# A weekend in Montanejos, an hour from Castellón and Valencia

Rafting or kayaking on Saturday, a 25 °C bath at the Fuente de los Baños at dusk and, on Sunday, the Estrechos trail above the Mijares canyon.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/montanejos/itineraries/montanejos-thermal-weekend-rafting · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Dónde: Montanejos

Montanejos is an hour from Castellón and a little over an hour from Valencia and Teruel. In a day it gives you the bath and a trail; with a night you get everything that makes it different: a water activity in the morning, the Fuente de los Baños with few people late in the day and, the next day, the Estrechos in the cool.

## Where to sleep?

HotelWhereFor whom

Hotel Rosaleda del MijaresOn the river bank, with a lift to the poolsFamilies: pool and spa

Hotel XauenAvenida Fuente de BañosCouples: spa and free parking

Hotel El PalacioVillage centreThose who want the village on foot and the Fuente entry arranged

## What changes with the season?

From late June to mid-September the Fuente has capacity control and the ticket is bought three to five days ahead. Rafting runs from late March to late October. In winter there is no rafting, but the water is still at 25 °C and the steam over the river is the best part of the trip: swap the activity for the Aljama castle route, 6 easy km.

## With children

Kayaking at Arenoso instead of rafting, the 4.2 km family trail instead of the Estrechos and plenty of time at the pools, with picnic areas and play areas next to them. The Rosaleda, with a pool and a lift to the river, is the most comfortable.

## El plan

### Saturday · 9:30 · Rafting on the Mijares
With Somos Aventura, grade III, three hours with 1 h 45 on the water, from €40 and from age 8. It includes a wetsuit, transfer and entry to the Fuente de los Baños. If you are with small children, swap for kayaking on the Arenoso reservoir (€35, from age 5) at 10:00.

### Saturday · 14:00 · Lunch on the square
La Taberna, on Plaza de España: tapas, venison or a steak cooked on stone.

### Saturday · 17:00 · Fuente de los Baños
Water at 25 °C between limestone walls. Late in the day there are fewer people and the light comes into the gorge.

### Saturday · 21:00 · Dinner at the hotel
El Palacio and the Xauen have a restaurant; in the village, San Jaime 35 serves homestyle stews.

### Sunday · 9:00 · Estrechos trail
8.6 km, 3 h and 460 m of ascent above the Chillapájaros canyon, with walls over 100 m high. It leaves from the riverside promenade.

### Sunday · 13:00 · A last bath and the drive home
A short bath at the Fuente, lunch and heading back around 16:30.

## Un consejo más

If you go in summer, the Somos Aventura rafting includes entry to the Fuente, and El Palacio arranges it free for its guests.

## Cuándo no ir

Arriving on an August Saturday without a ticket for the Fuente: on capacity days you can't get in.

## Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Hotel Restaurante El Palacio**: El Palacio occupies a large house of Arab origin attached to Montanejos's watchtower. After the conquest by James I, in 1237, the house passed to Pedro Ximénez de Valterra, who built the palace of the counts of Valterra on it; in 1838 it passed to the Guillamón-Martín family, who turned it into a hotel in 2002. Today it is run by Elisa and Andrés. It is at 40 Calle San Vicente, right in the centre, three minutes' walk from the Balneario and 3 km from El Chorro.
Rooms with a terrace onto the square or the hillside
It has 28 rooms integrated into the building's original structure, rustic in character. Its own website distinguishes four types of double. The interior (20 m²) and the standard (22 m²) are for two people, with a double bed or two beds. The superiors, of 24 m² and newly refurbished, have a private terrace: the square one looks onto the square and the church of San Jaime Apóstol and takes three people; the mountain one faces the hillside or the river. All have a full bathroom, air conditioning, heating, TV, free wifi and a hairdryer. Visit Montanejos also mentions triples and quadruples: ask for the combination you need when you book.
The apartments
For long stays or families there are studios and apartments with a double bedroom or two beds, bathroom, living-dining room with sofa bed and an office kitchen with fridge, microwave and basic utensils. Cleaning and the change of towels and sheets are done every five days; if you want it sooner, it costs €6.
Stone-grilled beef and tapas from La Torre bar
The restaurant serves from 13:30 to 16:00 and from 20:30 to 23:00, with set menus and a menu of local cooking. The house dish is stone-grilled ox beef, served sliced so you can finish it to your taste. In the La Torre bar they make tapas with Brazilian accents, such as the "Alcachofinho", which won the village's tapas competition; they work with local produce, such as the cachopo from Carnicería Morte or cheeses from Almedíjar. Book a table on 964 131 293.
The Fuente and the Balneario, sorted
On summer capacity days, the hotel arranges free entry to the Fuente de los Baños for its guests. It also has an agreement with the Montanejos Balneario and sells accommodation packages with the thermal circuit: for example, two nights in a double with half board and two sessions of the circuit. On its own website, the non-refundable rate and stays of two or more nights with half board or full board come with a discount.
Bear in mind
Pets are not allowed, except assistance dogs and dogs of the Armed Forces and security forces. The website doesn't mention its own parking: the free municipal one is the Corral de Prats. To eat out, La Taberna is on the Plaza de España, about a hundred metres away.
- **Hotel Xauen**: A long-established hotel beside the river
The Xauen is at number 26 Avenida Fuente de Baños, the street that runs from the village to the Fuente, beside the Mijares, with more than four decades of family history. It combines three things that go together in Montanejos: nature, thermal waters and adventure. The same family runs other businesses in the village, such as the L'Ermita brewery in La Alquería and several rural lets.
The rooms
They are outward-facing, with private bathroom with hairdryer, heating, air conditioning, TV, telephone and free wifi, and the hotel says all are accessible. There are six types: single; double with two beds or a double bed, depending on availability; double with river views; double with solarium terrace and river views; double with a folding extra bed, designed for a child; and a family quadruple with four beds, which you request directly from the hotel. The website doesn't publish the number of rooms, fixed prices, check-in and check-out times or pet policy.
The spa
The spa has a heated pool at 24 to 30 degrees with a waterfall, swan-neck jet and jets, a Finnish sauna, Turkish bath, contrast showers, a foot bath and a relaxation area with heated loungers. The circuit lasts 60 minutes and runs in sessions, subject to change: Monday at 11:00; Tuesday to Friday at 16:45, 18:00 and 19:15; Saturday at 10:00, 11:15, 12:30, 16:45, 18:00 and 19:15; and Sunday at 10:00, 11:15 and 12:30. You book on its website.
On weekend mornings it offers, by prior appointment on WhatsApp, a private hydromassage bath for two for 20 minutes for €25, with salts and essences of your choice. The hotel advises against the sauna and Turkish bath for anyone with heart or breathing problems.
Eating
The hotel restaurant has views of the Mijares and does Mediterranean and local cooking with local produce. It operates every day: buffet breakfast from 8:30 to 10:00, lunches from 14:00 to 15:00 and dinners from 20:30 to 22:00, with a menu of the day, dinner menu and tasting menu. Check whether breakfast is included in your rate. Book a table by phone, on 964 13 11 51, or online.
Parking and booking
If you book on its website, parking is free: it is outdoors, about 300 metres from the entrance and without a reserved space. Direct booking also includes payment at the hotel, early check-in and late check-out subject to availability and a 5% discount with the code they publish.
From the door you can walk to the Fuente de los Baños and the Estrechos trail; for families there is the family trail.
- **Hotel Rosaleda del Mijares**: On the bank of the thermal river
The Rosaleda del Mijares is on Calle Tales, on the bank of the Mijares, in the stretch of thermal water that has made Montanejos famous. Its great advantage is direct access to the river by lift: you go down from the hotel to the pools without taking the car. It has a 24-hour reception, terraces with views, rooms for meetings and celebrations, and free wifi throughout the building.
The rooms
There are five types, with prices from those its website publishes, which vary by date:

Standard double: 14 to 20 m², with views of the surroundings, from €74 a night.
Double with river view: from €84.
Premium double: with balcony, from €94.
Triple: for two adults and a child, from €92.50.
Quadruple: for two adults and two children, from €103.60.

Check-in is from 16:00 and check-out before 12:00. Subject to availability you can keep the room until 14:00, or until 17:00 if you add lunch on the day of departure. Cots are free, but must be requested when booking. Pets are not allowed.
Spa, pool and table
Outside it has an outdoor pool for sunbathing. The spa has a heated pool with jets and underwater massage, sauna, steam room and bithermal and cold-mist showers. Separately there is a private VIP spa with a jacuzzi with essences, hydromassage with aromatherapy, a triple-sensation shower, a steam room for two and treatment tables with a drink. The massage menu includes chiromassage from €40 for 25 minutes, lymphatic drainage, metamorphic massage and foot massage, with Weleda oils; they are booked with your stay or at reception. Under-16s only enter the spa at set times, with an adult and only to the heated pool.
For eating, the main restaurant does home cooking with local produce in two dining rooms, and is booked online. By the river is the River Club, with a chill-out atmosphere and separate booking. There is also a café and takeaway food. Breakfast is served from 8:30 to 10:30.
Parking and booking
The parking is outdoors, paid, with limited spaces, no reservation or supervision: if you arrive on a summer weekend, go early or use the Corral de Prats car park. The cancellation policy depends on the season and appears in the confirmation email.
Book on its website or on 964 13 10 79. The hotel warns that it never asks for payments by email or WhatsApp: be wary of any such message.
Who it's for and what's nearby
It is the largest of the village's hotels and the one that works best for families, with triples, quadruples and cots. From here you walk to the Fuente de los Baños and the Estrechos trail, and it is a good base for rafting on the Mijares.
- **La Granja Campsite**: La Granja Campsite sits on one of the slopes of Monte del Castillo, very close to the village. From Montanejos you walk there via the Corral de Prats and the San José bridge, so once the tent is pitched or the motorhome parked, the car can stay still all weekend. It runs on renewable energy, and the Montanejos Tourism Foundation highlights the views it has from the slope.
Four ways to sleep
It has a motorhome area, pitches for tents, wooden cabins and a glamping area for those who want to sleep in the countryside without pitching anything. The toilet blocks have showers. The campsite doesn't publish the number of pitches, the size of the cabins or what the glamping includes (beds, linen, private bathroom), so ask when you book.
Grilled food to order
The restaurant works only by prior booking and with dishes ordered in advance. What the house highlights is grilled meat, and it also makes home-style raciones such as garlic prawns or patatas bravas, and homemade desserts. If you arrive late on a Friday, order dinner by phone before setting off; otherwise, you have La Taberna in the village, on the square, a short walk away.
What to ask
We haven't found a website of its own for the campsite, and the Visit Montanejos listing gives no prices, opening season, or conditions for dogs, electricity on the pitches or waste-water emptying for motorhomes. All of that is sorted out on the phone number it publishes, 633 31 66 35. If you are coming with a motorhome and need specific services, confirm them before you come up.
On foot from your pitch
The position is the advantage: on the other side of the San José bridge the approved stretch of the Aljama castle trail begins, which climbs to the ruins above the valley. Towards the village, the walk passes the Corral de Prats, where the free car park is, and continues to the centre and the river. The Fuente de los Baños, with water at 25 °C, is upriver, also on foot from the village.