recommended refugios?

[Julien Maier]

Hi Pilgrims,
At first, I am Julien from Salzburg, 24 years old and I want to do my first "Camino" - StJPdP-Santiago - in July/August.

At the moment I am planning my stages. I was curious if you can give me some advices for refugios. Most I am interested in refugios with whirlpool, foot-massages and comfortable beds :lol: ...but also in refugios where there is a nice atmosphere and where it is possible to sit together with other pilgrims to share one's experiences.

Maybe you can help me. Muchas gracias in advance!

Julien

 

[William Marques]

Refugios

While it is possible to give refugios stars like the Michelin guides and one or two of the guidebooks like the John Brierley one do so it is not sensible to base your camino around it. Stopping when your body tells you to or you just feel like it is probably what you will end up doing anyway.

Having said that one way to avoid the crowds there sometimes are in the big city refugios is to stop just before or after the town (such as at Trinidad de Arre before Pamplona).

Perhaps the problem of recommending a refugio is that the recommendations can bring about the crowding. Also a change of hospitalero or the people you are with can change the atmosphere from one week to the next. :|

There are some private refugios which can be useful especially if you are doing your pilgrimage in July/August as you can book space ahead in them. They are more expensive than the public ones but cheaper than hostales.

Buen Camino
William

 

[Jochen Schmidtke]

Recomended refuges

Hi Julien.
What do you think where you will go?
You speak from a whirlpool in the refuges?
You will be glad if you will find a mattress in a bunk and a cold shower after a day long hard walk on the Camino.
I recomend you to have a look at my homepage. There you can see the little comfort which expects you at the refuges!
Of course you can be a "luxury pilgrim" and stay in comfortable hotels. But then you will miss the special atmosphere and comradeship in the refuges!

As I am VERY new to this forum I do not know hoe to insert my homepage.
Here is the address:
http://homepages.uni-paderborn.de/pilger

Buen Camino
Jochen

 

[gholsong]

I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic.


Of course, if anybody KNOWS of any refuges like this, don't hesitate to let me know.



Grant