Albergue recommendations

[candi]

In June my son and I will be walking the Primitivo. This is my eighth Camino and his first. I have not walked the Primitivo before and would like your recommendations for some of your favorite albergues.

 

[ratherbefollowingflechas]

Here are a list of our faves:
Salas - Casa Suena - would give this place an 11
Fonsadrado - Portas des Grandes - very nice, comfy beds, clean bathroom
Lugo - Hostal Alba Lugo - Ask Pedro for a room on the backside
Lavacolla - Casa de Armancia - great food. Only 10K to Santiago in AM

Not 100% great:
Tineo - Palacio de Meras - hotel not the best. Albergue looks promising
Berducedo -Casa Marques - no food at night, floors in bathroom very wet
Fonsagrada - Pension Casa Manolo - beware the third floor - only stairs

Deviated to Camino Verde so we stayed in Friol, Sobrado and Twin Pines

All the above had private rooms and dormitory style bunk rooms.

Buen Camino

 

[Robo]

Not 100% great:
Tineo - Palacio de Mares - hotel not the best. Albergue looks promising
Berducedo -Casa Marques - no food at night, floors in bathroom very wet
Fonsagrada - Pension Casa Manolo - beware the third floor - only stairs

Just be to clear, these are not your favs, but very close to being so?

 

[trecile]

Tineo - Palacio de Meras - hotel not the best. Albergue looks promising

I stayed in the albergue - it was very nice. The only negative was that there was no outdoor space to hang your laundry.

Hotel Soto in Salas was great. I paid 25€ for a private room. There was a washing machine available and a sunny terrace to relax and hang laundry.

Albergue Los Hospitales just before the Hospitales Route was great. The owners were very warm and welcoming, and I got a huge bocadillo to take for the Hospitales climb.

 

[ratherbefollowingflechas]

Just be to clear, these are not your favs, but very close to being so?

Yes, I would not be opposed to staying there again, but would be open to new options as well. We stayed in a hotel room in Tineo, but saw the albergue, so we are giving that a shot. As far as Berducedo, we are heading onward to La Mesa. We will not be missing any of the places in our faves list.

Buen Camino

 

[Laurie Bryan Larson]

Consider the Albergue Municipal in Grado!

 

[MikeJS]

If I walked the Primitivo I would make every effort to stay here again - https://www.apocinademuniz.es/zona-de-literas-vilar/ of al the caminos I have walked this is by far the best place to stay!

 

[peregrina2000]

I can’t believe we’ve had a bunch of albergue recommendations for the Primitivo and no one has mentioned Bodenaya. Best of the best, though I haven’t stayed here since the new owners (a US-Spain couple) took it over last year. Alex, the original owner, who left his life as a taxi driver in Madrid to open an albergue, ran it for years, then sold to David and Celia, who carried on their welcoming, traditional hospitality. And just last year it changed hands again, and all reports are that the owners are filling the very big shoes that were left for them to fill.

For those who use Meta sites their Facebook page shows a lot about the place.

 

[JerryStroebele]

Albergue Alex at Bodenaya probably ranks among the top 3 albergues on all the Caminos. Buen Camino

 

[BayAreaPilgrim]

A couple of favorites:

Alojamiento la Figal de Xugabolos in Casazorina, shortly before Salas. Large comfortable common room, large grounds, a nice arbor with comfortable seating outside, a very good dinner, breakfast in the morning, and a very friendly host.

The albergue at Samblismo, a few minutes after the Hospitales split. Small donativo albergue with very welcoming hosts who wash your clothes and hang them up to dry, an horreo that you can sit in, delicious homemade dinner and breakfast with homemade bread. The location is good whether you’re going through Hospitales or Pola de Allande.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

I can’t believe we’ve had a bunch of albergue recommendations for the Primitivo and no one has mentioned Bodenaya. Best of the best, though I haven’t stayed here since the new owners (a US-Spain couple) took it over last year. Alex, the original owner, who left his life as a taxi driver in Madrid to open an albergue, ran it for years, then sold to David and Celia, who carried on their welcoming, traditional hospitality. And just last year it changed hands again, and all reports are that the owners are filling the very shoes that were left for them to fill.

For those who use Meta sites their Facebook page shows a lot about the place.

Bodenaya. 110%. With the new owners Allison and Alberto. (They had been open for five or six days). Wonderful, wonderful people, an incredible experience. When I rewalk the Primitivo - not if, when- I will most definitely be staying there again. If I have to I will plan the beginning of my camino around it.

Casa Pascual , the next day at El Espin. Another Donativo.
You're really spoilt for choice at El Espin, judging by the comments above and elsewhere here on the forum.

I, too deviated to Camino Verde so stayed in Friol, Sobrado and Twin Pines.

 

[dbier]

I didn't make it to either Bodenaya or Samblisimo, due to shipping a pack. But, among all the private accommodations I stayed at, these were all very clean and very good to me....

Albergue Valla de Nonaya, Salas.
Albergue El Cruce, La Espina ( donativo)
Casa Herminia, Campiello (I stayed in a lovely private room, but there's also an albergue)
Albergue Camino Primitivo, Berducedo (filled up fast, strongly recommended reservations unless your legs can carry you the next 5km to La Mesa)
Albergue Cantábrico, A Fonsagrada ( fully equipped kitchen, plus vending machines, sheets, towel, blanket included in the 15 Euro price)
Albergue Ponte Ferreira, Ferreira (last one out of town, nice, isolated).
Albergue El Aleman ( outside Melide, on the Francés)
I stayed in other lovely places, but they weren't albergues.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

I just checked my notes. Additions to above:

Bypassed Berducedo - well, stopped for a long break to rehydrate and stock up with a little food, but did not stay there - walked on 5 km more to LA Mesa. Large, modern, institutional but with a swimming pool - fantastic after a 30km day in July! Fairly good restaurant - good food, not cheap, but not excessive.

Excellent cafe shortly after the Dam the next day, great second breakfast/ early lunch break.

Don't miss the amazing Ethnographic
Museum in Grandas Salime. Watch the opening hours, they closed pretty early. Super cheap, €1.50 I think?

Stopped in Castro, 5.4km after Grandas de Salime - for the third time had new Hospitaliers - brother and sister team, really nice Pair. Decent place, good dinner.

A Fonsagrado town did nothing for me, moved on another 3km to O Pineiral. Another large modern institutional place with a good restaurant. Quite liked that the bunk beds were partitioned off in pairs. Good facilities including a small kitchen.

The Xunta at Castroverde was like so many of them fairly new and, other than a horrendously long check-in, a good place to stay.

 

[David Tallan]

Albergue Los Hospitales just before the Hospitales Route was great. The owners were very warm and welcoming, and I got a huge bocadillo to take for the Hospitales climb.

If I recall correctly (and my Wise Pilgrim app is correct) Albergue Los Hospitales isn't just before the Pola/Hospitales intersection and the start of the Hospitales route but rather some 3 km or so further on. I don't want anyone getting confused when they get to the intersection and haven't seen it yet. It is before most of the Hospitales, but after it has started and on the other route. You have to continue on towards Pola for a while to find it. That said, I've heard it is very nice and there is a path up from it to the Hospitales route. Myself, I stayed at Samblissmo which was also very nice, and just after the intersection so a much shorter walk to join the Hospitales.

 

[dbier]

Chiming back in....

...I travelled about 2 months after Peter, and about 3 after DavidT. I stopped for breakfast at Peter's albergue in La Mesa as the sun finished rising. Pretty sure this was it. 1st pic.

Where Peter stopped at the Café just past the dam, I spent the night. Hotel Las Grandes. As he said, excellent café with excellent views; good room, too. Despite the Wise Pilgrim listing, I don't think that this had an albergue....but I'd suggest calling if you're curious.

And El Aleman has a small, unheated outdoor pool...great for my aching knees, nice café. 2nd and 3rd pics.

 

[David Tallan]

Don't miss the amazing Ethnographic
Museum in Grandas Salime. Watch the opening hours, they closed pretty early. Super cheap, €1.50 I think?

I happened to pass through on a Monday. (or, in any case, on the day they don't open). Next time. Same with Bodenaya. I stayed at Salas and Tineo and the distances didn't work. Next time (and there will be a next time), I'll have to see how I can make it work.

 

[dbier]

I happened to pass through on a Monday. (or, in any case, on the day they don't open). Next time. Same with Bodenaya. I stayed at Salas and Tineo and the distances didn't work. Next time (and there will be a next time), I'll have to see how I can make it work.

Yeah...to my husband's intense amusement, I'm talking about a slower " next time," too. But it won't be until after we do the Ingles in 2025...

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

I happened to pass through on a Monday. (or, in any case, on the day they don't open). Next time. Same with Bodenaya. I stayed at Salas and Tineo and the distances didn't work. Next time (and there will be a next time), I'll have to see how I can make it work.

Yes, I walked on the extra 7 k's from Salas to Bodenaya up that beep of a hill... . It was a very long day.... Alison, Alberto and the people that I met there made it all worthwhile.!

Yeah...to my husband's intense amusement, I'm talking about a slower " next time," too. But it won't be until after we do the Ingles in 2025...

Your husband is not the only one that is amused (after your comments at the time!)

 

[trecile]

If I recall correctly (and my Wise Pilgrim app is correct) Albergue Los Hospitales isn't just before the Pola/Hospitales intersection and the start of the Hospitales route but rather some 3 km or so further on.

You are right. It is after the split Pola/Hospitales split on the Pola track, but there is a trail that cuts right across to the Hospitales route directly across the street from the albergue.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/any-advice-about-how-to-strenthen-my-knees-for-down-hills.84660/#post-1212395

Besides being a nice place to stay (full disclosure, I splurged on the private room, which was the nicest private room I stayed in on the Camino this year) I liked having a slightly shorter walk that day.

 

[unadara]

In June my son and I will be walking the Primitivo. This is my eighth Camino and his first. I have not walked the Primitivo before and would like your recommendations for some of your favorite albergues.

I start the Primitivo on May 2nd from Oviedo with my American Camino friend Judy, We've always stayed in Municipal Albergues before.
? I'm interested in the need to book Ahead any beds or a Private room to be sure of a Bed if I need to take a slower pace due to the large distances some days. I might only have 10 days (not sure yet of return flights).
Would you advise booking ahead if I'm going to arrive late? Una

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

I start the Primitivo on May 2nd from Oviedo with my American Camino friend Judy, We've always stayed in Municipal Albergues before.
? I'm interested in the need to book Ahead any beds or a Private room to be sure of a Bed if I need to take a slower pace due to the large distances some days. I might only have 10 days (not sure yet of return flights).
Would you advise booking ahead if I'm going to arrive late? Una

Una, good question.
If you hope to do the entire Primitivo in just 10 days then you will definitely be walking a couple of long days! Unlike the Frances, Albergues are not every 5 kms or so. Up until Lugo, anyway, from where your options increase.

That said, there are definitely options, it just takes a little forethought/planning. You’d do worse than looking at @NadineK stage’s - her YouTube channel Nadine Walks. She did it in 11 day’s, could easily have made it 10.
I used that, and the Camino Primitivo Village to Village map guide (from Ivor) for my planning.

May is a moderately popular month, 2617 pilgrims last year ( compared to a high of 3905 in August). So most places are unlikely to be full, just your choices may be more limited.
I walked in July, at 3200 just over 600 pilgrims more - and places like Grado and Salas had spare beds in town, other smaller places like Castroverde have just the Xunta ( excellent, all 34 beds full by 15.00/16.00) and a pension. Also full.

Popular places like Bodenaya (day 2, my personal don’t miss) are definitely well worth booking.

Remember, too, that if bad weather comes in, you won’t be able to walk the Hospitales - either adding a day to your walk, or making it a 44 km day . Not nice…

Do try and extend your trip, an extra 1/2 day in both Oviedo and Lugo are highly recommended! Or shorten it, do shorter stages, and finish in Lugo - the best is nearly all before Lugo in my opinion.

Buen Camino

 

[unadara]

Many Thanks for the Good reply.
I have walked many Caminos but don't know how to change my info. (Duh). A finish in Lugo is very likely as Judy and I have walked into Santiago many times (but do love to do that also), I'm good at research so will examine those recommendations.
This thread is great for noting the reasons people like different places also
( I follow Laurie and read her new FindPenguins and she's the "knowledge" But ! I can't walk like her....(never been on an Elliptical!). My Camino walks in Portugal were amazing.

 

[trecile]

I have walked many Caminos but don't know how to change my info. (Duh).

Easy to do. Click on your name at the top of the page, then choose "Account details." There are a number of fields that you can personalize.