annieanddaz

my wife and i are moving to benidorm next sunday and arrive in santander on monday morning,we are driving a motorhome,are there any pitfalls to look out for on the roads and can anyone recommend a good route,also we are singers and looking for entertainment agencies in benidorm,does anyone know of any.
we are looking for an appartment to rent long term while we stay at villasol campsite.
thanks

malagaman

There's nothing like planning ahead I say- and this is nothing like it!!! Joking aside I suggest you look on the AA or RAC websites and do a route plan, this will give you the best routes and choices if you want to avoid toll roads/motorways etc. One thing to look out for if you're driving a british reg vehicle are criminals who impersonate police officers and attempt to flag you down as there has been numerous reports of these occurrences. The thing to bear in mind is that the police in Spain do not use unmarked vehicles to stop motorists and these particular offenders use plain dark vehicles. If in doubt drive to a busy area i.e service station/rest area or, if you can find one, a police station.

rugbymatt

Nothing like putting the fear of god into them!!!! There are a couple of routes down to benidorm, i would have driven through france, but then i hate crossing the bay of biscay! You will probably find the best rout is through Madrid.

http://www.viamichelin.com/b2b2c/gbr...trDestAddress=

annieanddaz

thanks folks for the invaluable advice i was warned we could be high risk as we will be driving a british motorhome,we will be aware of being flagged down,does the time of day make a difference or do these guys operate at all times? as for forward planning! already checked out the rac,aa and viamichelin and often they don't always get it quite right and i have heard spanish roads are going through a lot of changes,just wanted to see if any expats knew of some tidy routes.
cheers

rugbymatt

,just wanted to see if any expats knew of some tidy routes.
cheers[/QUOTE]


Yeah, through france. Good luck with it and dont forget the most important thng! Life is a journey not an arrival! Enjoy the drive down!

malagaman

They asked of any pitfalls, I pointed out one major one, no problem, 'nuff said

rugbymatt

Yeah thats fine,and well done, i wasnt being aggressive in any way, it was a jovial kind of comment!!!

malagaman

I knew you weren't really- sorry if I gave that impression

jdr

I have heard a few stories where while you go for a coffee they spike a tyre, then one helps change the wheel while the other goes through the car. This allegedly happens at the motorway stopoffs.
I have also heard of Guardia imposters waving you over, as mentioned in above posts, dont stop and just drive to a garage, somewhere busy or a police station. If they are real they will follow you, if not they will bottle out and try someone else.
Mind you this used to also happen 25 years ago on the French toll roads when we used to drive to St Tropez and probably happens in every country in the world.

annieanddaz

thanks everyone for your comments,we didn't take any personally,i drive 7.5 tonne wagons around the uk including the m25 and seen a few things so we know it can happen anywhere.
thanks folks

jonsol

Also be aware that there have been incidents , when parked at night, where a sleeping gas has been sprayed into vents of caravans/mobile homes ,and then criminals have robbed the people inside. I have no idea how you can guard against this , perhaps get a household type carbon alarm, they might detect and perhaps make enough noise to scare them away even if you dont wake up fully, also perhaps hide passports etc under a carpet or a place where they might not look as these are the hardest items to replace. The best place to stop would obviously be a recognised camp site with its own security, so the above is just relevant for other places.

mikelincs

Also beware of the minor bump when stopped at a roundabout etc. if you do get out, make sure one stays in and LOCKS the doors. If the door is locked, and the keys inside with the passenger, then you should be safe.

tim hortons man

For driving I'd invest in a good GPS and have a person with you. I've found that often you don't find out till your almost committed what exit your supposed to take, so having an extra set of eyes really helps. That and sunglasses, I can't believe how bright it is here. I've worn my sunglasses more in the past week (we were 7 months car less as this was only supposed to be only a temporary move) than I have in the last 20 years!