albuerges vs. pensions, hotels

[joseywales]

Hi.

Getting ready to do my first Camino, starting on April 24 and I have two quick questions at the moment...

Q1: Can you eat in an albergue in which you are not staying?

Q2: Do pensions, hotels have kitchens for use if you wish to cook or is it a rarity?

Thanks!

--Joe

 

[jsalt]

Hi Joe, two quick answers:
1. Yes
2. No

 

[dougfitz]

Q1: Can you eat in an albergue in which you are not staying?
Q2: Do pensions, hotels have kitchens for use if you wish to cook or is it a rarity?

The answer to the first question is 'it depends'. Some private albergues I stayed at where a meal was provided also advertised a pilgrim menu and clearly welcomed anyone who wanted to eat. In the main, it was unusual, and I don't think I saw this in other than private albergues. Others might have better information on this.

On the second question, I very much doubt a commercial establishment would want their kitchen facilities used by guests. Certainly the cleaning standards of some pilgrims I followed in preparing my own meals in albergue kitchens fell well short of reasonable commercial standards, even allowing for the occasional lack of cleaning equipment and supplies. The times that I did stay in a hostel or hotel, it wasn't an issue. I didn't want to do my own cooking at those places - if I had, I wouldn't have used them.

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

Hi.

Getting ready to do my first Camino, starting on April 24 and I have two quick questions at the moment...

Q1: Can you eat in an albergue in which you are not staying?

Q2: Do pensions, hotels have kitchens for use if you wish to cook or is it a rarity?

Thanks!

--Joe

Nope and nope

 

[Mark Lee]

Hi.

Getting ready to do my first Camino, starting on April 24 and I have two quick questions at the moment...

Q1: Can you eat in an albergue in which you are not staying?

Q2: Do pensions, hotels have kitchens for use if you wish to cook or is it a rarity?

Thanks!

--Joe

In question #1 I get the impression that would apply in the event your friends are staying in a different albergue than you, and they invite you to break bread with them that evening, and you are wondering if the albergue would allow you to hang there and have supper with your friends even though you are not spending the night? The answer is yes, and I say that because I did that on my first Camino.
As far as question #2 goes, I never saw kitchen facilities in any of the pensiones or hotels I stayed in.

 

[jsalt]

I agree with Mark. For example, in Belorado I was staying at Cuatro Cantones and two camino friends were staying at Santa Maria. It was no problem for them to eat with me in my albergue. Same again at Ages, we were staying and eating at the municipal albergue, while others staying at another albergue were also eating at the municipal.

 

[Chacharm]

Nope and nope

Not so. Many places serving a menu de peregrino put a sign outside and advertise it for everyone. Not just their guests. Most places in fact. They're not always even from an albuergue. You won't have any trouble finding a place to eat. Ever.

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

Not so. Many places serving a menu de peregrino put a sign outside and advertise it for everyone. Not just their guests. Most places in fact. They're not always even from an albuergue. You won't have any trouble finding a place to eat. Ever.

Indeed and right you are. If there's a sign offering food, then you are welcome to pay. In any case, I had understood from the original post whether a pilgrim could access kitchen facilities in an albergue, and thus eat there, if not staying at the albergue.

 

[Chacharm]

Aha. I thought the OP was asking if there were kitchen facilities available in hostels and hotels.

 

[Introibo]

Cuatro Cantones welcomes other pilgrims in to the evening meal. And the Puerta de Najera albergue was very welcoming when a young Korean girl asked if her friend staying in the municipal could come in and have a meal with her.

 

[Scott Sweeney]

I still want to know who left the door unlocked.

I remember my first thru walk in the New Mexico/ Arizona deserts ..

.... Why do you walk? Really?

 

[RENSHAW]

Hi Josey,
There are other options such as turismo Apartments that usualy have fully equipped kitchens as well as pensions that are solely geared up towards pilgrims. Google Pension Usoa in Zubiri or Apartamentos Asun in Viana to get some idea.