Just thought I would put down a few notes from my wife and I’s recent trip to North Spain and North Portugal. I have listed the Hotels we stayed in below with their town locations.
If you cannot find roads that float your boat here, then I am afraid you’re already dead!
Caveats
We tend to use hotels as somewhere to put your head down, not as a destination to visit.
My wife is a below knee amputee with a poor fitting leg so we didn’t bother going anywhere you had to walk too far to see.
Not many photos available as we were too busy riding to take them!
General observation from the trip are :-
Your euro will go way further than it does in France, Holland, Belgium or Germany.
Spain is way cheaper than Portugal for petrol.
Beer, coffee and food is cheap pretty much everywhere.
Garmin speeds in Spain are out of date! These have been reduced by 10Km per hour in most places. Coming into towns/ villages in Portugal they have flashing orange lights and radars. IF you are over the speed limit, they turn the next traffic lights red to stop you.
Hotels are very good value for money, if you shop about, 50 euros was the most we paid for a room and that included two breakfasts.
People in Spain are way more sociable than those in Northern Portugal, strange as we’d previously had great times in South Portugal.
The roads are stunning although Armco is not overly used on quieter roads in Portugal.
Portuguese drivers consider it an absolute right to cut the corners, if you have a right-hand bend use the racing line (tight to apex) not the IAM one, if you don’t you run a real risk of getting killed.
Spanish coffee (Cafe con leche) is way better than Portuguese coffee (my opinion you understand)
Spanish Café’s often give you bar snacks to go with your coffee, Portuguese struggle to give you the time of day.
Ferries
Storm Hannah was a belter, we left Portsmouth just as it came down the English Channel, when the Bay of Biscay feels like a mill pond in comparison, you know it was rough! Bar on deck 8 was getting hit by waves!
We used the economie crossing form Brittany Ferries, on the plus side very few kids, on the downside it takes a very, very long time! Limited Bar and Food. The good news is none of our engines caught fire, so we didn’t lose our crossings! Bad news was I didn't know how many times my missus could throw up in 36 hours
English customs searched our bikes!
Spanish customs did say my R12000GSA was the best bike so very, very knowledgeable!
Special Commendation goes to the BMW dealer in Lugo North Spain.
This has a Londoner working there! Excellent help when the wife’s Chain and Sprocket needed adjusting (mental note to self, take the right socket next time!) whipped it down the garage and did it FOC.
Hotel El Jisu In the Picos de Europa 1 Night stay
Our ferry arrived in the afternoon at Santander, so we chose this as it looked like a good, easy to reach destination for the first day in Spain. Its location is superb with picture postcard views and is relatively easy to find as its out on its own!
Our only issue was that we don’t speak Spanish and the owner has limited English.
Rooms were nice food was not bad but expensive.
Drop dead gorgeous views and very quiet,
Potes close by looked a much livelier place.
Bike parking was not secure, ie standard car park.
https://www.hoteleljisu.com/
47XX+7W Camaleño, Spain
Ibis Hotel Braganca – North East Portugal 3 Night Stay
We booked this for a couple of nights as we had a ride planned down to it and thought we’d have a second day of exploring locally. We ended up staying three nights as the roads were that good”
This is nicely located on the edge of Town and is in Garmins database. I thought this was a great value for money hotel. The staff were very fri4endly and helpful.
There is underground parking but the entrance is a beauty, corkscrew on a slant, took me totally by surprise so be careful if you go there. Exiting is just as much fun.
Locally near the hotel are several bars that serve good cheap pub grub style food and are cheap to drink in. The nearest one to the Hotel had a chap with excellent English. There is a garage close by and a supermarket for ease of snack shopping.
We ended up staying 3 nights here as the roads are stunning.
https://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-3338-ibis-braganca/index.shtml
R68V+PP Bragança, Portugal
Braga Flag Hotel. North West Portugal 2 Night Stay
We moved here from Braganca, the road from Braganca to Braga via Chaves is an absolute blast, well worth a visit.
This used to be a “Comfort Hotel” but is no longer in the chain. Its décor is very tired It is located by a busy road but has its own car park. The rooms are big, and the bed was not bad, breakfast was standard European fair.
There are a couple of restaurants close buy and a nice café bar to sit and talk about the days ride.
We did a day out to the seaside at a place called Esposende from here, had an excellent meal in a saes side restaurant. Road to there was excellent.
https://bragaflaghotel.com-portugal.com/
GHH2+GW Braga, Portugal
Hotel Vale Do Coa – Vila Nova de Fox Coa (East end of the Druro Valley) 2 Nights
Staff were as much help as a chocolate fireguard, rooms were ok, breakfast was ish and there is no restaurant in this place. Village is ok and there are bars in town but mysteriously had “no service “for food when we asked for a table even though people were in there! We booked two nights for the roads and they are superb, just find somewhere nicer to stay!!!
We even rode into Spain just for a decent Coffee!
Open air parking here.
http://www.hotelvaledocoa.net/
3VJ4+8C Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Portugal
Hotel Los Olmos, Lugo North Spain – 1 Night
Excellent Bike Friendly Hotel. Excellent rooms and superb facilities. Excellent bar and restaurant. Our waiter didn’t have any English so spent 10 minutes finding someone who di so we could get a good meal.
The receptionist insisted that we parked the bike in the area directly in front of the hotel main door so they could keep an eye on them for us!
The only “downside” is that this is a commercial hotel not a tourist one.
Petrol Station next door”
Recommend for an overnighter.
http://www.hotellosolmos.com/
2CMG+95 Lugo, Spain
Hotel Silvota Lugo de Llanera – 1 Night (Just south of Gijon)
This was a bit tricky to find and isn’t it the nicest part of town but was purely a stopover.
On the very plus side, good underground parking with a very nice entrance! Room was good. This did have an onsite restaurant and a bar. The chap on duty had very little English but was excellent in helping us get a good meal, lots of miming and shrugging of shoulders! The meal was good quality, two three course meals and a bottle of vino collapse for 20 euro’s!
There is a petrol station very close to this one.
Recommend for an overnighter.
https://www.hotelsilvota.es/
C58Q+QH Fonciello, Spain
Playa Joyel, Noja Northern Spain ( 4 nights)
We normally book a break somewhere during out trips, we tend to use Eurocamp’s or Canvas Holidays. Its nice to be able to feed yourself instead of menu driven.
This place was excellent, 4-night stay 130 euro’s bar on site, beach 20 yds away what’s not to like?
1 hour away from either Bilbao or Santander so nice easy flit to the ferry.
Coast road is superb a fair few of Pilgrims on the San Sebastian walk.
https://www.playajoyel.com/en/
FFR6+45 Noja, Spain
Conclusions
2025 miles and only had one full day where we didn't ride, we got so lucky with the weather, only rained once and that was overnight.
If your thinking about it, do it, you wont regret it.
If you cannot find roads that float your boat here, then I am afraid you’re already dead!
Caveats
We tend to use hotels as somewhere to put your head down, not as a destination to visit.
My wife is a below knee amputee with a poor fitting leg so we didn’t bother going anywhere you had to walk too far to see.
Not many photos available as we were too busy riding to take them!
General observation from the trip are :-
Your euro will go way further than it does in France, Holland, Belgium or Germany.
Spain is way cheaper than Portugal for petrol.
Beer, coffee and food is cheap pretty much everywhere.
Garmin speeds in Spain are out of date! These have been reduced by 10Km per hour in most places. Coming into towns/ villages in Portugal they have flashing orange lights and radars. IF you are over the speed limit, they turn the next traffic lights red to stop you.
Hotels are very good value for money, if you shop about, 50 euros was the most we paid for a room and that included two breakfasts.
People in Spain are way more sociable than those in Northern Portugal, strange as we’d previously had great times in South Portugal.
The roads are stunning although Armco is not overly used on quieter roads in Portugal.
Portuguese drivers consider it an absolute right to cut the corners, if you have a right-hand bend use the racing line (tight to apex) not the IAM one, if you don’t you run a real risk of getting killed.
Spanish coffee (Cafe con leche) is way better than Portuguese coffee (my opinion you understand)
Spanish Café’s often give you bar snacks to go with your coffee, Portuguese struggle to give you the time of day.
Ferries
Storm Hannah was a belter, we left Portsmouth just as it came down the English Channel, when the Bay of Biscay feels like a mill pond in comparison, you know it was rough! Bar on deck 8 was getting hit by waves!
We used the economie crossing form Brittany Ferries, on the plus side very few kids, on the downside it takes a very, very long time! Limited Bar and Food. The good news is none of our engines caught fire, so we didn’t lose our crossings! Bad news was I didn't know how many times my missus could throw up in 36 hours
English customs searched our bikes!
Spanish customs did say my R12000GSA was the best bike so very, very knowledgeable!
Special Commendation goes to the BMW dealer in Lugo North Spain.
This has a Londoner working there! Excellent help when the wife’s Chain and Sprocket needed adjusting (mental note to self, take the right socket next time!) whipped it down the garage and did it FOC.
Hotel El Jisu In the Picos de Europa 1 Night stay
Our ferry arrived in the afternoon at Santander, so we chose this as it looked like a good, easy to reach destination for the first day in Spain. Its location is superb with picture postcard views and is relatively easy to find as its out on its own!
Our only issue was that we don’t speak Spanish and the owner has limited English.
Rooms were nice food was not bad but expensive.
Drop dead gorgeous views and very quiet,
Potes close by looked a much livelier place.
Bike parking was not secure, ie standard car park.
https://www.hoteleljisu.com/
47XX+7W Camaleño, Spain
Ibis Hotel Braganca – North East Portugal 3 Night Stay
We booked this for a couple of nights as we had a ride planned down to it and thought we’d have a second day of exploring locally. We ended up staying three nights as the roads were that good”
This is nicely located on the edge of Town and is in Garmins database. I thought this was a great value for money hotel. The staff were very fri4endly and helpful.
There is underground parking but the entrance is a beauty, corkscrew on a slant, took me totally by surprise so be careful if you go there. Exiting is just as much fun.
Locally near the hotel are several bars that serve good cheap pub grub style food and are cheap to drink in. The nearest one to the Hotel had a chap with excellent English. There is a garage close by and a supermarket for ease of snack shopping.
We ended up staying 3 nights here as the roads are stunning.
https://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-3338-ibis-braganca/index.shtml
R68V+PP Bragança, Portugal
Braga Flag Hotel. North West Portugal 2 Night Stay
We moved here from Braganca, the road from Braganca to Braga via Chaves is an absolute blast, well worth a visit.
This used to be a “Comfort Hotel” but is no longer in the chain. Its décor is very tired It is located by a busy road but has its own car park. The rooms are big, and the bed was not bad, breakfast was standard European fair.
There are a couple of restaurants close buy and a nice café bar to sit and talk about the days ride.
We did a day out to the seaside at a place called Esposende from here, had an excellent meal in a saes side restaurant. Road to there was excellent.
https://bragaflaghotel.com-portugal.com/
GHH2+GW Braga, Portugal
Hotel Vale Do Coa – Vila Nova de Fox Coa (East end of the Druro Valley) 2 Nights
Staff were as much help as a chocolate fireguard, rooms were ok, breakfast was ish and there is no restaurant in this place. Village is ok and there are bars in town but mysteriously had “no service “for food when we asked for a table even though people were in there! We booked two nights for the roads and they are superb, just find somewhere nicer to stay!!!
We even rode into Spain just for a decent Coffee!
Open air parking here.
http://www.hotelvaledocoa.net/
3VJ4+8C Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Portugal
Hotel Los Olmos, Lugo North Spain – 1 Night
Excellent Bike Friendly Hotel. Excellent rooms and superb facilities. Excellent bar and restaurant. Our waiter didn’t have any English so spent 10 minutes finding someone who di so we could get a good meal.
The receptionist insisted that we parked the bike in the area directly in front of the hotel main door so they could keep an eye on them for us!
The only “downside” is that this is a commercial hotel not a tourist one.
Petrol Station next door”
Recommend for an overnighter.
http://www.hotellosolmos.com/
2CMG+95 Lugo, Spain
Hotel Silvota Lugo de Llanera – 1 Night (Just south of Gijon)
This was a bit tricky to find and isn’t it the nicest part of town but was purely a stopover.
On the very plus side, good underground parking with a very nice entrance! Room was good. This did have an onsite restaurant and a bar. The chap on duty had very little English but was excellent in helping us get a good meal, lots of miming and shrugging of shoulders! The meal was good quality, two three course meals and a bottle of vino collapse for 20 euro’s!
There is a petrol station very close to this one.
Recommend for an overnighter.
https://www.hotelsilvota.es/
C58Q+QH Fonciello, Spain
Playa Joyel, Noja Northern Spain ( 4 nights)
We normally book a break somewhere during out trips, we tend to use Eurocamp’s or Canvas Holidays. Its nice to be able to feed yourself instead of menu driven.
This place was excellent, 4-night stay 130 euro’s bar on site, beach 20 yds away what’s not to like?
1 hour away from either Bilbao or Santander so nice easy flit to the ferry.
Coast road is superb a fair few of Pilgrims on the San Sebastian walk.
https://www.playajoyel.com/en/
FFR6+45 Noja, Spain
Conclusions
2025 miles and only had one full day where we didn't ride, we got so lucky with the weather, only rained once and that was overnight.
If your thinking about it, do it, you wont regret it.
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