Portugal/Spain - March/April 2025
Hi, my wife and I are taking our first Tauck tour later this month. Just a couple questions.
- Do the guides offer dining and attraction suggestions to fill in the free time? We have been doing research but it’s always helpful to hear suggestions from the experts.
- For the guide and driver “tips” do you need cash or can they accept a credit card or other form of electronic payment?
- In Marbella there is a lot of free time and we’re thinking of a 2-4 hour boat tour. There seem to be a few good options. Anyone familiar with any of these companies?
Thanks!
Dave and Marci
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In my experience, the tour directors always give suggestions for dining and attractions in the free time. You do need cash for the tips. I can't answer your third question.
Hello David. We tend to call the person leading the tour the Tour director, and the local people who lead the local tours as the tour guides. So I’m thinking you mean tipping the Tour director. It is most usual to pay them in cash and Tauck says in dollars. The Local guides are tipped by Tauck. Sometimes the tips for bus drivers are also covered by Tauck, especially when there are different drivers throughout the tour. This will be explained in your final documents, you will see whether the driver is included or not.
The Tour directors almost always give suggestions for restaurants and attractions but it’s best to Google ‘ Things to see and do in….fill in the blanks, before you go incase you need to buy tickets on lime in advance.
Yes the tour director will often give restaurant recommendations. They will usually be fairly nice restaurants which is great if that's what you want on the nights you need to find your own dinner. We prefer to go lighter on those nights as the Tauck provided dinners are extensive - starter, main, and dessert. After a few days eating like that a simple salad starts sounding pretty good. I use google to locate restaurants within easy walking of the hotel. Type in the name of the hotel, click on the small map that should pop up next to other info on the hotel, then on the left side of the screen click on the Nearby button and enter what you're looking for. These days, most restaurants have online menus so you can see if it's what you're interested in.
The concierge at the hotel is also a good source of restaurant advice.
Dave and Marci,
You picked a fabulous tour for your first Tauck journey! It is our favorite of the European land tours taken with Tauck.
Regarding Marbella, Hotel Don Pepe sits right on the Mediterranean and offers many dining options, as well as the opportunity to swim or just relax poolside. I can't offer assistance with boat tours since we chose to walk to the nearby old town area then returned to the hotel to take advantage of all its amenities.
Yes, the tour director—hopefully, you will have Patrica H.—will hand out dining suggestions ranging from fine dining to reasonably priced 'mom and pop' eateries offering regional cuisine.
The food on this tour was always plentiful and the wine free-flowing. If you wish, I will be happy to offer some suggestions for things to do and/or places to dine at in the other cities you will visit. Just let me know.
Thank you all for your replies. We are looking forward to our upcoming adventure.