Bed bugs in El Acebo!

[CaminoErin]

I enjoyed the amazing pool and quality service at the La Casa del Peregrino in El Acebo. Felt it was too good to be true … and it was! I woke up eaten alive by bedbugs in a bottom bunk in dorm room 6 on July 7, 2023. They have brown cotton sheets so check the bed carefully. Otherwise the food, staff, location and facilities were great but it is the first albergue where I experienced bed bugs … and it is bad! I have over 50 bits all over my body that I’m having a terrible reaction to.

 

[SabsP]

Sorry to hear. Wishing you a quick healing.

I hope you told the owner/ hospitalero of the albergue so he could take appropiate action?

 

[henrythedog]

That looks pretty definitive. Take off and nuke the place from orbit is the only option.

Could I recommend; in deference to your future hosts, you get some heavy-duty bug-spray at the first opportunity

 

[Marbe2]

Ma want to go to a pharmacy asap and get help! Antihist8ne and creams, etc. Be careful of infection.

 

[trecile]

Hopefully you have taken steps to assure that you don't transport bedbugs to the next albergue.

 

[Wright]

I enjoyed the amazing pool and quality service at the La Casa del Peregrino in El Acebo. Felt it was too good to be true … and it was! I woke up eaten alive by bedbugs in a bottom bunk in dorm room 6 on July 7, 2023. They have brown cotton sheets so check the bed carefully. Otherwise the food, staff, location and facilities were great but it is the first albergue where I experienced bed bugs … and it is bad! I have over 50 bits all over my body that I’m having a terrible reaction to.

Were you the only pilgrim bitten by the BBs? Can you spot the BBs if you try? Man, that’s awful.
What’s your plan?

 

[Camino Chrissy]

@CaminoErin, Sorry to hear of your bedbug bites and they sure do look painful.
I have stayed in Acebo on two separate occasions at the same hotel/albergue and it has always been a favorite of mine. It's disappointing to hear of this and the brown sheets are a negative. Hopefully you reported the incident and they have taken measures to fumigate and debug the room and also checked for other rooms/areas that may be affected.

 

[Saint Mike II]

Hola @CaminoErin
Bed bugs are unfortunately a continued problem on all the Caminos. I have not read all the above posts so sorry if this is repeat advice.
One you HAVE to tell the management so that they can implement a cleaning regime, even if this means closing for a day or two;
Two - ALL your clothes, sleeping bag and even backpack will need to be treated. Wash in hot water, dry in a tumble drier at 60C (140F) for around 30/45 mins. The advice about see a pharmacy is sound, those bites really do look nasty. Most supermarkto's in Spain will stock a strong insect killer, and I recommend that you thoroughly spray both inside and outside of your backpack and maybe your boots.
Hopefully by now you have been treated, but you should be advising the next two or three albergues you visit that you have had bed bugs recently. Please be open and honest.

Best wishes, Buen Camino

 

[thejoker]

I woke up eaten alive by bedbugs

Pleased to hear you were still alive while being eaten. Seiously, thanks for sharing and letting the hospitalero/a know.
A pharmacist will supply you with a good antihistamine or something like Mopidick, which is absolutely brilliant for insect bites such as sand flies and niknik bugs. In fact, your post has reminded me to get a fresh Mopidick for my upcoming camino.

 

[Jodean]

When I was there last year, I noticed that they were using cloth sheets but they were not fresh at all. Not so nice.
So sorry to hear you were bitten so bad. Those bites looks horrible!

 

[IngridF]

Farmacia

Go to the pharmacy right away, you might have to go to Ponferrada. I react similar. Antihistamine and salve. Like others said, inform the owners and make sure your backpack and contents are cleaned. Do not care forward.

 

[Mark Francis Auchincloss]

I would go to Local Health Centre asap to see the Doctor. They will give you an injection (normally your buttock) to combat your allergic reaction,an antihistamine. They will also prescribe a tablet to take every day for 3 days.That way your skin will recover quicker.

 

[Perambulating Griffin]

Also good to remember that bites are known not to show up until 24-72 hours AFTER they were acquired.
Good old cetirizine from the pharmacy handles the bites for most people and won't make you sleepy.
And yes to all the advice from @Saint Mike II

 

[wanderlustesq]

Also good to remember that bites are known not to show up until 24-72 hours AFTER they were acquired.
Good old cetirizine from the pharmacy handles the bites for most people and won't make you sleepy.
And yes to all the advice from @Saint Mike II

Although that may be generally true, it’s not the case for those of us that have an allergic reaction (which certainly looks like it from the photo).

It’s sad for everyone.

 

[antepacem]

Oh man, believe it or not, El Acebo is where I had BRUTAL bed bugs in 2013...I will honestly never stop in that town again. I ended up sleeping outside in a lounge chair while critters rustled in the garbage cans next to me. One good thing about it is that I learned that night that bedbugs are neither small nor stealthy...they were crawling ALL over me. I heard later that the only place in town that really takes care of the issue is the Parroquial. Still regretting my choice of a private room that night, ten years on.

Hope you feel better soon!!!

 

[Teez]

I enjoyed the amazing pool and quality service at the La Casa del Peregrino in El Acebo. Felt it was too good to be true … and it was! I woke up eaten alive by bedbugs in a bottom bunk in dorm room 6 on July 7, 2023. They have brown cotton sheets so check the bed carefully. Otherwise the food, staff, location and facilities were great but it is the first albergue where I experienced bed bugs … and it is bad! I have over 50 bits all over my body that I’m having a terrible reaction to.

Don’t hesitate to seek medical advice if the bites don’t seem to be responding to pharmacy remedies. I eventually had to go to Burgos Hospital because some of the bites got so bad.

 

[WayWalker]

Also good to remember that bites are known not to show up until 24-72 hours AFTER they were acquired.
Good old cetirizine from the pharmacy handles the bites for most people and won't make you sleepy.
And yes to all the advice from @Saint Mike II

Mine showed up immediately after being bitten. I caught them in the act.

 

[Madamjoy]

I enjoyed the amazing pool and quality service at the La Casa del Peregrino in El Acebo. Felt it was too good to be true … and it was! I woke up eaten alive by bedbugs in a bottom bunk in dorm room 6 on July 7, 2023. They have brown cotton sheets so check the bed carefully. Otherwise the food, staff, location and facilities were great but it is the first albergue where I experienced bed bugs … and it is bad! I have over 50 bits all over my body that I’m having a terrible reaction to.

I'm so sorry you are experiencing this and hope by now that you are finding some relief. Don't hesitate to go to a hospital or medical centre if you think the bites are not under control. Your personal health comes first. Please let us know how you are doing. Best wishes

 

[Pathfinder075]

Chlorpheniramine / Piriton is better than Cetirizine, but makes you drowsy. Same stuff they would give you in hospital. Cream wise, Synalar-Forte is available OTC at pharmacies and will do the trick for the steroid cream, which is what they gave me at a pharmacy when I got them in 2017.

Any antiseptic should work to clean them up. I prefer iodine based (betadine, etc). But germolene or savlon or it's equivalent should work.

If you have throat swelling, difficulty breathing, extreme itching, sickness, vomiting, then you need a hospital and tell them anaphylaxis.

 

[VNwalking]

I’m having a terrible reaction

So sorry that you've been bitten!
That looks like a nasty reaction - as others have said, best seek help, at least at a pharmacia.

And ASAP treat all your stuff so that you don't become an unwitting bed bug transport service. These little guys are sneaky as heck.

 

[AnneMarie1]

Noooooooo! I stayed there a month or so ago and even took a rest day there because it was so wonderful and comfortable. Don’t ruin my memories! I do hope you let them know so they could address it.

 

[Madeleine Jacobs]

I enjoyed the amazing pool and quality service at the La Casa del Peregrino in El Acebo. Felt it was too good to be true … and it was! I woke up eaten alive by bedbugs in a bottom bunk in dorm room 6 on July 7, 2023. They have brown cotton sheets so check the bed carefully. Otherwise the food, staff, location and facilities were great but it is the first albergue where I experienced bed bugs … and it is bad! I have over 50 bits all over my body that I’m having a terrible reaction to.

I am so sorry, the same happened to me in the same hotel. The farmacia has some sort of corticosteroid foam that really helps.

 

[Perambulating Griffin]

Mine showed up immediately after being bitten. I caught them in the act.

Also possible… but not showing up for a day to 3 days is well known.

 

[Albertagirl]

Thanks to all for comments. This is a useful reminder that I should spray my pack and bedding (I use Raid Bed Bug Killer) and ask my local pharmacist what he recommends for any bites. I ignored precautions when I walked in Spain in the spring this year, and received some nasty and long-lasting bites, although I don't think it was bed bugs that bit me. At least, I was not in bed. And I shall probably spend a night in an albergue in El Acebo during my walk. I have stayed twice in the Parroquial and not been bitten there, so it sounds like that is my best bet for avoidance of critters.

 

[Marbe2]

SO @CaminoErin How are you doing now? Can you update us?

 

[AnneMarie1]

Thanks to all for comments. This is a useful reminder that I should spray my pack and bedding (I use Raid Bed Bug Killer) and ask my local pharmacist what he recommends for any bites. I ignored precautions when I walked in Spain in the spring this year, and received some nasty and long-lasting bites, although I don't think it was bed bugs that bit me. At least, I was not in bed. And I shall probably spend a night in an albergue in El Acebo during my walk. I have stayed twice in the Parroquial and not been bitten there, so it sounds like that is my best bet for avoidance of critters.

Bed bugs can also lurk in seats at restaurants, buses, trains, etc. Also clothing stores. And your luggage can get them just from being stored with other luggage. They’re not just in beds.

 

[jgiesbrecht]

Thanks to all for comments. This is a useful reminder that I should spray my pack and bedding (I use Raid Bed Bug Killer) and ask my local pharmacist what he recommends for any bites. I ignored precautions when I walked in Spain in the spring this year, and received some nasty and long-lasting bites, although I don't think it was bed bugs that bit me. At least, I was not in bed. And I shall probably spend a night in an albergue in El Acebo during my walk. I have stayed twice in the Parroquial and not been bitten there, so it sounds like that is my best bet for avoidance of critters.

Spraying your bedding doesn't do a whole lot....usually dies after getting to you still. Maybe a bit different with raid, but most products pilgrims use they don't realize won't kill them on contact, so really it helps the next person but not you lol

 

[Pathfinder075]

I found some wrist bands that have quite high concentrations of deet in them (more than 25% concentration). Been thinking of sticking a couple of them in my rucksack to repel anything that wants to go in it.

As for killing them on contact I don't think many products are available that can do that, not at the amateur level anyway. Sure you can get stuff that will kill them, but it's probably not going to be good for you either.

 

[CarenofOregon]

I enjoyed the amazing pool and quality service at the La Casa del Peregrino in El Acebo. Felt it was too good to be true … and it was! I woke up eaten alive by bedbugs in a bottom bunk in dorm room 6 on July 7, 2023. They have brown cotton sheets so check the bed carefully. Otherwise the food, staff, location and facilities were great but it is the first albergue where I experienced bed bugs … and it is bad! I have over 50 bits all over my body that I’m having a terrible reaction to.

We stayed at La Casa del Peregrino in El Acebo on 23 June. Assigned to room 11, did a bedbug inspection and found live mature bed bugs on the mattress under the brown sheets. I showed the live bugs to the woman who checked us in, she moved us to another room. We looked carefully there and didn’t find any until the morning. We washed everything in hot water and a hot dryer at the next stop. Sorry to hear that the problem got worse.

 

[lencsespalpetra]

2 hónapja volt ugyanilyen problémám. A kórházba ment, és kapott szteroid és antihisztamin tablettát. Több száz harapás az egész testemben
And yes, my all things were washed in 90 degree for 3 hours by the hospitalero three days later...

 

[CarolamS]

My understanding of bed bugs is that they will move from an empty room to one containing people when they want to feed!
I was bitten when I stayed at La Casa del Peregrino in El Acebo last October. The showers there were the dirtiest I encountered by a long shot. But bedbugs can be a problem in clean places!

 

[nathanael]

Hola @CaminoErin
Bed bugs are unfortunately a continued problem on all the Caminos. I have not read all the above posts so sorry if this is repeat advice.
One you HAVE to tell the management so that they can implement a cleaning regime, even if this means closing for a day or two;
Two - ALL your clothes, sleeping bag and even backpack will need to be treated. Wash in hot water, dry in a tumble drier at 60C (140F) for around 30/45 mins. The advice about see a pharmacy is sound, those bites really do look nasty. Most supermarkto's in Spain will stock a strong insect killer, and I recommend that you thoroughly spray both inside and outside of your backpack and maybe your boots.
Hopefully by now you have been treated, but you should be advising the next two or three albergues you visit that you have had bed bugs recently. Please be open and honest.

Best wishes, Buen Camino

Permethrin is still the best protection. I spray my sleeping bag and saturate and hang it out to dry before I leave for the Camino. I also spray my Backpack my boots and my Outback hat. AS of yet no BB.

 

[nathanael]

Hola @CaminoErin
Bed bugs are unfortunately a continued problem on all the Caminos. I have not read all the above posts so sorry if this is repeat advice.
One you HAVE to tell the management so that they can implement a cleaning regime, even if this means closing for a day or two;
Two - ALL your clothes, sleeping bag and even backpack will need to be treated. Wash in hot water, dry in a tumble drier at 60C (140F) for around 30/45 mins. The advice about see a pharmacy is sound, those bites really do look nasty. Most supermarkto's in Spain will stock a strong insect killer, and I recommend that you thoroughly spray both inside and outside of your backpack and maybe your boots.
Hopefully by now you have been treated, but you should be advising the next two or three albergues you visit that you have had bed bugs recently. Please be open and honest.

Best wishes, Buen Camino

I was recommended only to spray the outside of your backpack.

 

[Jodean]

I spray the outside of my sleeping bag and my back pack and I check every mattress. Try and stay in albergues that have bedbug proof mattresses and metal bed frames.

 

[trecile]

I was recommended only to spray the outside of your backpack.

I always spray inside my backpack, my sleep gear and all my cloth stuff sacks.

Permethrin will not repel bedbugs nor kill them on contact. It does kill them over a few hours of contact with a treated surface.

So I use it primarily to avoid transporting them to the next place I stay - or to my home! Because permethrin isn't a repellent I think that it's important to spray inside my backpack - if bed bugs do get inside I want them to have a lot of contact with the permethrin.

 

[arturo garcia]

I enjoyed the amazing pool and quality service at the La Casa del Peregrino in El Acebo. Felt it was too good to be true … and it was! I woke up eaten alive by bedbugs in a bottom bunk in dorm room 6 on July 7, 2023. They have brown cotton sheets so check the bed carefully. Otherwise the food, staff, location and facilities were great but it is the first albergue where I experienced bed bugs … and it is bad! I have over 50 bits all over my body that I’m having a terrible reaction to.

I've been working and dealing with insects bites for more than 35 years. That allergic reactions with blisters doesn't appear in few hours after the bites, so maybe you got the bites the days before in another place. Maybe you have been carrying them for few days in your sleeping clothes, sleeping liner or sleeping bag. Buen Camino

 

[Anniesantiago]

I've been working and dealing with insects bites for more than 35 years. That allergic reactions with blisters doesn't appear in few hours after the bites, so maybe you got the bites the days before in another place. Maybe you have been carrying them for few days in your sleeping clothes, sleeping liner or sleeping bag. Buen Camino

For some, it appears immediately.

 

[Levi]

Yes, for me the itching and the bites appear immediately. I'm walking at the moment and twice in different albergues the itching has wakened me up and I've seen the bed-bugs scuttling away. So two almost sleepless nights spent sitting in albergue kitchens.

 

[grayland]

If you have any worries about a bedbug infestation where you are staying .....

I usually carry a black garbage bag in my pack and put my pack and everything in it before setting it on the floor in any albergue or suspect pension. The odds of a booger getting inside and traveling with you are very slim inside the plastic closed bag.
Not fool proof but a simple step to avoid a problem.

Of course...you will still have to stress about what you are sleeping in..both clothes and sleeping bag/sheet.

There is no escape

 

[astronwolf]

In addition to an antihistamine, I recommend any pramoxine hydrochloride cream like CeraVe to relieve the itching. My wife and I were eaten by chiggers this summer, and that pramoxine cream (CerVe) saved our sanity until the welts and swelling subsided.

I usually carry a black garbage bag in my pack and put my pack and everything in it before setting it on the floor in any albergue or suspect pension. The odds of a booger getting inside and traveling with you are very slim inside the plastic closed bag.

Maybe the crinkly plastic bag chases the bed bugs away.

 

[trecile]

In addition to an antihistamine, I recommend any pramoxine hydrochloride cream like CeraVe

CeraVe makes a number of different kinds of creams. The specific cream with pramoxine hydrochloride cream is CeraVe Itch Relief Moisturizing Cream.

Facts About Pramoxine Hydrochloride in Skincare | CeraVe

Learn more about the benefits of pramoxine hydrochloride for skin and how it can help soothe itch and irritation.

www.cerave.com