COULD this be the most generous company Christmas party you’ve ever heard of?

While many businesses content themselves with a hotel dinner-dance at best, one employer has raised the bar by taking its whole team to Madrid.

Salad, a creative agency based on Poole Quay, flew 20 staff away for the weekend to toast a successful year.

The trip rewarded them for a year of commitment to delivering digital and design projects.

The company recently won the contract to deliver a website which will update sports fans on Team England’s progress in next year’s Commonwealth Games.

Founder and managing director Arabella Lewis-Smith said it had long been her ambition to take her team abroad.

She added: “Salad is a company that cares about its people, and being able to gift our 20 superstars with a culturally enriching trip to another country is a delightful feeling.”

The two-night, three-day itinerary for the team of designers, developers and marketers included:

* A 6am journey from Poole Quay to Gatwick Airport for a flight to Madrid, with a quiz prepared for the flight by strategy director Daniel Ward-Murphy.

* A Metro journey to Núñez de Balboa, where the team stayed in an “enormous” shared apartment in the heart of the Spanish capital.

* A stroll through the evening’s Christmas lights for an evening meal.

* Breakfast of fresh produce from local markets, with some staff taking part in an impromptu yoga class.

* Trips out in smaller groups, with some going by bicycle to enjoy the sunshine around El Retiro Park, while others toured the city’s backstreets and Christmas markets.

* Meals at tapas bars and the restaurant Los Montes De Galicia and drinks at Javier de las Muelas’ cocktail bar Dry Martini, followed by dancing.

The accommodation was found via Airbnb and Salad said the team bonded over three days of cooking, playing games, travelling and celebrating.

Last year’s Christmas treat for staff was a trip to a West End show, while team outings have included a summer day’s kayaking trip at Studland and a winter walk in the New Forest.

Arabella Lewis-Smith added: “We’re now looking forward to welcoming a few new superstars into the studio to celebrate our success next year with three full time vacancies currently available to join us.”

She wrote on the company blog: “Since founding Salad 16 years ago, I’ve watched our business grow from strength to strength. And after a prosperous 2017, we decided it was time to celebrate in style with a Christmas party to remember.”