Can't find Hotels near motorways in Spain?

Hi Guys,

This is my first post, so please be gentle. I am driving to the south of Spain (Almunecar) for the first time in March from the UK and going via Alicante to see a friend for Lunch. We're planning to drive down the A7/AP-7 and are looking for an overnight stop about halfway between Tarragona and Valencia. I've spent ages looking on all of the major hotel booking sites but none have details of cheap (£30 - £40), clean hotels close to the motorway. Most seem to be at least 4 or 5 miles away and a good deal more expensive.

I have driven in France for many years, where you'll find a good road-side hotel providing a clean room, shower and breakfast just about anywhere (Etap, Formula 1, ACE and Ibis etc) - but I can't find any chains like these operating in this part of Spain. Do they exist? If any of you guys know a good one in the area could you let me know?

I know there are lots of posts on here about driving down through Spain but most seem to cover route choices rather than finding a good overnight stop.

Thanks.

Ray

The chains such as those you mentioned aren't big in Spain, but there are loads of independent "hostals"  absolutely everywhere, usually right on the main roads. Rooms for 30 euros are easy to find, and these places always have good, cheap food too. Just take pot luck - the best kept secrets are always the ones you stumble upon by accident. Just don't make the mistake I always do - if you see a decent looking place at 4pm, STOP! I always say to my co-driver (SWMBO) "there's bound to be another one a bit further on" - and then end up having a huge row and finally stopping at some god-forsaken flea pit at half past eleven, after the restaurant has closed. Stop early, have a good rest and chill out, then up early and onwards.

¡Buen viaje!

Try ACCOR group - French. they own IBIS, B&B etc. We usually stop at IBIS Valencia - Bonaire close to AP7. Its in a commercial centre with good evening meal alternatives. Book 30 days in advance for a deal. Usually around 49 Euros.

Guy

Use Via Michelin

Put in your route, selecting a mid-way stop point, and when you get your map and directions, tick the 'Include Hotels' icon on the top left.

Then just zoom on on your mid-way stop point, and look for a suitable hotel to stop at.

Once you've selected your hotel, re-do your journey, this time using the hotel as the mid-way stop point.

I'm with Roberto on this one. I drive up and down through France at least twice a year and am always disappointed with hotels compared with Spain. In France you come across clusters of hotels on the outskirts of towns. All very plastic and few good. For example,  few budget hotels (50-70 euro) have aircon. In Spain, roadside hotels and hostals are everywhere, each with their own character, bar and restaurant...quite unlike boil in the bag French hotel chain restaurants (Campanile, Ibis, Confort, Kyriad, etc).

btw There are all kinds of hotels just off the road at Castellon & Benicassim between Tarragona & Valencia

Thanks Guys,

Roberto, I like your idea of just leaving to chance but are these Hostals likely to be just on the Autopista AP-7 or will I need to get onto more minor roads to find them?

Regards.

Long time since I've been down the coast the way you're going, so can't say for sure. You're not going to find them on toll roads or major autopistas, but on the old roads that probably still run more or less alongside. Just looking at Google maps, I can see the old A7 appears to run alongside the AP7 south of Tarragona. I'd get on that road and see what turns up. But even if you're on the autopista, there are usually signposts for accomodation and food.

By the way, on your onward journey, when you get south of Lorca, head for Granada - don't take the coast road (N340), it's a bitch. Much quicker and easier via Granada, and the road down from Granada (which is pretty scenic if I remember rightly) will bring you almost directly to Almuñecar.

Roberto's quite right re ; the top motorway to granada , plus It's got a far better surface as it doesn't get the abuse from the articulated lorries that the bottom ( coast road) motorway does.

Hello, I'm new to this!  I'm planning a road trip this summer from Dover to Cadiz, via  Bezier, Gerona and possibly  the Valencia region.

We have 12 and 5 yr old children.  We are very familiar with driving through France and staying in hotel chains such as Formula 1, Villages Hotels, B&B Hotels etc - cheap and functional!  We have no idea about equivalent hotels in Spain.

Can anyone offer me any advice?

You need to be careful with hotels next to motorways in Spain.  Quite a few of them are actually brothels!!

thanks for that - We'll bear it in mind!

Good advice there form Sanchez1!

You don't really tend to get "services" hotels here in Spain.  Most people use "pensiones" or hostals when travelling.

If you want to stay in Madrid or Barelona you could try a Travelodge.  We stayed in the one in Madrid and it was very good.

Enjoy your road trip.

Justin

If you can't tell the difference between hostals and "clubs", you probably shouldn't be let loose on the roads at all. But if you really need to know, the "clubs" will most probably not be open until late at night, will have bright neon lights flashing on their rooftops, and will be unlikely to offer a menu del dia. The only places where the distinction may be blurred are hostals on or near industrial estates (poligonos) but the heavy goods vehicles lined up outside should give a clue. Actually, La Jonquera, just across the French / Spanish border, from what I remember, has a certain frontier town edginess to it, full of parked up trucks, roadside wenches and liquor stores - and last time I was there, I had the best entrecote steak ever, followed by a great night's sleep in a clean comfortable room, all for about 35 euros. Extras not included  

Roberto,

Not all of them are called "clubs", with flashing neon lights.  There's a famous one called Los Lagos Hotel on the road in to Algeciras.  It does just look like a normal hotel, but it's a brothel.  So I'm told anyway!

It's very popular with the Gibraltarians apparently.

 I know I heard the gibraltarians pile in by the bus load literally.

Brothels, Clubs....

Call them what you will...and they are clearly signposted before you get anywhere near them!

However, as the OP is looking for Hotels near Motorways, might I take this chance to reiterate my earlier post...

Just use Via Michelin, input your journey and then select the map.

Then click on add Hotels and zoom into the area where you are thinking of stopping.

Can't be any simpler than that!

And they are 'Hotels'.

I think you may find they are called  VENTAS in Spain which I think means roadside inn.We certainly have some on the motorways in the Murcia region and they usually offer very good value food as the restaurants are  very busy with the lorry drivers.

Maureen.