The albergue is open in Mieres but you need to stop at the Polideportivo before La Pena to get the key to open the door. Every pilgrim gets a key.
Staying there without a hospitalero was a bit of an adventure for us. The electricity went out when a woman tried to plug her something into an outlet in the kitchen. It was turned back on when another pilgrim worked the fuse box at the end of the hall. But it went out a second time (don't know why), but this time the fuses didn't work and a person had to come from the Polideportivo to show us how to flip a switch in the fuse box in the music school next door. Then at 9 pm the door to the dormitory somehow was locked and couldn't be unlocked from either side. After much effort from within the room and from the hall, finally the police were called. They called another man from the Polideportivo who came and broke the door open! It was quite a night.