Albergue or Hostel? Which are better & cheaper

[Poppz]

Here are a few questions I have been thinking about.

Alberque or Hostel. What is the difference and which are better and/or cheaper? I know this is supposed to be a humbling experiance and all, but some basic nessesaties are important (Bathroom / Shower). So what exactly are the differences between the two? Which is better? Do you need reservations? What is the cost difference, if any? Food or none? Any other important info. would be greatly appreciated. Just trying to get as much info as possible. I know other pilgrims have made reservations for some stops along the way. Is that nessesary?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

"Hostel" does not really exist on the camino. Albergues and refugios are synonymous terms for the low cost "hostels." Hostales and hotels are quite similar. A hotel is said to be a hostal with a restaurant. I have not found that to be the case. Both are private rooms almost always with a private bathroom. Albergues are generally dormitories of 4 to 120 beds with communal bathrooms. They cost 5 to 10 Euros per night. Hostales cost about 25-30 Euro for a single, 35 to 50 Euro for a double.

You can make reservations at hostales/hotels, but not at most albergues.

If you want privacy, check into a hostal. If you want communal living, get a bed in an albergue.

 

[William Marques]

falcon269 is spot on but this extract from wiki may help explain how hostales fit in the accommodation scene in Spain

A hostal is a type of lodging found mostly in Spain and Hispanic America. Hostales tend to be cheaper than hotels. They normally have a bar and/or a restaurant/cafeteria where drinks and food are sold to guests and locals alike. Accommodations typically include private bedrooms, and sometimes apartments, available for either short or long term rent. Linens and towels are usually provided. Guests sometimes share a common bathroom, but a number of rooms with en suite bathrooms may also be available.
Hostales are common in Spain and are also found in Mexico, Central and South America and California. They are often family-run, independent businesses, with a strong involvement with the local community.
Hostal-residencias are the same as hostales, but in general without a cafetería or other place where you can eat (exceptions exist, though).

Difference from hostels
Though the word hostal is similar to hostel, the two words refer to different types of accommodation. Hostel refers to properties that offer shared accommodation, typically in dormitories, while hostal refers to a type of family-run pension typically common only in Spain and a few other Spanish-speaking countries. Confusingly, the word hostel will sometimes mistakenly be spelled hostal in some Latin American countries when hostel is what is meant.

 

[Gilespenn]

Hi Poppz,
I think I know what you are wondering about. At San Sebastian for instance, the lines get blurred between albergues for pilgrims and youth hostels. So you need to "read between the lines" so to speak. I was trying to find a place for my first day after a long train ride from Paris so I went to the municipal website. What I found under "albergues" were basically youth hostels. When I contacted them by email they were very helpful and gave me a website to use to make reservations (I'm arriving in August! What was I thinking?). Anyway, I eventually was promised a bed at Youth Hostel Ondarreta.

Then I started reading reviews of the hostel on International Youth Hostel websites and I changed my mind. One review after another praised the facility but they hated the idea that they had to be back at the hostel by 4:00 AM (!). Obviously not the place for the lonely and tired peregrino to get some sleep before his first day on the Camino. Incidentally, the charge for one night in a dorm with breakfast (and a lot of drunk teens) is 17.50 Euros and that is very inexpensive for San Sebastian/Donostia in August, 2012.

Of course, as others have pointed out, along The Way in the countryside you will find both public and private albergues set up only for pereginos. These dorms are full of people trying to get some sleep and they actually charge less than the youth hostels in the beach towns. I found a private one that takes reservations and I will start my Camino from Zarautz and not from San Sebastian (Beautiful town but I've already been there and done that some years ago).

Hope this is helpful,
Giles

 

[newfydog]

An albergue will be the either the worst or best part of the trip, depending on what you like, and what night you hit what albergue.

 

[fraluchi]

What is the difference and which are better and/or cheaper?

Two totally different appreciations, very much dependent upon their location :mrgreen:
Albergues (municipal, parish or private institutions) can differ substantially in amenities and vary in prices from a low 4 Euros to anything over 10 Euros. Advantages: sharing with likewise walkers, availability of washing and often cooking facilities, possibly communal meals and/or breakfast. Hostals usually in larger villages/towns, do not have F&B and/or washer/dryer facilities but allow for more privacy and later "check-out" times. :wink:
Several private "albergues" have a number of double rooms available with private or shared bathrooms. Depending upon location and time of the year their rates are sometimes a fraction higher than the price of 2 bunk-beds.

 

[WanderingChristian]

I guess one of my reservations about staying in a hostel is that my new-found friends would be of the "party all night and come into the dorm at 3am wasted beyond belief" variety that I came across in a London youth hostel when I was an exchange student. I was thinking of staying in Paris for a few days prior to starting my Camino proper from Bayonne. While on the Camino, I'll stay in albergues and refugios mostly, but maybe get a pension or a hotel now and then. My reasons for getting a hotel or pension would be for privacy, better facilities (fingers crossed), and the ability to have a rest day without getting turned out by 8am. From what I have read so far, a hostal is different from a hostel in that the first one is more like what we Yanks would call a B&B (Bed & Breakfast), whereas the second is, well, a youth hostel. I think that having a room in a nice hotel would be a welcome treat upon reaching Santiago de Compostela. Maybe stay in SdC for a day or two and then possibly continue to Finisterre and Muxia.

 

[fortview]

My idea of " party all night " was when I got into bed later than 10 pm ! Seriously, most people were in bed well before that, and fast asleep after a long day walking.

 

[William Marques]

Do not worry too much about the party people. Many albergues (hostels) close their doors at 10.00 pm or thereabouts. I was caught once myself watching a word cup football match on TV at the local cafe/restaurant, an understanding hospitalero let me and others who had missed the curfew in but we knew we had done wrong.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

With the large number of pilgrims who start their walk at 0500 to 0600, the night people soon learn that there is not such thing as sleeping in! They generally become morning people fairly quickly.

There are a lot of exceptions, but a hostal is a hotel without a restaurant. Hostels exist only in a couple of large cities, and are generally termed something like Albergue Juvenil.

The hotel accommodations in Santiago far outnumber the albergues. This place is both:

San Martín Pinario Monastery
Plaza de la Inmaculada, 3
15704 Santiago de Compostela, La Coruña, Spain
981 56 02 82
sanmartinpinario.eu‎

 

[fraluchi]

The hotel accommodations in Santiago far outnumber the albergues. This place is both:
San Martín Pinario Monastery
Plaza de la Inmaculada, 3
15704 Santiago de Compostela, La Coruña, Spain
981 56 02 82
sanmartinpinario.eu‎

This is a lovely, well-located hospitality facility to stay in :!: The more economical rooms may be a bit spartan, though they are well-kept, but the public areas (entrance, reception, lounge, restaurants, etc.) are a pleasure to the eye and the staff most efficient. Breakfast and dinner times are surprise meetings with other pilgrims :!: . And .... you can just walk across to one of the cathedral's side entrances. :wink:

 

[Hope-ologist]

Alberque or Hostel? Which are better & cheaper

Can someone recommend a hotel in Sarria? I will get there 2 days before my walking partner.

 

[DSouthard]

I started from Montserrat May 21, 2013. The first couple of weeks on the Camino were spent walking alone through Catalunya and Aragon. As there are not a lot of pilgrims on this route, neither are there a lot of albergues until reaching Logrono. I usually stayed in pensions or hostels at about 25 Euros a night. There were maybe 4 or 5 albergues all the way across Catalunya and Aragon and all but one were free. I also had them all to myself.

Once I reached Logrono, joining the French Route, there were albergues at every stop and I found them to be comfortable and enjoyed my time in them for the most part. The communal sleeping - bunk house style - was OK with me as the cost was so much lower than pensions and hostels, usually between 5 and 7 Euros a night, and I don't think there was one that didn't have a lights-out at 10:00 PM policy, so all night partying was not a problem. Note though, that you will want to bring ear plugs if the sound of snoring bothers you. You can't be in a communal sleeping room without snorers. On one or two occasions when people wanted to watch a football game lasting past 10:00 it was easy to make arrangements for late entry, but they made those arrangements prior to leaving for whatever bar they were going to watch the game in.

I stayed in hotels in Lleida (which you won't go through if you're walking the French route), Burgos, and of course Santiago. I spent an extra day in each of these cities and gave myself a little R&R and someplace to safely leave all my stuff while I played tourist.

On the whole, I'd recommend staying in an albergue with all the other pilgrims whenever possible, with the exception of cities where you might want to take an extra day of rest. The camaraderie of the albergue for me was as much a part of the Camino experience as the sore feet, miles of walking, and the pleasant stops for beer and a sandwich on a hot afternoon in a small Spanish pueblo.

If you care to, you can read more of my thoughts on this and other subjects at ThePilgrimWalker.blogspot.com

Buen camino!

 

[Adrian961]

Forgive my ignorance.....Is there a difference between a refugio and an albergue? Books talk of municipal and private albergues, fixed price or donativo but was wondering if a refugio is just another word for albergue. At this stage I imagine trying to save spending most days for the odd night of relative luxury in a private room. If I had enough money I'd gladly pay for hotel rooms for snorers....Of course I never snore....

 

[William Marques]

As far as I know refugio was the term most often used 5-10 years ago for what is now most commonly called an albergue. They are both the same.

 

[Pelegrin]

Refugio is the same as an albergue, but is usually placed in the mountains and therefore are related to mountaineering activities. In case of refugios attended, they offer breakfast and menus and in if you have a Mountain Federation card you'll get discounts.

 

[Anne100]

Do not worry too much about the party people. Many albergues (hostels) close their doors at 10.00 pm or thereabouts. I was caught once myself watching a word cup football match on TV at the local cafe/restaurant, an understanding hospitalero let me and others who had missed the curfew in but we knew we had done wrong.

I have to strongly disagree with this. One of the dirty little secrets about the Camino that I rarely see or hear mentioned is the party culture. Some of the worst experiences I had in albergues were people who went out drinking and came back to turn the dorm into one big slumber party. This happened several times on both the Norte and on the Frances. It's not just kids, either: there were people in their thirties and forties acting like teenagers at college away from mommy and daddy for the first time. Drunk, loud, crawling into beds with each other, it was frankly appalling. Asking drunk people to please be quiet just invites derision and spurs them on. The hospitaleros were either absent, didn't answer their door or simply shrugged it off.

Keep in mind not everyone on the Camino or in any given albergue is walking long days like you are. I think some were on vacation and merely wanted to make it to the next town to party. And some are just selfish and don't give two hoots about anyone else. I had never seen people so shockingly thoughtless and rude as I did in the albergues. Never.

If I cannot sleep I cannot walk the next day. Often I ended up quietly gathering my things and leaving (another good reason to carry a tent). Only once was I unable to find a place to tent and I had to walk 2km in pouring rain to the nearest pension and wake up the poor nice man who owned the place at 1:00 A.M., and who very kindly let me in and rented me a room.

 

[Robert Carmichael]

While I recognize that the communal spirit of the Albergues is an important part of the experience I am wondering if a private room in modest hotels may not suit me better for privacy / security / dare I say lower risk of bed bugs ?
If that be the case, is availability easy between Logroño and Burgos and what might be the typical cost difference ?
Thanks

 

[Deleted member 3000]

dare I say lower risk of bed bugs ?

A definite "no" to that part of the question. I have met bedbugs in a greater proportion of private accommodations than in the albergues. Privacy and security do not prevent bedbugs.

 

[mspath]

You can check out the possibilities and prices using this Gronze.com list in Spanish for the locations between and including Lograno and Burgos.

https://www.gronze.com/etapa/arcos/logrono

Happy research and Buen camino!