Hi all,
As you may remember I did try to open a Hostal a while back, and that this did not work out. Well, since my dream is to work with pilgrims from all over the world in Santiago, I am now about to start up a new business that does just that.
So here is my new adventure. I will open an office in Santiago old town offering travel related services for pilgrims doing the Camino de Santiago. The office is located in Rua do San Pedro 33 (see link above). This is where the Camino Frances enters town, about 150m before you enter old town. 5-7 minutes before the cathedral.
These are the services that I am planning on offering:
Luggage storage:
I have space in my office and will be offering storage for those that shipping boxes/things ahead to Santiago. You could even ship a set of clean clothes ahead to me before you leave home. Or maybe you are walking on to Finisterre and do want to leave some stuff behind.
Once I receive a package I will send a confirmation e-mail/text message notifying you that it has been received, if you add your e-mail/mobile number on the package.
There will be no time limit on the storage (ok, maybe 6 months), so you do not have to run to Santiago.
Lodging
I will create a 902 (free call from any land line in Spain) phone number for pilgrims that would like help with booking a pension/hotel for the night. I realize that many of you would like to stay in the albergues, and that this is not for you, but for some people having a place to call for help with a reservation I think will be helpful.
Before I can recommend a pension/hotel I would like to visit it first. Because of this, I will most likely start offering this reservation service first in Santiago. Then working my way out from Santiago towards Sarria and O Cebreiro. Then from Santiago to Finisterre/Muxia. Then the Camino Ingles. And then the Camino Portuguese.
So as you can see it may take a few months before I have a lodging option on each day stage for these caminos, but this is "the plan". I can of course also help in reserving a place to sleep on your way to your starting point as well, through the more traditional reservation systems.
Travel to Starting Point/Getting home from Santiago
I will be able to help in the reservation of bus tickets and train tickets in all of Spain. Call me and I will reserve and mail your your ticket as a pdf document to your e-mail address.
Airport transportation
I will be able to book transport from the airport in Santiago to your camino starting point. This might be Sarria, O Cebreiro, Tui, La Coruña or Ferrol.
What to do in Santiago?
Many times you arrive in Santiago and have a day or two that you are not sure what to do with. You may not have time to walk out to Finisterre, but there are options of going there with a guide. One popular trip is the one that leaves Santiago mid day and comes back to Santiago after having seen the sun set at the Finisterre light house. In addition to this, there are many other tours that might be interesting. Everything from a guided walk in old to to wine tasting in Rias Baixas.
The office
I will set up a message board in the office (like the one at the pilgrims office) were pilgrims that have walked a few days together, but later lost each other can post and leave messages. Write a message on a piece of paper and pin it to the board, when your friend comes by later he/she reads your message. All low-tech, but I think useful.
I am hoping to also have space for a table where visitors can check their e-mail, call home (Skype) or upload photos to blogs or photo albums.
I hope to open around February 1st 2009.
Some final thoughts
Our forum works great at the moment, I feel there is a good environment for sharing and learning about the camino. I would like to keep it this way. Therefor all of these services will have a separate website and I will not to mix the commercial activities with the forum. I think what I will do is to remove the google ads on the site and add some links to my new site and new products.
Another thing. I know that many pilgrims feel like finding your way around in Spain and finding a place to sleep each day is part of the whole pilgrim experience. I understand this, so I realize that these services are not for everyone. But I hope that this will be useful for some.
Anyhow. So there you have it. My new adventure.
Greetings from Santiago de Compostela,
Ivar
As you may remember I did try to open a Hostal a while back, and that this did not work out. Well, since my dream is to work with pilgrims from all over the world in Santiago, I am now about to start up a new business that does just that.
So here is my new adventure. I will open an office in Santiago old town offering travel related services for pilgrims doing the Camino de Santiago. The office is located in Rua do San Pedro 33 (see link above). This is where the Camino Frances enters town, about 150m before you enter old town. 5-7 minutes before the cathedral.
These are the services that I am planning on offering:
Luggage storage:
I have space in my office and will be offering storage for those that shipping boxes/things ahead to Santiago. You could even ship a set of clean clothes ahead to me before you leave home. Or maybe you are walking on to Finisterre and do want to leave some stuff behind.
Once I receive a package I will send a confirmation e-mail/text message notifying you that it has been received, if you add your e-mail/mobile number on the package.
There will be no time limit on the storage (ok, maybe 6 months), so you do not have to run to Santiago.
Lodging
I will create a 902 (free call from any land line in Spain) phone number for pilgrims that would like help with booking a pension/hotel for the night. I realize that many of you would like to stay in the albergues, and that this is not for you, but for some people having a place to call for help with a reservation I think will be helpful.
Before I can recommend a pension/hotel I would like to visit it first. Because of this, I will most likely start offering this reservation service first in Santiago. Then working my way out from Santiago towards Sarria and O Cebreiro. Then from Santiago to Finisterre/Muxia. Then the Camino Ingles. And then the Camino Portuguese.
So as you can see it may take a few months before I have a lodging option on each day stage for these caminos, but this is "the plan". I can of course also help in reserving a place to sleep on your way to your starting point as well, through the more traditional reservation systems.
Travel to Starting Point/Getting home from Santiago
I will be able to help in the reservation of bus tickets and train tickets in all of Spain. Call me and I will reserve and mail your your ticket as a pdf document to your e-mail address.
Airport transportation
I will be able to book transport from the airport in Santiago to your camino starting point. This might be Sarria, O Cebreiro, Tui, La Coruña or Ferrol.
What to do in Santiago?
Many times you arrive in Santiago and have a day or two that you are not sure what to do with. You may not have time to walk out to Finisterre, but there are options of going there with a guide. One popular trip is the one that leaves Santiago mid day and comes back to Santiago after having seen the sun set at the Finisterre light house. In addition to this, there are many other tours that might be interesting. Everything from a guided walk in old to to wine tasting in Rias Baixas.
The office
I will set up a message board in the office (like the one at the pilgrims office) were pilgrims that have walked a few days together, but later lost each other can post and leave messages. Write a message on a piece of paper and pin it to the board, when your friend comes by later he/she reads your message. All low-tech, but I think useful.
I am hoping to also have space for a table where visitors can check their e-mail, call home (Skype) or upload photos to blogs or photo albums.
I hope to open around February 1st 2009.
Some final thoughts
Our forum works great at the moment, I feel there is a good environment for sharing and learning about the camino. I would like to keep it this way. Therefor all of these services will have a separate website and I will not to mix the commercial activities with the forum. I think what I will do is to remove the google ads on the site and add some links to my new site and new products.
Another thing. I know that many pilgrims feel like finding your way around in Spain and finding a place to sleep each day is part of the whole pilgrim experience. I understand this, so I realize that these services are not for everyone. But I hope that this will be useful for some.
Anyhow. So there you have it. My new adventure.
Greetings from Santiago de Compostela,
Ivar