Bed Bug Alert: Albergue Tio Pepe in Villar de Mazarife

[o.crowder]

I stayed here last night and found a large bed bug crawling next to my head. I killed it and brought it to the owner and she told me not to worry, that it was in fact a butterfly. I told her that it did not have wings and she then said that it must be a tree bug and that I needed to keep the windows closed. I changed beds and before turning off the lights, I found two more in my bed. It was close to midnight so the only option I had was to pack up my stuff and sleep in a chair in the foyer of the albergue. I know that bed bugs might be unavoidable at times, but being lied to added insult to injury. The shear look of horror on the face of the albergue owner spoke volumes and then she proceeded to not only answer dishonestly, but she also did not attempt to remedy the situation at all (room change, refund, assistance finding another space).

The albergue is one of the nicer ones I have seen, but the shady business practices need to be addressed. I am offering my story as an FYI. Please keep the self-rightgeous 'blame the pilgrim' and anti-American comments to yourself.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I have stayed there four times, and found the service and food excellent. I am a bit surprised at the response. The self-protective attitude probably was to keep from scaring other customers away. The bed options are limited there, and if there are bed bugs in one room, they are in the others. They live in the walls and bed frames, and are quite mobile. I would be surprised if the place was not treated right after pilgrims left for the day. Hospitaleros don't like them anymore than pilgrims. Keep in mind that a pilgrim brought them (no accusation, but it is possible you brought them with you from your last albergue; just a possibility!), and the owner is feeling put upon because she is not really responsible for the infestation.

The best protection for you is to take preventive actions like treating your equipment and sleeping bag. You have to be your own first line of defense. Even places with active bed bug control programs can become infested. It really is not within the control of the albergue.

 

[Anniesantiago]

o. crowder, is this what you saw?

Lots of photos in my blog here: http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/2011/06/dont-let-bedbugs-bite.html