Valeska Idarraga & Fernando Paredes

Co-founders, Paladar y Tomar

Tell us about you and your company.

Paladar y Tomar is a Spanish boutique DMC specialized in crafting unique, innovative and inspiring food and wine journeys throughout the Mediterranean countries we live in: Spain, Portugal and Morocco. We believe there is no better vehicle for immersion in a new destination than through gastronomy. Food and wine have extraordinary power to shape landscapes and societies through a confluence of multiple forces, including anthropology, geology, agronomy, economy, religion, physics, biology, sustainability, and the arts. So why not travel to discover their roots and evolution?

We are both economists, but with a great love for meeting new people. Fernando was first in pharmacy, but he moved to the travel business in 2004. Valeska shares her family’s passion for cuisine—her grandparents were Basque chefs—then she did a hotel management postgraduate in Switzerland. When we decided to start our own business, a food-and-wine destination management company sounded like a good plan, and here we are!

And since meeting in 2010, we both got involved in wine, ending up with a Wine & Spirit Educational Trust level 3 certification. In fact, for our small group tours under our The Valfers brand, we do not repeat a single dish! We take care of every menu and every wine selection, which is a lot of work, but very satisfying.

What’s the entry level to talk to you?

For private travel, we charge a planning fee, starting at €300 for a 7-day itinerary for two people. Our tailor-made tours start at €500 per person, per day, and we work on a private basis only. Our small group tours from The Valfers are open to everyone!

What is the sweet spot of your expertise?

We stand out for our first-hand knowledge that allows us to design and balance every trip. We do not sell the world, only those destinations where we’ve lived or spent a lot of time, where we have built a community and where we feel most at home. 

A favorite experience/trip/itinerary you’ve planned that best represents your philosophy… 

This is like asking what is your favorite child! There is no one answer; we love every single place and personality we encounter, because from winemaker to Michelin-starred chef, from the nomad in the Sahara to a family-run tavern in a remote town, everything and everyone meets the purpose of expressing the authenticity and reality of the destination. Spain is the most powerful destination in terms of food and wine, but Portugal—being 5.4 times smaller—offers a charismatic and evolving culinary scene and outstanding wines, and Morocco, incomparably beautiful, is a Mediterranean gem, where bustling cities such as Marrakech are side by side with towns where time seems to have stopped. But these three cultures are not that far from each other—they have shared a long history and social values (family, collaboration, urban organization), food roots, architecture, linguistic heritage and pleasure for life!

A favorite hotel/lodge/house you love and go back to again and again…

We love all the hotels we work with, but  La Mamounia  in Marrakech has undoubtedly something special, from the lush gardens to the ornately designed interiors. When it comes to our wine trips to Ribera del Duero and Rioja, we love to sleep in the most unique and exclusive places, from the 1,000-year-old  Monastery of San Pelayo  in Oviedo to the magnificent  Casa Cosme Palacio, an invitation-only residence owned by one of Rioja’s most prestigious families.

The most memorable meal you’ve had while traveling…

Hard to answer for people like us spending our life in restaurants, but these two might be the most remarkable: the 180º bluefin tuna meal at  El Campero  in Barbate (Cádiz) is out of this world, and the fish at  Elkano  in Getaria (Basque Country) is always sublime and so unique.

A not-to-be-missed favorite experience(s) in your region(s) of expertise…

We love our wine tours—wherever we go we meet extraordinary people, encounter incredible scenery and sample great wines. The visit to an Iberian pork farm in Jabugo (Andalusia) is unique in the world. Of course, being in the Sahara Desert is unforgettable, a real transformative experience.

What is a place we should consider traveling to that could really use our dollars, and what is a place we should put on hold because, even though we love it, it sees too many tourists?

We both agree Morocco is magical and very little known. A huge country, it’s been influenced by all kinds of cultures due to its strategic position on the Mediterranean and has seen Phoenicians, Romans, Ottomans and Amazighs and later Europeans settling in the territory. It’s been a crossroads of the world and you can feel it, breathe it! We really feel Morocco deserves more attention. We would avoid any famous coastal destination in the summer, they’re packed!

Underrated location, overrated location, personal favorite, recent discovery?

Cadiz is one of the most underrated places, internationally speaking. Cadiz as a province and Cadiz city are extraordinary: flamenco and purebred Spanish horses, unique sherry wines, one of the two spots in the world where bluefin tuna is caught (the other one is the Gulf of Mexico), facing the Strait of Gibraltar and only 9 miles from Morocco! It’s absolutely beautiful and its people have a unique character and lifestyle.

None of our destinations are overrated! We choose with lots of care every place we go and we do sell destinations that are considered overrated.

Our personal favorites: the Sahara Desert, Douro Valley in Portugal (we have many friends and that gives a very personal perspective to our visits), Western Andalusia from Malaga to Jerez de la Frontera… hard to pick!

What is something you wished we all knew or were better at as travelers?

Travelers should listen to people on the ground! Blogs and Netflix can be fun entertainment, but do not always show the reality of a place. Preconceptions and prejudices are bad partners. It’s very important to relativize our appreciation; don’t compare destinations—every location has its own personality, history and beauty.

How do you want people to reach out to you?

Email: valeska@paladarytomar.com; IG: @paladarytomar; Phone & WhatsApp: +34 662 305 125