Question about albergues

[lauramariel]

I'm writing a blog post based on my Camino experience and wanted to fact-check a couple of things...

As far as I can tell there are basically 3 types of albergues - donativo, municipal and private.

Is the Pilgrim's Credential required only for municipal or for donativo as well? (i'm pretty sure it's not required for private)

Can you book municipals or donativos in advance? (I'm pretty sure you can't book municipals, but not sure about donativos)

Thanks in advance!

 

[David Tallan]

I think you are conflating a couple of different ways of looking at or categorizing albergues - who runs them (municipal, private) and how much they cost (donativo). In terms of who runs them there are a couple of other alternatives that you may have been trying to capture under "donativo": parochial albergues are run by the local church; there are also albergues run by pilgrim associations, I believe. While some of these may be "donativo", by no means are all of them are. Some have set prices like the municipal and private albergues.

I would assume that a pilgrim's credencial is required by any establishment calling itself an albergue. Some private ones may not require it, but I wouldn't count on it. Hostals, casa rurales, hotels, etc. won't require a credencial.

In terms of booking in advance, it depends on the albergue. We were able to book spots in the albergue in Roncesvalles in advance, which I don't believe is a private albergue. It's true, though, that I think you are more likely to be able to book in advance in a private albergue.

I hope that this helps!
Ultreia!

 

[C clearly]

Albergue owners generally make their own rules about reservations and Credenciales. If the church owns them, they make the rules. If the junta owns them, they do, etc. So the situation can vary and change, although there are some common patterns. The lower priced places cannot afford a reservation system. Many private places that also cater to non-pilgrims will give a special price to pilgrims with credenciales but that is their own policy.

So, don't give your readers the impression that this is an exact business whose structured rules you are laying out!

 

[HaraldS]

So, don't give your readers the impression that this is an exact business whose structured rules you are laying out!

Very true! Nearly everything which has to do with pilgrimage doesn't follow strict rules, and so is the albuerge classification. I would love if the printed guides would emphasize this fact.

 

[Sailor]

Lauramariel, welcome to the forum, your first post!

Good recommendations on above replies.

Good luck, y que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.

 

[MichaelC]

As I walked I developed my own way of classifying private albergues. As far as I know the guidebooks don't differentiate between them.

Family albergues. You stay in the owner's home. These were the norm in France, but rarer in Spain. These were far and away my favorite of the private albergues. I often felt a stronger connection with the town and with the history of the Camino. Examples: San Nicolas in Larrasoaña, Casa de Leo in Villafranca del Bierzo.

The "professional" albergues. These were the albergues that had serving pilgrims' needs down to a science. Some of them even had full staff! They were a bit less personal than the municipal, parochial, and family-owned albergues, but often made up for that with great amenities and great meals. Examples: Casa Magica in Villatuerte, the amazing La Finca in Población de Campos.

Bar-albergues: A public bar with rooms on the second floor or out back. These weren't as popular with pilgrims, but I usually enjoyed them. I felt a bit more immersed in the local culture, and I really liked that many of them didn't have early lock-ins. These are better for more independent pilgrims, though; you don't get the one-on-one attention (re: trail conditions, or foot care, etc) you'd get with the parochial albergues. Good examples: San Roque in Villambístia, Albaroque in Samos, A Reboleira in Fonfría, San Blas in Santa Catalina de Somoza.

The hostel-style albergues. Crowded rooms, indifferent staff at the front desk, limited facilities ... all at the same price as the other private albergues. Bad examples: La Pata de Oca in Torres del Rio.

The big corporate albergues. You'd see the billboards advertising these albergues as you approach the town. I avoided them.

This doesn't cover everything, and it's not very scientific ... it just reflects what I found myself looking for as I walked.

 

[lauramariel]

Thanks everyone for the help. I'm definitely not going to lay it out as if they are hard and fast rules. It's more speaking from my experience and from what I've researched (and I'll be using the words "sometimes" and "typically" a lot =)

 

[HedaP]

There are regulations that relate to albergues. I often saw Guardia Civil checking albergue booking records including those of private albergues. Or maybe only those of private albergues? Parochials seem to work to their own rules. But these are observations. There are many far more knowlegable folk on this forum. I know nothing!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Albergues are pre-2010 and post-2010. Many were opened for the holy year mob. They were built to code, and have things like handicap rooms that are never used. There are no parochial or municipal albergues built after 2010 (some remodels like Burgos, which also relocated).

Don’t worry about categories; when you are tired, stop!