I have had some email exchanges with another pilgrim who walked the Camino de Madrid recently, and he told me he gave up on the possibility of staying in the albergue in Manzanares el Real, after arriving in town in early afternoon and learning that there would be no way to get the key till later in the day. There is at least one in-town hotel option, which has a privileged position right next to the beautiful castle in town.
But for those who are heading out on the Madrid, I just want to say that it is very much worth it to stay in the albergue. It's about 2 km outside of town, high up and solitary on a rocky promontory with gorgeous views of the Guadarrama mountains in several directions. The albergue is on the back of an old ermita, the Ermita de Peña Sacra, indicating the sacred location of its position. The albergue was opened last year, has two big dorm rooms, and two separate bathrooms/showers. There is a big salon and a separate big kitchen.
It's true that the logistics are a bit complicated. You must get the key from the priest, whose house is in town about two doors away from the tourist office. Though the sign on the door says that he is there after 1 pm, he didn't arrive till after 3 on the day I was there. I would have given up and gone to the hotel but earlier in the day I had met two Spanish pilgrims who insisted we stay there. And I'm so glad I went along with the plan because it was such a special privileged place.
To complicate things, the priest insists that someone bring the key back down to his house in the morning. That means that someone in the group has to walk an additional few kms to drop off the key. But it isn't the full 2 kms down from the albergue and back, because the camino turnoff is at least a km further down, if that makes any sense. It took about an extra half hour for the drop off -- we waited with his pack at the turnoff. But all in all, it was such a magnificent location, I would say do it if at all possible. You'll likely arrive early from Colmenar (only 16 very pretty kms through the country) and can visit the castle (highly recommended, 1.5 euros for pilgrims), have lunch (lots of restaurants on the square and around) and then buy groceries in the chain supermarket that doesn't close for siesta. Bring up your food for the night and next morning, and you will have a wonderful afternoon/evening.
So, this is my longwinded way of saying that it's a highlight of the Camino de Madrid, well worth the minor inconvenience. Buen camino, Laurie
But for those who are heading out on the Madrid, I just want to say that it is very much worth it to stay in the albergue. It's about 2 km outside of town, high up and solitary on a rocky promontory with gorgeous views of the Guadarrama mountains in several directions. The albergue is on the back of an old ermita, the Ermita de Peña Sacra, indicating the sacred location of its position. The albergue was opened last year, has two big dorm rooms, and two separate bathrooms/showers. There is a big salon and a separate big kitchen.
It's true that the logistics are a bit complicated. You must get the key from the priest, whose house is in town about two doors away from the tourist office. Though the sign on the door says that he is there after 1 pm, he didn't arrive till after 3 on the day I was there. I would have given up and gone to the hotel but earlier in the day I had met two Spanish pilgrims who insisted we stay there. And I'm so glad I went along with the plan because it was such a special privileged place.
To complicate things, the priest insists that someone bring the key back down to his house in the morning. That means that someone in the group has to walk an additional few kms to drop off the key. But it isn't the full 2 kms down from the albergue and back, because the camino turnoff is at least a km further down, if that makes any sense. It took about an extra half hour for the drop off -- we waited with his pack at the turnoff. But all in all, it was such a magnificent location, I would say do it if at all possible. You'll likely arrive early from Colmenar (only 16 very pretty kms through the country) and can visit the castle (highly recommended, 1.5 euros for pilgrims), have lunch (lots of restaurants on the square and around) and then buy groceries in the chain supermarket that doesn't close for siesta. Bring up your food for the night and next morning, and you will have a wonderful afternoon/evening.
So, this is my longwinded way of saying that it's a highlight of the Camino de Madrid, well worth the minor inconvenience. Buen camino, Laurie