Planned Acommodations Full?

[tpatnode]

I have posted several questions in recent days. What If our planned accommodations are booked full when we arrive, are the hosts/workers/volunteers helpful in finding other accommodations for us?

 

[trecile]

I have posted several questions in recent days. What If our planned accommodations are booked full when we arrive, are the hosts/workers/volunteers helpful in finding other accommodations for us?

Yes, the hospitaleros will often help you find other accommodations. However, if there is a particular place where you really want to stay, and they take reservations, then you could reserve a day or two ahead.

 

[Former member 92300]

In addition to what trecile said - it is good to have a list of accommodations for each town. If you start in SJPDP - they give you a printout with lots of accommodations listed. You can use that, or a Camino app. I also use a website called gronze . com . If a place is full, I just walk to the next one on the list. Or call ahead.

 

[good_old_shoes]

Just walk to the next place. That might be next door or in the next village. Hospitaleros will often help, especially when the whole village is booked out. But it's always good to have your own plan B and C, too.

If you plan to stay in a town with few beds or only one albergue, make sure that the next town with more beds is not too far away, so you'll still be okay to walk a little further.

Another good strategy is to stop one or two villages before the intended stop for the night, have lunch or a coffee, and during that rest stop you can make a phone call to the place you'd like to stay at to find out whether they still have beds. That way you still have enough time to find another place to stay if it's full.

 

[Jim ME]

"Good old shoes" has the strategy I used when I walked. I made reservations weeks in advance in St Jean and Roncesvalles. From there it was my noontime ritual to look at Brierley's book and a Camino App and decide on about where I would be finishing my day and then call my first and second (if necessary) choices to reserve that night. Only once out of 30+/- nights did I have to call more than two places. Also, you meet people you enjoy and decide to stay in the same location to continue your conversation with them. Enjoy!

 

[Thomas1962]

Nearly every hospitalero will try to help you if there is no place, bit st some moments also a hospitalero cannot help you any furthe, except for giving you a tel nr of a taxi.

 

[J Willhaus]

I know it seems scary, especially if you are used to reservations, but there is almost always a solution which as a last resort can include getting a taxi and traveling ahead or back or somewhere off the Camino. Staying between the stages is also a good strategy and remember that not all places take reservations.

 

[jflorez]

I know it seems scary, especially if you are used to reservations, but there is almost always a solution which as a last resort can include getting a taxi and traveling ahead or back or somewhere off the Camino. Staying between the stages is also a good strategy and remember that not all places take reservations.

Totally agree. Staying between [the Brierly/guidebook] stages is what worked for me and my friends when I walked in September/October. It cut the crowds down at the end of the day dramatically, and also made the days' walk so much more peaceful.

 

[camino.ninja]

I have posted several questions in recent days. What If our planned accommodations are booked full when we arrive, are the hosts/workers/volunteers helpful in finding other accommodations for us?

They probably will be helpfull if there is any accommodation available. In Easter and August there might not be any accommodation available and bringing a sleeping pad, if walking without reservation, might be a good idea.

 

[MartAl99]

Which is the best Camino app for accommodation, there appears to be several?

 

[Jamieb]

One of my evening things I did was look at the guide book and figure out the next day walk - I tried to stop in towns that had a couple of options incase my albergue of choice was booked. When I walked in summer 2019 it only happened once where we arrived and all the places were full - we just walked into the nearest cafe/bar and asked for help calling a taxi and we taxied to next town 5km away.

 

[trecile]

Which is the best Camino app for accommodation, there appears to be several?

You're right, there are several good apps. I'm partial to the Buen Camino app because it has a lot of features.
The Gronze website is very good because it tells you where each place is in relation to the Camino.
It lists phone numbers and email addresses, and has links to booking.com for those places that use it.
Gronze is only in Spanish, but if you use the Chrome browser it will automatically translate to English or the language of your choice.

 

[Phil W]

I learned last September (2021) when I was a hospitalero in a small town on the old Camino route from Sahagun to Mansilla de las Mulas that taking an optional route can sometimes help you find a bed. Pilgrims that stayed with me regularly related stories of trying to reserve a bed with no luck. Their solution was to walk an optional route and seek out bed space.

There was one other albergue in town, a private one. They often were full and would send pilgrims to me. What was the difference? Both were clean, had beds, with clean bathrooms. We didn't have a full kitchen due to Covid restrictions but the other albergue had a restaurant with outside and inside dining and they had some full service private rooms. If you will be satisfied with a clean bed and bathroom perhaps a donativo may meet your needs. They are simple and provide a clean place to stay for a night.

Phil

 

[camino.ninja]

Which is the best Camino app for accommodation, there appears to be several?

I don't think there is a "best" app. It is individual what people like.

But I just came from Camino Francés, and I would say the Camino Ninja App and the Editorial Buen Camino App is what most people end up using. Both apps actually.

But really, I would just try a bunch and then figure out what works for you when you are there. I think that's what most people do.

Best
Andy

 

[Eve Alexandra]

If the place you contact to reserve a bed is done more than 1 day ahead and it’s not guaranteed with a credit card, contact them the day before or the morning of, and tell them you’re still coming, and an approximate window of time. I’ve met more than one pilgrim in the last week that lost a bed because they arrived after 3pm and didn’t let the owner know.

Keep a record of where you contact them (email, WhatsApp) so you can reply to the original conversation.

 

[design4life]

I like Wise Pilgrim.
Set aside a little money for a hotel or other private accom, just in case. Wise Pilgrim and Gronze list non-albergues. The little Village to Village books do too -- I cut out the pages I need in case for some reason my phone doesn't work. For 2022 I decided to mostly book ahead because it's so hard to estimate the pent-up demand after two years of Covid.

 

[David Tallan]

I've used and appreciated Buen Camino, Wise Pilgrim, Camino Pilgrim, Camino Ninja, and the Gronze website. My personal opinion is that the apps are cheap enough I don't have to choose between them but can carry them all. It's not like they have a weight. That also allows me to check them against each other as errors invariably creep in.

 

[RussB]

I've used and appreciated Buen Camino, Wise Pilgrim, Camino Pilgrim, Camino Ninja, and the Gronze website. My personal opinion is that the apps are cheap enough I don't have to choose between them but can carry them all. It's not like they have a weight. That also allows me to check them against each other as errors invariably creep in.

The mapping on Buen Camino is very good, might just be the way my brain works but I like

 

[trecile]

I've used and appreciated Buen Camino, Wise Pilgrim, Camino Pilgrim, Camino Ninja, and the Gronze website. My personal opinion is that the apps are cheap enough I don't have to choose between them but can carry them all. It's not like they have a weight. That also allows me to check them against each other as errors invariably creep in.

Yes, I use them all too for the sane reasons. No need to choose just one app. I also have guidebooks on my Kindle app that give a little more background/historical information about the different towns and cities.

The mapping on Buen Camino is very good, might just be the way my brain works but I like

Buen Camino is my favorite, and I love how it tells you the distance to the next town as you are walking.
Lots of people seem to like the Camino Ninja app too. I'll be trying it out for the first time on the Portuguese Camino soon.

 

[David Tallan]

Yes, I use them all too for the sane reasons. No need to choose just one app. I also have guidebooks on my Kindle app that give a little more background/historical information about the different towns and cities.

Buen Camino is my favorite, and I love how it tells you the distance to the next town as you are walking.
Lots of people seem to like the Camino Ninja app too. I'll be trying it out for the first time on the Portuguese Camino soon.

I've been taking the Village to Village guide books in e-book format, and of course the incomparable Gitlitz and Davidson. Next time, I think I will try taking the e-book version of the Moon guide, which I've heard good things about.