Madrid to Granada And Back

[bakerestates]

I can not abide early morning flights especially with two kids so intend to fly to Madrid and drive down to a property 45 minutes west of Granada.

Looking at a map and reading various topics here I see a route via Toledo, Valepaneas, Urbeda, Granada and on to the house (on lake Iznarja).

Any suggestions of where to stay and more importanlty eat en-route would be welcome. By all means, give me links to some threads I may have missed.

Muchas gracias

Piers

[Reignking]

I can not abide early morning flights especially with two kids so intend to fly to Madrid and drive down to a property 45 minutes west of Granada.

Looking at a map and reading various topics here I see a route via Toledo, Valepaneas, Urbeda, Granada and on to the house (on lake Iznarja).

Any suggestions of where to stay and more importanlty eat en-route would be welcome. By all means, give me links to some threads I may have missed.

Muchas gracias

Piers

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Will you be going into Granada?

[bakerestates]

Will you be going into Granada?

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Probably at some stage but it is a bit close to our final destination so unlikely add to which I haven't ready anything that draws me there here - sounds like you know of somehwere.

thanks

[PhilD]

Piers - we drove from Segovia (north of Madrid) to Granada in one go last September, with only a pit stop for coffee etc. From memory it only took about 4 hours and the roads are good with not too much traffic.

We had a couple of meals in Granada which were OK. The best was a Tapas bar; we had toured the recomended areas looking for a good bar but most seemed to be aimed at tourists and full of backpackers. On our way back to the hotel we past a door that looked interesting; it turned out to be jammed full of locals and was a shrine to good Spanish wine (Riedel glasses for example). The food was good, the ambiance great and the wine excellant - lots by the glass. Assuming I have found the correct business card it is "La Tana" (C. Rosavio S.N. prolongacion C. Navas).

We also had lunch at the Parador in the Alhambra which was quite good in a fantastic historic setting. Another good place to try is in the Albaicin the old Moorish neighbourhood that sits on the hill opposite the Alhambra. Head along the road to the left of the viewing area outside the Mirador de San Nicolas and there is a discrete restaurant (a simple door in the wall - called "Mirador de Morayma" I think) which has a really fantastic terrace overlooking the Alhambra. We only had a drinks but we stayed for a few hours as we watched the sun set on the Alhambra, the colours of the stone are memorable. Whilst we didn't try the food it looked OK and we really wished we had could have stayed because it was such a magical location.

Edited February 24, 2008 by PhilD (log)

[vserna]

Any suggestions of where to stay and more importanlty eat en-route would be welcome. By all means, give me links to some threads I may have missed.

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It's mostly motorway - the M-40 South-East from Madrid airport, then the A-4 motorway south (or the R-4 toll road for 40 miles or so - somewhat faster) down to Bailén, then the A-44 down to Jaén. There, take the regular two-lane road, A-316, southwest to Torredelcampo, for about 25 miles, to the interesection with the larger N-432 road to the right, then A-333, all the way to Iznájar (through Priego de Córdoba). It's 435 kms/270 miles, which you should be able to cover in four and a half hours comfortably.

If you want to have lunch on your way down, a good choice would be just south of the Despeñaperros pass which separates Andalusia from La Mancha. Right on the motorway, the classic, 40 year-old La Perdiz Hotel, in the heart of the game- and game bird-rich mountains at La Carolina, offers a traditional, inland Andalusian fare: partridge pâté in an olive "tear", lukewarm partridge salad in a soft 'escabeche', venison stew, 'risotto' of seasonal game...

A more adventurous and modern option is Casa Andrés at Bailén, close to the A-4 motorway (Avenida de Sevilla 92, phone 953 67 02 19), a 90 year-old mainstay with some creative touches within an Andalusian theme: marinated sardne in a Bloody Mary and cream with pistachios; lentil, pidgeon and 'foie gras' salad; low-temperature codfish fillet on a bed of almonds and fried tomato sauce...

At Granada proper, the FM Bar is a cult place - one of the seafood meccas of Spain, but you have to eat at the bar - no tables!