- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2021
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I would like a hospitalero/hospitalera who is kind and welcoming, who knows what the camino is about. I would like the place to be clean, with sufficient hot water for a decent shower.
I would like it to be priced so that people without much money were not excluded.
And that's about it.
My perfect albergue would have beds like at Albergue La Finca. The bunks there are like tiny rooms, and the upper bunks are accessed via mini staircases.
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Is this albergue on the Norte?My perfect albergue would have beds like at Albergue La Finca. The bunks there are like tiny rooms, and the upper bunks are accessed via mini staircases.
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The perfect albergue is the one that welcomes me at the end of the day. I'm not looking for a boutique B&B; I'm happy enough with a triple bunk or floorspace for a sleeping mat, somewhere to wash myself and my clothes, and somewhere to sit in the evening sun. The friendliness of the staff and fellow guests matters more than the facilities.
No, it's in Población de Campos on the Francés - 4 km past Fromista. Not only do you get your own tiny room, but bedding is included as is free use of the washing machine, and it's only 10€ a night!Is this albergue on the Norte?
I think I will move in permantly when this mess is over!No, it's in Población de Campos on the Francés - 4 km past Fromista. Not only do you get your own tiny room, but bedding is included as is free use of the washing machine, and it's only 10€ a night!
After 10 caminos all over spain I have nearly always found everything you requested and I mostly stayed in municipal albergues. Only on a couple of occasions I was disappointed and surprisingly they were Privado albergues! Bon Camino.I would like a hospitalero/hospitalera who is kind and welcoming, who knows what the camino is about. I would like the place to be clean, with sufficient hot water for a decent shower.
I would like it to be priced so that people without much money were not excluded.
And that's about it.
Thanks for the vote of confidence Mike.One who was trained by you Reb or someone you directly trained - like my good friend Julie - Ann. So yes the hospitalero/era needs empathy towards her/his pilgrims so as to understand their needs.
The brand new albergue Espiritu Xacobeo in A Rua got most things right...new clean bedding, each bunk had its own shelf with light, chargers, etc. Each room of 4 bunks had its own full bathroom ( proper shower, toilet, basin, mirror, towel rails, stool). Fully equipped kitchen, lounge area with tables and chairs and vending machines selling hot drinks, snacks, beer. Lovely huge washers snd driers. And a massive covered verandah to sit, dry kit, etc. I would just like to add a fireplace and squishy chairs to the lounge. And inhouse communal meals.A virtual building project.
Sitting here on the farm with an annoying amount of spare time on my hands and got to thinking(always dangerous). Fired up my drafting software and started noodling around with floor plans and such.
So, if you were designing the perfect albergue, what amenities would it include??
How many bunks per room?
How many toilets and or showers per pilgrim?
Warm floors? Chefs kitchen?
Give me your ideas!!
M
[Showers that don't have a time limit.]
Thanks for the vote of confidence Mike.
We learn so much about ourselves when we are faced with things outside our comfort zone. Sleeping with more than 100 others in the big barn at Roncesvalles meant you were thrust into having to consider the needs of others rather than focusing solely on your own. It was a terrific introduction to pilgrimage and, to my great surprise, I loved it - yes, even the snoring.
The only non-negotiable thing I would have in my perfect albergue is railing/s on the top bunks.
I have stayed there in July in a bigger dorm (20 bunks as far as I remember) last year and was truly surprized. The hospitalera there was lovely and helpful.The brand new albergue Espiritu Xacobeo in A Rua got most things right...new clean bedding, each bunk had its own shelf with light, chargers, etc. Each room of 4 bunks had its own full bathroom ( proper shower, toilet, basin, mirror, towel rails, stool). Fully equipped kitchen, lounge area with tables and chairs and vending machines selling hot drinks, snacks, beer. Lovely huge washers snd driers. And a massive covered verandah to sit, dry kit, etc. I would just like to add a fireplace and squishy chairs to the lounge. And inhouse communal meals.
Yes, I know, but still . . .The time limit discourages pilgrims from using too much water. It also dissuades them from turning the shower stall into their private bathroom.
A virtual building project.
Sitting here on the farm with an annoying amount of spare time on my hands and got to thinking(always dangerous). Fired up my drafting software and started noodling around with floor plans and such.
So, if you were designing the perfect albergue, what amenities would it include??
How many bunks per room?
How many toilets and or showers per pilgrim?
Warm floors? Chefs kitchen?
Give me your ideas!!
M
A virtual building project.
Sitting here on the farm with an annoying amount of spare time on my hands and got to thinking(always dangerous). Fired up my drafting software and started noodling around with floor plans and such.
So, if you were designing the perfect albergue, what amenities would it include??
How many bunks per room?
How many toilets and or showers per pilgrim?
Warm floors? Chefs kitchen?
Give me your ideas!!
M
My early post is in reference to this-oopsLove the beds pictured at Albergue La Finca, would add a hook or cubby for backpacks. Also love the idea of a good sized kitchen with separate stations for different groups. For the bathrooms, I would like to see individual stalls, with hooks inside and out of the stalls for toiletries, toiletries and dry clothes. For the laundry room, an area for drying clothes inside when it is raining outside (either lines or drying racks).
Well said! I agree with you wholeheartedly.Thanks for the vote of confidence Mike.
I'm not a fan of the curtained, power points, locker approach and would go to a hotel if I were after privacy. The Camino is a great place to learn to trust and also to learn what is truly important to you. If we are fearful of our things being stolen, perhaps it would be better if we had left them at home.
We learn so much about ourselves when we are faced with things outside our comfort zone. Sleeping with more than 100 others in the big barn at Roncesvalles meant you were thrust into having to consider the needs of others rather than focusing solely on your own. It was a terrific introduction to pilgrimage and, to my great surprise, I loved it - yes, even the snoring.
The only non-negotiable thing I would have in my perfect albergue is railing/s on the top bunks.
Guemes is a lovely albergue to get ideas from. It’s on the Norte. Also stayed in a place ( can’t remember the name) with a solarium dining and drying areas. A wood stove with a glass face for gathering. A wood stove heated drying area with lines and clothespins above for winter clothes drying overnight. We had a game while walking called “ in my albergue”.A virtual building project.
Sitting here on the farm with an annoying amount of spare time on my hands and got to thinking(always dangerous). Fired up my drafting software and started noodling around with floor plans and such.
So, if you were designing the perfect albergue, what amenities would it include??
How many bunks per room?
How many toilets and or showers per pilgrim?
Warm floors? Chefs kitchen?
Give me your ideas!!
M
Where is this albergue?My perfect albergue would have beds like at Albergue La Finca. The bunks there are like tiny rooms, and the upper bunks are accessed via mini staircases.
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It's on Población de Campos - 4 km past Fromista.Where is this albergue?
Thank youIt's on Población de Campos - 4 km past Fromista.
And hooks all over the bathrooms to hang our dry clothes and shower bags!!!!!I'd like a fully equipped community kitchen and nice hot showers in stalls large enough to hang my stuff in without it all getting soaked.
Yes! La Finca is just about perfect! Private bunks for each pilgrim. Lots of hot water for the showers, with very spacious stalls. Free use of the washing machine. You do have to prepare for breakfast in the AM, but they do provide a coffee machine and the coffee. Great food, free tapas (?) on Sunday to go with your beer, and a huge outdoor area to chillax. Now if they were open for breakfast.......My perfect albergue would have beds like at Albergue La Finca. The bunks there are like tiny rooms, and the upper bunks are accessed via mini staircases.
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Yes to the covered outdoor kitchen and the gender separated bathrooms.Great idea!!
Single level, built in the Roman villa style as a large square with large internal garden with fountain and parasol clothes dryers. Covered benches around the internal walls.
Bedrooms of four bunks with curtains, power points, bunk lights, and doors into internal garden.
Also couples/family rooms. - and hopefully a snorers room!!
Large warm (or cool!) extended porch for de-booting and de-waterproofing or de-dusting before going inside.
Covered kitchen along one of the internal garden walls.
A laundry with some coin operated tumble dryers (and laundry liquid dispenser).
Gender separated bathrooms.
First Aid trained hospitelaros with first aid kit and a defibrillator station with instructions in many languages.
A small shrine to St James, dedicated and serviced by the village priest, with offering candles.
Friendly house cat and/or friendly house dog.
I prefer to walk an hour or so before breakfast, so lack of breakfast at La Finca isn't an issue for me.Yes! La Finca is just about perfect! Private bunks for each pilgrim. Lots of hot water for the showers, with very spacious stalls. Free use of the washing machine. You do have to prepare for breakfast in the AM, but they do provide a coffee machine and the coffee. Great food, free tapas (?) on Sunday to go with your beer, and a huge outdoor area to chillax. Now if they were open for breakfast.......
But some of us are introverts. I like the power points and the curtains. When you’re tired at the end of the day sometimes you just want quiet. When I want to socialise I go out to dinner.Well said! I agree with you wholeheartedly.
Well, you might get something in the village, (there’s not much), but the next real place to eat is 12km away.I prefer to walk an hour or so before breakfast, so lack of breakfast at La Finca isn't an issue for me.
I bring my own S hooks.And hooks all over the bathrooms to hang our dry clothes and shower bags!!!!!
Sounds very much like the traditional layout of a medieval monastery.Great idea!!
Single level, built in the Roman villa style as a large square with large internal garden with fountain and parasol clothes dryers. Covered benches around the internal walls.
Bedrooms of four bunks with curtains, power points, bunk lights, and doors into internal garden.
Also couples/family rooms. - and hopefully a snorers room!!
Large warm (or cool!) extended porch for de-booting and de-waterproofing or de-dusting before going inside.
Covered kitchen along one of the internal garden walls.
A laundry with some coin operated tumble dryers (and laundry liquid dispenser).
Gender separated bathrooms.
First Aid trained hospitelaros with first aid kit and a defibrillator station with instructions in many languages.
A small shrine to St James, dedicated and serviced by the village priest, with offering candles.
Friendly house cat and/or friendly house dog.
Sounds very much like the traditional layout of a medieval monastery.
I fully agree with the privacy thing. Part of the experience of the Camino is the communal sleeping arrangements. Half the stories about our walks would be dull if it wasn't for snorers.Well said! I agree with you wholeheartedly.
A window I could open. So many hot stuffy rooms.My perfect albergue would have beds like at Albergue La Finca. The bunks there are like tiny rooms, and the upper bunks are accessed via mini staircases.
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I had my very own window in my upper bunk at La Finca.A window I could open. So many hot stuffy rooms.
Funny I had the same in my mind... Let me share my answers with you.A virtual building project.
Sitting here on the farm with an annoying amount of spare time on my hands and got to thinking(always dangerous). Fired up my drafting software and started noodling around with floor plans and such.
So, if you were designing the perfect albergue, what amenities would it include??
How many bunks per room?
How many toilets and or showers per pilgrim?
Warm floors? Chefs kitchen?
Give me your ideas!!
M
I agree. I think part of how the Camino communicates is the fact that life is shaved back to the basics of food, water, health & shelter. This allows other things, like friendships, thoughts, emotions, & what is noticed by the senses, to come to the fore. So this isn't lost, maybe our "ideal" albergue could have an "up-market" section for those in need of a few luxuries while retaining the communal feel not available when checking into a hotel. I did find snorers bothered me a bit, but mostly I was so tired I would have slept even if a freight train went past me, but mostly I made the conscious decision not to fight it & let it annoy me, but to accept it as part of the communal aspect of the Camino & reminded me of how blessed I was to be on this journey.The perfect albergue is the one that welcomes me at the end of the day. I'm not looking for a boutique B&B; I'm happy enough with a triple bunk or floorspace for a sleeping mat, somewhere to wash myself and my clothes, and somewhere to sit in the evening sun. The friendliness of the staff and fellow guests matters more than the facilities.
- Showers that don't have a time limit.
I would like a hospitalero/hospitalera who is kind and welcoming, who knows what the camino is about. I would like the place to be clean, with sufficient hot water for a decent shower.
I would like it to be priced so that people without much money were not excluded.
And that's about it.
A well-equipped mini bar, of course. A nice lounge where you can meet and have a chat with your fellow pilgrims and have a gin & tonic or a glass of bubbly
People should never be locked inside any building.There have been 70 creative posts here and I love them all. I have nothing to add to the excellent responses except let's not keep people locked inside the albergues past 6:00am.
Don’t forget the great bar and the huge outdoor space!I think I will move in permantly when this mess is over!
Well, I was ready to go and had to wait a full hour to be released. While waiting to get out about ten additional people lined up before the gates were unlocked and we were allowed to leave the premises.People should never be locked inside any building.
If you were locked inside a building you should report it to the authorities, as it's illegal.Well, I was ready to go and had to wait a full hour to be released. While waiting to get out about ten additional people lined up before the gates were unlocked and we were allowed to leave the premises.
Actually it was semi-outside, locked in an enclosed courtyard with high walls, but open to the sky. Probably not illegal...but annoying all the same.If you were locked inside a building you should report it to the authorities, as it's illegal.
Yes, I totally understand this. The problem was that we were kept inside until at least 7 or 8am. I'd gotten up rather early and had hoped to get a good start by heading out, but instead had to wait and wait. It was in May and the sun was already up. I was not trying to head out in the dark.It's not so much to keep you inside, it's to keep outsiders from coming in after closing time. .. and to keep people inside from admitting others after closing time I know about the safety concerns, but you are dealing with spaniards here... the ones out in the country have a great suspicion of open windows without bars, unlocked doors, and open gates. I think it dates back to being invaded a few dozen times thru history... or being robbed while they slept.
I remember one albergue where the hospitaleros told everyone that they would not be able to leave before 6 a.m.. If they still wanted to stay, they were free to stay. If they wanted to leave earlier, they were free to spend the night elsewhere (there was another, available albergue in town). As I recall, no one objected and we all had a wonderful, restful night. Perhaps the earliest risers appreciated a forced opportunity to "sleep late".Yes, I totally understand this. The problem was that we were kept inside until at least 7 or 8am. I'd gotten up rather early and had hoped to get a good start by heading out, but instead had to wait and wait. It was in May and the sun was already up. I was not trying to head out in the dark.
I remember one albergue where the hospitaleros told everyone that they would not be able to leave before 6 a.m.. If they still wanted to stay, they were free to stay. If they wanted to leave earlier, they were free to spend the night elsewhere (there was another, available albergue in town). As I recall, no one objected and we all had a wonderful, restful night. Perhaps the earliest risers appreciated a forced opportunity to "sleep late".
My perfect albergue would have beds like at Albergue La Finca. The bunks there are like tiny rooms, and the upper bunks are accessed via mini staircases.
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Nice little lockers near the bed for locking away your valuables. Enough sockets for electronic devices that need to be charged. A kitchen / kitchenette with free coffee all day long. And last but not least - 24h access like in the Unamumo in Leon or the km0 in SdC.
Exactly. That was good of the hospis. But pilgrims also should remember they are not entitled to have things their way. The pilgrim adjusts to conditions, the tourist must have conditions adjusted to him.
As far as I love the experience in Burgos at the Emaùs, the closing time of 8pm is way too early.Yes, 24 hour access! I don't like having to rush back to my bed right around the time the locals in town are heading out to dinner.
Cold boots don't bother me,l but I don't go in the winter.I would like the albergue to have this equipement:
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Because I hate to start the morning with cold and wet feet!
Buen Camino,
Jacques-D.
The albergue we stayed at in Astorga had podiatry and massage clinics. I'm not sure who operated the massage clinics, but the podiatry clinic was operated in partnership with a podiatry school that also ran a clinic in Ponferrada. The podiatry clinic was of great benefit to my son and appeared when we needed it the most.This is fun. So many good ideas. I would only add .... sited next door to a 24/7 physio/massage/chiropractic clinic!
I think I will move in permantly when this mess is over!
When I met her she was interested in building her own albergue. I suppose that those plans didn't pan out?I know a pilgrim who did! She visited once and stayed! Last time I was there she was running the albergue side of things and was negotiating becoming a partner in the business.
When I met her she was interested in building her own albergue. I suppose that those plans didn't pan out?
Yes when we first met she was thinking of opening her own albergue, while learning the ropes at La Finca. A year later she was still at La Finca and had taken on the pilgrim side of things, but the owner was talking to her about becoming a partner in the business. She had not decided what to do last I heard. She was taking the partnership offer seriously though. I am friends with her husband online, I should ask, even to just see how they are doing.
most definitely a hot shower without one of those annoying timer buttons and a space outside the shower with a bench and hooks for clothes...and a shelf in the shower for soap and stuff.
a great front porch where you can sit and talk and take off your shoes.
4 bunkbed beds per cubicle, with a ladder for the top bunk.
i Wasn't too partial to the lockers (Noisy in the morning), but a shelf big enough for your backpack is good
A shoe drying rack is a great idea.
a large communal dining area that serves a fabulous paella with wine from a bottomless pitcher
Washers and dryers are great, but an indoor drying room with a space heater to dry them is good.
morning coffee and croissants for all...even us early risers.
A comfy space to pack our backpacks before leaving in the morning...outside the dorm room.
most of all a welcoming space to gather and talk with a lot of people over a glass of wine.
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