Madrid Olive Oil Experience: Mill Tour, Tasting & Country Lunch
Description
GET COMPLETELY OUT OF THE BEATEN PATH AND AWAY FROM THE CROWDS! Exclusive tour run by the owners of the Agua de Carabaña, estate - in native level English. A unique opportunity to visit the origin of the "miraculous medicinal Carabaña Water", exported in the millions of bottles worldwide a century ago. Highlights include: the prehistoric caves referred to as Madrid´s "Cappadocia", and the restored communal laundry used by villagers. At the estate we tour the restored hydroelectric plant and private museum to learn about the "miracle waters" and visionary entrepreneur who sold them. We hike through the vineyards and ancient olive groves, to the hidden valley of the abandoned resort. We discover the water source as well as caves and tunnels made infamous during the Spanish Civil War. We then walk back to relax in front of the river and falls with a full paella lunch and local wine. Lastly, we gift you our hand-made soap made of the local minerals & herbs before returning to Madrid.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We drive on the A-3 highway from Madrid and get off in the beautiful Las Vegas Valley only 35 minutes from Madrid city center. The valley is referred to as "Madrid´s Tuscany", lined with rolling hills full of ancient olive trees and vineyards. This area was known as Madrid´s breadbasket, supplying it will all its fruits and vegetables in the bygone years. We stop for a short-walk next to the pre-historic caves named "Risco de las Cuevas", and also referred to "Madrid´s Cappadocia". We then visit the restored communal laundry room where villagers used to do their laundry by hand - a fascinating relic before Spain´s industrialization.
We drive to the world-famous "Water of Carabaña" private estate. Inside we tour the restored hydroelectric plant and private museum which tells us the story of the "Miracle Waters" that were exported all over the world in the millions of bottles by entrepreneur Jacinto Chavarri. We continue on a walk to the abandoned resort in our hidden valley, passing by the estate´s vineyards. On the waking tour (light hike of about one hour) we visit the wells of the "miracle water" and the now abandoned facilities of the former thermal springs resort. We discover the infamous caves and tunnels of the area and the building, which was the headquarters of the Republican forces in Spain´s Civil War. We then chat with a local farmer and learn about olive picking and processing and Spanish rural life. Then its time to relax. We have a full paella lunch and tapas next to the river and falls, with exquisite local wine. Lastly we gift you our special hand-made soap before shuttling back to Madrid.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Hotel pick-up anywhere in Madrid city and drive directly to the estate about 35-40 minutes from Madrid city center
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Wine will be served to 18 years of age and above. Juice will be offered for minors.
Reviews(6)
We absolutely loved this tour. We chose this tour for the olive oil tasting and for the paella lunch. Roy. the property owner, provided the best experience showing us his family’s property and telling us the history of the area. We highly recommend this tour if you’re in the Madrid area.
Dear Gregory many thanks and glad you and the group enjoyed your time in Madrid! All the best to you
This was our first trip to Madrid and we loved this trip with Mr. Roy he has explained so well each and everything about the visit to the olive oil factory and I feel many people would not know about this trip, and out of the world experience.
Dear Raj, was truly a wonderful day spent with you and your wife. Hope to stay in touch!
We had an absolutely wonderful time with our guide,Roy. The tour was filled with awesome moments: the winery tour, the walk around the town, lunch, and the drive through the property with beautiful views and wildlife. Visiting a big city like Madrid can feel overwhelming and an excursion to see a quaint and quiet part of the countryside creates a relaxing break. We highly recommend this tour and thanks again to Roy for all he did to make it so special.
Was a great pleasure hosting you, and glad we were able to give you a glimpse into rural Madrid and the virtues of the Mediterranean countryside. Hope to see you again!
This far exceeded our expectations. We certainly didn’t expect a personal tour for my wife and I, but that’s exactly what we got. It was the perfect level of activity for both of us and plenty of time to relax and enjoy the countryside. The bikes were a great touch. Roy was an incredible host. He catered to our interests as much as possible (olive oil production co-op, caves, etc) and Carlos was a joy to be around as well. The meal was fantastic, although enough to feed an army. The salad (many of the ingredients from their garden), figs, melon, seafood Paella, and wine was nothing but exquisite. The tour of their property, future plans and some of the unexpected road blocks they were running into was very enlightening. I would highly recommend this tour!!
Jerry, thanks for the generous review. We truly enjoyed hosting you and your wife—the day flowed naturally and your curiosity made it a pleasure. It means a lot to hear the experience matched what you were hoping for. If you’re back in Madrid, we’d be delighted to welcome you again—olive harvest season is especially special out here. Safe travels, and thanks again for the recommendation.
We had a fabulous 2 week stay at Finca Maridadi, just outside of the town of Ronda. The villa is magnificent, with more than enough room for the 6 of us. The weather was still warm and we spent all of our time outdoors at the pool and eating outside under the covered patio. We didn't use any of the lovely sitting rooms inside, except for the very well equipped kitchen. Lawrence Williamson was fabulous; making bookings at local restaurants for us, giving us ideas on interesting day trips and generally making sure we had everything we needed.. The pictures on the website tell it how it is. We travel in various parts of the world usually renting villas and this is one of the best we have ever had.
What a lovely, relaxing day in the country! Our host showed us the property that he is renovating and planning to turn into a day spa. The interesting tour included the history of the property, a walk on a hillside covered with wild thyme, a tour through their vineyard and olive orchard. It culminated with a chat with the local olive oil and wine producers, an olive oil tasting, lovely lunch of paella with an excellent bottle of local wine. A wonderful reprieve from the tours.
Thank you very much Lisa, we are very glad you enjoyed getting out of the beaten path, and seeing the authentic side of Madrid´s "Tuscany". Please keep in touch!
