Availability of Accommodation

[Anna Machial]

Is it necessary to pre-book accommodation on the Camino Primitivo? If so, how far ahead of the night's stay? I have a friend that went with a self-guided tour that had all accommodation booked before she left Canada, but I'm hoping to be more flexible. Tour companies on line say that the places book up and so booking ahead is necessary but I don't want to feel tied down to a time. I'd be going in the last two weeks of April 2015 with one to three more friends.

 

[laurap]

I think if you are going in April then you will be fine--the bed crunch tends to happen in July and August, and the route is not nearly as full in April. You will want to check to be sure the Albergues you are planning to stay in are open in April, as a few Albergues on the route are only open during the summer months.

None of the public albergues take reservations, so those booking ahead are staying in private albergues--which opens up the space in the public albergues even more. It's a great beautiful route--enjoy!

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Anna,
I totally agree with laurap, there is no need to book ahead on the Primitivo. In fact, there really isn't a system of private albergues on the Primitivo (maybe Berducedo and Castro after Grandas are the exception), so for the most part your choice is going to be albergue or small hotel/pension.

I have walked the route twice, once in June, once in October, and never had a problem. I have heard from lots of people that August is terribly tight, and the accommodation totally inadequate for the Aug. crowds. You will love the Primitivo, and you'll find that you spend a fraction of what your friend spent with the pre-booking. And you will be able to stay in some of the great Primitivo places where no advance booking is allowed, like San Juan, Bodenaya, Grandas, etc. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Tia Valeria]

There is a private albergue too (El Candido) next to the public one at San Roman and if you book in, or arrive, early enough they will order a meal in for you. Great menu choices too and a good breakfast. I am not sure if they take bookings more than a day or two ahead, but we called one evening for the next night and ordered our evening meal on arrival. Castro we did the same, but the cooking is in house. Bodenaya also has meals - last time we walked through but Alejandro was there and made us a coffee.

 

[Anna Machial]

Thank you so much for your replies. It's a relief to have this site and the help from enthusiasts. I feel better about my plans. I hated the thought of being restricted by booking ahead.

 

[Thomas1962]

Have a look at this thread. It might give you a clearer view on the bed situation,
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/is-there-a-real-reason-for-a-bed-race.23531/
Anyway, April would never be a problem. It is a shame that tour companies tell people that booking ahead is necessary (...and booking through them as well)

 

[peregrina2000]

There is a private albergue too (El Candido) next to the public one at San Roman and if you book in, or arrive, early enough they will order a meal in for you. Great menu choices too and a good breakfast. I am not sure if they take bookings more than a day or two ahead, but we called one evening for the next night and ordered our evening meal on arrival. Castro we did the same, but the cooking is in house. Bodenaya also has meals - last time we walked through but Alejandro was there and made us a coffee.

Thanks, Tia, your post reminded me of more private albergues along the Primitivo, the one at Ponte Ferreira and one at Seixas. I don't know the one at As Seixas, but Ponte Ferreira is a great place: http://www.caminodesantiago.me/comm...ponte-ferreira-between-lugo-and-melide.20778/

And maybe I'm forgetting a few more! Laurie

 

[Tia Valeria]

Also the Casa Rural at Casa de Ponti approx 2kms before Ferreiras (needs booking 24+ hours ahead) is very pilgrim friendly, but not a cheap option. We had a great night there with 3 other pilgrims and an excellent 3 course meal - huge tortilla, pork chops and dessert. The meal cost 15€, but was well worth it even when compared to other similar meals; almost too much to eat .
We thought that As Seixas was a new Xunta albergue but maybe it is private.

 

[peregrina2000]

Also the Casa Rural at Casa de Ponti approx 2kms before Ferreiras (needs booking 24+ hours ahead) is very pilgrim friendly, but not a cheap option. We had a great night there with 3 other pilgrims and an excellent 3 course meal - huge tortilla, pork chops and dessert. The meal cost 15€, but was well worth it even when compared to other similar meals; almost too much to eat .
We thought that As Seixas was a new Xunta albergue but maybe it is private.

Hi, Tia,
Yes there is a municipal albergue at As Seixas, but apparently also a private one. I've never seen it or slept in it, but Gronze describes it here: http://www.gronze.com/guia-del-camino-primitivo/albergues/albergue-casa-gorinos
Have to say, it looks very nice!

 

[Thomas1962]

yes there is a municipal albergue at As Seixas, but apparently also a private one.

I slept there last september. Hoped to sleep in Ferreiras that day but it was closed because of renovation. The next one was rhe private albergue in Seixas.
It is a nice renovated old farm with an ouside place, bar, food & nice people.

 

[laurap]

To chime in about As Seixas: I think that the municipal albergue there is great--it's quite new, has lots of beds (30, I think), a wonderful kitchen (but you'll have to carry provisions with you from Lugo), and a very friendly hospitalera. The private Albergue down the road really transforms the experience of staying in As Seixas. I slept there both last summer and in 2011 (when the municipal albergue was brand new), and it was wonderful to have a bar (with food!) just down the road.

 

[Senyor Pirotecnic]

I have walked the route twice, once in June, once in October, and never had a problem. I have heard from lots of people that August is terribly tight, and the accommodation totally inadequate for the Aug. crowds.

Could you expand on this, Laurie? Did people end up sleeping outdoors? Would I be mad walking the Primitivo late July/early August?

 

[peregrina2000]

Well, since anyone who walks Caminos repeatedly is by definition a little mad, , you probably aren't any more mad than the rest of us. The one anecdote I remember from people who walked in August was that in Cadavo, there were 150 people with an albergue with beds for about 25. This may have been unusual, but others have told me that the Primitivo gets very crowded in August (as do all caminos!).

But, there are private alternatives in many places, so if you are ok with occasionally paying for a room rather than an albergue I think you will be fine. And by leaving in late July you are going to be ahead of the real burst of Spanish pilgrims, whose vacation starts in August.

The one town where I think things could get very tight is Berducedo (12 beds, few towns nearby with options). If it looks like you are going to wind up there for an evening, you might want to book ahead in the private albergue/casa rural http://www.gronze.com/guia-del-camino-primitivo/albergues/albergue-camin-antiguo

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[laurap]

I've walked the Primitivo in August a few times--so I don't think you'd be mad at all! It's a beautiful time for walking, and I met many wonderful folks to walk with--and a great sense of community. A few of the public albergues have overflow space (which may just be a gym floor), like the one in Cadavo Baleira (I slept in the gym while staying there in 2011), and during the busy summer months the albergue in Grandas de Salime also has overflow space.

A few new albergues have opened or expanded in the last few years, (Grandas de Salime, Padròn, and La Mesa have added beds or mattresses (though La Mesa is small and still a place that fills easily) , and there are new or fairly new albergues in La Espina (private), Berducedo (private), Castroverde (Municipal), and As Seixas (Municipal and Private).

When I walked the route last year in August, the places I remember filling up were Bodenaya (with the next albergue being only 1km further in La Espina), Borres (surprisingly, since I don't believe that the albergue in Campiello 3km before was full. The two extra people chose to sleep outside), and La Mesa (although Berducedo, 5km before was also not full). In every case that I recall, the pilgrims without beds were able to find a sleeping situation that worked for them--sometimes with help from the hospitalero.

We were also told by the hospitalero in Bodenaya, that just two days before us the albergue had been only half full. So, the business can vary by day as well. If you find yourself in a particularly busy pack of walkers, you can often slow or speed your itinerary a bit to get away from the peak of pilgrims.

I wouldn't be overly concerned, unless you have specific issues or are particularly wary of being caught without a bed. If that is the case, I'd wait to see how busy it seems when you arrive, and then in any of the places you are concerned about, you could look into reserving a bed ahead of time. For instance, if you're concerned about the mountains, you could reserve a bed at the private albergue in Berducedo--or just plan to stay in whichever albergue has space there (the municipal or the private), rather than walking on to La Mesa.

Hope this helps!

 

[Juanma]

Hello Anna! As you've already been told, out of July and August you don't really need to book a lot of time in advance. It is however convenient to call the day before or so to private albergues and confirm your bed. Especially in Easter week in April: Easter week is, along with the Summer months, the high season in the Camino, as Spaniards have holidays and take some days to walk the Camino. This year Easter holiday week in Spain is from April 11th to 20th.

For Tia Maria: the Casa da Ponte is not 2km before Ferreira: it is IN Ferreira, just as our albergue. Ferreira is what is called a "Parroquia", something like a big-area neighbourhood made out of several crunches of houses, separated from each other by several tens or dozens metres. Casa da Ponte and our albergue are both in Ferreira, about 300m from each other.

Buen Camino everyone!