Borres Albergue, Primitivo

[LesBrass]

I'm still undecided about which route to walk in April but I'm looking at accommodation options for the Primitivo and I noticed on Gronze a number of poor reviews for the albergue at Borres. As this seems to be the only choice of accommodation for this stage I wonder if anyone has recently stayed here... and has a more positive review.

Here's the page on Gronze https://www.gronze.com/asturias/borres/albergue-peregrinos-santa-maria

 

[timr]

i was there May 2016, as follows, and would happily stay again.
Yes Borres is not luxury(!) but is clean. And there was cake!! Possibly a little cramped, it is typical old school building, but I have to say that didn't bother me. And the bar, which is about 1km further up, in the village centre is very nice. You need to go there to check in anyway, or you did last year. The people who had taken a bed without going up to the bar first had to politely give way to those who had, but there were mattresses too for the latecomers. The hospitalera came out about 4:30pm. Nice garden to sit in if it is sunny. Well it is just a field really, but still nice.

 

[peregrina2000]

You can always stay a few km back in Campiello, where Herminia has had to yield her position as monopolist, and a new albergue is giving her a run for her money. Campiello to Berducedo is not that much harder than Borres to Berducedo, since those few kms to the turnoff for Hospitales are all flat.

 

[camino07]

We had a lovely stay in the beautiful Albergue Ricardo and great food at Herminia's in Campiella before crossing Hospitales. Heard from pilgrims who stayed in Borres that the water was off and they had to use the fountain also there were many flies.

 

[Tia Valeria]

We stayed at Herminia's and then walked to Pola de Allande before going to Berducedo next day. Herminia now has a good little supermarket in her new building, much bigger than the old shop. It was good to meet her again last year.
The break at Campiello made more sense for our plans than going on to Borres.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

We had a lovely stay in the beautiful Albergue Ricardo and great food at Herminia's in Campiella before crossing Hospitales. Heard from pilgrims who stayed in Borres that the water was off and they had to use the fountain also there were many flies.

I, too, loved the newer Albergue Ricardo when I stayed in Campiella in 2016. The hospitalero or owner, as the case may be, encouraged me to take the high route as he knew the weather was going to be perfect that day. I was so happy I listened to him, as it was stunning!

 

[gns]

i was there May 2016, as follows, and would happily stay again.
Yes Borres is not luxury(!) but is clean. And there was cake!! Possibly a little cramped, it is typical old school building, but I have to say that didn't bother me. And the bar, which is about 1km further up, in the village centre is very nice. You need to go there to check in anyway, or you did last year. The people who had taken a bed without going up to the bar first had to politely give way to those who had, but there were mattresses too for the latecomers. The hospitalera came out about 4:30pm. Nice garden to sit in if it is sunny. Well it is just a field really, but still nice.

I agree entirely. The albergue in Borres is basic but perfectly serviceable, and the bar is excellent. It is also ideal for an early start over the Hospitales rather than having the extra walk from Campiello.

 

[NualaOC]

Hi @LesBrass, I asked a question about this a couple of years ago when planning to walk the Primitivo. Here's a link to that thread - some of the answers might be helpful.

In the end, we stayed in the (fantastic) Albergue Casa Ricardo in Campiello. This was mainly because I was recovering from a bad tummy bug and opted for a shorter walk that day.

If you want to walk the Hospitales route, Borres is probably a better option in terms of location. Good to see that others have stayed there and found it to be fine. You could stop in Campiello for lunch and to buy supplies for the next day's walk - both Ricardo and Herminia had well-stocked tiendas when we were there.

Happy planning!

 

[caminka]

I stayed in borres albergue in fall 2016. it was your typical from-school-converted-albergue with bunks cramped as in pretty much any other such albergue, one even a triple. it was clean. it had a microwave. it had magdalenes, too.

hospitalera came by late in the afternoon and explained everything we needed to know about the next two days. it was useful and very funny. she took a photo of us and it posted it on facebook. but I read somewhere that she has been replaced, so that might be the reason for the not-so-favourable comments of late.

 

[Lirsy]

The albergue in Borres is clean, but it REALLY needs a refurbishment!! If you don't want to stay in Borres, you can always stay in Campiello.

Anyhow, and now on the good side, the diner at the bar next to the albergue was great and Borres is the closest albergue to the start of Hospitales (which is a quite a demanding journey).

All together, I would stay in Borres.

Buen Camino & Ultreia!!

 

[LesBrass]

Thanks for the good advice . I'm feeling more and more that the Primitivo is a good option for me this spring. I'm ok with the distance and lack of stops... I'm a little concerned that I've not been training for the Primitivo... I had envisaged building some strength from Burgos to get me ready for O Cebreiro I do walk very slow on the uphills but I've learned to just accept that and I do love the mountains.

I initially thought I would walk the CF from Burgos with a friend but I do think this option is a better choice... it's new to me and on my to do list... and I avoid the last 100km on the CF over the may day bank holiday... and I can tag a walk to Fisterra on the end and still be home in 21 days.

I dont mind a basic albergue but I'd read about bed bugs and I'll go out of my way to avoid them But I would like to walk the Hospitals route so getting closer was the driving force behind the question... however so many people are singing the praises of the earlier stop that maybe we'll just prepare for a long day

I have a number of other questions about the route but I think I'll start a new thread... thank you so much for the great replies folks!