Three women asked me to arrange a trip for them to Lisbon where they would be running the half-marathon. I know Portugal very well, my parents lived there and as a result, I visited often. That was the easy part. Little by little I come to realize that they are VERY active—that means that they want something outdoorsy to do every day. Their final itinerary included four destinations: Lisbon, Madeira, Porto, and Barcelona.
Their activities, in addition to the orientation and city tours, included: Lisbon marathon, time on Calheta Beach, traditional dinner & dancing, exploring the wild sea cliffs of Madeira, Douro Valley river cruise (and wine tasting, of course), river rafting, tapas tour, bicycling Barcelona, balloon ride, Montserrat National Park, and sailing the Mediterranean. No wonder they returned home happily weary.