Hostals??

[katiawt]

Is it possible to walk from Le Puy to SJPP staying in hostals as in french camino?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Comparable to albergues are the gites in France. They are not as numerous and frequent as in Spain, but it is possible to stay almost exclusively in them. Reservations are the norm in France, so you need to make them two to three days in advance. You can get help from fellow pilgrims and hosts. A cell phone is useful because the public phones are disappearing.

 

[grayland]

Is it possible to walk from Le Puy to SJPP staying in hostals as in french camino?

The Gites in France are more expensive than albergues in Spain.
There is also fewer options for dinner. The Gites are often isolated from restaurants and offer no kitchen facilities but do offer dinner by hosts at a cost.
This does not apply to all Gites and does vary.
The cost in France is higher in all aspects.

 

[billmclaughlin]

You'll find every variation. A gite that has a kitchen but also offers dinner/breakfast; a gite that had a kitchen and doesn't offer meals; a gite that offers meals but has no kitchen. I remember one municipal gite that had a kitchen and if you wanted meals they were available, but served in the restaurant on the town square. A few times dinner included an aperitif or a little Armagnac at the end, or both. Sometimes there's a restaurant nearby and sometimes not, but your choice of gite will give you some control over that. Once our only alternative to cooking ourselves was a restaurant several kilometers away that would send a car to pick us up as long as we had a group of 4. We formed a group of 5 and the chef and his wife came to pick us up.

Most of the time I stayed in a gite for 30 euros and got a bed, dinner, and breakfast. More expensive than Spain but also, on average, a far better value. Fewer beds per room, fewer bunk beds, better meals. On average of course.

One story: a hiker, I forget from what country but Anglophone, complained about the French breakfasts, just juice, coffee and bread and jam and a little yoghurt. He couldn't wait to get to Spain where it had to be better!

Bill

 

[katiawt]

Thanks but I was wondering if there are hostels - a room with a bathroom. I don´t want to stay in albergues/gites.

 

[dalston999]

There are small hotels in some of the larger towns, but many chambre d'hôtes which offer better grade private rooms and bathrooms, usually on a half board basis. The Miam Miam Dodo guide is the best for finding them, planning your route and making reservations, either by email or phone.

The tourist offices are often very helpful too in making bookings, but only in their immediate vicinity. They only have information on their very local area.

 

[karenhypes]

There are small hotels in some of the larger towns, but many chambre d'hôtes which offer better grade private rooms and bathrooms, usually on a half board basis. The Miam Miam Dodo guide is the best for finding them, planning your route and making reservations, either by email or phone.

The tourist offices are often very helpful too in making bookings, but only in their immediate vicinity. They only have information on their very local area.

 

[karenhypes]

The only thing I might add to all the info above is that a lot of the gites offer a private room as well, many with an ensuite. In fact some of the smaller ones will only have one or two rooms. The cost for a private room is usually only a few euros more than sharing a room. As noted above, the Miam Miam Dodo is your best companion. You should easily be able to find a room to yourself and still be able to enjoy the comraderie of other pilgrims, ie. meals.
Bon Chemin.......Dayton

 

[robertt]

Yes, Katiawt, there is a lot of plain single room accommodation, frequently with own bath. That's how I travelled mostly. I love the gites and company (pilgrim and randonneur) in France but can't handle snoring. A Miam Miam Dodo, a phone, and some negotiating got me what I needed. (I walk in the cool time and it may be different in peaks.) Also, if you are with a small group there is often the chance to get a small room just for a few people.

If you take a Miam Miam Dodo, buy fresh. Lots of updates for the Chemin du Puy in each new edition!

Bon chemin

Rob

 

[katiawt]

Thanks everyone!! I´ll buy Miam Miam Dodo...

 

[Icacos]

Y

One story: a hiker, I forget from what country but Anglophone, complained about the French breakfasts, just juice, coffee and bread and jam and a little yoghurt. He couldn't wait to get to Spain where it had to be better!

Love it! ....aaaah, the joys of travel!

Thanks for the memories

 

[biloute]

If you take a Miam Miam Dodo, buy fresh. Lots of updates for the Chemin du Puy in each new edition!

2014 edition will be available on amazon.fr beginning Dec. 5.

I know that France is more expensive, so I want to take a tent and camp when possible, particularly if there's a campground or gîte that offers camping. But do you think it's okay to ask other gîtes if I can camp instead of staying in a room, maybe for a discounted price since I wouldn't be using a bed or their linens? Or would that be rude?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Or would that be rude?

That is hard to guess. Hosts already feel that they are providing a service. They are far enough away from Santiago that they don't feel any particular need to subsidize pilgrims; sort of "if you cannot afford it, don't go." It never hurts to ask, but if you are going to camp, you might want to stick to the listed camp grounds. They are usually quite well appointed with toilets and showers, but they are not much cheaper than the gites. Some have snack bars, but few have kitchens except in the cabins and caravans that they rent. Your main savings will be from cooking your own food, not the cost of the tent space. Once you have tossed the tent, ground cloth, sleeping mat, cook stove, gas, and cookware into your pack, you may need to revise your daily mileage plans downward a bit.