Hotels in Spain and France are not too expensive, as an owner driver, i used to treat myself to a room, ideal in the Summer, with air con in the room and some have a bath tub .
In the Winter, to make a change from a cold truck cab .
The hotel owners never object to trucks parking in their car park, which are bigger than UK hotels .
France has the Formula One chain, they are un- manned or manned at check in, if nobody is there, you check in at the locked front door with a bank card .
The Spanish hotels all do a driver menu or menu del dia, daily menu or set priced five to six course meal, served by well dressed staff, on white linen clothed tables , you feel like a King .
Coffee is included, most drivers will chat by the bar before a meal and after the meal with a Digestif to stimulate the appetite and an Apperitif to aid digestion after the meal .
Do not be afraid to eat what the locals have, rabbit stew, pigs trotters or hands of the pig translates as cerdo de mano .
France has Cassoulet, a foul smelling broth and mix of white beans and meats, which tastes very nice .
The Spanish have a very light breakfast of a toasted baguette with olive oil and plum tomatoes on top.
They eat at night very late, from 22.00 to midnight or more.
Shops and businesses shut mid day` ish for Siesta , for two to three hours due the heat in the summer, they go home to sleep and eat .
Motorway food is to a very high standard, ask the till for a drivers discount of about 20 per cent, or fill in their loyalty card, Autogrille has this system, then they post a card to you later on .