My List of Albergues

[Anniesantiago]

I posted all my favorite (and least favorite) Albergues on the Camino Frances on my blog yesterday and today. You can find the lists with photos at this link:
http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/2011/06/albergues-pamplona-to-sahagun.html

Feel free to add to the information and/or make comments.
I hope this will be helpful information.

 

[annakappa]

Great Blog, Annie. I've added my comments at the bottom of your Blog, regarding the albergue in San Saturnino, Ventosa, because they have changed location (same owner). They are now in a lovely building on the main street. Anne

 

[dbstefi]

thank you! it's very useful...

 

[Anniesantiago]

Thanks Anne! After I saw your comment, I did a google search for San Saturnino and when I saw the photos of the new albergue I realized I stayed there myself in 2009. I remember it was raining so hard and it was such a bright, sunny place!

Good lord, I have a bad memory. Hopefully it's this flu and not old age! :lol:

I don't have my journals, just photos, so I'm trying to reconstruct my walks by those. People's comments really are helping.

So is the old albergue completely closed now?

By the way, there are several sections to this blog - and they're not in order, sorry.

 

[annakappa]

San Saturnino was one of my top 10 albergues (both the old premises and the new one). It has everything that a pilgrim needs - even a little shop which sells individual portions of different food, such as spaghetti for one person.
Your idea of putting the list on a Blog is brilliant, because we can add our comments (if need be) and it can be kept up to date! Anne

 

[SabsP]

Great blog. I too added some info about Redecilla del Camino. This year there was only one albergue ( a very good municipal ) open.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Wow, I'm surprised. I'm pretty sure in 2006 there was a municipal, one run by some German folk, and maybe even one other. Has anyone got any different information? What time of year did you walk, Sab?

 

[SabsP]

Anie, walked this year, April/May.

So this is the one I stayed in Redicilla.
http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/alb ... san-lazaro
Only one in the village as far as I know. We are talking about the same village, don't we? The one with the wooden kiosk / tourist info point in beginning of village?

 

[Henk Ballon]

The one I liked most of all was Hontu just outside St Jean. Very friendly people and excelent food. And most of all\: you already took a nice chunk out of the 'terrible' stage to Roncevalles.

Is there any Albergue that you don't want to go back? Well I had some very dissapointing experiences in Granon. Everyone likes the place, but when I was there, April 2011, the hostes were very young and uncapable for running the place. The hosts managed to trow party at the fireplace at 03:00 hours. Right in the middle of the night!
The place itself was beautifull. So Im like to go back on day.

I found out that there is a diffence in 2 categories of Albergues: Municipal and Private.
The municipal are run by volunteers (good and bad), cheap, old and have personality. You meet all kinds of people and the domatories are large (thus loud).
The Private ones are run by profesionals (good and bad), more expensive but offer more comfort. Rooms are mostly smaller and hygiene is much higher standard than most municipal ones.

My advice: If you can effort to pay a few Euros extra per night: Find a Private Albergue!

 

[Anniesantiago]

It's important to remember that some of the albergues are run by volunteers, some good, and some not so good.

So your experience with a "bad" or "good" place may entirely depend on who is running it that 2 or 3 weeks.

That said, I probably wouldn't ever stay at Hornillos again - bedbug city!

 

[WolverineDG]

Annie, you can add the new albergue outside Burgos, the one that's ticking off the French lady so much. Liberamos Domine. Very clean, very nice hospitalera, good food!

on edit: just as I hit "send" I remembered this albergue is in Rabe, outside Burgos.

Kelly

 

[annakappa]

That said, I probably wouldn't ever stay at Hornillos again - bedbug city!

I wasn't so keen on the albergue in Hornillos either Annie! Hope we can make it to Hontanas this year!
I should also mention the the San Javier in Astorga has a definate bed bug problem. We did risk staying there last Sept (weren't bitten), but we then went to Rabanal (next possible stop along the Way) where we were hospitaleros. We received a number of cases of people having been bitten who had stayed the night before in San Javier and after several experiences, we checked very carefully all Pilgrims who had stayed there the night before. The Albergue Siervos de Maria at the entrance to Astorga is, in comparison very clean, spacious and when we stayed in 2009, we had a small room with only 2 bunk beds in it. It doesn't have the "atmosphere" of San Javier - but atmosphere isn't everything!! Anne

 

[SabsP]

Idem here on Hornillos, damp and unclean mattresses. Also damp and unclean : San Juan de Ortega, private owner now. So indeed it is not always a question of municipal of private, certainly not.
Together with the municipal in Villadangos del Paramo ( very dodgy mattrasses ) the three negative experiences on the Camino for me.

 

[jennysa]

Anniesantiago wrote:That said, I probably wouldn't ever stay at Hornillos again - bedbug city!

I also did not enjoy Hornillos and would rate it as the worst albergue on the Camino. I wished I could have found the energy to walk another 6 km to San Bol, which I understand is basic but wonderful. I also did not like Ital de la Vega. The second worst one was the very large one in Leon, but then it was central and there was no other choice really.

Best for me was Tosantos, and the 'Singing nuns' at Carrion de las Condes, and being woken up to the sound of Gregorian chants at Ventosa was worth the slight detour.

I never saw evidence of bedbugs at any of the albergues I stayed in, and so many of the albergues now give you a disposable mattress and pillow cover which seems to take care of the problem.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

These two sites have information on albergues for most of the caminos:

http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/los ... -santiago/

http://www.mundicamino.com/

The first site has comments by pilgrims. The reviews for Albergue de Hornillos del Camino are not good:

http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/alb ... del-camino

Whenever an albergue pops up on a route, it is added pretty promptly to these sites, so you can get current information before you leave on your trek. You can see photos, find out if there is internet, check prices, and get a bed count. Mundicamino has pharmacy, store, and healthcare locations along with food and accommodations. Use Babelfish or Google to translate the Spanish pages on Mundicamino; the English site for Mundicamino omits a lot of information. Eroski does not offer English, but you can get Basque, Catala, or Galego.

 

[SabsP]

I also skimmed this Eroski guide beforehand and I made additional notes in my own albergue list / book. Afterwards I too made some comments online, especially for the Albergues I was really pleased with.

And btw Eroskis is also a lovely supermarket ( bigger cities ) and way cheaper than Mercadona... 8)