• For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Are there Bedbugs in Villafranca?

Kerrygold

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
I want to walk - for the forst time - in October/November (2015)!
I have an urgent question: today I'm going to stay in Villafranca and I would like to sleep in Albergue Fenix. The only problem is that I've heard they have massive problem with bedbugs. The latest information about it is from two months ago. Do you have any up to date i fo about it?
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Not first hand, but I personally would be careful, the house / albergue is really very rustic, meaning lots of old stone walls with crevices ect. Plenty of hiding places for bed bugs. If they had indeed bed bugs two months ago it would have been very difficult to eradicate them completely. Buen Camino sin chinches, SY
 
I heard that the operators fumigated and even heat treated the bunks and wall surfaces, but that was a while ago. I'm sure they are doing there best they can. If you are walking in winter you will probably be OK - the cinches don't like cold weather. It is in mid summer that they become a problem. I always treat my sleeping gear with permethrin and carry a small can of pyrethrum non-aerosol spray "just in case".
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Kerry

go stay at albergue de la piedra if its still open. clean sheets everyday and full deep clean from top to bottom every day..best bunks the double top right in the attic ..as you leave town cross bridge minutes on your right hand side..call them they speak English.

bedbugs are around all year in heated buildings...seen then Nov and January.
 
I have an urgent question: today I'm going to stay in Villafranca and I would like to sleep in Albergue Fenix. The only problem is that I've heard they have massive problem with bedbugs. The latest information about it is from two months ago. Do you have any up to date i fo about it?
They are just bedbugs. I know they are a pain, but remember they mostly aren't fatal!
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
We sprayed all our stuff down with permithrin after the walk and then just washed it all in hot water and tumble dried it. We had run into them once in Estella but we had taken precautions ahead of time and the one I found was in pretty bad shape...and then I killed it
 
@Kerrygold, I guess you are either in Ave Fenix by now or you're not. A search of the Forum for Ave Fenix would have gained you much comment to consider. Bed Bugs do seem to have been a recurring issue in recent years as have a "party" atmosphere that has not suited all members who have stayed there. Nevertheless the Jato family have been friends of the Camino for a long time and the welcome is heartfelt even if the facilities are challenging.

If you are in Villafranca tonight then Mi Tienda, Calle Jesus Adran 6 is worth a visit. Good Tapa and excellent Bierzo wines.

Buen Camino
 
Last edited:
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
If you want a great meal with delicious Bierzo wine eat at the nearby Hostal de la Puerta del Pardon which faces the castle across the plaza after you pass Ave Felix. The owner is very outgoing and has often walked the CF. The Hostal also offers private rooms.
Buen camimo!
 
Last edited:
They are just bedbugs. I know they are a pain, but remember they mostly aren't fatal!
Ever been bitten all over with them???!! More than just a pain! We met 2 girls in Astorga and they were in a dreadful state. Always bring hydrocortisone cream just in case!! Bed bugs can also be found in the best of hotels or pensions if infested backpacks are put on beds.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Kerry

go stay at albergue de la piedra if its still open. clean sheets everyday and full deep clean from top to bottom every day..best bunks the double top right in the attic ..as you leave town cross bridge minutes on your right hand side..call them they speak English.

bedbugs are around all year in heated buildings...seen then Nov and January.

Yes. A lovely Albergue. I second that.
 
We ended up in Fenix. The hospitalero said that there are absolutely no bedbugs. I will let you know tomorrow morning if they solved the problem!
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
If you want a great meal with delicious Bierzo wine eat at the nearby Hostal de la Puerta del Pardon which faces the castle across the plaza after you pass Ave Felix. The owner is very outgoing and has often walked the CF. The Hostal also offers private rooms.
Buen camimo!
I absolutely love that place! The hospitality was brilliant, and the owner's wife is an absolute sweetheart. In the morning, sit and enjoy some delicious coffee while you look at the castle right outside the window.
 
I have an urgent question: today I'm going to stay in Villafranca and I would like to sleep in Albergue Fenix. The only problem is that I've heard they have massive problem with bedbugs. The latest information about it is from two months ago. Do you have any up to date i fo about it?
Do you mean Villafrance Del Bierzo - and Albergue Ave Fenix? If so, I stayed there on 22 September. No bedbugs back then (yes nearly 2 months ago). I stayed there on the recommendation by Brierley, but did not get any of the ambience that Brierley wrote about. Maybe it was the people who managing the place. Pilgrims I met the next day (at Laguna de Castilla) stayed at de la Piedra (I think they paid E10) and said was really good. From the map it is a bit "out of town" but is also on the way to Pereje and O'Cebeiro. Buen Camino!
 
One of my favourite places on the CF was http://www.albergueleo.com/ in Villafranca. True spirit of hospitality and beautifully restored old building and so clean that any bed bug would run away in fear ;-) Buen Camino, SY

PS Yes, I know, bed bugs don't care how clean a place is, they settle even in Paradores ...
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
The Hostal also offers private rooms.
I absolutely love that place! The hospitality was brilliant, and the owner's wife is an absolute sweetheart. In the morning, sit and enjoy some delicious coffee while you look at the castle right outside the window.
What Margaret and Deb said. This was a night spent as a respite from albergues, and this was such a comfortable and hospitable place to spend it!
 
I heard that the operators fumigated and even heat treated the bunks and wall surfaces, but that was a while ago. I'm sure they are doing there best they can. If you are walking in winter you will probably be OK - the cinches don't like cold weather. It is in mid summer that they become a problem. I always treat my sleeping gear with permethrin and carry a small can of pyrethrum non-aerosol spray "just in case".
I find permethrin is effective I sprayed all my gear including my boots..a couple of guys around me had BB but I was spared due to the spraying.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
So, to let you know: NO BEDBUGS! I hope they have finally managed to tackle the problem for good. (In the same time, a remark: SJPP info is not accurate, it's €8 instead of 5 and there is breakfast included - mandatory).
 
I have an urgent question: today I'm going to stay in Villafranca and I would like to sleep in Albergue Fenix. The only problem is that I've heard they have massive problem with bedbugs. The latest information about it is from two months ago. Do you have any up to date i fo about it?
Hi Kerry I stayed in the Fenix just a few weeks ago. And as kind of "funky" the place is, there were no bed bugs as far as I found. I did however come across then in a very swanky new albergue in Terradillos de la Templarios. I think they were in the blanket actually. And I really don't know what the big deal with then is, as even though I got a few bites they weren't that troublesome and went away in a couple of days. (I have experienced much worse infestations in the trekking lodges in Nepal.) I did hang my sleeping bag out in the sun the next day, and had no more trouble after that. And when I came home I put it in the dryer just to be sure. Good luck with the rest of your Camino.
 
One of my favourite places on the CF was http://www.albergueleo.com/ in Villafranca. True spirit of hospitality and beautifully restored old building and so clean that any bed bug would run away in fear ;-) Buen Camino, SY

PS Yes, I know, bed bugs don't care how clean a place is, they settle even in Paradores ...

Albergue Leo is beautiful, it is spotless, the hosts are lovely, and I was bitten by bedbugs there a few weeks ago. As you said, bedbugs don't care how clean a place is...
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.

Most read last week in this forum

Could I ask what may be naive question. This will be my 1st Camino and I will be mostly staying in alberques. Could you please explain the bathroom/shower etiquette to me? I have no idea what...
Do i need both these apps? I want to spend as little time my device as possible so if one app will do fine that’s my preference.
I was planning to document my journey through my blog (or Vlog, as I would probably take lots of videos). I was thinking of using my iPhone, and I ordered a foldable keyboard to facilitate typing...
I did the Norte in 2017. This set off a wild ride of changes in life - shifting many things. I am now at a new plateau and it feels like the right time to do Camino #2, this time the...
Hi to all, I'm looking for a really, really good place (an artist) to get a Tattoo in Santiago, it could be before Santiago but I presume in Santiago I will be ready to have my first one. The...
My daughter and I will be on the Portuguese on June and July starting in Lisbon. We will arrive in Porto about the 27th of June. We want to stay for three nights. Can we stay in an albergue for...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top