Discovering the real Spain – Epic on the road

At Epic, launching a new country takes a lot of time; we don’t rush – when it’s ready, it’s ready. And that’s only when we know we have something unique to offer and have built strong relationships on the ground with people we can trust. Our reputation depends on being able to deliver the Epic promise every time.

Of course, it starts with doing the homework back at the office – digging into the stories and places that on the face of it feel more fascinating and Epic, crawling over maps to work out the lesser-explored trails and journeys we want to take. Followed by time spent in the country, journeying across landscapes, meeting the people, and searching out the hidden gems we know our clients will enjoy.

A great deal of planning goes into each visit

Founder Charlie is at the heart of our product design approach. He is our man on the ground right now in Spain, having already explored Northern Spain, both mountains and coast, he is now venturing through Andalucía. Fluent in Spanish and living in Valencia he already has a deep feeling for Spanish culture.

We took the chance, while he’s in the thick of it, to ask him how he approaches product design generally and what he’s already discovering about Spain that intrigues and excites him, the things that lie beneath the expected highlights.

What’s your plan Charlie?

“I want to get on the ground, travel through a landscape and understand how it works. Where do the mountains meet the villages? Where does the character of one region start to change into another? Which roads make the journey itself worthwhile? Where do people live, eat and spend their time?”

Why Andalucía?

“Andalucía was already fascinating to us because of the relationship with the country we set up in first – Morocco. We’re interested in a much richer story about the landscapes and culture on both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar, the connections across borders”

Andalucía – rich in history and stories

What will you be looking for?

“Unique stays – Spain already has plenty of five-star hotels; we’re much more interested in character. Sometimes that will mean a genuinely exceptional luxury hotel, but sometimes it could be a tiny historic property, a converted farmhouse or a simple guesthouse, but in exactly the right place. Visiting on the ground gets underneath stories which are told online, which aren’t always accurate – sometimes we walk into these places and walk straight out again; you can pick up a lot quickly when you’ve had the experience. I’m constantly asking – why would I bring an Epic client here?

The same applies to experiences: private access and exclusivity can be great and are often asked for, but we also like to find the geologist who completely changes how you see a mountain landscape, or the characterful person who really understands a neighbourhood and culture, or a family business making something with love and care for instance, these local encounters are everything for us”

Meeting with local makers and farm owners is an amazing way to get to know the locality.

Any interesting insights so far?

One thing that is becoming increasingly obvious is just how geographically and culturally diverse Spain is. The Pyrenees, Basque Country, Picos de Europa, Andalucía and the Mediterranean are completely different worlds.

Even within Andalucía, Granada, Córdoba and Seville shouldn’t simply become three stops on a classic cultural circuit. The interesting question for us is: what is the reason for being in each place?

That means identifying the experiences, atmosphere, food, landscapes, people and properties that give somewhere its identity, and resisting the temptation to repeat essentially the same experience in different locations.

In terms of this trip, I loved Granada it’s a must-visit as the connection with North Africa isn’t abstract; you see it in the architecture, hear it in the language, taste it in the food, experience it in the hammams and street life”

How do you think about itineraries?

“Epic itineraries shouldn’t feel like a collection of things somebody has booked. There needs to be a flow to them.

Sometimes you need intensity; sometimes you need space. A great hotel might follow a night somewhere much simpler. A serious cultural experience might be followed by something playful. A mountain journey might eventually deposit you in a city.

Even arrival matters: the first view of somewhere, the road you approach it on and the time of day you arrive can fundamentally change the experience of a place.

I’m thinking of all these things on the ground; it’s kind of inherent in who I am but it’s also the result of thousands of hours doing it over 20 years and my deep passion for delivering experiences our brand can be proud of.

What is your aim for this trip?

“The aim isn’t to have the biggest Spain programme. It’s to develop a point of view about Spain; so that eventually, someone looking through an Epic itinerary recommendation should be able to recognise it’s ours, that it has the Epic blueprint.

That there is a reason behind the places we’ve chosen, the people we’re introducing and the sequence of the journey and experiences we’ve left out and why.

After this journey, we’ll be bringing together a handful of exclusive itineraries across both North and South. Only the more Epic ways of seeing the country in our opinion and releasing them slowly as part of the launch.

Watch this space for more in-depth field notes on Spain from Charlie’s adventures, leading up to the launch of Epic Spain.