Albergue de Águeda - CLOSED!

[Diogo92]

I received today the information that the Albergue de Águeda closed, due to the selling of the building where the Albergue was functioning.

The people who take care of the Albergue are trying to find a new place.

Best Regards
Diogo

 

[peregrina2000]

Well, that's a bummer. For those walking from Lisbon, here's the deal on Agueda now that the albergue is closed.

You will come into the town on a bridge over the river. The building that says Residencial (word used like "pension" in Spanish or "pensao" in Portuguese) in the little plaza immediately to your right is really a house of ill repute, unless things have changed. But there is a very nice place to stay -- the Pensao Ribeirinho. Cross the river, turn right, and you'll see the Restaurant Ribeirinho behind a large parking lot. They have a nice little bunch of rooms above the restaurant. I paid 20 euros for a single, but that was about 5-6 years ago.

 

[peregrina2000]

I have just received a page of updates for the CSJ Lisbon-Porto guide, and one of them directly affects what I said yesterday. Here's what I learned:

Agueda: Oh-oh! The Residencial Ribeirinho is closed (Sept 2013), permanently it seems. That is what I gathered from a notice on the door and the Portuguese lady in the restaurant. The Hotel in town is expensive (€70 dbl), so it means trudging uphill to the Residencial Celeste (€20 pp) – where there is NO facilities, no drinks, no snacks, no meals. Must go back to town to eat.

I think this means that Agueda suddenly became a whole lot less pilgrim friendly! I'll let you know if I hear more. Laurie

 

[Diogo92]

That is really a bummer to be honest with you. I hope that the guy's from the Albergue manage to finde a new place, asap.

Best Regards
Diogo

 

[peregrina2000]

I have read somewhere that the Pensao Ribeirinho is NOT closed, and that someone had just stayed there and enjoyed it. Can anyone confirm this for the CSJ updates? Thanks, Laurie

 

[Camembert]

I have just received a page of updates for the CSJ Lisbon-Porto guide, and one of them directly affects what I said yesterday. Here's what I learned:

Agueda: Oh-oh! The Residencial Ribeirinho is closed (Sept 2013), permanently it seems. That is what I gathered from a notice on the door and the Portuguese lady in the restaurant. The Hotel in town is expensive (€70 dbl), so it means trudging uphill to the Residencial Celeste (€20 pp) – where there is NO facilities, no drinks, no snacks, no meals. Must go back to town to eat.

I think this means that Agueda suddenly became a whole lot less pilgrim friendly! I'll let you know if I hear more. Laurie

In Residencial Celeste, because 3 kms from the center of Agueda , you can call a restaurant that takes a diner to you in the residential.Just ask the reception.
Breakfast they offer in the house.
We were there last year and is a great place to be.
It is off the caminho but coming over the bridge it is straight on direction Albergaría-a-Velha on the N1 after ca 3 kms at the left side. Leaving the residential the next day you pick up the waymarkers after a few hundred meters from there

 

[peregrina2000]

Thanks Albertinho, I do have the information on the Residencial Celeste. My confusion though is about the Residencial Ribeirinho, which is above the restaurant by the same name. When the Caminho crosses the river, you turn right, and the big parking lot for the restaurant is right there. It was reported closed, but is now apparently open??

 

[Diogo92]

Residencial Celeste it's now charging 12€ per bed, for pilgrims, without breakfast.

 

[MichaelSG]

Hmmmmm...... I missed this. The Residencial Ribeirinho, above the restaurant by the same name, was open on 17 September 2014 when we stayed there. 35 euros for a very large double room, a very good restaurant below, quiet, no wi-fi but the bar just around the corner has wi-fi, loved the town and enjoyed the room.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hmmmmm...... I missed this. The Residencial Ribeirinho, above the restaurant by the same name, was open on 17 September 2014 when we stayed there. 35 euros for a very large double room, a very good restaurant below, quiet, no wi-fi but the bar just around the corner has wi-fi, loved the town and enjoyed the room.

Thanks for this update. I stayed there years ago and liked it very much. Maybe the report that it closed was just an error, caught up in the albergue closing news. I do think its location is preferable to the other pensao, at least if you like to be in town.

Did you by any chance walk through the park with lots of colorful pig statues? I was not sure exactly what it was all about but they were cute.

 

[peregrina2000]

I don't think anyone else has ever mentioned the "pig park" in Águeda. It´s up the hill, that´s about all I remember, but it was shady and lovely. Did any of the other Lisbon walkers go there? Bom caminho, Laurie

 

[Magwood]

No, we missed that gem. In fact we missed most of the town altogether - by the time we reached Residencial Celeste I couldn't be bothered to walk back into town.

We called in at the information office and were only told about the Celeste - no mention of another albergue. I would have preferred to stay in the town if I had been given a choice.

 

[MichaelSG]

We didn't see Porky Park but there was a homage to umbrellas going on in town while we were there.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...583624433.1073741833.609204432&type=3&theater
(I can't really figure out how to put photos in here all that easily.)

 

[davkel]

Hmmmmm...... I missed this. The Residencial Ribeirinho, above the restaurant by the same name, was open on 17 September 2014 when we stayed there. 35 euros for a very large double room, a very good restaurant below, quiet, no wi-fi but the bar just around the corner has wi-fi, loved the town and enjoyed the room.

So this means that Penao Riberinho is now open again, yes?

 

[MichaelSG]

So this means that Penao Riberinho is now open again, yes?

It certainly was in September and I have no reason to believe it was planning to close.

 

[peregrina2000]

What I would do if I were walking into Agueda would be to first look for the Restaurante/Residencial Ribeirinho, because it is right there very close as you cross the bridge into town. Just turn right and you'll find it. Ribeirinho means riverside, and the restaurant parking lot is right there. If it's closed, the fallback is the Celeste, but that is apparently a bit of a hike up the hill (and past the pig park, if memory serves) and a few kms outside town. The Celeste has a website, http://www.residencialceleste.com (think that works).

For those on a budget, the Celeste will be the go-to place. But Agueda is a pleasant town, and I always like being able to walk around without having to go for kms to get to town. Agueda's library is in the old part of town (very small as I recall) and had free internet.

As the Lisbon pilgrims set out in 2015, maybe some of you will report back on whether the place is still open, or whether MichaelSG just got lucky! Michael, do you remember what you paid? Bom caminho, Laurie

 

[Camembert]

If you go to Celeste ,mind it is 3 kilometers out of th town, uphill and in the right direction north to Santiago. In 2013 when we were there there was no restaurant so we had o walk back to the center where restaurants are. That means an extra 6 kms. But the owner of Celeste offered foodservice from the restaurant we went. So this will be delivered . In the morning there was breakfast service in the hostal.

 

[Magwood]

Sorry @Albertinho, I have to disagree with you. I actually measured the extra distance from the river at Águeda to the albergue at the Celeste to be 1.25 km, although the uphill slog at the end of a long day felt more like 3 km! As you say, there was no restaurant near by, but a Lidl ( or Aldi) supermarket is situated en route to the albergue so one could stop off here for supplies on the way to the albergue or take a short trip back down the hill after checking in.

My blog post for the day can be seen here.

 

[Camembert]

Sorry @Albertinho, I have to disagree with you. I actually measured the extra distance from the river at Águeda to the albergue at the Celeste to be 1.25 km, although the uphill slog at the end of a long day felt more like 3 km! As you say, there was no restaurant near by, but a Lidl ( or Aldi) supermarket is situated en route to the albergue so one could stop off here for supplies on the way to the albergue or take a short trip back down the hill after checking in.

My blog post for the day can be seen here.

Okay. It must have been in my mind as double distance. It has been more than a year and a half . Maybe we drunk too much vinho verde by then.
The Lidl we have seen but we chose for a meal in a restaurant so we passed by.
Anyway thanks for posting this Maggie.

Our next caminho Português will start from casa da Fernanda. We go by train or bus from Porto to Barcelos and from there take the bus to them just to taste the atmosphere again. From them we take the bus to Viana do Castelo where we start walking the Coastal.
Un saludo deste lado

Albertinho

 

[MichaelSG]

As the Lisbon pilgrims set out in 2015, maybe some of you will report back on whether the place is still open, or whether MichaelSG just got lucky! Michael, do you remember what you paid? Bom caminho, Laurie

From my notes:

We are staying in the Pensão O Ribeirinho in Águeda, just a hundred meters to the right as you enter town over the bridge. It's nice with a huge en-suite room [for two] for 35€. Those following us may have heard it is closed but I can assure you that it is not. The albergue that I had heard was also closed is actually also open but about a kilometer out of town. I don't think it is on the Caminho trail but I don't know for certain. It is supposed to be nice and new with beds, wi-fi and maybe even some breakfast for 12€ per person but I am not sure that is worth the extra walk and isolation for the second day in a row. They probably have a much better area for washing and drying clothes up there though. Our bathroom floor is soaked from the washing and the bedroom now looks like Chinese laundry.

Some random thoughts for the day involve bathrooms. First, when you pay only 30-35€ for a double room in Portugal, expect to get a special spa treatment after showering. You will exfoliate your skin with the towels they give you. In fact, you could also use the towels as sandpaper for various handyman jobs around the house. Second, I was in a café toilet yesterday when I finally figured out that Portugal is the source for the origin of the term "bowel movement". Many of the cafés here save money on electricity by making sure the lights are not on when the toilet is not in use. They are equipped with motion detectors that turn the lights off after five seconds of no movement. How is that for pressure? By the way, I have discovered that I am not able to pee at the same time that I keep my rather long shirt urine-free and keep the lights on at the same time too. I tried waving my head instead of my hand but then I just wet the floor. I'm still thinking of a solution.

 

[davkel]

It certainly was in September and I have no reason to believe it was planning to close.

Thank you!

 

[davkel]

What I would do if I were walking into Agueda would be to first look for the Restaurante/Residencial Ribeirinho, because it is right there very close as you cross the bridge into town. Just turn right and you'll find it. Ribeirinho means riverside, and the restaurant parking lot is right there. If it's closed, the fallback is the Celeste, but that is apparently a bit of a hike up the hill (and past the pig park, if memory serves) and a few kms outside town. The Celeste has a website, http://www.residencialceleste.com (think that works).

For those on a budget, the Celeste will be the go-to place. But Agueda is a pleasant town, and I always like being able to walk around without having to go for kms to get to town. Agueda's library is in the old part of town (very small as I recall) and had free internet.

As the Lisbon pilgrims set out in 2015, maybe some of you will report back on whether the place is still open, or whether MichaelSG just got lucky! Michael, do you remember what you paid? Bom caminho, Laurie

We'll do exactly what you suggest, Laurie:

• We'll try the Residencial Riberinho as a first priority and,
  
• I'll report back on our success (or lack thereof), and what we paid if successful...

 

[peregrina2000]

We'll do exactly what you suggest, Laurie:

• We'll try the Residencial Riberinho as a first priority and,
  
• I'll report back on our success (or lack thereof), and what we paid if successful...

Hi, Davkel, since you're a new member you may not know that there are very good short guides to the Caminho from Lisbon-Porto and Porto-Santiago right here on the forum in the resources page. They have been a labor of love by all of the "Lisboetas" on the forum, and hopefully you'll find them helpful if you haven't already seen them.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/the-caminho-portugués-–-lisbon-to-oporto.123/
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/the-camino-portugués-–-oporto-to-santiago.124/

Bom caminho, Laurie

 

[Texas Walker]

From my notes:

We are staying in the Pensão O Ribeirinho in Águeda, just a hundred meters to the right as you enter town over the bridge. It's nice with a huge en-suite room [for two] for 35€. Those following us may have heard it is closed but I can assure you that it is not. The albergue that I had heard was also closed is actually also open but about a kilometer out of town. I don't think it is on the Caminho trail but I don't know for certain. It is supposed to be nice and new with beds, wi-fi and maybe even some breakfast for 12€ per person but I am not sure that is worth the extra walk and isolation for the second day in a row. They probably have a much better area for washing and drying clothes up there though. Our bathroom floor is soaked from the washing and the bedroom now looks like Chinese laundry.

Some random thoughts for the day involve bathrooms. First, when you pay only 30-35€ for a double room in Portugal, expect to get a special spa treatment after showering. You will exfoliate your skin with the towels they give you. In fact, you could also use the towels as sandpaper for various handyman jobs around the house. Second, I was in a café toilet yesterday when I finally figured out that Portugal is the source for the origin of the term "bowel movement". Many of the cafés here save money on electricity by making sure the lights are not on when the toilet is not in use. They are equipped with motion detectors that turn the lights off after five seconds of no movement. How is that for pressure? By the way, I have discovered that I am not able to pee at the same time that I keep my rather long shirt urine-free and keep the lights on at the same time too. I tried waving my head instead of my hand but then I just wet the floor. I'm still thinking of a solution.

LOL. Reminds me of (many) facilities in Spain! Nothing like being seated on the stool and the lights go out. And of course the (must be patted) switch is more than arm's length away! I do think the prize was the albergue where the large room with showers and toilets had one overhead lighting system with, you guessed it, the motion sensor shut-off. Remember to wave your hand vigorously above the shower partitions, or shower in the pitch black! Fun times...