Questions on Private Albergues

[MichaelC]

Class of '16 here, so I'm still in the daydreaming / reading every post & following every link I can phase ...

I've been randomly clicking links on the "All" Albergues on the Camino Frances file, and the private albergues really seem more more my style than the larger refugios. Or at least, they fit as much my style as my budget will allow. The Casas Rurales look fantastic, but also out of my budget except for a few nights of splurging.

I have a few questions specific to the private albergues:

- A lot of them are smaller, and take reservations. Is it a similar style to the gites in France, where you would want to reserve a day or two ahead?

- I love communal eating. I can be alone all day and I'm fine, but prefer to dine with others. But, I also want to explore the regional cuisine, and not have too many "pilgrims' menu" nights. Do the dinners at the private albergues tend to be more home-style cooking like at the French gites, or does it vary a lot from place to place?

- And, since they are smaller, do you tend to become more isolated from the main energy and fellowship of the camino? I suspect that one would bond deeper with people at a 16-bed albergue than at a 180-bed one, but I could be wrong.

 

[wayfarer]

Welcome Michael, private albergues can be as busy as the municipal ones depending on the time of year you walk. You can book ahead but I found that on the day was fine as I walked in April. The food in those that served it was for the most part the same as everywhere else if you choose the pilgrim menu , but the food changes from region to region. If you want a change from the pilgrim menu just eat at local restaurants. As for isolation, I only ever found that when using private rooms but the privacy was a nice change from time to time.
Happy planning and Buen Camino.

 

[zammy]

main reason to stay at private akbergues is being able to start later then the rest of the crowd,walk more mileage,have more rest stops,walk till late afternoon when everybody else else rushes to get to the albergue at 1300 and then enjoying walking peacefully and tranquil without big crowd on the trail

 

[bystander]

Out of curiosity has anyone produced a table with percentages showing in which type of accommodation pilgrims on the CF stay?

 

[mspath]

Michael,

Welcome to the Forum. Enjoy your planning. However do remember that there is NO SINGLE STANDARD for anything on any of the caminos; each pilgrim is different, each town and each albergue. Chance and happenstance are the only constants; experiencing this wide variety is a common camino pleasure.

MM

 

[Al the optimist]

Out of curiosity has anyone produced a table with percentages showing in which type of accommodation pilgrims on the CF stay?

Wayfarer has taken up the challenge and started a poll.

 

[paul.ferris]

My experience. More often than not you will stop in a small village more or less where you had planned to be. You will be tired and happy to find a bed with out too much wandering around. Most albergues don't have a meal option. Someone that you have met along the trail and is at the same albergue will suggest that a group is going to a certain place to eat - so you go there. In villages there isn't much choice and the fare is basic. The wine is always good.

 

[Al the optimist]

Yes Paul that is so true. I would say that in the smaller places it is perhaps harder to get to eat alone than spontaneously otherwise! After all that is the the spirit of the Camino. You will find companionship during the day with those who you meet briefly, say Buen Camino to, perhaps having a small conversation with and moving on, perhaps ending the day's walk with them. You will be checking in with them, passing them as you go about your end of day activities. You will gel with some and spend time with them. You can have the best of all worlds if that's what you want.

 

[SYates]

... and the private albergues really seem more more my style than the larger refugios. ...

I have a few questions specific to the private albergues:

- A lot of them are smaller, and take reservations. Is it a similar style to the gites in France, where you would want to reserve a day or two ahead?

- I love communal eating. I can be alone all day and I'm fine, but prefer to dine with others. But, I also want to explore the regional cuisine, and not have too many "pilgrims' menu" nights. Do the dinners at the private albergues tend to be more home-style cooking like at the French gites, or does it vary a lot from place to place?

- And, since they are smaller, do you tend to become more isolated from the main energy and fellowship of the camino? I suspect that one would bond deeper with people at a 16-bed albergue than at a 180-bed one, but I could be wrong.

Before I answer your other questions, why do you think private albergues are more your style? Because of their size? There are also a lot smaller non-private albergues around and some private ones are large. I would suggest to use a 'happy mix' of both, depending where you are and how you feel.

1. Yes, depending on the season you are walking in same day might be ok, the more you get into high season, the earlier you should reserve.

2. Not all private albergues offer a communal meal and / or have a kitchen where you can prepare one. Food quality varies a lot.

3. Depends on the people you spend your time with ;-) I found fabulous Camino friends in places as large as Roncesvalles and as small as Torres del Rio.

Buen Camino! SY

 

[norelle]

Some of the pilgrims I met along the way (especially the younger, more budget-minded ones) would look for albergues with cooking/kitchen facilities. The various guidebooks contained this information.
They could then save a few euros by cooking their own meals. It was also a nice break from the pilgrim menus for others.

buen camino

 

[Bajaracer]

Communal meals cooked by your fellow pilgrims occur when you have a decent kitchen and a store to buy food.

 

[jmcarp]

We stayed in private albergues approx 60-65% of the time and in municipal albergues otherwise. We found the private albergues to be much smaller in general, and thus more intimate. Those that did serve meals generally served more of a 'homestyle' fare -- usually with no choice, but always very good. For those that didn't serve meals or offer kitchen facilities, we would eat in a nearby cafe and have the typical 3-course pilgrims' menu. As far as interacting with other pilgrims, we found the more intimate setting of the private albergues better in that regard, especially while dining at a communal table. We only reserved ahead after Sarria, and then only making arrangements the evening before.

 

[MichaelC]

Before I answer your other questions, why do you think private albergues are more your style? Because of their size? There are also a lot smaller non-private albergues around and some private ones are large. I would suggest to use a 'happy mix' of both, depending where you are and how you feel.

Buen Camino! SY

Thanks for all the responses! My plan is to give myself 80 days for Le Puy to Santiago, so I'm sure I'll have the chance to experience a bit of everything.

As for the private albergues, this pretty much wins me over:

main reason to stay at private akbergues is being able to start later then the rest of the crowd,walk more mileage,have more rest stops,walk till late afternoon when everybody else else rushes to get to the albergue at 1300 and then enjoying walking peacefully and tranquil without big crowd on the trail

 

[Deleted member 3000]

this pretty much wins me over

Don't be surprised when they want you gone by 0800! Hospitaleros work from about 2 p.m. until 10 p.m., then 6 a.m. until pilgrims leave, and they do it seven days a week. They want the 0800 to 1400 time to clean the albergue and obtain supplies. To sleep in, you will need hostales and hoteles with a late checkout time!

 

[SYates]

Reserving a bed, aka staying in private albergues, has really only just one advantage, as pointed out earlier by zammy, you can take your time to arrive there. But, careful, if you haven't arrived by a certain time, varies from albergue to albergue, your reserved bed might be reallocated to another pilgrim. As we say in my native German 'it ain't gold all that shines' ;-) Also reserving beds does take out a lot of the spontanity of the Camino as you HAVE to at a certain place at a certain day ...
Buen Camino, SY

 

[november_moon]

My experience. More often than not you will stop in a small village more or less where you had planned to be. You will be tired and happy to find a bed with out too much wandering around.

I think this is the key. Looking back, I am not even sure which alberques were private and which were municipal.

Regarding bonding with others - I bonded with people over afternoon beers and dinner quite a lot - and that could happen at dinner at an alberque, at the bar down the street. I bonded with one woman over a needle and thread - she had ripped her clothes, I had needle and thread - voila, we became fast friends.

 

[MichaelC]

I saw a few private albergue websites that asked people to call the night before (like in France), but I'm guessing that this is actually pretty rare. I think I must have just clicked on the few that do. I'm kind of glad to know that you can just show up! And also that there are options if you want to avoid the race-for-beds that I've read about.

 

[KinkyOne]

I saw a few private albergue websites that asked people to call the night before (like in France), but I'm guessing that this is actually pretty rare. I think I must have just clicked on the few that do. I'm kind of glad to know that you can just show up! And also that there are options if you want to avoid the race-for-beds that I've read about.

Usually private albergues are just that - private. And therefore fighting to sell their acommodation also via reservations. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but that is the main characteristic that distinguish them from others = municipal or parrochial, asociation etc.

 

[MaxfromMO]

With regard to the reservation process. When we reserved at private albergues we had heard that you need to reconfirm those reservations by about one or two o'clock the day of the reservation or they might give your bed to another pilgrim. Some were quite surprised when they arrived and their reservation had vanished because they had not taken seriously the request to reconfirm the day of arrival. You don't have to be AT the albergue by that time, just call and let them know that you definitely will be there, you are on your way. It helps both of you out. You know you'll have the bed when you arrive so you don't have to rush to get there, and they know that they won't hold a bed for a "no show" and lose the revenue, but don't forget to confirm. We always did that and we never had a problem. Also, if you can't make it there, or want to go further, you can always call and cancel the reservation. Once you get on the road you'll quickly size up the situation. You'll find out if there is going to be a bit of a "bed race", or there isn't a problem at all. It all depends on the time of the year and what movies have motivated new pilgrims As to meeting others and making friends, as long as you are open and friendly I have no doubt it will happen. It's the way of the Camino. If you want companionship at meals, don't hesitate to ask others to join you, or take part in communal meals that are many times offered at the albergues. You'll be amazed at what you may find yourself doing to help a fellow pilgrim. I found myself un-bandaging, cleaning and re-dressing some hideous blisters for an Aussie bloke. If you told me I'd do that a year before the Camino I'd have thought you crazy, but there I was. We had tapas and beer later. Buen Camino!!

 

[Kerstinh47]

Hello Michael -
How exciting for you to be planning for your camino! I was in your shoes a couple of years ago, and was sometimes as overwhelmed as excited planning for what I didn't know. Now I do know, and would like to humbly share that I was content to trust that the right bed/Albergue/meal situation would manifest and it did. I didn't reserve a bed beforehand on any day; just once there was 'no room at the Inn' so to speak, and I happily splurged on a private room that night.
I haven't read any responses in this thread that speak to the treasure to be found in trusting that your experience will be absolutely perfect for you through challenge and joy.
Buen Camino!

 

[Bajaracer]

Class of '16 here, so I'm still in the daydreaming / reading every post & following every link I can phase ...

I've been randomly clicking links on the "All" Albergues on the Camino Frances file, and the private albergues really seem more more my style than the larger refugios. Or at least, they fit as much my style as my budget will allow. The Casas Rurales look fantastic, but also out of my budget except for a few nights of splurging.

I have a few questions specific to the private albergues:

- A lot of them are smaller, and take reservations. Is it a similar style to the gites in France, where you would want to reserve a day or two ahead?

- I love communal eating. I can be alone all day and I'm fine, but prefer to dine with others. But, I also want to explore the regional cuisine, and not have too many "pilgrims' menu" nights. Do the dinners at the private albergues tend to be more home-style cooking like at the French gites, or does it vary a lot from place to place?

- And, since they are smaller, do you tend to become more isolated from the main energy and fellowship of the camino? I suspect that one would bond deeper with people at a 16-bed albergue than at a 180-bed one, but I could be wrong.

Michael, FYI when you get to an albergue with a kitchen, take a look at what pilgrims have left behind such as salt, pepper, oil, and leftover packages of food before you go shop for food to cook for dinner.

 

[Al the optimist]

If you are booking a private albergue and are going to be late, let them know when you expect to arrive and if that is going to be later than say 3pm ring at say 2:00 to reconfirm you expected time?

 

[Thornley]

Thanks for all the responses! My plan is to give myself 80 days for Le Puy to Santiago, so I'm sure I'll have the chance to experience a bit of everything.

As for the private albergues, this pretty much wins me over:

By the time you reach Spain Michael you will be an old hand @ booking ahead.
You must take the french side seriously as its countryside and they will have food etc waiting for you.
Better to book 2 days ahead but you can judge that on the way.
After demi pensions for most of the french way you will get a surprise when you hit the boarder but if in good health you will have longer days than the average person just commencing in St JPdP

 

[Lydia Gillen]

One little disadvantage of being able to walk a longer day because you are sure of your bed is this , that your clothes have less time to dry. Try to make sure to hang them where they will get the last of the evening sun

 

[Falcon]

just need a clarification please:
does private albergue = expensive hotel
ie those on booking.com

or are there 3 types of accommodation: (approx prices )
1) municipal albergue Euro 10
2) private albergue Euro 20 -30/maybe with food
3) posh hotels Euro 60 - 100

 

[mspath]

Private albergues usually provide dorm accommodation with shared bath/ toilet. They generally can be reserved, often via Booking.com, and average 10 to 15 euros for a bed/bunk.
Some also offer private rooms at a higher fee. Many are very comfortable with good showers, tasty meals and great heat in winter.

 

[Falcon]

Private albergues usually provide dorm accommodation with shared bath/ toilet. They generally can be reserved, often via Booking.com, and average 10 to 15 euros for a bed/bunk.
Some also offer private rooms at a higher fee. Many are very comfortable with good showers, tasty meals and great heat in winter.

Thnk you mspath ,that's a great relief, you've taken a huge weight from me
as my budget will be able cover those times I might stroll in to a town at 3/4pm
and find the municipals full.
Though I understand its better to book the night before setting off in the morning?

 

[mspath]

That's right if you want to be assured of a place.
For a handy on-line list of most accommodation along the camino see the Spanish Gronze.com guide. Tap on each location entry to see the possibilities; tap each citation for more info. Booking.com links are also given.

Happy research and Buen camino!

 

[Felipe]

I think a lot depends on what are you expecting from a private albergue. If it is just about accommodations, or you expect this something vague but recognizable "Camino feeling" that abound in many municipal and parochial albergues.
Some private albergues are owned by former pilgrims, or by people who have been in the Camino business for ages, and it shows in the talk and attitude of hospitaleros.
But there are also many, really many, that have appeared recently because it is good business. Some of these albergues have very good, almost hotel-like accommodations, but the reception is, well, just a reception. It is not that they are bad places to stay -it is just that they are just a comfortable place for sleeping and resting a night. But they are lacking the friendliness, the social experience, the communality that it is important to me.
I feel that the availability of a common room and a kitchen says a lot about albergues and albergue owners. I prefer always them, and not only for practical issues.

 

[Thornley]

Thnk you mspath ,that's a great relief, you've taken a huge weight from me
as my budget will be able cover those times I might stroll in to a town at 3/4pm
and find the municipals full.
Though I understand its better to book the night before setting off in the morning?

We must call you Falcon Junior
Good luck

 

[Falcon]

We must call you Falcon Junior
Good luck

Yep that's me .
Young peregrine falcon

 

[algrann]

Got a question for you all. My wife likes to shower just prior to going to bed and I was wondering about the hot water status by day 9pm. Other than having a private room with facilities, how would that go over with noise or inconvenience to others?