Hotel La Caminera Club de Campo — Hotel in Torrenueva

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Beautiful countryside, gorgeous rooms, superb food, wonderful service

An out-of-the-way hotel. You have to get off the four-lane highway and go through a little town (watch out for the LH turn signposted to the hotel between two houses) and then along a lane which is almost, but not quite, a track, worrying that a big delivery lorry will be coming in the opposite direction.

You seem to be in the middle of nowhere - surely there can't be a luxury hotel here?

Then suddenly you see it, on the hilltop ahead. It's still 4 or 5 km away, but finally you come to the driveway that sweeps up to the top of the hill and a magnificently-sited hotel.

This hotel has all the trimmings - golf course, spa - that makes it very popular as a week-end getaway for the Madrileños looking for a luxury break.

Luxury it certainly is.

I have been to hotels claiming 5 stars that would be pushed to be 3-and-a-half. But this is the real thing.

Public spaces are gorgeous. There is an inner courtyard with groups of sofas and chairs inside shady tents - like something out of the Arabian Nights. A terrace by the large pool with breath-taking views and comfy loungers or tables and chairs inside gazebos.

Bedroom was enormous, as was the bed - 2 metres wide. One of the most comfortable mattresses ever slept on. TV not only with all the satellite channels, but also internet on screen. More-than-ample wardrobe space, both hanging and drawers. In fact I wish I had enough clothes to fill them!

The bathroom was the same size as some hotel bedrooms. It had a large jacuzzi bath with a shower too. Twin washbasins, with good-sized bottles of branded toiletries - Tous. A separate lavatory and bidet enclosure. Large towels, proper bath sheets, soft and fluffy. And a shower cubicle.

The shower cubicle!

Overall the shower cubicle on its own was about the size of my entire en-suite at home. It had three separate sections. One had a "telephone-style" hand-held shower head. Another had a large rain-shower shower head. And the third section had jets of water coming out on two sides from knee to shoulder height. You could have showered a gaggle of children there all at the same time.

The food was extremely good. It was also pricey. . We went a la carte, and 3 starters, one main course, two puds, half a bottle of wine plus a bottle of water for the teetotaller came to 165 Euros. We could have eaten for less from the bar menu, but the quality, the cooking, the presentation were all outstanding, so we didn't regret it.

The breakfast buffet at first sight seems disappointing - just toast, cereal and pastries with juice and coffee. That's because breakfast is a la carte. They bring you a list, but basically, anything they actually have in the kitchen, they will cook or serve you. They were even suggesting other things, trying to encourage us to have more.

An absolute delight.

The whole stay was a delight, and by booking on-line midweek, very good value.

TIP 1 Mid week is best. Quieter, and much much cheaper

TIP 2: Their satnav reference wouldn't go into my Gamin, presumably because it was referencing a spot in the middle of the golf course, off the roads. The satnav reference for the entrance to the hotel driveway is: N 38 39.977 , W 003 18.958 You need this!

TIP 3 It is very much worth a detour to stay at this hotel if travelling through Spain. An experience not to...

Unfortunately, this was the worst 5-star experience we have ever had. Lots of services you could expect are not provided: No parking service, no luggage service (well, the young female receptionist wanted to help but it is not her job). The airconditioning in the bedroom did not work - went to reception but noone came to repair it. The breakfast room is not inviting at all - no tablecloth, worn and oudated chairs, etc. Everywhere there are long and very dark corridors to pass to get somewhere. Also the restaurant + bar is very strangely placed and arranged. Even here, the interior design for a 5-star hotel leaves a lot to be desired. Overall, we did not feel welcome and for the price paid (€ 375 p. night) it is way overpriced. We only stopped for a night and were more than happy to leave. This is probably only a personal experience but for travellers looking for a real 5-star experience this is not the...

Elegimos el Hotel La Caminera para celebrar nuestra boda. No obstante, dado que estuvimos allí todo el fin de semana, estoy en condiciones de valorar el hotel en su totalidad. Por ello, y con el objeto de que mi crítica pueda ser útil tanto para la gente que decida casarse en La Caminera (o realizar cualquier tipo de evento), como para la gente que quiera ir a pasar un fin de semana, dividiré la crítica en dos apartados.

Hotel: el hotel es espectacular. Es un oasis en medio de la Mancha. Está en un pequeño cerro y eso hace que las vistas sean espectaculares, es como si estuvieras en un cuadro de Antonio López. Lo han renovado totalmente hace un año y las instalaciones son de primerísima categoría: el Spa es maravilloso, con unas vistas al campo donde es imposible no ser feliz mientras disfrutas de las virtudes de las aguas relajantes; las habitaciones son espectaculares, enormes y llenas de detalles. Cuentan con un minibar lleno de delicias, así como con unas vistas nuevamente maravillosas; el desayuno es de 5 estrellas GL: zumo de naranja natural, huevos hechos al momento, salmón, jamón, migas, todo tipo de tartas y bollos variados. Hay una piscina exterior y un bar en el que se puede disfrutar de una gran comida, de buena cerveza y de maravillosos caldos, pues tienen una bodega preciosa y llena de grandes referencias que el sumiller te enseña y presenta con gran conocimiento de todas ellas. El servicio es de 10. El trato humano, la profesionalidad y la amabilidad de todo el equipo es digna de mención. Cuentan también con un campo de golf de 18 hoyos y con cuarto de juegos para los niños. Además, dentro del hotel nos encontramos con el restaurante las Retamas, del chef Javier Aranda, con una estrella Michelín en su restaurante Gaytan de Madrid. Por todo ello, el hotel la Caminera es una opción totalmente recomendable para todos aquellos que quieran disfrutar de un fin de semana de ensueño. Considero que la relación calidad/precio es fenomenal, pues en cualquier hotel con estos servicios que estuviera en la Ribera del Duero o en la Rioja nos cobrarían mucho más del doble.

Boda: Recomendaría a todo aquél que se vaya a casar por Valdepeñas y alrededores que se pase por La Caminera. La organización fue perfecta, la ceremonia civil con las maravillosas vistas fue preciosa, el cocktail le encantó a todo el mundo y la comida también. Luego, disfrutar de las copas viendo el precioso atardecer manchego fue un auténtico espectáculo. El equipo está muy preparado y organizan eventos de todo tipo (cumpleaños, aniversarios, eventos de empresa, etc…) Si me casara 100 veces, las 100 sería con la misma mujer y en el Hotel La Caminera. ¡Estoy deseando que llegue nuestro primer aniversario para ir a La Caminera...