Several of the other reviews really helped us plan this visit to Spain. Peniscola is NOT your typical vacation spot for Americans. Most of the other vacationers were from other parts of Spain. If you are not willing to try to speak some Spanish, you will be frustrated. Very few people we came in contact with, even at the hotel, spoke much English, so it was a very good thing that we had enough Spanish to get both what we needed to eat, and where we wanted to go. If we were willing to be patient, everyone was happy to help us, and they seemed to be pleased if we liked their part of the world. The staff was very courteous and friendly, despite the language barrier. The only time we got frustrated was when we hoped for a hot tub after a day of hiking, and they directed us to the nightclub!
We flew into Barcelona and rented a car to drive to Peniscola. We had gotten international driver's licences through our AAA office, and rented a small 4-door car through the Internet. Bear in mind that almost ALL cars in Spain are very small, so if you are tall like my 6'2" husband,and are going to have more than 2 people in the car, don't get the economy 2-door!
There are a lot of tolls on the Autopista AP-7, which is like our interstate highways. Be prepared with plenty of coins available. It will take you about three hours to drive to Peniscola. Taking the scenic Mediterranean coastal roads like the N340 will take much longer, but you will see a lot of interesting little towns, if you can stay awake after the long flight. Do not use the online map programs to find directions to Avenida Papa Luna 158, Peniscola, without making sure that you are going to Peniscola, NOT Benicarlo. The two towns run together, and they both have Avenida Papa Luna 158.
The Jardines del Plaza is more like a small apartment than a hotel suite. The rooms were very nice and clean, but be prepared for slightly smaller beds. We kept busy enough and did plenty of walking and climbing, so we had no trouble sleeping. The kitchen was small, but well equipped for our needs. We had to walk through the Peniscola Plaza to get to our apartment, which got to be annoying when we had to dodge the busloads of Spanish vacationers. There were plenty of nice swimming pools, and the endless beach and boardwalk were right outside the gates. The parking on the street was free, and we always found a spot nearby.
We are the type of travelers who want to savor the local scene as much as possible, so we tried lots of new foods and wines. We did not eat at the hotel restaurants, although they were always full of people. The prices seemed high after we looked around the town, and saw the prices at the local places. We got completely hooked on the fresh bread from the panaderias (bakeries). We especially liked the "pan entero", which is a delicious whole wheat bread that still looks mostly white. We usually had bread and coffee for breakfast, as we never saw any place that offered anything like an American-style breakfast. We packed fruit and bread for our day trips, and ended with a nice meal from a local restaurant in the early evening. The "menu del dia" at each restaurant was uniformly delicious, and very reasonable no matter where we ate. We never spent more than $20 US (for two people) for a three or four course meal, including wine. Most meals were under $15 US. We did not have a bad meal in Spain, and there was NO tipping. We asked one of our servers about that. He laughed and said that our genuine thanks were enough, and if we were pleased with the food and wine, and had a good time, then he was satisfied. Hard to believe, but it seems to be the case. Most of the restaurants we ate at were family owned and family staffed. There is a lot of pride and quite a bit of competition among neighboring establishments!
Once you get settled, check out all the great historical spots within a fairly short drive. We drove to Peniscola and toured the Papa Luna castle. We also went to the castle at Morella, and toured the Roman/Moorish ruins at Sagunto. Farther afield, we drove through the Priorat wine region and ate a marvelous dinner in Falsett. Another afternoon was spent at the Ebro River Delta, watching the birds and walking on the nearly deserted beaches.
The weather at the end of May was warm enough for swimming, but it was unusually rainy for that area this year. They were happy for the rain, as it is very dry in the surrounding hills. It didn't stop us from all our touring though, as most of each day was warm and sunny.
Our first visit to Spain was absolutely delightful, and we would be more than happy to find ourselves in Peniscola again someday.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
