Camino de Santiago de Compostela

[FreerangerMartin]

Does anyone know whether this is open - or opening - this year please? - Martin

[JohnnieWalker]

Just e mail and ask them

http://www.lindamar.net/

[isabelle304]

If it is not open, I recommend the Embalse de Alcantara albergue turistico which is part of the ALBA group (and which is very close to where Lindamar used to be). It´s not visible from the road/camino but well signed. Price in October 2009 was 15€ (that included breakfast) which would be a bit expensive for a normal pilgrim albergue - but you do get bedlinen there and they wash your clothes for free. There are 4 beds per room, a spacious dining room and a lovely view over the reservoir. They can sell you frozen ready meals/pizzas which you then heat up in the oven. Definitely a good halt and relaxing place to chill out for anyone who cannot quite walk a further 10kms to Cañaveral. During the quiet season, there is a phone number on the door to call if there is nobody there when you turn up (the hospitalera lives just 2mins walk away and only opens up the place if someone needs to stay there); between March and October they are automatically open every day.

Architecture of the building (quite brutalist) not to everyone's taste though.... (as you can see from the photos on their website http://www.embalsedealcantara.com

Isabelle

[AJ]

It was closed in April 2008, but the Albergue Isabelle talks about was open and there was only me and one other pilgrim. Sounds like it may have changed hands since I was there. I enjoyed it very much: the view is excellent.

[FreerangerMartin]

I've now heard from the Pension (which is run by Sharon & Stephen): they say, "We are open as from 1st March for both tourists and pilgrims." They go on to say, "Price for a [twin-bedded] room is 44€ for 2 people incl breakfast. Deposit not necessary but please let us know if you think you will be arriving after 5pm as there will be alot of passing trade and in case of no show by this time your room could be let out to another client. All rooms are en-suite with shower and toilet. We have a restaurant that does set meals 3 times per day 6-8.30am - breakfast (included in room price). 1-3pm menu of the day (8.50€ 2 courses) and evening meal 8pm 12€ 3 courses including table wine/water or juices. Bar meals are also available throughout the day from 11am - 11pm. Hotel is on banks of Alcantara, Spain's oldest reservoir with 2 river systems flowing into it. Fishing/birdwatching holidays are very popular here. I'm sure we can arrange for your rucksacks to be taken to Carnaveral and dropped off at hostal Malaga. It is our local village so if we aren't going for things for the hotel im sure someone will be."

Martin

[peregrina2000]

Thanks, Martin. I had written to them, too, and thought I'd add a little more information about the range of accommodations they described to me:

Rooms vary from double bed for single or double occupancy to double room (2x single beds) triple room (3x single beds) to room of bunks to sleep up to 9 people. Prices are from 10€ per night for bunk bed room to 44€ euros a night for single occupancy in double bed room (incl breakfast) twin room 20€ per night per person incl breakfast.

Meals are served at 6-8.30 breakfast; 1-3 p.m. menu of the day (2 courses) and 8pm evening meal (3 courses plus bread/salad and incl table wine/water/juice); separate meals are available from bar from 11am - 11pm; snacks (ie toasted sandwiches/chips) are available throughout the day.

Hotel has 8 bedrooms, bar, restaurant area, pool and patio area.

By the way, when are you starting out? I'm planning to leave from Sevilla on May 2. Yikes, getting closer to the start date!

Laurie

[FreerangerMartin]

Laurie,

Thanks to you for that! My wife and I leave Seville on 3rd April - even more frighteningly near! All encouragement/tips welcome, from Forum members!

Martin

[Canuck]

Hi!

Don't mess around with Pension Lindamar. Sometimes it's open, sometimes it's not.

Bank on the albergue and you won't be disapointed. First class accommodation at an unbeatable price. Priceless view and quietness to boot. Free washing done by the hospitalera and clean bed sheets.

Mark my word!

Jean-Marc
P-S. Take a lot of water and a bite to eat. It's a long and difficult stretch from Caceres, especially the last part along the Caretera National.
Halfway, look out for a big boulder, on the right hand side of the camino, worn out over time by sheep sheltering from the sun. Amazing!!!!

[Eugene Carroll]

RE The Lindamar...3 of us stayed there last May ( the turismo was full with a school Party) and it was fine. Starting out on the Via de la Plata on the 10th May and hope to be able to stay in the Turismo this time.

[JohnnieWalker]

via-de-la-plata-albergues-pensions-and-hostals/topic8430.html#p50844


Worth a look

[William Marques]

There may be a negative campaign by a poster who has only ever posted twice - now deleted (both times to bad-mouth the Embalse de Alcantara). Please be aware.

William Marques
Moderator

[peregrina2000]

Hi, everyone, the albergue vs. Lindamar saga continues. I was there three days ago for a long break and this is my take on the whole thing.

What used to be the Lindamar was sold in January to a British guy who plans to keep the place open year round under the new name of Hotel Lakeview. He is a very nice guy, but seemed a bit overwhelmed by the very negative campaign that the Albergue has waged against him.

As you are walking on the Vdlp, after Casar de Casares, you suddenly leave the beautiful off-road stretch and hit the asphalt of the N-630. You have 5 km on asphalt, from km marker 525 to km marker 520. When you arrive at the Lindamar/Lakeview, you are ready for a break. The LakeView is not directly on the water, but is shady and welcoming. The albergue turistico (in the same "chain" as Fuente de Cantos, Zafra, Torremegia, Almanzara) is another 600 m down a dirt road and it is directly on the water.

So, here you are in the middle of nowhere on the Embalse de Alcántara with two possible places to stay. I can't imagine that both can survive, and the Albergue Turístico seems to have resorted to some not-so-nice tactics to kill the Lake View.

Both places are clean and comfortable. The Albergue does not serve meals (just frozen pizza, I was told), so many people who stay there on the water's edge go up to the LakeView for dinner. The problem is that the Albergue does its best to make sure that the LakeView doesn't know about the peregrinos coming up for dinner. One pilgrim from Austria who stayed in the albergue told me that the hospitalero said he didn't have the LakeView phone number and so he couldn't call up and make a reservation for him. The guy at LakeView tells me that he has given the albergue his phone number many times, but frequently people just show up from the albergue for dinner and he doesn't have food enough to feed them.

Based on what the Austrian said, it seems that the LakeView is winning the war for pilgrim beds, because it's right there on the camino itself and when you're tired, why walk another 600 m? On the other hand, the Austrian said, there is no doubt that the view is much better from the Albergue and he said the service was top notch. But the night the Austrian was there, there were two sleeping in the albergue and 15 or so in the LakeView

So, what I see happening here is a fight for survival, with one of the competitors resorting to nasty and underhanded tactics (like pulling down the LakeView signs). I don't think that both of them can make it at the same spot, unfortunately. Laurie

[Marga58]

I have read all the conversation about Lindamar here on the forum, so last week passing the area I decided to see for myself and causiously just entered Lindamar or Lakeview asking for a snack and some coffee.

What Laurie wrote is mostly correct. The new owner, an English guy told me they changed the name of the hotel and that they were eager welcoming pelgrims.

I then asked him to show the rooms and now I understand why some mentioned Lakeview is a rather filthy place to stay. With all respect to others opinions, the rooms were visibly dirty and damp. I can imagine that many of pelgrims don´t mind sleeping in dirty beds. I am not one of them.


After running a camping in Belgium for 4 years, I understand that the place may be basic, but never dirty. This is just disrespectful to the guests.

So after leaving Lakeview I then stayed at Albergue, and it was a much prettier experience. Clean accommodations and a nice setting. Just a value for your money and a respectful approach.

So my conclusion is: both places are suitable for pelgrims, both owners are welcoming pelgrims. Both are wonderfully situated and quiet. Hygienically is Lakeview totally below the minimum requirements for hotel industry, and as a woman I have my basic requirements. Most men would not mind I guess.. So it is up to you..

Hi, everyone, the albergue vs. Lindamar saga continues. I was there three days ago for a long break and this is my take on the whole thing.

What used to be the Lindamar was sold in January to a British guy who plans to keep the place open year round under the new name of Hotel Lakeview. He is a very nice guy, but seemed a bit overwhelmed by the very negative campaign that the Albergue has waged against him.

As you are walking on the Vdlp, after Casar de Casares, you suddenly leave the beautiful off-road stretch and hit the asphalt of the N-630. You have 5 km on asphalt, from km marker 525 to km marker 520. When you arrive at the Lindamar/Lakeview, you are ready for a break. The LakeView is not directly on the water, but is shady and welcoming. The albergue turistico (in the same "chain" as Fuente de Cantos, Zafra, Torremegia, Almanzara) is another 600 m down a dirt road and it is directly on the water.

So, here you are in the middle of nowhere on the Embalse de Alcántara with two possible places to stay. I can't imagine that both can survive, and the Albergue Turístico seems to have resorted to some not-so-nice tactics to kill the Lake View.

Both places are clean and comfortable. The Albergue does not serve meals (just frozen pizza, I was told), so many people who stay there on the water's edge go up to the LakeView for dinner. The problem is that the Albergue does its best to make sure that the LakeView doesn't know about the peregrinos coming up for dinner. One pilgrim from Austria who stayed in the albergue told me that the hospitalero said he didn't have the LakeView phone number and so he couldn't call up and make a reservation for him. The guy at LakeView tells me that he has given the albergue his phone number many times, but frequently people just show up from the albergue for dinner and he doesn't have food enough to feed them.

Based on what the Austrian said, it seems that the LakeView is winning the war for pilgrim beds, because it's right there on the camino itself and when you're tired, why walk another 600 m? On the other hand, the Austrian said, there is no doubt that the view is much better from the Albergue and he said the service was top notch. But the night the Austrian was there, there were two sleeping in the albergue and 15 or so in the LakeView

So, what I see happening here is a fight for survival, with one of the competitors resorting to nasty and underhanded tactics (like pulling down the LakeView signs). I don't think that both of them can make it at the same spot, unfortunately. Laurie