Charlie: We decided to stay in hotels on our Camino rather than the albergues. We get less interaction with other pilgrims and that is a downside but we like to spread out and have some privacy.
Many albergues have a few private rooms and we have stayed in those twice so far. They are pretty much like inexpensive hotel rooms. You might think that since there are only a few of these that they would fill up quickly but that does not seem to be the case. Of course nothing is too full this time of year.
It seems almost all pilgrims stay in the albergues, even the older ones. That is good for us since the hotels are never full. When I was young I would have stayed in the albergues too. It is fun to travel cheaply. So it works out, we don’t compete with them and they don’t compete with us.
We do not reserve ahead, usually we call on the day we want to stay. The only time this was a problem was in Pamplona on a weekend.
The hotels have all been nice. Sometimes we go cheap, 40 euro, and sometimes nicer, 80 euro, and sometimes in between. Generally you get what you pay for.
Wynette: Room in photo at top is in a private room in La Pata de la Oca albergue in Torres del Rio. Was a great place to stay. We have some stories to tell about that place. Photo below is view outside our window there.
Hola Amigos! I’ve been checking out your epic journey. Sorry to hear about Wynette’s foot problem and I hope she is doing much better. Looks like a lot of fun – I am enjoying the trip vicariously and wishing you good travels and pleasant days.
David D.