A\lbergue San Juan De Ortega on July 18 2016

[Mrs. D]

Arrived in San Juan De Ortega on July 18th and checked into the municipal albergue there. Went up to pick out our beds. It was so smelly( musty) but we picked our beds out anyway as it is the only albergue there. A young couple came in after us and started checking their beds with torches. My partner went over to see what they were at and they showed him a cluster of bed bugs under their matress. We hightailed it out of there and checked into the hotel. They did not close the ace down. Only removed the offending matress. A friend of ours who stayed there that night woke up with numerous bites on her the next morning. We have being on the camino now for 16 days and this is the only place where we have come across them though I know of someone else who got a really bad dose of them in Los Acros. It's not good enough removing one matress!!

 

[pilgr]

Wow! The Chinches are alive and well I see.

 

[JillGat]

Wow! The Chinches are alive and well I see.

Thought I read somewhere that that "musty" smell can be a clue that there are bedbugs, too.

 

[Kanga]

Who looks after the albergue at San Juan de Ortega? I have never stayed in it; always go past.

 

[mspath]

Who looks after the albergue at San Juan de Ortega? I have never stayed in it; always go past.

Kanga,

It is listed as a parish albergue. See more here.

I only stayed there once in 2004 during the ' good old days ' where the caring priest, Don José María,
and his sister ran the albergue.

Here is a current contact email for the albergue, monasteriosanjuandeortega@gmail.com

 

[SYates]

Who looks after the albergue at San Juan de Ortega? I have never stayed in it; always go past.

Have a look here: http://www.alberguesanjuandeortega.es and especially here http://www.alberguesanjuandeortega.es/El_Proyecto_de_Reforma.html
Buen Camino, SY

 

[nreyn12]

I don't think 'musty' and 'bed bugs' necessarily go together. I stayed at that albergue in 2007 and it was musty and bed bug free.

 

[Kanga]

I sent a quick note to the hospitalero at San Juan de Ortega and received this reply:

"We have certainly had an incidence on a pilgrim who came with bedbugs and not realized it. Fortunately we could tackle quickly the situation with the company specializing in disinfection, dis-insection and extermination, with which we have a contract for maintenance of the facilities and that gives us the treatment two times a year.

The quick action of the company has made it possible to put an end to the problem and we can say that today it is totally eliminated.

Thank you for your interest and we back the need to be aware of the health impact on the Camino".

 

[scruffy1]

Thought I read somewhere that that "musty" smell can be a clue that there are bedbugs, too.

San Juan de Ortga has smelled musty for over 100 years! Years ago one sniff was enough for me and I have always walked on to Agés where there are two nice enough albergues and a Burgos city map for all!

 

[ranthr]

Stayed there once in " the good old days", but never again.

 

[cher99840]

I stayed there in 2013 and enjoyed it. It wasn't the private room that is my preference, but the bunk was comfortable enough. There is something about the lighting in the church on certain evenings thruout the year, and I was lucky enough to be in attendance for that.

 

[MickMac]

Where in los arcos were the bed bugs ???

 

[JillGat]

San Juan de Ortga has smelled musty for over 100 years! Years ago one sniff was enough for me and I have always walked on to Agés where there are two nice enough albergues and a Burgos city map for all!

LOVED Agés. What an interesting place. Don't remember the name of the albergue I stayed in but it was great.

 

[JillGat]

Where in los arcos were the bed bugs ???

Any place can have bedbugs if a pilgrim arrived before you carrying bedbugs. And any place that pilgrim stays after that could have bedbugs next - and nobody knows where that will be. Of course it is good to know the response policy of certain albergues when bedbugs are reported, too.

I carried a Sea to Summit sleeping bag liner that included an "insect shield."
http://www.seatosummit.com/product/...r+Liner+-+Insect+Shield®&o1=0&o2=0&o3=128
I also sprayed it with Sawyer's pyrethrin insecticide. However I hated the feel of the tech fabric and the closed in feeling when I got inside it (even though it was rectangular), so I often didn't use it. I didn't get bedbugs, but I DID get scabies, I found out after I got home. I think next time I will bring some kind of fabric blend in a rectangular shape, spray it with Sawyer's, and use it as a tucked in bottom sheet on the bed.

 

[C clearly]

I carried a Sea to Summit sleeping bag liner that included an "insect shield."
http://www.seatosummit.com/product/?item=Coolmax®+Adaptor+Traveller+Liner+-+Insect+Shield®&o1=0&o2=0&o3=128
I also sprayed it with Sawyer's pyrethrin insecticide. However I hated the feel of the tech fabric and the closed in feeling when I got inside it (even though it was rectangular), so I often didn't use it. I didn't get bedbugs, but I DID get scabies, I found out after I got home. I think next time I will bring some kind of fabric blend in a rectangular shape, spray it with Sawyer's, and use it as a tucked in bottom sheet on the bed.

Hi JillGat. I was looking at that Sea to Summit liner online. It seems to be quite large. Do you think you could put a light weight sleeping bag inside the liner? That would give protection and a little extra warmth if necessary, without having the yucky feel of the fabric.

 

[JillGat]

Hi JillGat. I was looking at that Sea to Summit liner online. It seems to be quite large. Do you think you could put a light weight sleeping bag inside the liner? That would give protection and a little extra warmth if necessary, without having the yucky feel of the fabric.

I never needed more warmth. I don't like being restrained while I'm sleeping(tossing/turning), so a bottom sheet and quilt is the perfect combo for me. The sleep sack isn't that big.. it's about the size of a narrow-ish rectanguar bag.

 

[pilgr]

Oh geez, I love these bedbug stories and the comradery of how to fight them. I feel like we are bunch of hobos from the Great Depression, riding the rails and occasionally sleeping with blood sucking critters. There is a certain romance around it all! Where is Woody Guthrie, darn it?!?!