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Comfy Camino!

Frank66

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
May/June 2016 Camino Frances
September (2017) First stage of Camino Portugués
In for a different experience this time around. . . . I walked SJPDP to Santiago last May and stayed predominantly in Albergues with the odd hotel/Casa Rural thrown in as a treat.
This year we are staying in Casa Rurals/Guest Houses/Hotels for our entire Camino. We start walking on the 2nd Sep from Roncesvalles and finish up 3 weeks later wherever we are at at that point.
So, although I have walked the Camino before, any advice or links to useful information around doing the Camino not staying Albergues would be very welcome.
Hopefully will still experience some of the Esprit de Corps despite missing out on some of the shared accommodation hardships.
Can't wait to start our journey!!
 
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Some of my favorite non-albergue accommodation along the way:

Zubiri - Casa Rural Txantxorena
Puente la Reina - Hotel Rural El Cerco
Viana - Hotel Palacio de Pujadas
Castrojeriz - Pousada Emebed
Boadilla - Hotel en el Camino (same owner as albergue)
Carrion - Monasterio San Zoilo
Astorga - Either of the SPA hotels
Rabanal - Casa Indie
Villafranca del Bierzo - Hotel Plaza Mayor
Las Herrerias - Casa Rural Paraíso del Bierzo

In galicia there are so many rural houses off the camino that they are difficult to catalog.
 
Take a look at the Gronze website: it gives you all sorts of available accomodations, not just albergues.
 
Altus ANDES 400 H30 sleeping bag
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

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Friends of mine are having their regular holidays in Rabanal de Camino and speak highly about hostal la Candela.
 
We did mostly non-albergues and used Booking.com several times. The best option was albergues that had private rooms (occasionally with private bath). That way we got to meet more people in the communal rooms or during meals.
 
This is a touchy subject for me. I walked the CF in 2012 and 2014. The sights, the camaraderie and the experience left me enchanted. It enthralled me so much that my wife wanted to try it as well, along with another couple. We did the CF together in September, 2016. The only proviso my wife had was that she would not stay in albergues. As such, we booked private rooms through Booking.com for every night. What a mistake. The experience was nothing like my first two Caminos. We met few people, mingled among ourselves, and retired to our rooms for privacy. It was everything that my first two Caminos were not, and not in a good way. The memories of that Camino can't compare to my first two trips. To get back into the spirit, I did part of the Camino Primitivo, followed by part of the Camino Frances this past June, 2017.

Booking.com was great. Good selection, good prices and all of our reservations were in one central place. We could open up on app, and adjust everything on the fly. Just make sure you understand what you are buying into in terms of overall experience before you decide.
 
Camino Preparation Guide
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
2024 edition: The Brierley Camino Frances Guide
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
A lot of the "discomfort" on the Camino comes from the pain of walking day after day, so not sure staying in Casa Rurals is going to save you from that. As a couple, we found staying in alburges to be fine and as many were in historic buildings and were a real treat, never forget the alburges in Salamanca which opens up to a botanic garden. When we did want time alone, or a spot of luxury we would splash out and stay in a parador - dining out out under the stars in the courtyard at Zafra springs to mind, not to mention the utter joy of bubbles in the bath (cold cava, hot water). The luxury was all the more special after days in the road. Did get a few odd looks at the next albergue when they placed their stamp next to the parador sello.
 
"comfort" is relative ...
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
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.
Many of the albergues have private rooms, dso you get the comfort and privacy and the community of the albergues. There should be a + sign next to the private albergues
 
After many many alburgues I stayed in El Ganso (about 15km after Astorga), it was so comfy and quiet and had a fab shop on site. The owners were fun and friendly and it was good value - an oasis of loveliness!The place was called apartamemtos gabino. Although I have to admit though that after blissful privacy for one night I was happy to be back in the alburgue for the camaraderie!
 
My husband and I will begin Camino Frances at the end of August. Our plan is to stay in albergues and hotels. While I have our 1st and 2nd nights reserved it never occurred to me to reserve beyond that. If we want to stay in a hotel will we need to be booked ahead/have a reservation? I like the idea of not having a specific destination every single night.
 
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StFina said:
What a mistake. The experience was nothing like my first two Caminos. We met few people, mingled among ourselves, and retired to our rooms for privacy.
Click to expand...

MMDD allows you private albergues and pensions showing rooms for 2 or 4 .
You can still have the same group experience but maybe not as complete as your solo which would have been magical.
I agree Hotels have a different feel.
 
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