El 176 - Caminreal

If travelling on the motorway between the Costa Blanca and Bordeaux in France, this Spanish equivalent of a relais routier is well worth a stop for a meal or an overnight stay. Recently I was travelling south and at junction 176, I saw this huge sign above the hotel restaurant and pulled off the motorway. The rooms are clean and the beds large and comfortable with an en suite toilet and shower. At €30 per night, the price was very reasonable. I also had dinner in the restaurant which gave me a three course meal with a drink for €10.75. Including coffee, the total cost of my overnight stay excluding breakfast was under €60. Clearly, at that price, you cannot get a gourmet meal, but it was a very pleasant overnight stop and the food was good. The bar/restaurant is open 24 hours a day with ample parking and free wifi. As is usual in Spain, dogs are not permitted in the building and the building is designed in such a way that it would be impossible to smuggle a dog into your room. He or she will have to spend the night in your car, but there is plenty of room to exercise a pet in safety round about.. One other point I have to make is that the Calamocha area of the province of Teruel is home to a large pig farming industry from which come the famous Teruel Hams. As a result the whole area has a distinct odour of pig slurry and Caminreal is no exception. I will be happy to use the hotel/restaurant again if I am passing.

We stopped for breakfast and the toast was very good. If he catches us on the way back, we'll have breakfast again.