Driving from Madrid to Granada

We drove most of that route. Starting from Toledo, our stops were Consuegra (I'd opt to skip this, see Aranjuez on the way to our second stop instead),Belmonte Castle, Valdepenas, either Ubeda or Baeza (can't recall which one we stopped at), Jaen, then Granada. The best IMO were Belmonte and Valdepenas.

We stopped at Consuegra because it had both windmills and a small castle to explore. The area is dotted with the old windmills, you don't need to visit Consuegra to see them. Belmonte Castle is a good one to visit, much better than the one in Consuegra. Aranjuez is essentially a smaller (many think better) version of El Escorial Palace.

Valdepenas is the center of a big wine area (my favorite red wine in Spain). Lodging is cheap and it's very non-touristy, Rick would call it a "workaday" town. The olive groves on the way to Granada are pretty amazing. We stopped in Jaen to see the Cathedral and Arab baths. We visited the Cathedral but the baths were closed for rennovation. Jaen is bigger with more traffic. I prefered Valdepenas.Ubeda and Baeza are 16th century towns, built with profits from the New World, with interesting historical centers. Visiting both would be duplicative. I think we went to Baeza because it's a smaller town.

You just obtained the information from the best traveler on the subject, Brad.
Brad,
I only drink wines from Spain so am interested in obtaining any specific info you have on your favorites spanish wines.
Thanks
Steven

Thank you Brad, great tips! Any restaurants for a nice luncheon? We will be driving Madrid/Granada/Madrid. both ways, so we could stop in one or two small towns each way.

Sorry,

I'm not a plan ahead eater. My best advice is to ask a local wherever you're at, "Can you recommend a place to eat?" I always add, "nothing fancy just local food" so they know I'm not asking for a Michelin star restaurant.

If I'm looking for Tapas, I might ask to be pointed to a general area. If you get into a decent area, you can window shop for the Tapas that appeal most to you (I usually get some I know I like as well as some I've never tried before).

I've never been disappointed by asking locally for recommendations - but was often disappointed with guidebook recommendations when I was still trying those.

That said, I wasn't impressed with most of the food we tried in Madrid. The one that sticks out, in a positive way, was the Bull Bar Rick likes in Plaza Mayor. We talked to a couple from Mexico City while we were there. They ordered drinks, and received a food item with each drink. We ordered drinks and food (plus Tapas that came with the drinks). I'd recommend doing it the way the Mexican couple did, they ate well and paid about half what we did.

Thanks Brad, will do that!

Brad has some great recs here. I would also add that if you do have time to stop in Toledo, it's a fantastic town and worth staying overnight if possible. Make sure you drive around the outside of the city to catch some breathtaking views. Just past Consuegra is a cute little town Puerto Lapice where there is a nice restaurant called Venta de Quijote. Just next to the restaurant they have opened a new Don Quixote museum, which is tiny but quite interesting. It's just a gorgeous drive the whole way though so have fun with it and stop where you feel inspired.

Thank you Rosie, sounds great!