A Week in Spain
If you know me, you know I like a plan.
Actually, that’s putting it lightly. I like to know what’s happening, where we’re going, and how everything is going to work. I spend so much of my life making decisions that I’m not exactly known for sitting back and letting someone else take the wheel.
Except when we travel.
Travel is Jonathan’s lane.
He researches every hotel, every restaurant, every reservation, every backup reservation. I don’t even look at the hotels before we arrive because I know they’ll be perfect. I trust him completely, and honestly, it’s one of the greatest gifts I can give myself. For one week, I don’t have to be the planner. I just get to show up and say yes.
This summer, that took us to Spain.
We flew into Madrid, immediately boarded a train to Málaga, and drove to Marbella before making our way to Sevilla and ending back in Madrid. It turned into one of our favorite trips we’ve ever taken together.
Marbella
We checked into Marbella Club, and within minutes I understood why people talk about this hotel with such reverence.
If I had to describe it in three words, it would be elegant, sophisticated, and cool.
Not trendy cool. Timeless cool.
Every restaurant felt completely different from the next. Every chair, every menu, every napkin, every piece of art, every courtyard felt intentionally chosen. Walking through the property became part of the experience because every turn revealed another beautiful space.
We were upgraded to an incredible suite with a large sitting area and an outdoor terrace where I happily could have spent an entire afternoon reading.
The gardens were stunning. The adult pool was exactly what vacation should feel like. Even the shopping on property was incredible.
Our biggest regret?
Not coming when the girls were younger.
The kids club looked so unbelievable that Jonathan and I were genuinely jealous we couldn’t hang out there ourselves. The activities, the grounds, the attention to detail... it felt like childhood magic.
I told Jonathan this immediately became one of my top three hotels in the world.
Where We Ate
Our first dinner was at El Patio, tucked into the heart of Marbella Club. It was the perfect introduction to the property and exactly the kind of dinner that makes you want vacation to slow down.
The next afternoon we had lunch at MC Beach, and I still can’t stop thinking about the seafood paella. Sitting just steps from the Mediterranean with paella, sangria, and nowhere to be felt like Spain at its very best.
Most evenings we walked over to Puente Romano, which quickly became one of our favorite places to spend the night.
We started one evening with drinks at COYA before dinner at Lena, and on our last night we decided not to commit to just one restaurant. Spain was playing in the World Cup, and the entire property was buzzing. We wandered between Gaia and Nobu, soaking up the atmosphere before eventually landing exactly where we wanted to be.
One night we also decided to fully embrace Marbella nightlife and went to see Diplo at Bon Bonniere.
We arrived around 1:30 a.m., surrounded almost entirely by what felt like every 18-year-old in Spain. Diplo didn’t come on until 2:30, which felt impossible at the time, but somehow we ended up having an absolute blast. It was one of those nights where saying yes turned into one of our favorite memories.
Sevilla
From Marbella we hired a driver who took us through Ronda on our way to Sevilla.
Ronda was beautiful. The dramatic bridges, the history, the world’s oldest bullring, the incredible views. It was well worth the stop, although one thing became very clear as we left the coast.
The temperature was climbing.
Every mile inland reminded us we were leaving the Mediterranean breeze behind.
Sevilla was especially meaningful for Jonathan because he studied abroad there during college. This wasn’t just another stop on our itinerary. It was a return to a city that helped shape him.
Watching someone revisit a place filled with memories is such a different way to travel.
Every few blocks he’d stop and tell another story.
“This is where...”
And another memory would come flooding back.
We stayed at Hotel Alfonso XIII, perfectly located for exploring the city on foot.
What I loved most about Sevilla were the streets. They’re narrow, winding, and wonderfully confusing. We walked for hours every day, getting lost more than once, and I don’t think either of us minded. Every turn revealed another tiny square, another church, another tapas bar packed with locals.
What struck me most, though, was how authentic the city still felt. Yes, there was a Starbucks and even a Taco Bell tucked away, but they felt like the exception, not the rule. Sevilla hadn’t been overtaken by luxury stores or the same chain restaurants you can find in every major city. It still belonged to itself. Most restaurants served tapas. Neighborhood bars were full of locals. It felt unmistakably Spanish.
I think that’s what I miss most about traveling sometimes. So many cities have started to feel interchangeable, where you could be almost anywhere in the world. Sevilla didn’t feel that way. It felt foreign in the best possible sense, and I loved every minute of it.
Spain also happened to be playing in the World Cup while we were there, and the entire city came alive. Watching everyone gather together to cheer on their country was one of those travel moments you can’t plan.
Looking for Rosa
One afternoon, we went looking for Jonathan’s señora, Rosa.
When Jonathan studied abroad in Sevilla more than twenty-five years ago, he lived with Rosa and somehow still remembered the exact address. Over the years he’d tried Googling her a handful of times, but because they never stayed in touch, every search led nowhere.
So we decided to ring her doorbell.
I knew she didn’t speak English, but I hoped she’d answer anyway. I imagined the reunion, the smiles, and the story we’d get to tell the girls someday about finding the woman Jonathan had lived with all those years ago.
We waited.
Rang the bell again.
Waited a little longer.
No answer.
The funny thing is, Jonathan couldn’t even remember how old Rosa was when he lived with her. Maybe she was 50. Maybe she was 70. Twenty-five years later, memory has a way of blurring those details.
Watching him walk away was heartbreaking. We may never know what happened to Rosa, but I’m really glad we tried.
A Morning Cooking in Sevilla
One of our favorite experiences of the trip was taking a cooking class with Chef Ana at Fresh Cooking Spain.
The day before, we’d wandered through Triana Market watching locals shop for fresh seafood, produce, and spices. It inspired us to spend the next morning learning how to make some of Spain’s most iconic dishes ourselves.
Chef Ana was fantastic. She was warm, patient, and made the entire experience feel approachable, whether you were an experienced cook or just there to eat.
Together we made a seafood paella and Ajo de Berenjena, a traditional Andalusian eggplant dish that I can’t wait to recreate at home. We spent the morning cooking, laughing, and of course, enjoying everything we’d made.
What surprised me most was the amount of care that goes into making a great paella. I’d never made homemade stock before, and seeing how much time and attention went into building those layers of flavor made me appreciate the dish even more. It’s one of those meals that looks simple when it arrives at your table, but there’s so much technique and patience behind it.
After lunch, we walked over to the Alcázar to spend the afternoon sightseeing before heading back to the hotel for a much-needed siesta.
If you’re planning a trip to Sevilla, I can’t recommend this experience enough. It was one of the highlights of our trip and such a fun way to experience the city’s food culture beyond simply eating at restaurants.
The Nun Cookies
Somewhere along the way, my TikTok algorithm decided I needed to buy cookies from cloistered nuns while we were in Spain.
On our last morning in Sevilla, before heading to Madrid, we set out to find them. Our first attempt was unsuccessful because the convent was closed. We tried asking for help nearby and were very sternly rebuffed by a tiny Spanish woman who clearly had no interest in helping us with our cookie mission.
Eventually, we found a group of lovely Dominican nuns selling cookies in all different flavors, shapes, and sizes. They were incredibly kind, very chatty, and standing openly behind a window.
The cookies were great.
The experience was not what TikTok had promised me.
I had pictured a cloistered convent where you couldn’t see the nuns and the cookies appeared through a hidden turntable. So after we walked away, I looked at Jonathan and said, “Can we redo that?”
He looked at me like I was completely insane, but agreed to walk another twenty minutes so I could find the exact nun-cookie experience I had imagined.
This time, we walked into a beautiful, quiet convent, found the hidden turntable, and bought some very sugary cookies without ever seeing the nun on the other side.
It was exactly what I wanted.
Where We Ate
One thing about us...
We don’t waste meals.
We bounced between tapas bars almost every night, and honestly, some of our favorite meals were the ones we stumbled into without much planning.
Favorites included:
Casa Román
Bodega Santa Cruz, which may have been the busiest place in Sevilla.
La Sacristía
Kala for frozen Greek yogurt.
Eslava, one of our favorite lunches of the trip and absolutely deserving of its Michelin recognition.
Bar Cañabota, where we sat at the bar and had one of our favorite meals in Spain.
Bar Casa de la Moneda
Bodega Díaz Salazar, where we tried mojama for the first time. Think beef jerky... but made with tuna. We loved it.
El Paseíllo, where sitting outside with a drink became one of those simple vacation moments you’ll remember.
Naturalmente, our favorite coffee stop.
Madrid
Our final stop was Madrid.
The second we walked into Brach Madrid, I knew we had another special hotel.
Designed by Philippe Starck, every inch of the hotel felt intentional.
The sweeping staircase. The lighting. The furniture. The artifacts scattered throughout the rooms. Maps, letters, and memories quietly appear throughout the space, making the hotel feel almost like an interactive story.
We were upgraded to a beautiful room with an incredible balcony and a perfect table for working. Because let’s be honest...
Vacation when you own a business will always have quotation marks around it.
Every afternoon, right around siesta, we’d open our laptops while our teams back home were just starting their day. We’d catch up for a bit, close the computers, and head back out to explore.
It ended up being the perfect rhythm.
Exploring Madrid
Our first afternoon we wandered through Mercado de San Miguel, trying as many things as possible.
Our first stop was an empanada from La Hora del Vermut, where everyone insisted the curry chicken was the one to order.
We also shared a tasting flight from Picolisto. I’d probably rate the flavors a five out of ten, but the presentation was an easy ten. We added calamari, wine, and a few other bites before happily continuing our food tour.
That evening we had dinner at Bibo with our friends from New York who were picking up their daughter who had been studying abroad in Madrid. It was amazing to hear about her experience taking a Spanish intensive course and living with a family in the city.
The next day was our only full day in Madrid so we explored the Royal Palace, and both of us kept comparing it to Versailles. While Versailles will always be Versailles, the Royal Palace felt unbelievably pristine and beautifully maintained.
For lunch, Casa Pei+ completely exceeded our expectations. It was one of those meals we’d been looking forward to, and somehow it was even better than we’d hoped.
Afterward, we stopped at Alma Nomad Bakery, where there were so many incredible pastries that I became completely incapable of making a decision.
Our last night ended at Salmon Guru, consistently ranked among the World’s 50 Best Bars.
We had front-row seats at the bar with one of the friendliest bartenders we’ve ever met.
The cocktails were wildly creative, but the one we’ll never forget was Taco al Pastor.
I don’t know how they did it. It tasted exactly like eating a taco. Not inspired by a taco. Not taco-adjacent. An actual taco... in cocktail form. We planned on grabbing a drink before dinner. Instead we stayed all night, ordered snacks, kept talking to the bartender, and realized we had accidentally found the perfect ending to our trip.
A Few Final Thoughts
Spain reminded me why Jonathan and I travel so well together.
He’s the planner.
I’m the enthusiastic participant.
He spends months researching hotels, restaurants, and routes. I show up ready to trust him completely and say yes to whatever comes next.
That “yes” led to seafood paella by the sea, wandering the streets where Jonathan studied abroad, learning to make paella from Chef Ana, dancing to Diplo at 2:30 in the morning, tasting a cocktail that somehow became a taco, and walking an extra twenty minutes because apparently I needed the right nun cookie experience.
I’d do it all again tomorrow.
Spain Favorites
Hotels
Marbella Club * top 3 in the world for me
Hotel Alfonso XIII
Brach Madrid * will return here or another Brach hotel for sure
Experiences
Fresh Cooking Spain with Chef Ana
Triana Market
Alcázar
Royal Palace
Mercado de San Miguel
Buying cookies from cloistered nuns
Sometimes the best trips aren’t the ones where you control every detail.
Sometimes they’re the ones where you trust someone else completely, stay curious, order one more thing on the menu, and let a country surprise you.
xx
Dana