JohanNilsenNagel
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- Time of past OR future Camino
- March, 2017
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I usually walk a few miles before eating breakfast. Lucky for me, I prefer that since breakfast is not always a choice at an albergue
I never ate breakfast where I was staying because once awake I was itching to walk and really enjoyed walking for two hours before eating or having that great first coffee ....
Very helpful Johann, thank you!I know this forum topic already exists here somewhere and it may be outdated but I wanted to bring it up again since I recently completed the Camino with my partner, staying exclusively in hotels. My question for peregrinos is what they think the advantages and disadvantages are of avoiding albergues? In my case, I'm married and in my mid-forties. While I was open to the idea of staying, at least occasionally, in an albergue, my wife had zero intentions, especially after peeping her head into some along the way. And I figured, since this was potentially a once in a lifetime trip budget was not going to be a major issue. On the positive side privacy and a potential hot bath at the end of long day of hiking were major positives. The security of a booked room ahead of us at the beginning of every day outweighed the potential "excitement" and serendipity of wandering around town at the end of a long hiking day looking for a room (never a problem in March when we went however). Another major benefit of hotels that compensated for expenses of up to five times that of an albergue (for two) I discovered was the buffet breakfast. Each and every day we awoke, generally well rested, and I gorged on a giant breakfast. I found myself passing up pilgrims who'd started earlier (more by compulsion than choice) who had to stop in the nearest town to eat because hungry. I often hiked well past noon, and sometimes all day without needing to stop again for food because of the large breakfast. Now the main drawback some of you will surely note here is that we were somehow missing out on one of the more important aspects of the Camino experience, namely, the "communal" aspect of albergues. I'm not convinced. I met plenty of pilgrims who complained about people and bed bugs and cold and discomfort in albergues but were there because of their budgets (totally understandable, and the main reason to use them, as far as I'm concerned). Some believed they'd meet more people, and probably correct there. While we met plenty of people in hotels (especially Spaniards and locals), we didn't really bond with any other peregrinos, meeting them only fleetingly along the trail and in occasional restaurants in town. Then again, I met plenty who stayed in albergues who nonetheless kept to themselves.
Anyway, this was just my experience and I'm wondering why more pilgrims past and present here (for whom budget is not the main issue) don't consider hotels (or Casa Rurales as in-between resource) more regularly while hiking the Camino, especially in the summer when I understand spaces are competitive in albergues.
Cheers!
Johann
I stayed in hotels the whole way and never once felt like I was on "vacation". Nevertheless, the Camino is a vacation . . . from worldly cares, stress, old habits and mindsets, etc.Hotels make it feel more like a vacation than a pilgrimage, and I have done both types of camino!!
So perhaps the choice is not between albergues and hostels in terms of meeting others, but rather walking as a couple or walking alone.
@oursonpolaire's quote that 'the deep equality of shared misery' forges a bond between strangers chimes with my own experience Meeting people in albergues was an easy way to get to know other pilgrims for folks like me who tend not to be extrovert, and lasting friendships were formed by meeting up repeatedly along the way. It can be so heartwarming (particularly after a long wet trudge along paths that suddenly became rivers), to see at the coffee stop pilgrims whose faces you recognise and whose names you know. Now I am not sure that I am drawing any conclusions from this regarding hotels versus albergues, and forgive me moderators if this seems to be prompting a different thread, but there is another factor to throw into the mix and that is to consider if, and how the experience of walking the Camino might be different for those pilgrims who walk alone as compared to those who walk as couples. My preference, for all sorts of reasons, would always be walking alone even when I have planned to share accommodation at the end of the day. To walk a pilgrimage for religious reasons, stretches of solitariness and relative silence are essential, in my opinion. So perhaps the choice is not between albergues and hostels in terms of meeting others, but rather walking as a couple or walking alone.
We stay at Alburgues for the most part, but when we got sick with a cold or flu we stayed at a hotel so as not to pass it on to anyone else. The trek is hard enough without making others sick. We like the mingling with others at alburgues.
To each their own I guess. I don't feel like I missed out on anything at all by not staying in albergues, or the unnatural and enforced socialization that comes with them.Pensiones, Casa Rural's and hotels along the Camino are very affordable (compared to similar accommodations in the US) and while I could have easily stayed in a one every night while walking the Camino, there is no way I would do that. I just found the albergues to work just fine. Must be my redneck roots and too many years living and working overseas in the military and as a contractor in communal environments. One could hardly call staying in an albergue along the Camino as primitive or austere, or even uncomfortable. The ones I stayed in were always clean, hot showers, I never got bedbugs and always got enough sleep. Not to mention a lot of them got a kick ass bar/cafe attached where you can get a cold beer and some grub and socialize with pilgrims you met.
About once a week along the Camino I would crash for the night in a pensiones, etc just as a treat. Get my laundry done in a washer/dryer. Dump all the crap out of my pack all over the floor. Shower at night and again in the morning before I left. It was nice to do, but no way every night. Of course in Santiago I would treat myself to a pensiones as a reward, ha ha.
Since this thread, like all, are opinion based, I'll go out on a limb and say if one walks the Camino and only stays in hotels and the like, they are missing out. I'd never do it.
Yeah, all that horrible interaction with fellow pilgrims, ha ha. It's not normal hanging out, breaking bread together, communicating.To each their own I guess. I don't feel like I missed out on anything at all by not staying in albergues, or the unnatural and enforced socialization that comes with them.
Not good and very inconsiderate !In one of my Camino 'Families' was a Nurse who had a terrible cold for about a week. Staying in Albergues......and wouldn't take any meds......
And yes, @Robo, I do think it is really inconsiderate of people if they are sick, and can afford to sleep elsewhere, to stay in albergues. One of my pet peeves.
Everyone has different priorities and can co-exist, which is why I enjoyed my first Camino so much. I saw groups that stuck together the whole way and became little social cliques that more or less shut other people out (I suppose me and my wife could be seen in the same way, when we were hiking together). Some treated it like a big party, drinking beer at every opportunity, playing music from their i-Pod speakers at rest stops and on the trail. Others kept to themselves. Some pilgrims prefer to hike faster or slower than others, and have different goals for the day. Some wore earbuds and didn't even respond to a passing greeting. Some were chatty-Kathy's, ready to talk my ear off. I listened to most of them for as long as I could and then continued on my own way. In the albergues that I wandered past from town to town I saw people off in corners by themselves just as much as I saw groups dining together. In our hotels we met several pilgrims who were sick of albergues and complained about certain people and were jealous of us who were staying in hotels. Personally, I was open and ready to stay in a few albergues and meet some more people at the dinner table or in the bunks, but that wasn't part of the bargain with my wife. So I improvised and made up for whatever I may or may not have been "missing out on" (FOMO is what this conversation is really all about) by initiating conversations with albergue pilgrims on the trail and elsewhere, when I felt like it. I invited another lonely pilgrims (the albergue exiles) to join us to visit a church or museum (I attended mass with several pilgrims along the way -- does that count in your social calculus I wonder?), or have tea or dinner together. But more often than not, I preferred my wife's company, and when she wasn't around, I relished my solitude and walked with St. James. And that was the best company of all.Yeah, all that horrible interaction with fellow pilgrims, ha ha. It's not normal hanging out, breaking bread together, communicating.
Not to mention those terrible "social cops" forcing one to do it. What's a pilgrim to do? ha ha
Next time I'm going to see if there's an international association of misanthrope pilgrims I can join. Wait a second, if they are pilgrims walking a path with tens of thousands of other people, then they cannot truly be misanthropes or introverts, right?
I stayed in a handful of Hotels, mainly in the larger towns. I didn't like it as much. I felt a bit like a fish out of water, as my fellow guests were generally not Pilgrims. So I would check in, sort my gear, and head out to 'pilgrim central' where ever that might be for dinner.
Pilgrim Central was what I called the main area that Pilgrims tended to 'hang out'. In smaller villages and towns it was often the first square with cafes on the way in.
Even tried a Parador in Santo Domingo. Nice room, but I didn't stay there long. Cleaned up and headed out to meet my camino 'family' for dinner. (Few of whom were staying in Albergues by the way) And the Parador was just full of ageing tourists.....
I haven't tried Albergues yet. Well not the 'full on' Albergue experience. I had a private room in a few. They were OK. My preference is for a Casa Rural. Not too expensive, usually available everywhere, usually other Pilgrims staying there. But with some privacy....
I know this forum topic already exists here somewhere and it may be outdated but I wanted to bring it up again since I recently completed the Camino with my partner, staying exclusively in hotels. My question for peregrinos is what they think the advantages and disadvantages are of avoiding albergues? In my case, I'm married and in my mid-forties. While I was open to the idea of staying, at least occasionally, in an albergue, my wife had zero intentions, especially after peeping her head into some along the way. And I figured, since this was potentially a once in a lifetime trip budget was not going to be a major issue. On the positive side privacy and a potential hot bath at the end of long day of hiking were major positives. The security of a booked room ahead of us at the beginning of every day outweighed the potential "excitement" and serendipity of wandering around town at the end of a long hiking day looking for a room (never a problem in March when we went however). Another major benefit of hotels that compensated for expenses of up to five times that of an albergue (for two) I discovered was the buffet breakfast. Each and every day we awoke, generally well rested, and I gorged on a giant breakfast. I found myself passing up pilgrims who'd started earlier (more by compulsion than choice) who had to stop in the nearest town to eat because hungry. I often hiked well past noon, and sometimes all day without needing to stop again for food because of the large breakfast. Now the main drawback some of you will surely note here is that we were somehow missing out on one of the more important aspects of the Camino experience, namely, the "communal" aspect of albergues. I'm not convinced. I met plenty of pilgrims who complained about people and bed bugs and cold and discomfort in albergues but were there because of their budgets (totally understandable, and the main reason to use them, as far as I'm concerned). Some believed they'd meet more people, and probably correct there. While we met plenty of people in hotels (especially Spaniards and locals), we didn't really bond with any other peregrinos, meeting them only fleetingly along the trail and in occasional restaurants in town. Then again, I met plenty who stayed in albergues who nonetheless kept to themselves.
Anyway, this was just my experience and I'm wondering why more pilgrims past and present here (for whom budget is not the main issue) don't consider hotels (or Casa Rurales as in-between resource) more regularly while hiking the Camino, especially in the summer when I understand spaces are competitive in albergues.
Cheers!
Johann
My absolute favorite accommodation is the room in a local person's house---chambre d'hote or casa rural. It gives you a chance to meet the locals, practice the language, sample genuine local food. It is not always easy, sometimes it is hard to relax, speaking another language (or even mixed Franglish Spanglish) all through dinner can be more exhausting than hiking, but everyone should give it a try. Pilgrims can get into their own little world sometimes and it is a great way to get more in touch with your location, support the local economy, and make some friends. I have whole set of photos of homeowners hugging us as they send us on our way.
I could have afforded to stay in hotels but chose alburgues. My biggest fear in walking the Camino was loneliness, as I was going on my own. If I had stayed in hotels, I think that fear would have been realized. I met amazing people in the alburgues and forged lifelong friendships. The comfort of hotels isn't worth that to me. When I walk again, I will do the same. I view the Camino as a river of humanity. You just jump in and start swimming.I know this forum topic already exists here somewhere and it may be outdated but I wanted to bring it up again since I recently completed the Camino with my partner, staying exclusively in hotels. My question for peregrinos is what they think the advantages and disadvantages are of avoiding albergues? In my case, I'm married and in my mid-forties. While I was open to the idea of staying, at least occasionally, in an albergue, my wife had zero intentions, especially after peeping her head into some along the way. And I figured, since this was potentially a once in a lifetime trip budget was not going to be a major issue. On the positive side privacy and a potential hot bath at the end of long day of hiking were major positives. The security of a booked room ahead of us at the beginning of every day outweighed the potential "excitement" and serendipity of wandering around town at the end of a long hiking day looking for a room (never a problem in March when we went however). Another major benefit of hotels that compensated for expenses of up to five times that of an albergue (for two) I discovered was the buffet breakfast. Each and every day we awoke, generally well rested, and I gorged on a giant breakfast. I found myself passing up pilgrims who'd started earlier (more by compulsion than choice) who had to stop in the nearest town to eat because hungry. I often hiked well past noon, and sometimes all day without needing to stop again for food because of the large breakfast. Now the main drawback some of you will surely note here is that we were somehow missing out on one of the more important aspects of the Camino experience, namely, the "communal" aspect of albergues. I'm not convinced. I met plenty of pilgrims who complained about people and bed bugs and cold and discomfort in albergues but were there because of their budgets (totally understandable, and the main reason to use them, as far as I'm concerned). Some believed they'd meet more people, and probably correct there. While we met plenty of people in hotels (especially Spaniards and locals), we didn't really bond with any other peregrinos, meeting them only fleetingly along the trail and in occasional restaurants in town. Then again, I met plenty who stayed in albergues who nonetheless kept to themselves.
Anyway, this was just my experience and I'm wondering why more pilgrims past and present here (for whom budget is not the main issue) don't consider hotels (or Casa Rurales as in-between resource) more regularly while hiking the Camino, especially in the summer when I understand spaces are competitive in albergues.
Cheers!
Johann
Who saysIf you are doing the camino as a pilgrimage, you want to step outside your "comfort zone" and strip life down to its most simple form. Sleeping in communal quarters is certainly well outside most of our comfort-zones!
One thing I am contemplating lately is the ongoing mantra of "It's YOUR Camino," or "MY camino..." which is a very Western, individualist view. The Camino, IMHO, is OURS. We all are fundamentally singular creatures, but on this Path we are part of a great continuum, historically as well as geographically. We're part of a great sweep of other people. What our fellows do and say to us is a great part of what makes our camino happen... and what we do and say makes theirs. We are in this together. We need to shift out of our precious "Me/My/Mine" view and let ourselves become part of a greater Us.
Even those of us who are Introverts!
(which is not to say albergues are better than hotels, but they facilitate US a lot better than neat, clean, individual rooms.)
Walking a Camino takes you out of your" comfort zone" !
You don't have to doss down, communally to do that .
Great , if you want to; I don't and won't, thereby freeing up a place for those who do.
Who says
I know this forum topic already exists here somewhere and it may be outdated but I wanted to bring it up again since I recently completed the Camino with my partner, staying exclusively in hotels. My question for peregrinos is what they think the advantages and disadvantages are of avoiding albergues? In my case, I'm married and in my mid-forties. While I was open to the idea of staying, at least occasionally, in an albergue, my wife had zero intentions, especially after peeping her head into some along the way. And I figured, since this was potentially a once in a lifetime trip budget was not going to be a major issue. On the positive side privacy and a potential hot bath at the end of long day of hiking were major positives. The security of a booked room ahead of us at the beginning of every day outweighed the potential "excitement" and serendipity of wandering around town at the end of a long hiking day looking for a room (never a problem in March when we went however). Another major benefit of hotels that compensated for expenses of up to five times that of an albergue (for two) I discovered was the buffet breakfast. Each and every day we awoke, generally well rested, and I gorged on a giant breakfast. I found myself passing up pilgrims who'd started earlier (more by compulsion than choice) who had to stop in the nearest town to eat because hungry. I often hiked well past noon, and sometimes all day without needing to stop again for food because of the large breakfast. Now the main drawback some of you will surely note here is that we were somehow missing out on one of the more important aspects of the Camino experience, namely, the "communal" aspect of albergues. I'm not convinced. I met plenty of pilgrims who complained about people and bed bugs and cold and discomfort in albergues but were there because of their budgets (totally understandable, and the main reason to use them, as far as I'm concerned). Some believed they'd meet more people, and probably correct there. While we met plenty of people in hotels (especially Spaniards and locals), we didn't really bond with any other peregrinos, meeting them only fleetingly along the trail and in occasional restaurants in town. Then again, I met plenty who stayed in albergues who nonetheless kept to themselves.
Anyway, this was just my experience and I'm wondering why more pilgrims past and present here (for whom budget is not the main issue) don't consider hotels (or Casa Rurales as in-between resource) more regularly while hiking the Camino, especially in the summer when I understand spaces are competitive in albergues.
Cheers!
Johann
Is there a book listing all of the hotels and Refugios with phone numbers and/or email?I opted to go with an agency that arranged all my accommodations prior to starting my Camino. I was told by veteran Caminoist from our local chapter that I would miss out on the communal aspect of my pilgrimage. Wrong! By the time I had reached Logrono I had met a couple who became my Camino family. They, and a few others, had booked with the same agency and would end up in many of the same accommodations. I remain in touch with these friends to this day and even traveled to NZ and AU to visit them this past spring. As for the accommodations, I stayed in everything but albergues and Paradors. From big hotels in Burgos, Leon and Santiago, to small casa rurals with wonderful spanish families, a convent and even a cabin in a campground.
I was told I would not enjoy the freedom of walking the amount of kms I wanted to walk each day. Yes, I agree, however, I did not have to worry about the infamous "race for beds". The pre-arranged accommodations were all within reasonable walking distances, and mostly all were following John Brierley's recommended route. And having walked in September and October, it was a very busy time.
In fact, I had met quite a few who were calling ahead and booking a bed in albergues 2 and 3 days ahead to reserve a bed.
I can't recall having had a bad night's sleep. It was quiet and peaceful in my room every night.
And sleeping uninterrupted for 8 hours was such a blessing.
I could have afforded to stay in hotels but chose alburgues. My biggest fear in walking the Camino was loneliness, as I was going on my own. If I had stayed in hotels, I think that fear would have been realized. I met amazing people in the alburgues and forged lifelong friendships. The comfort of hotels isn't worth that to me. When I walk again, I will do the same. I view the Camino as a river of humanity. You just jump in and start swimming.
Funny, my wife also comes from a large, extended family, however, it had the reverse effect on her and she's had enough of "communal" living, which is why we stayed in hotels the whole way. Personally, I was totally open to staying in them and if I were to go again, by myself, I'd definitely mix it up. That said, I LOVED every single hotel, bed, bath, shower, and buffet breakfast we had and wouldn't change a thing for this particular Camino experience.My husband and I walked together - also a couple in our 40sWe stayed in albergues most nights and I am glad we did. My favorite memories of the places we stayed are all in albergues. Some of the albergues weren't great, but most were pretty good and some were terrific. The hotels we stayed at were fine, but nothing really stood out to me from our hotel nights. I liked the albergues though. I also come from a very large extended family and am pretty much used to communal living anyway, so from that perspective it seemed pretty natural. Lines for the bathrooms weren't bad, and although I occasionally had to wait for a shower, it wasn't a big deal. The social atmosphere far outweighed any negatives.
We got a hotel occasionally - once in a while it was nice to have the space and the luxury, and I did get sick along the way, and then it was very nice to have our own room.
Oh, FOMO and “the Camino expetience.”. Don’t think so. How many people would still walk the Camino if the knew they’d be the only one out there everyday? If yes, then why does it matter where you stay? In any event, you can meet people in restaurants or on the trail, or hotel too.Pensiones, Casa Rural's and hotels along the Camino are very affordable (compared to similar accommodations in the US) and while I could have easily stayed in a one every night while walking the Camino, there is no way I would do that. I just found the albergues to work just fine. Must be my redneck roots and too many years living and working overseas in the military and as a contractor in communal environments. One could hardly call staying in an albergue along the Camino as primitive or austere, or even uncomfortable. The ones I stayed in were always clean, hot showers, I never got bedbugs and always got enough sleep. Not to mention a lot of them got a kick ass bar/cafe attached where you can get a cold beer and some grub and socialize with pilgrims you met.
About once a week along the Camino I would crash for the night in a pensiones, etc just as a treat. Get my laundry done in a washer/dryer. Dump all the crap out of my pack all over the floor. Shower at night and again in the morning before I left. It was nice to do, but no way every night. Of course in Santiago I would treat myself to a pensiones as a reward, ha ha.
Since this thread, like all, are opinion based, I'll go out on a limb and say if one walks the Camino and only stays in hotels and the like, they are missing out. I'd never do it.
Oh, FOMO and “the Camino expetience.”. Don’t think so. How many people would still walk the Camino if the knew they’d be the only one out there everyday? If yes, then why does it matter where you stay? In any event, you can meet people in restaurants or on the trail, or hotel too.
Thank you Johann, good info for me. I am doing my first Camino close to the end of April and my friend and I would also,like to stay in hotels.I know this forum topic already exists here somewhere and it may be outdated but I wanted to bring it up again since I recently completed the Camino with my partner, staying exclusively in hotels. My question for peregrinos is what they think the advantages and disadvantages are of avoiding albergues? In my case, I'm married and in my mid-forties. While I was open to the idea of staying, at least occasionally, in an albergue, my wife had zero intentions, especially after peeping her head into some along the way. And I figured, since this was potentially a once in a lifetime trip budget was not going to be a major issue. On the positive side privacy and a potential hot bath at the end of long day of hiking were major positives. The security of a booked room ahead of us at the beginning of every day outweighed the potential "excitement" and serendipity of wandering around town at the end of a long hiking day looking for a room (never a problem in March when we went however). Another major benefit of hotels that compensated for expenses of up to five times that of an albergue (for two) I discovered was the buffet breakfast. Each and every day we awoke, generally well rested, and I gorged on a giant breakfast. I found myself passing up pilgrims who'd started earlier (more by compulsion than choice) who had to stop in the nearest town to eat because hungry. I often hiked well past noon, and sometimes all day without needing to stop again for food because of the large breakfast. Now the main drawback some of you will surely note here is that we were somehow missing out on one of the more important aspects of the Camino experience, namely, the "communal" aspect of albergues. I'm not convinced. I met plenty of pilgrims who complained about people and bed bugs and cold and discomfort in albergues but were there because of their budgets (totally understandable, and the main reason to use them, as far as I'm concerned). Some believed they'd meet more people, and probably correct there. While we met plenty of people in hotels (especially Spaniards and locals), we didn't really bond with any other peregrinos, meeting them only fleetingly along the trail and in occasional restaurants in town. Then again, I met plenty who stayed in albergues who nonetheless kept to themselves.
Anyway, this was just my experience and I'm wondering why more pilgrims past and present here (for whom budget is not the main issue) don't consider hotels (or Casa Rurales as in-between resource) more regularly while hiking the Camino, especially in the summer when I understand spaces are competitive in albergues.
Cheers!
Johann
Hi Kathleen, So excited for you! April/May should be really nice time to be on the Camino. I don't think you'll have any issues with finding a place to stay so I wouldn't even worry about it. In terms of hotels, as mentioned by Domigee, not all towns have "hotels" but you can adjust your daily walking schedule to end up in towns that do (with a couple exceptions here and there where you may either have to stay in an albuergue, many of which have private rooms for an extra charge however). We used booking.com (and gronze.com is another popular hotel search/booking site too) in coordination with TripAdvisor (for recent reviews -- very useful). The best way to book, in my experience, was to do so directly with the hotel (or Casa Rural) directly by phone, email, website, or through your previous hotel's staff the day before (in some cases we booked two and three days in advance when we were relatively certain of our walking schedule -- in fact this pretty much what we did the whole Camino, is plan two and three day segments at a time and we never had to worry about a room or cancellation). The reason being that booking.com (and probably Gronze) charge something like 10-20% fees on top of what you could normally get going direct. However, the convenience of those sites may or might not be worth the extra fee to you. And of course, the one hang up would be a change in your plans that would cause you to cancel and loose some money . . . so that's something to consider when booking ahead.Thank you Johann, good info for me. I am doing my first Camino close to the end of April and my friend and I would also,like to stay in hotels.
Our concern is availability - I understand you prebooked each morning? Also, is there a list of hotels that I can draw download to take with us please? Also, are there hotels in all the villages?
Sorry for all the questions-very green but extremely excited to be doing 5he Camino Frances.
Kind regards
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen, So excited for you! April/May should be really nice time to be on the Camino. I don't think you'll have any issues with finding a place to stay so I wouldn't even worry about it. In terms of hotels, as mentioned by Domigee, not all towns have "hotels" but you can adjust your daily walking schedule to end up in towns that do (with a couple exceptions here and there where you may either have to stay in an albuergue, many of which have private rooms for an extra charge however). We used booking.com (and gronze.com is another popular hotel search/booking site too) in coordination with TripAdvisor (for recent reviews -- very useful). The best way to book, in my experience, was to do so directly with the hotel (or Casa Rural) directly by phone, email, website, or through your previous hotel's staff the day before (in some cases we booked two and three days in advance when we were relatively certain of our walking schedule -- in fact this pretty much what we did the whole Camino, is plan two and three day segments at a time and we never had to worry about a room or cancellation). The reason being that booking.com (and probably Gronze) charge something like 10-20% fees on top of what you could normally get going direct. However, the convenience of those sites may or might not be worth the extra fee to you. And of course, the one hang up would be a change in your plans that would cause you to cancel and loose some money . . . so that's something to consider when booking ahead.
I could give you suggestions for specific towns but the list is too long and I'm working on putting up my own reviews of places we stayed on TripAdvisor, which I recommend you look at once you know the town you'll be staying in . . . again, not everything is listed there and serendipity is often what makes the Camino so enjoyable for many pilgrims. The main reason I stayed in hotels and planned as much as I could on my first Camino was to accommodate my wife, and that was just fine -- I absolutely loved having a nice quite private room with clean, hot shower (or bathtub!) and large bed to look forward to at various points along the road. Good luck and most of all, don't worry, for the Camino really does provide in the end.[/QUOTE
Thank you ! Will most def check out Trip Advisor and booking.com....very excited about this walk, almost cannot believe it is going to happe. Good idea to precook couple of days in advance when schedule is sure. Thank you for practical suggestions...
[QUOTE="KathleenGrace, post: 584102, member: 76874]
Also, is there a list of hotels that I can draw download to take with us please? Also, are there hotels in all the villages?
Kathleen
Lots of times the bars will have a couple of rooms available upstairs.Sorry, replied in wrong area. Thank you for your suggestions, will check both sites you mentioned, as well as talk with my walking friends about booking couple days when sure of our days. Yippee, Camino-here we come.
Kind regards
Buen Camino!
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