Hotels along the way -

[FionaKH]

Hi there - we are two 'older' women from Australia who will be walking the Camino in September and October 2025 - we are tempted by the companies that pre book accomodation and bag transfers but think we will pay a real premium for this service. We are quite savvy and use booking.com a lot for various trips etc - (ie 6 month excursion thru India Africa and Turkey this year)
Is there a great guide to good places to stay? - we are a bit beyond hostels so would be looking for clean and tidy hotels preferably with private bathrooms and definitely only want to walk with day packs. Neither of us speak spanish so the idea of organising everyday is a little daunting.
Any hints, tips or warnings would be great - along with budget suggestions - thank you so much! This a trip more than ten years in the making so we are a little excited!

 

[CWBuff]

Hello and welcome
If you are as savvy as you say and have no problem navigating booking.com then you leave no problem doing it yourself. Keep in mind that there are plenty albergues/hostels along the way that offer private rooms with en-suite and they are spotlessly clean and comfy so don't just zero in on hotels.
There are plenty companies that offer luggage transfer. Seems the most popular and well known is JacoTrans. I personally used NCA - Nunca Carriers - and had mo issues one so ever. There are others as well.
In short I have all the confidence that you will be able to do it and be fine with no tour companies to (ahem) help you.
Good luck and Buen Camino

 

[J Willhaus]

Gronze.com also lists hotels on the Camino routes. It is a Spanish site, but you can translate it if you open it in a Google browser.

Just be aware that booking.com only has a limited number of the rooms in most places. Sometimes people panic if there are no rooms on booking.com or it says they are full. Booking directly with a hotel may give you more selection and may be cheaper as well.

 

[trecile]

As far as the luggage goes, you can arrange transfer on a day to day basis. I would only book my first few nights before leaving home, then as I understand how far I'm comfortable walking each day I would book a day or two ahead.

You have a lot of time to plan and learn how bookings and luggage transfer work.

 

[auburnfive]

I have sent you a private message

 

[SabsP]

I tr to avoid bookingdotcom and for Caminos I rely on Gronze.

El Camino de Santiago | Gronze.com

Bienvenido a Gronze, tu Guía del Camino de Santiago: Información práctica, actualizada y participativa de los principales Caminos de Santiago.

www.gronze.com

 

[woody66]

Hi! Here is a post i did on a previous thread !

I walked Leon to Santiago and Fisterre Muxia 2023!
These below were my memorable stays and would stay again.

From Leon i took the Mazerife variant.

Domus Oncinae Fabia​

Address:C/Real, 7, 24391 Oncina de la Valdoncina, Spain
Phone: +34 606 80 39 57
Great host, modern rooms on site restaurant an oasis on the Camino.

Molinas Galochas (Galochas Mill)
Location:
Villavante
Phone:
+34 987 388 546
+34 629 963 870
Web:
www.molinogalochas.com

Most wonderful stay Mercedes was an amazing host, home cooked food, communal meal at dinner.
On arrival she immediately got me a drink and made me a salad with quiche. Authentic Spain in the old mill so don't expect brand new everything.

El Puente Peregrino​

Address:Camino Santiago, 153, 24523 Trabadelo, Spain
Phone: +34 987 56 65 00
Great reviews on this place with which i concur, vegetarian menu ( i am not a vegetarian but had one of the best meals on my Camino), great host, clean rooms stands out in my memory!

Casa Galego​

Address:Fonfría 9, 27671 Fonfría, Spain
Phone: +34 627 47 47 83
What a surprise fresh modern Hotel in a small hill village, spotless, great staff and views.
I remember the Camino path out started great but then got quite difficult where it had collapsed in on itself!

A Casa da Botica​

Address:2 Rúa Fontao, 27620 Samos, Spain
Phone: +34 982 54 60 95
Lovely stay in Samos with the monastery about 100mtrs away, clean ,comfortable, modern and very helpful staff!

Casa Roan y Casa Grande​

Address:Sestelo 4, , 27215 Lodoso, Spain
Phone: +34 982 19 49 89


Memorable stay here in this rustic rural Finca, great staff, food and location they pick you up and drop you of from Lodoso or Palas de Rei.
Great communal meal.

Hotel Atalaia B&B​

Address:Algalia de Arriba 44, 15704 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Phone: +34 981 56 63 73
Stayed here 3 times great little hotel less than 10 mins walk from Cathederal square, modern, spotless,
Quiet and good breakfast Cristina is wonderful. Will always stay there i think in future.

LIRESCA​

Address:lugar de Lires 31, 15138 Lires, Spain
Phone: +34 981 46 43 95
Loved this place in Lires the owner is also proud of her hotel, modern, spotless rooms, best shower on the walk laundry service and food was great with vegetarian options.
The pudding was recommended; but i was dubious chocolate mouse with caramel and salt delicious.
Buen Camino
Woody

 

[musicman]

Hi there - we are two 'older' women from Australia who will be walking the Camino in September and October 2025 - we are tempted by the companies that pre book accomodation and bag transfers but think we will pay a real premium for this service. We are quite savvy and use booking.com a lot for various trips etc - (ie 6 month excursion thru India Africa and Turkey this year)
Is there a great guide to good places to stay? - we are a bit beyond hostels so would be looking for clean and tidy hotels preferably with private bathrooms and definitely only want to walk with day packs. Neither of us speak spanish so the idea of organising everyday is a little daunting.
Any hints, tips or warnings would be great - along with budget suggestions - thank you so much! This a trip more than ten years in the making so we are a little excited!

Hola, I have organised personal and group Caminos for a number of years ,always using this method.
First work out your overnight stops.
Look at Gronze / Brierley’s guide for accommodation suggestions in your chosen locations.
Use Booking.com ( free cancellation) to book - if nothing comes of the aforesaid searches just look at B.com places - read the reviews, then choose.
If this fails, ( rarely in my experience)use Google Maps and enter hotels in your location- choose from them and book via their website .
Luggage transfer in Spain is well supported by the Spanish post office - the CORREOS- excellent website in English .
Pm me if you want examples of recent bookings.
Buen Camino .

 

[SlowCamino2024]

Hi there - we are two 'older' women from Australia who will be walking the Camino in September and October 2025 - we are tempted by the companies that pre book accomodation and bag transfers but think we will pay a real premium for this service. We are quite savvy and use booking.com a lot for various trips etc - (ie 6 month excursion thru India Africa and Turkey this year)
Is there a great guide to good places to stay? - we are a bit beyond hostels so would be looking for clean and tidy hotels preferably with private bathrooms and definitely only want to walk with day packs. Neither of us speak spanish so the idea of organising everyday is a little daunting.
Any hints, tips or warnings would be great - along with budget suggestions - thank you so much! This a trip more than ten years in the making so we are a little excited!

Hola Finona, I am in a similar situation but doing Camino Frances this fall not next. I do speak fluent Spanish and plan to stay in other accommodations but great to know there ARE albergues with private rooms of which I was unaware. I also use booking.com at discounted level but good reminder about Gronze. I have heard there are some hotels that offer discounts to pilgrims. If you happen to walking the Frances and wish to connect with me I will be happy to share after my experience what I have found...
THANKS TO ALL THE HELPFUL VETERANS WHO HAVE RESPONDED TO YOUR QUERY! Buen Camino Linda

 

[jimmyc]

I always looked for pensions. These are marked at the entrance with a P, I found these comfortable and inexpensive.

 

[XtineMac]

Hi there - we are two 'older' women from Australia who will be walking the Camino in September and October 2025 - we are tempted by the companies that pre book accomodation and bag transfers but think we will pay a real premium for this service. We are quite savvy and use booking.com a lot for various trips etc - (ie 6 month excursion thru India Africa and Turkey this year)
Is there a great guide to good places to stay? - we are a bit beyond hostels so would be looking for clean and tidy hotels preferably with private bathrooms and definitely only want to walk with day packs. Neither of us speak spanish so the idea of organising everyday is a little daunting.
Any hints, tips or warnings would be great - along with budget suggestions - thank you so much! This a trip more than ten years in the making so we are a little excited!

Hi ladies - I am brand new to the forum - from New Zealand - an older lady and walking at a similar time to you. I got a quote from a "camino company" but at an average price of €133 per day including breakfast - this was just too expensive for me as a solo traveller. So I set to work planning myself. I excluded breakfast as so many accommodations serve breakfast "late". First I set out my schedule - adding an extra 7 walking days to the 33 day route I had used as a starting point. I have broken up long distance days and uphill days. For example I am walking via Valcarlos and taking 2 days to get to Roncesvalles. Like you, after flying for 24 hours and dealing with a completely opposite time zone, I didn't want to start my journey exhausted. I have also added 5 rest days. I want to enjoy zero days in some of the big cities e.g. Burgos. I wanted to stay in private rooms and felt that I needed to book as there are so many stories of terrible accommodation shortages last year. So I set to work using booking.com and google maps. In some places, there were no options on booking.com and so about 1/3 of my bookings have been made direct with the accommodation. Most that I used had an online booking option. After three weeks of on and off work and planning, I have a total of 50 nights accommodation booked. My average daily rate for a single room has worked out at €65. I hope that this helps. Best wishes from down under, Christine

 

[trecile]

I always looked for pensions. These are marked at the entrance with a P, I found these comfortable and inexpensive.

Also look for hostales, which are small, often family run hotels, similar to pensiones, but in my experience hostal rooms always have private bathrooms, but pensiones often have shared bathrooms.

 

[FionaKH]

Hi ladies - I am brand new to the forum - from New Zealand - an older lady and walking at a similar time to you. I got a quote from a "camino company" but at an average price of €133 per day including breakfast - this was just too expensive for me as a solo traveller. So I set to work planning myself. I excluded breakfast as so many accommodations serve breakfast "late". First I set out my schedule - adding an extra 7 walking days to the 33 day route I had used as a starting point. I have broken up long distance days and uphill days. For example I am walking via Valcarlos and taking 2 days to get to Roncesvalles. Like you, after flying for 24 hours and dealing with a completely opposite time zone, I didn't want to start my journey exhausted. I have also added 5 rest days. I want to enjoy zero days in some of the big cities e.g. Burgos. I wanted to stay in private rooms and felt that I needed to book as there are so many stories of terrible accommodation shortages last year. So I set to work using booking.com and google maps. In some places, there were no options on booking.com and so about 1/3 of my bookings have been made direct with the accommodation. Most that I used had an online booking option. After three weeks of on and off work and planning, I have a total of 50 nights accommodation booked. My average daily rate for a single room has worked out at €65. I hope that this helps. Best wishes from down under, Christine

Great to hear that's it is so doable - we are allowing up to 50 days too - at 46 at present - so glad you found it possible - dont mind spending the time at all but am a cheap skate when it comes to paying extra for convenience - I wouldn't mind 25% but 100% markup - much better to spend it on more travel and great experiences. thanks for sharing

 

[FionaKH]

Hola Finona, I am in a similar situation but doing Camino Frances this fall not next. I do speak fluent Spanish and plan to stay in other accommodations but great to know there ARE albergues with private rooms of which I was unaware. I also use booking.com at discounted level but good reminder about Gronze. I have heard there are some hotels that offer discounts to pilgrims. If you happen to walking the Frances and wish to connect with me I will be happy to share after my experience what I have found...
THANKS TO ALL THE HELPFUL VETERANS WHO HAVE RESPONDED TO YOUR QUERY! Buen Camino Linda

Thank you so very much - would love to hear how you go - and am amazed at the generosity of people sharing hints and tips - xx

 

[Anamiri]

Hi there - we are two 'older' women from Australia who will be walking the Camino in September and October 2025 - we are tempted by the companies that pre book accomodation and bag transfers but think we will pay a real premium for this service. We are quite savvy and use booking.com a lot for various trips etc - (ie 6 month excursion thru India Africa and Turkey this year)
Is there a great guide to good places to stay? - we are a bit beyond hostels so would be looking for clean and tidy hotels preferably with private bathrooms and definitely only want to walk with day packs. Neither of us speak spanish so the idea of organising everyday is a little daunting.
Any hints, tips or warnings would be great - along with budget suggestions - thank you so much! This a trip more than ten years in the making so we are a little excited!

Pack transfer is simple. I've always used Jacotrans, with good results You can do it day at a time with the bags they leave in the reception areas.
Or if you book before you go, you can prepay your bag transfer as well. You save a euro per time, and they send you a tag to print out and attach to your bag.

 

[trecile]

This list from the Wise Pilgrim app describes the different kinds of private accommodations found in Spain. In addition many albergues also offer private rooms.

 

[Gramps]

Hi there - we are two 'older' women from Australia who will be walking the Camino in September and October 2025 - we are tempted by the companies that pre book accomodation and bag transfers but think we will pay a real premium for this service. We are quite savvy and use booking.com a lot for various trips etc - (ie 6 month excursion thru India Africa and Turkey this year)
Is there a great guide to good places to stay? - we are a bit beyond hostels so would be looking for clean and tidy hotels preferably with private bathrooms and definitely only want to walk with day packs. Neither of us speak spanish so the idea of organising everyday is a little daunting.
Any hints, tips or warnings would be great - along with budget suggestions - thank you so much! This a trip more than ten years in the making so we are a little excited!

My wife and I are currently on the Camino. Day 7. Navarette. We booked all accommodation on Booking.com. Has worked really well. You can select accommodation that suits your budget. Luggage transfer is a breeze. Cost per bag Eur 6 sometimes Eur 7. It is so organized. Every hotel on the route will be able to assist. We can't speak Spanish. Hand gestures, smiles, few words here and there and Google Translate - and you are sorted! Buen Camino!

 

[WalkingInGers]

Bag transfer is a breeze. You find special envelopes in hostels, pensions, albergues, hotels and you have your backpack transported to your next destination provided you know exactly where you are going. You call up a number in English if necessary and indicate the name of the place where you are currently and where you want your muchilla transported to. You fill out the envelope, place your six euros in it, leave it before leaving somewhere indicated by the hosts. You will find it when you arrive.

Just a note to call the right number usually before 6PM.

 

[WalkingInGers]

I would like to warn you about a ghost hotel that I encountered in Villadangos del Páramo it is located between LEON and ASTORGa and is called AVENIDA III. You want to stay in Villadangos? There are other hostels and albergues there. I have notified Booking.com of this place and suggested that they remove this ghost hotel from their offerings.

 

[J Willhaus]

I would like to warn you about a ghost hotel that I encountered in Villadangos del Páramo it is located between LEON and ASTORGa and is called AVENIDA III. You want to stay in Villadangos? There are other hostels and albergues there. I have notified Booking.com of this place and suggested that they remove this ghost hotel from their offerings.

I think that Avenida III used to kind of be a truck stop kind of place. We had a coffee there in 2016.

 

[Blue Tang]

Is there a great guide to good places to stay? - we are a bit beyond hostels so would be looking for clean and tidy hotels preferably with private bathrooms and definitely only want to walk with day packs. Neither of us speak spanish so the idea of organising everyday is a little daunting.

If you are comfortable with the idea of not booking your entire trip ahead, you can build more flexibility (and possibly joy) into your Camino by booking ahead only for the first few days until you feel more at ease with the process. Then, in addition to, or in place of, Booking.com or Gronze.com, you can use the Wise Pilgrim app to make your bookings. The Wise Pilgrim app has direct links that allow you to book select "Accommodation" choices as you are walking. For example, if you are approaching Burgos, from the Wise Pilgrim app, you can reserve a bed in Burgos by tapping any of the links in the attached screenshot and then completing the process from there.

I found it quite useful to use WhatsApp anytime I communicated with the luggage transfer service, Jacotrans, and with hotels I had booked.

You can find more information about the Wise Pilgrim app, Wise Pilgrim online guide, and the Wise Pilgrim guide book here on the forum at this link: Wise Pilgrim guide book and app

Directly addressing your question about a great guide to good places to stay, I'd say there are, of course, many on this forum willing to share their own experiences, and there are guide books such as those from the late John Brierley. Ivar has links to John Brierley's guides at the top of this page under "Services by Casa Ivar in Santiago." or here: https://www.santiagodecompostela.me/collections/2024-camino-guides

I found Beebe Bahrami’s Kindle version of Camino de Santiago: Sacred Sites, Historic Villages, Local Food & Wine to be enjoyable and useful. It's available in paperback and ebook format from Amazon.

Links to Jacotrans and Correos to send your luggage ahead are here:

backpack transport in the camino de santiago JACOTRANS

backpack transport in the camino de santiago JACOTRANS backpacks transport and luggage transfer on the Camino de Santiago.

www.jacotrans.es

Rucksack transfer on the Camino de Santiago

Correos transfers your rucksack, suitcase or luggage along the Camino de Santiago stage by stage

www.elcaminoconcorreos.com

I was very happy with Jacotrans, booking them one day at a time. Others on this forum are quite pleased with Correos.

Buen Camino!

 

[donnamariani]

Hi there - we are two 'older' women from Australia who will be walking the Camino in September and October 2025 - we are tempted by the companies that pre book accomodation and bag transfers but think we will pay a real premium for this service. We are quite savvy and use booking.com a lot for various trips etc - (ie 6 month excursion thru India Africa and Turkey this year)
Is there a great guide to good places to stay? - we are a bit beyond hostels so would be looking for clean and tidy hotels preferably with private bathrooms and definitely only want to walk with day packs. Neither of us speak spanish so the idea of organising everyday is a little daunting.
Any hints, tips or warnings would be great - along with budget suggestions - thank you so much! This a trip more than ten years in the making so we are a little excited!

We are 4 women that walked the coastal Portuguese trail last year. Having a company book your accommodation and move your luggage is the best! All you have to do is think about walking and enjoy.

 

[kamleman]

Hi. My wife and I who are in our 60s did exactly this a couple of years ago. No problems at all. If you like, pm and I will share itinerary with all the hotels contacts etc. Bag transfer by Coreos. The only thing you should have a reasonably good idea of is your comfortable walking range per day. We don’t like walking more than 25km a day, preferably 20 ish. Buen Camino.

 

[Pilgrim9]

I would like to warn you about a ghost hotel that I encountered in Villadangos del Páramo it is located between LEON and ASTORGa and is called AVENIDA III. You want to stay in Villadangos? There are other hostels and albergues there. I have notified Booking.com of this place and suggested that they remove this ghost hotel from their offerings.

Ghost hotel? Maybe / sort of.

I stayed at the Hotel Avenida III in 2017 and 2022. Both times were on CF pilgrimages and both times I had already made a Booking.com reservation for that hotel for that night.

Hotel Avenida III definitely existed at that time and as far as I know it is still there.

Hotel Avenida III · 3.6â(436) · Hotel

Carr. de León - Astorga, Km. 17, 24392 Villadangos del Paramo, León, Spain

maps.app.goo.gl

The physical facilities were fine. However, it was a bit spooky because both times the reception/check-in counter was not staffed, and no one ever answered the phone located at that desk when I called the telephone number that was posted on a sign there to reach the purported remotely-located check-in clerk. In fact I have never seen any staff members at any time at that hotel. Also, I never saw many other guests.

When I arrived, there was a row of room keys on the check-in counter. Each key had a person's name on it. I ended up checking myself in by just taking the key that had my name on it and going to the room. The room was clean and quiet. The private bathroom was fine. Next morning upon departure I locked my room and deposited the key at the front desk in the key drop box.

I was satisfied with the lodgings. Later I found that the hotel had made the correct charge to my charge card account, so I guess the hotel was satisfied too.

Those who stay there and go across the road to the bar for dinner or breakfast (the food was plentiful and tasty) should take care crossing the very busy road. Lots of truck traffic.