To book or not to book

[julia.viljoen]

I shall be walking from Lisbon to Fatima and on to Finisterre from mid September and would really prefer to not pre-book accomm. There is a spontaneity about just winging it which have made my earlier Camino experiences very special, but is this still possible?

 

[MitPunkten]

I walked the CP beginning in Porto last year. Had no problems with finding an accomodation at all. Maybe you should book in Porto. There may be to many tourists to just go and see.
Buen Camino

 

[julia.viljoen]

I walked the CP beginning in Porto last year. Had no problems with finding an accomodation at all. Maybe you should book in Porto. There may be to many tourists to just go and see.
Buen Camino

Thanks for this. What month did you walk? I was thinking to book in Porto for a short stayover. Any other towns you would recommend for a stayover from a look-see point of view?

 

[MitPunkten]

I started end of June and arrived in Santiago mid july. I think Redondela is a nice town. If you will stay in Rubias, try to stay in Ninho. It‘s a private albergue and its name means „nest“. It really is. A warm welcome and 2 kind dogs are waiting for you. Loved it there

 

[julia.viljoen]

I started end of June and arrived in Santiago mid july. I think Redondela is a nice town. If you will stay in Rubias, try to stay in Ninho. It‘s a private albergue and its name means „nest“. It really is. A warm welcome and 2 kind dogs are waiting for you. Loved it there

Wow, this gives me that warm being on the Camino feeling. I'm making notes, thank you!

 

[Deleted member 397]

The second time i walked this route it was much busier so i did pre book in por t o...fortunately as a couple i walked with had to stay in a room above the bus station normally boo k ed on an hourly basis. After tui it was more crowded

 

[julia.viljoen]

The second time i walked this route it was much busier so i did pre book in por t o...fortunately as a couple i walked with had to stay in a room above the bus station normally boo k ed on an hourly basis. After tui it was more crowded

I shall certainly pre-book Porto then -- though it does put some constraints on being entirely spontaneous. But a room by the hour, no thank you.

 

[lt56ny]

I shall be walking from Lisbon to Fatima and on to Finisterre from mid September and would really prefer to not pre-book accomm. There is a spontaneity about just winging it which have made my earlier Camino experiences very special, but is this still possible?

I walked from Lisbon 2 Septembers ago. It was some anniversary year in Fatima. So there were alot of Pilgrims walking to Fatima. The only night that I saw there was a problem was the first night out of Lisbon in Alpriate. It is a small albergue. I have heard they have fixed it up since then but I don't know if they added beds. If memory serves me correctly there are only 10 or 12 beds at the most. I know there is a hotel as you first enter the town. My friend stayed there because he was a little sick and wanted a good nights rest. He said it was nice. It seemed like there were alot more pilgrims traveling to Fatima that started north of Fatima then pilgrims who started in Lisbon.

 

[naplesdon]

Mid September should be pretty much worry free as far as booking on the CP and CI.
Lots of pilgrims book Casa Fernanda in Lugar du Corgo because it is a very special place. It is day before Ponte do Lima.
I have stayed several times at Porto Republica which is a nice hostel with shared and private rooms in a safe neighborhood.

 

[roving_rufus]

Walked from Lisbon 2 years ago- never had a huge issue with accomodation...think I booked a few places like Tomar & Sao Joao de Madeira a day ahead though others didn't and found accomodation. Porto is worth booking as it is a popular tourist destination- but I did chance not booking it until a few days ahead so not to tie myself too much, which is probably fine except if you are going to hit Porto at a weekend. I can't advise much for north of Porto as I walked in Janaury and it was more checking to see if some places were open!

 

[Camembert]

Mid September should be pretty much worry free as far as booking on the CP and CI.
Lots of pilgrims book Casa Fernanda in Lugar du Corgo because it is a very special place. It is day before Ponte do Lima.
I have stayed several times at Porto Republica which is a nice hostel with shared and private rooms in a safe neighborhood.

Lugar do Corgo is not a village or so . It is the name of a house in a small hamlet ,Outeiro that is a part of the village of Vitorino dos Piães in the district of Viana do Castelo. A corgo is a road in a valley between mountains or hills.
So if you will locate Casa da Fernanda here is the address:
Rua do Outeiro , 547,
P 4990-823 Vitorino dos Piães,
Portugal.
Telephone +351 914 589 521

18 kms after Barcelos ( 3 kms after the village of Balugães on the caminho path you'll find a house with the name Lugar do Corgo -at the left side of the road and on the corner of a crossing of small roads.that's casa da Fernanda.

I will be there next Saturday and Sunday. See you there.

 

[jimmyc]

I walked from Lisbon May/June and never once pre-booked accommodation. I also stayed at the Casa Fernanda without a booking.

 

[Camembert]

I walked from Lisbon May/June and never once pre-booked accommodation. I also stayed at the Casa Fernanda without a booking.

You were lucky though ! Helping as a hospitaleiro several times at Casa da Fernanda I answered the phone often and had to disappoint upcoming pilgrims because the albergue was complete full. And that in the months of May and June

 

[jimmyc]

We always made sure we got away early each morning so that we completed our walk before 2PM. This way we avoided the afternoon heat and were very early at the hostals or albergues.

 

[Camembert]

We always made sure we got away early each morning so that we completed our walk before 2PM. This way we avoided the afternoon heat and were very early at the hostals or albergues.

Anyway most pilgrims who had prepared themselves by e.g. reading this forum to reserve in advance for Casa da Fernanda to avoid any disapointment .

 

[LynneR]

You were lucky though ! Helping as a hospitaleiro several times at Casa da Fernanda I answered the phone often and had to disappoint upcoming pilgrims because the albergue was complete full. And that in the months of May and June

How far in advance is reasonable to book at Casa da Fernanda? You know how you make a plan but don't always stick to it? I would like to stay here, but do not want to try to book too many days out. However, I would still like to try to get a room.
Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

How far in advance is reasonable to book at Casa da Fernanda? You know how you make a plan but don't always stick to it? I would like to stay here, but do not want to try to book too many days out. However, I would still like to try to get a room.
Thanks.

I wouldn't worry about booking too far ahead as long as:

• There is a free cancellation policy to within a few days of the reservation.
• You make sure to notify the property as soon in advance as possible if your date for staying at the property falls thru.

Most popular lodging properties will still be able to rent the space that was cancelled if the cancellation is done with enough notice. The primary problem is if you want to stay at a specific property and wait too long to book, and then finding it full on the day you want to stay there.

EDIT: This posted opinion is based on you wanting to stay at a SPECIFIC property. For general considerations, when one is willing to stay at any lodging available, I do not think that it is necessary to pre book in advance. If one place is full, there are usually a few, or many, other alternatives.

And of course the size of a village or town CAN and does affect the total number of lodging rooms or beds available. But if EVERY bed is filled in a town, you can always walk, bike, take a taxi or bus to the next town.

 

[RumAndChupacabras]

Hi julia.viljoen!

My first was Camino Portuguese. We walked in May & June with only two reservations: one for our arrival in Lisbon and one for our departure in Madrid. Everything else for 28 days was not planned. When we got to Porto, there was some kind of festival going on and we couldn't find our albergue. Then, everything else was filled. Yet, we found a lovely little rooftop accommodation by simply, taking a chance. Enjoy your Camino as it unfolds both on the Route and afterwards, when you get home. For me...Camino never stops teaching.

 

[Camembert]

How far in advance is reasonable to book at Casa da Fernanda? You know how you make a plan but don't always stick to it? I would like to stay here, but do not want to try to book too many days out. However, I would still like to try to get a room.
Thanks.

That depends of the amount of pilgrims on their way that particulary time and the time of the year.
Speaking about Fernanda's, that is a popular place to stay.
People walking from Barcelos find an albergue at 10 kms from Barcelos ( Tamel) and think it is an other 8 kms or so to Fernanda. Then they arrive and it is full .
The options are go back to Tamel, or another kind of bed and breakfast 3 kms further in Vitorino dos Piães with a few beds or 6 kms further on a more luxury bed and breakfast in Facha with some beds . Then the other option is to walk on to Ponte de Lima what means that you will walk another 7 kms or so. The distance between Barcelos and Ponte de Lima is about 32 kms.
Fernanda always is prepared to call ahead to her collegues if there is still a bed available.

Fernanda has 10 beds in the albergue (a gardenhouse) a room for 3 in the same gardenhouse and a veranda with a bed only underneath the roof but further fully open . In summertime people love to stay there.
And she has 2 rooms in her house, one with a double bed and one with two separate beds.
Lots of people book in advance Couples mostly choose if available for the dorms in the house.
When you book in advance Fernanda asks for your first name and the country you are from. That she notes in her reservation book. So a random day she knows that will arrive e.g. 2 from Germany, 5 from the USA ,2 from Australia and 1 from Portugal etc. That's all. If you do not show up , no bother.

If you walk in a more quiet time like we do from monday next -we leave for Porto tomorrow and arrive at Fernanda's Saturday next., and we see few pilgrims on the road going together with us, there is a better chance to find a bed but knowing the week after and already being in Spain , realising it is Semana Santa, the week before Eastern , we have booked ahead because we expect a lot of mainly Spanish walkers and Portuguese bikers going into the same direction as we do.
Specially for Tui to Santiago we already booked in October last year.

So what to do is up to you.
I know Fernanda since some time, stayed there for weeks and saw it happen every day again.

Bom caminho and hope you will like your stay at Casa da Fernanda.

 

[mommyinwonderland]

That depends of the amount of pilgrims on their way that particulary time and the time of the year.
Speaking about Fernanda's, that is a popular place to stay.
People walking from Barcelos find an albergue at 10 kms from Barcelos ( Tamel) and think it is an other 8 kms or so to Fernanda. Then they arrive and it is full .
The options are go back to Tamel, or another kind of bed and breakfast 3 kms further in Vitorino dos Piães with a few beds or 6 kms further on a more luxury bed and breakfast in Facha with some beds . Then the other option is to walk on to Ponte de Lima what means that you will walk another 7 kms or so. The distance between Barcelos and Ponte de Lima is about 32 kms.
Fernanda always is prepared to call ahead to her collegues if there is still a bed available.

Fernanda has 10 beds in the albergue (a gardenhouse) a room for 3 in the same gardenhouse and a veranda with a bed only underneath the roof but further fully open . In summertime people love to stay there.
And she has 2 rooms in her house, one with a double bed and one with two separate beds.
Lots of people book in advance Couples mostly choose if available for the dorms in the house.
When you book in advance Fernanda asks for your first name and the country you are from. That she notes in her reservation book. So a random day she knows that will arrive e.g. 2 from Germany, 5 from the USA ,2 from Australia and 1 from Portugal etc. That's all. If you do not show up , no bother.

If you walk in a more quiet time like we do from monday next -we leave for Porto tomorrow and arrive at Fernanda's Saturday next., and we see few pilgrims on the road going together with us, there is a better chance to find a bed but knowing the week after and already being in Spain , realising it is Semana Santa, the week before Eastern , we have booked ahead because we expect a lot of mainly Spanish walkers and Portuguese bikers going into the same direction as we do.
Specially for Tui to Santiago we already booked in October last year.

So what to do is up to you.
I know Fernanda since some time, stayed there for weeks and saw it happen every day again.

Bom caminho and hope you will like your stay at Casa da Fernanda.

I saw on another post Casa Fernandas phone number. Do they use WhatsApp? I’ve tried to contact her that way. I clicked on your avatar and tried to PM you but it says that you’ve blocked your profile. Can you help me book?

 

[bhambetty]

I saw on another post Casa Fernandas phone number. Do they use WhatsApp? I’ve tried to contact her that way. I clicked on your avatar and tried to PM you but it says that you’ve blocked your profile. Can you help me book?

Did you ever get through? I am having the same problem. My phone plan does not allow me to call Portugal and before I spend $15 for the upgrade I'm trying to find another way of reaching her.

 

[John Ferguson]

I shall be walking from Lisbon to Fatima and on to Finisterre from mid September and would really prefer to not pre-book accomm. There is a spontaneity about just winging it which have made my earlier Camino experiences very special, but is this still possible?

Walked Lisbon to Finistere May 2017, no reservation, never a problem with accommodation.