’s wellness offering with a treatment at Thai Room Spa & Wellness, or simply find a place by the pool and let the afternoon unfold. Come evening, stay close to the water for dinner at La Terraza del Balear, a stunning waterfront terrace that focuses on fresh fish. Close out the evening with cocktails while overlooking the sea.

Today’s on-the-water experience is completely different from yesterday. Begin early aboard a traditional Menorcan llaüt, heading out as the sun rises over the harbor. The boat offers an introduction to the island’s maritime heritage, while the sunrise departure provides a different light cast on the coastline before the day’s activity begins. The stunning views will be accompanied by breakfast on board. This unique boat will take you to Isla del Rey, where you’ll dock to visit the Hauser & Wirth gallery, a storied institution on Menorca’s southern side which places contemporary art in a setting steeped in history and surrounded by the landscape of Mahón Harbor. Works by Eduardo Chillida add another layer to the experience, creating a dialogue between sculpture, architecture and the natural environment.

From there, continue by land to Ciutadella, the former capital of Menorca. Following the forty-five-minute drive across the island with your private driver, you’ll stop for lunch at Smoix, a dreamy, airy spot that occupies an eighteenth-century estate. Here, Chef Miquel Sánchez offers fresh, Mediterranean menus. The rare inland meal nicely breaks up these days spent by the sea.

If you’re still up for more exploring, the afternoon is all about the details: historic façades, artisan workshops, local shops and the hum of the Mercat des Peix. Walk through the streets surrounding the Cathedral of Menorca, browse for handmade ceramics and other island-made pieces, and pause around Pla de Sant Joan for views toward the harbor. Return to Villa Le Blanc Gran Meliá later in the afternoon. Spend your final evening with a casual dinner on property, or, if you’re up for one final excursion, venture to Port de Fornells for the famous lobster stew at Sa Lagosta.

Begin your final day in Spain at Villa Le Blanc Gran Meliá with breakfast overlooking the Mediterranean. You might take one final swim, walk along Santo Tomás Beach or return to a favorite stretch of coastline discovered earlier in the trip. A private car will take you back to the Menorca airport, where you’ll either fly back to Madrid for a nonstop flight home or continue your European adventure.