The group that I am currently with decided that instead of staying in Los Arcos, we would continue onto Torres del Rio, to make the next day easier. When we arrived in the town, we were so relieved as it was a long day of walking and we were all starving. A woman came to us and told us to come to Hostel San Andres. She said that for €10 we would get a room shared by two people, a tv, wifi, private bathrooms... we had a look inside and it was really fancy compared to the albergues, but we told her we would try the albergue instead. The albergue was only a little way away and on the door there was a sign saying that the albergue was closed and the only place available in town was HSA. So we decided to go there, not knowing the terror that was yet to befall us.
Here are the bullet points of our stay, and why you should avoid this place at all costs!!!
- they don't give you a key to your room! Every time you leave the room you have to ask to be let back in. This felt so demeaning. Even worse was that with the security of locked rooms you feel like you can make the most of the space and be a little less cautious with valuables. After dinner hours the matroness unlocked all the room doors and left them open while we were all still downstairs, without even telling us. Alarm bells were sounding in my head...
- it may only be €10 for the bed, but being the only place in town (the local supermarket was closed so again we had no other option) we were really shocked at how difficult the staff made life for a pilgrim. I mean, difficult financially. We tried to wash our clothes in the sink as we had been doing in all the albergues before, but the matroness got really angry, and told us to use the washing machine in the basement. So we went down there and she charged us €3 per 5 items of clothing... we were so utterly shocked! Then we put our clothes in the dryer for €3 and while we were having dinner she came to us and got really angry at us because we put all the clothes in together in one load (it wasn't a lot of clothes but it was 3 peoples' clothes). It was incredibly embarrassing and everyone turned to look. The Spanish speakers in our group got really upset and said that they didn't like the way she coaxed us into going to her hostel.
- we all sat down together to eat, but two friends were running late. It was €12 for the pilgrims menu, and the food wasn't bad... but when our friends arrived they wanted them to pay immediately, before even having tried the food. This is not typical of Spain... it's not even typical of the camino! We hadn't even been asked to pay yet, and our meal was already coming to an end. Our friends were offended, and the waiter conceded defeat eventually. Then at the end of the meal, mrs matroness charged us an extra €3 on our bill for 'various' expenses. When she had left the bar, we approached the barman and he corrected the issue, after much persuasion.
- to rent a towel for one night is €4... that's more than it costs to purchase a towel...
- there is nowhere to get food, except the HSA restaurant, which only opens at 7. We waited two hours, starving, until we could get something decent to eat. Normally we would make our own food, but the supermarket was closed and the hostel doesn't even have a kitchen for patrons to use.
- being charged for every single thing made me worried at dinner because I was afraid to ask where the bathroom was in case that incurred a fee... it made for even more discomfort through the embarrassment.
I must say that the owners of HSA are not from Spain, and my friends assured me (as a first time pilgrim) that Spaniards never treat their guests in that way. For a town that can only survive off of pilgrims walking through, eating and possibly staying the night we were disgusted by the way they treated the pilgrims. I know that we don't want any special treatment, but I felt as though we were not treated with dignity or respect. I have had bad hotel experiences before, but nothing that has made me this angry because of how rude the matroness was and how she yelled at us at the dinner table in the restaurant for something that she never even explained to us beforehand! And then she tries to put more money into the bill...
I would strongly suggest that if you are walking from Los Arcos and something happens to you and you think 'perhaps I will stay in Torres del Rio tonight' find the energy to walk that 1.5km back to Sansol where I am sure you will be met with a smile, an honest matron and a welcoming atmosphere... staying in HSA is not worth it after hours of walking, when all you want to do is unwind.
I think I have just made the best use of their free wifi.
Simpleton
Edited by moderator
Here are the bullet points of our stay, and why you should avoid this place at all costs!!!
- they don't give you a key to your room! Every time you leave the room you have to ask to be let back in. This felt so demeaning. Even worse was that with the security of locked rooms you feel like you can make the most of the space and be a little less cautious with valuables. After dinner hours the matroness unlocked all the room doors and left them open while we were all still downstairs, without even telling us. Alarm bells were sounding in my head...
- it may only be €10 for the bed, but being the only place in town (the local supermarket was closed so again we had no other option) we were really shocked at how difficult the staff made life for a pilgrim. I mean, difficult financially. We tried to wash our clothes in the sink as we had been doing in all the albergues before, but the matroness got really angry, and told us to use the washing machine in the basement. So we went down there and she charged us €3 per 5 items of clothing... we were so utterly shocked! Then we put our clothes in the dryer for €3 and while we were having dinner she came to us and got really angry at us because we put all the clothes in together in one load (it wasn't a lot of clothes but it was 3 peoples' clothes). It was incredibly embarrassing and everyone turned to look. The Spanish speakers in our group got really upset and said that they didn't like the way she coaxed us into going to her hostel.
- we all sat down together to eat, but two friends were running late. It was €12 for the pilgrims menu, and the food wasn't bad... but when our friends arrived they wanted them to pay immediately, before even having tried the food. This is not typical of Spain... it's not even typical of the camino! We hadn't even been asked to pay yet, and our meal was already coming to an end. Our friends were offended, and the waiter conceded defeat eventually. Then at the end of the meal, mrs matroness charged us an extra €3 on our bill for 'various' expenses. When she had left the bar, we approached the barman and he corrected the issue, after much persuasion.
- to rent a towel for one night is €4... that's more than it costs to purchase a towel...
- there is nowhere to get food, except the HSA restaurant, which only opens at 7. We waited two hours, starving, until we could get something decent to eat. Normally we would make our own food, but the supermarket was closed and the hostel doesn't even have a kitchen for patrons to use.
- being charged for every single thing made me worried at dinner because I was afraid to ask where the bathroom was in case that incurred a fee... it made for even more discomfort through the embarrassment.
I must say that the owners of HSA are not from Spain, and my friends assured me (as a first time pilgrim) that Spaniards never treat their guests in that way. For a town that can only survive off of pilgrims walking through, eating and possibly staying the night we were disgusted by the way they treated the pilgrims. I know that we don't want any special treatment, but I felt as though we were not treated with dignity or respect. I have had bad hotel experiences before, but nothing that has made me this angry because of how rude the matroness was and how she yelled at us at the dinner table in the restaurant for something that she never even explained to us beforehand! And then she tries to put more money into the bill...
I would strongly suggest that if you are walking from Los Arcos and something happens to you and you think 'perhaps I will stay in Torres del Rio tonight' find the energy to walk that 1.5km back to Sansol where I am sure you will be met with a smile, an honest matron and a welcoming atmosphere... staying in HSA is not worth it after hours of walking, when all you want to do is unwind.
I think I have just made the best use of their free wifi.
Simpleton
Edited by moderator
Last edited by a moderator: