Anyone only used Hotels?

[LesBrass]

My husband wants to walk the Camino Norte next year for his special birthday He loves the northern coast and he enjoys walking more and more and I love walking with him...so I am very happy with this choice.

His preference is to plan the stages and book hotels... he's not a fan of albergues and he would prefer to walk around 20 - 25km a day. I've been looking at wikilocs gps tracks, making notes from @Magwood's blog and I have I think a reasonable plan for 3 weeks.

But I've never walked a camino and only stayed in hotels... has anyone else? If so, did you ever feel that you missed out? Or did it simply enhance your camino?

Also are there any albergues, convents or monasteries that we should not miss?

many thanks in advance

 

[trecile]

Lots of people use hotels, or probably more often casa rurales, pensiones and hostales. These are both similar in that they are usually small family run establishments. You will usually have a private room with bath, but I stayed in a casa rural where the shard bath was down the hall. Gronze is a good site to find lodging on the different Caminos. When I did get a private room I would normally book the day ahead, or in the morning, though I have just shown up in town and found a room several times. It just depends on how busy the Camino is at the time. I wouldn't want to pre-book everything, because you won't really know how far you can walk each day until you start.

His preference is to plan the stages and book hotels... he's not a fan of albergues and he would prefer to walk around 20 - 25km a day. I've been looking at wikilocs gps tracks, making notes from @Magwood's blog and I have I think a reasonable plan for 3 weeks.

Where are you planning to start? You wouldn't be able to walk from Irun to Santiago in 3 weeks.

 

[LesBrass]

I wouldn't want to pre-book everything, because you won't really know how far you can walk each day until you start.

This is my worry a little too. I love the freedom of just deciding that morning, or later in the day... just deciding where we want to stay... this is how I usually walk but he feels happier knowing that it's all sorted. The few times that he has joined me on camino he does get a little 'itchy' when we haven't got a bed at the first place

Where are you planning to start? You wouldn't be able to walk from Irun to Santiago in 3 weeks.

We're planning on reaching Llanes/Cuerres... at this point we will either both get the bus back to France or I will continue alone on the Primitivo. We're starting on 23 September and I have until the 31st October but my husband only has three weeks.

 

[gloria lowe]

The Wise Pilgrim app for the Norte and Primitivo is great for planning.

 

[LesBrass]

The Wise Pilgrim app for the Norte and Primitivo is great for planning.

Thank you... just trying to buy it and my battery died I'll get it later once I've charged my phone thanks

 

[peregrina2000]

My husband wants to walk the Camino Norte next year for his special birthday He loves the northern coast and he enjoys walking more and more and I love walking with him...so I am very happy with this choice.

His preference is to plan the stages and book hotels... he's not a fan of albergues and he would prefer to walk around 20 - 25km a day. I've been looking at wikilocs gps tracks, making notes from @Magwood's blog and I have I think a reasonable plan for 3 weeks.

But I've never walked a camino and only stayed in hotels... has anyone else? If so, did you ever feel that you missed out? Or did it simply enhance your camino?

Also are there any albergues, convents or monasteries that we should not miss?

many thanks in advance

Hi, LesBrass,
Knowing that you love walking on the coast (at least till that infection took you down), you should take a look at this thread with a lot of coastal alternatives to the pavement on the Norte. There is a lot of the Norte along the national highway and you are frequently less than 2 km from the ocean and some fabulous coastal paths.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/coastal-alternatives-to-the-nortes-asphalt.49578/

Some of those alternatives may make the standard "stages" a little long but especially since you are not sticking with albergues there are lots of ways to divide them. I was glad I had a GPS because it is not always obvious where the turnoffs are from the Camino to the coastal path and back again. Once you are on the coast, it's pretty obvious which way to go of course.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[VNwalking]

But I've never walked a camino and only stayed in hotels... has anyone else? If so, did you ever feel that you missed out? Or did it simply enhance your camino?

My first Camino was by invitation of an amazing friend who had pre-planned everything, including luggage transfers and hotels or pensions. I will say it was different; it felt more like a vacation and less like a pilgrimage.

Of course it was much more comfortable. But. As you mention, it lacked the spontaneity that can be so freeing. And because of the luggage transfer, there was no need to shed unnecessary stuff. As far as the social aspect was concerned, unless there were fellow pilgrims who were staying in the same hotel, then the evenings were much more solitary - we were more in our own 'bubble' once we got to where we were going. That part was (for me) also a loss .

The enhanced part? Well...privacy. And sleep. And no plastic bag rustlers at stupid hours of the morning.

 

[LesBrass]

Hi, LesBrass,
Knowing that you love walking on the coast (at least till that infection took you down), you should take a look at this thread with a lot of coastal alternatives to the pavement on the Norte. There is a lot of the Norte along the national highway and you are frequently less than 2 km from the ocean and some fabulous coastal paths.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/coastal-alternatives-to-the-nortes-asphalt.49578/

Some of those alternatives may make the standard "stages" a little long but especially since you are not sticking with albergues there are lots of ways to divide them. I was glad I had a GPS because it is not always obvious where the turnoffs are from the Camino to the coastal path and back again. Once you are on the coast, it's pretty obvious which way to go of course.

Buen camino, Laurie

Thanks for this Laurie - I've just read you blog too and made lots of notes. Gerry hates walking on tarmac so I think we'll make the most of these alternatives. And I'll try to stay on my feet this time... I have a very nice Rota scar on my knee now as a permanent reminder of that other amazing coastal walk

 

[LesBrass]

My first Camino was by invitation of an amazing friend who had pre-planned everything, including luggage transfers and hotels or pensions. I will say it was different; it felt more like a vacation and less like a pilgrimage.

Of course it was much more comfortable. But. As you mention, it lacked the spontaneity that can be so freeing. And because of the luggage transfer, there was no need to shed unnecessary stuff. As far as the social aspect was concerned, unless there were fellow pilgrims who were staying in the same hotel, then the evenings were much more solitary - we were more in our own 'bubble' once we got to where we were going. That part was (for me) also a loss .

The enhanced part? Well...privacy. And sleep. And no plastic bag rustlers at stupid hours of the morning.

@VNwalking all of what you say is what I worry I'll miss. We talked it over some more this evening and he's 100% sure he prefers the planning; I guess for him this is more of a holiday? We'll still carry our packs and hopefully we will see a few familiar faces as we walk but perhaps as you say we will be in our own little bubble too?

I do love walking with him and I am looking forward to this camino... it looks so beautiful. And I will be setting off alone after 3 weeks and I guess I can step back into the pilgrim life on the Primitivo? Lets hope those hotels don't spoil me too much... I've been told I'll be back to camino budgets once the birthday boy heads home

 

[VNwalking]

That scar, @LesBrass ...oouuuuucccccchhhhh!

I do love walking with him and I am looking forward to this camino... it looks so beautiful. And I will be setting off alone after 3 weeks and I guess I can step back into the pilgrim life on the Primitivo? Lets hope those hotels don't spoil me too much...

That sounds like the perfect compromise. And I wouldn't worry too much about becoming spoiled. You may be different, but the more I stay in albergues, the less inclined I am to stay in hotels, especially posh ones; the luxury feels unnecessary and over the top. From time to time solitude is nice for a change, but I like simple so much better. So once you're on the Primativo, the albergue routine may just feel like slipping on a comfortable old shoe.

 

[LesBrass]

So once you're on the Primativo, the albergue routine may just feel like slipping on a comfortable old shoe.

Yes I hope so. I do feel a little bit mean sending him home alone to go back to work but he just shrugs and says it's fine. I think I'll welcome the company in the albergues too as I know I'll miss him when he goes.

p.s. I feel the scar has a touch of the Harry Potter's about it

 

[peregrina2000]

Thanks for this Laurie - I've just read you blog too and made lots of notes. Gerry hates walking on tarmac so I think we'll make the most of these alternatives. And I'll try to stay on my feet this time... I have a very nice Rota scar on my knee now as a permanent reminder of that other amazing coastal walk

View attachment 37829

Wow, well, I guess that's one way to have a permanent reminder of a coastal walk.

If I had to choose one of the many on the Norte, I would say the Ruta del Flysch from Zumaia is about as perfect a coastal walk as you can imagine. But you have to like walking up up up.

 

[scott the farmer]

Book hotel rooms but don't include dinner after showers find the nearest bar to the municipal albergue, buy a round of drinks and you will soon be part of the crowd!

 

[AJGuillaume]

My husband wants to walk the Camino Norte next year for his special birthday He loves the northern coast and he enjoys walking more and more and I love walking with him...so I am very happy with this choice.

His preference is to plan the stages and book hotels... he's not a fan of albergues and he would prefer to walk around 20 - 25km a day. I've been looking at wikilocs gps tracks, making notes from @Magwood's blog and I have I think a reasonable plan for 3 weeks.

But I've never walked a camino and only stayed in hotels... has anyone else? If so, did you ever feel that you missed out? Or did it simply enhance your camino?

Also are there any albergues, convents or monasteries that we should not miss?

many thanks in advance

Hello LesBrass,
We intend to walk the Camino del Norte (as part of a much longer Camino), and we have preferred to plan our stages, and where possible, book private accommodation. We will be walking even less than what you will be walking: an average of 15km a day.
I don't think it makes us any less pilgrims, and we are carrying our own backpacks. Having a good night's sleep and avoiding the albergue race was on of the reasons we decided on private accommodation. There are stages where there isn't any private accommodation available, so we will enjoy the albergue experience.
We believe meeting other pilgrims along the way will still be possible, even if we don't share the accommodation, and shouldn't stop us from sharing in the Camino family.
We might bump into you at some stage: we start from Irun on 1 September, we hope to be in Santiago on 30 October.
Buen Camino
Andrew

 

[Tia Valeria]

This is my worry a little too. I love the freedom of just deciding that morning, or later in the day... just deciding where we want to stay... this is how I usually walk but he feels happier knowing that it's all sorted. The few times that he has joined me on camino he does get a little 'itchy' when we haven't got a bed at the first place



We're planning on reaching Llanes/Cuerres... at this point we will either both get the bus back to France or I will continue alone on the Primitivo. We're starting on 23 September and I have until the 31st October but my husband only has three weeks.

We have booked one or two days ahead, carrying a list of accommodation and phone numbers compiled from Gronze and Booking.com. With the latter we looked then for accommodations own websites for their numbers.

We have also fully pre-booked - chiefly using Booking.com - and both ways worked when we didn't want to take a chance.

Using Booking.com meant that we could change plans so long as we had some form of internet access and the terms+conditions of the booking permitted it.

Yes it does have a different feel to just using albergues, or taking pot-luck on other places, but it still made for a good Camino and the extra planning was fun too.

 

[LesBrass]

Thanks for the good ideas and input. It's good to get feedback from others. It's helped me shape this trip in my head and also change our plans to include the variations.

I have a miserable cough/cold bug at the moment so I've spent the weekend in front of the fire reading blogs and looking at the coastal path alternatives and making lots of notes. I think we'll end up doing a route that covers a lot of the camino paths but we'll do the coastal variations whenever possible.

My thinking now is that when I usually walk it is more of a pilgrimage but this trip is my husbands choice... and he would like to walk the coast of northern Spain... fortunately for me the route mirrors the camino a lot of the time.

The route looks wonderful and I am so happy to be able to have these three weeks together. I've not even looked at the stages the day after Llanes because I'll be alone and on my way towards Oviedo... and I think I'm going to just see where that path takes me.

 

[backpack45scb]

My husband wants to walk the Camino Norte next year for his special birthday He loves the northern coast and he enjoys walking more and more and I love walking with him...so I am very happy with this choice.

His preference is to plan the stages and book hotels... he's not a fan of albergues and he would prefer to walk around 20 - 25km a day. I've been looking at wikilocs gps tracks, making notes from @Magwood's blog and I have I think a reasonable plan for 3 weeks.

But I've never walked a camino and only stayed in hotels... has anyone else? If so, did you ever feel that you missed out? Or did it simply enhance your camino?

Also are there any albergues, convents or monasteries that we should not miss?

many thanks in advance

We walked the Norte and Primitivo in 2015 and 2016, staying in hotels or similar accommodations when we had the chance. We walk shorter distances, so would stay in an albergue when there was no other option. We did enjoy the chance to meet other pilgrims when we did that, but also enjoyed the private options. The first albergue we stopped at was Pasajes de San Juan, before San Sebastian. Nice hosts, facility and pilgrims, some of whom we saw for weeks later. Güermes albergue, a day before Santander , is unique and you should not miss it.

 

[Lurch]

Thanks for this Laurie - I've just read you blog too and made lots of notes. Gerry hates walking on tarmac so I think we'll make the most of these alternatives. And I'll try to stay on my feet this time... I have a very nice Rota scar on my knee now as a permanent reminder of that other amazing coastal walk

View attachment 37829

Ah,yes, scars. Got a bunch of them. However, they are much better than tats, as they always have a better story behind them, and that story usually starts out...There I was and....

 

[NualaOC]

My husband wants to walk the Camino Norte next year for his special birthday He loves the northern coast and he enjoys walking more and more and I love walking with him...so I am very happy with this choice.

His preference is to plan the stages and book hotels... he's not a fan of albergues and he would prefer to walk around 20 - 25km a day. I've been looking at wikilocs gps tracks, making notes from @Magwood's blog and I have I think a reasonable plan for 3 weeks.
But I've never walked a camino and only stayed in hotels... has anyone else? If so, did you ever feel that you missed out? Or did it simply enhance your camino?
Also are there any albergues, convents or monasteries that we should not miss?
many thanks in advance

Hi @LesBrass, you're an unstoppable peregrina! Wishing you injury and incident-free Caminos in 2018.

We walked from Irun to Llanes in September/October in 16 walking-days. Damian doesn't like albergues, so we stayed in a mixture of accommodation - albergues, hotels, pensions etc. Most of the time we didn't book ahead. There was pressure on albergue beds, but plenty of private accommodation in most places. I put the booking.com app on my phone and got into the habit of checking availability for different towns/villages the day before we might arrive (or pass through) those places. If there were lots of beds on booking.com, I took that to mean that we'd have no difficulty finding somewhere when we arrived. We became very relaxed about it all - for example, we normally book ahead for big cities, but didn't do that for Bilbao. On that particular day we didn't know if we'd walk all the way from Gernika to Bilbao, so we set off with a very open mind. We stopped for a menu del dia in Zamudio and decided that we could walk further - so I booked a hotel on my phone at that point. Super easy.

An option that might be helpful: we didn't stay in Irun, but instead chose to spend two nights in San Sebastián. This worked really well for us - for our first walking day, we took the 6.30am airport bus from San Sebastián to Amute (the stop immediately before San Sebastián airport). The journey took 25 minutes, dropping us just outside Irun and close to the Camino. We then walked back to San Sebastián with lighter backpacks, knowing that we already had a bed.

I posted some notes and photographs on Find Penguins (although I see that I still need to add a narrative for some of the days). I have lots of other notes - so please PM me if you need any more details.

Did we miss out by staying mainly in private accommodation? Yes, to an extent - but the availability of accommodation meant that we could still take a very flexible 'albergue-style' approach to our walk, which gave us the best of both worlds for much of the time.

Happy planning!

PS. I second Laurie's comment about the coastal alternative. I especially recommend the one from Santander!

 

[LesBrass]

@NualaOC thank you for the detailed reply... if I could I think I would go walking every other month! Only this morning I was looking at my calendar and wondering if I could just squeeze in a week somewhere... I have a gap in May at the moment... I'll keep looking at it and hoping that it stays free

I've just enjoyed reading your blog... our plan has a few shorter days but it's good to see we're not too different. I changed ours after seeing all of the coastal options and reading through @Magwood's and @peregrina2000 's blogs. I've tried to keep all of those coastal options as Gerry loves the coast. The exit out of Santandar meant we added in an extra overnight stop but that also means we have time to meander our way out of town... so not a bad thing.

I have booked a bed now at each stop but everything can be cancelled at no charge. I was surprised how few options there were currently but I wonder if we're just a little early with our planning? Closer to the dates I'll go through it again ... the more I read and learn it's quite possible that things will change but Gerry at least is very happy that there is a plan

The more I see of everyone's photos the more I am excited about this walk... and I must remember to pack a swimming costume as you seem to enjoy plenty of bathing... although we'll be there in October... and I'm not even looking at the Primitivo yet

 

[Praorn]

My husband wants to walk the Camino Norte next year for his special birthday He loves the northern coast and he enjoys walking more and more and I love walking with him...so I am very happy with this choice.

His preference is to plan the stages and book hotels... he's not a fan of albergues and he would prefer to walk around 20 - 25km a day. I've been looking at wikilocs gps tracks, making notes from @Magwood's blog and I have I think a reasonable plan for 3 weeks.

But I've never walked a camino and only stayed in hotels... has anyone else? If so, did you ever feel that you missed out? Or did it simply enhance your camino?

Also are there any albergues, convents or monasteries that we should not miss?

many thanks in advance

I did el Camino Frances only staying in the hotels. I did not have the feeling that I missed out anything. I met other pilgrims in the restaurants or bars and mainly during the walk.

I am planing my walk in March la Via de la Plata and I plan to stay only in hotels. I am older and I need a bit of comfort

 

[Marbe2]

We stay at a combination of pensions, albergues, and simple hotels..2 or 3 stars. Some of the Albergues have private rooms which are quite nice- such as the albergue in Fronfria. Private bathrooms, TVs, etc. There quality is sometimes better and you have the opportunity to share with the other pilgrims! We, however, have experienced these on the CF so not sure what Albergues are like on other routes.

 

[Quiterio]

As complete newbies, my friend and I tried a 'taster' on the Norte in September, staying in hotels, hostels and posadas.

A word of warning: we booked an apartment called 'El Teju' in the little hamlet of El Techo between Comillas and San Vicente de la Barquera, only to discover when we got there, that the village had no shops, no bar, and the nearest restaurant was at a golf club, 1km further on. Our hosts very kindly found us a loaf, some cheese, ham, oranges, nescafe and a bottle of wine!

By contrast, the lovely little bar 'La Gloria' in Serdio was perfection - where there was a 10 euro 'menu del dia' and a mix of locals and pilgrims made for a glorious night.

 

[Russell Klopper]

My husband wants to walk the Camino Norte next year for his special birthday He loves the northern coast and he enjoys walking more and more and I love walking with him...so I am very happy with this choice.

His preference is to plan the stages and book hotels... he's not a fan of albergues and he would prefer to walk around 20 - 25km a day. I've been looking at wikilocs gps tracks, making notes from @Magwood's blog and I have I think a reasonable plan for 3 weeks.

But I've never walked a camino and only stayed in hotels... has anyone else? If so, did you ever feel that you missed out? Or did it simply enhance your camino?

Also are there any albergues, convents or monasteries that we should not miss?

many thanks in advance

We walked the Portuguese Camino

My husband wants to walk the Camino Norte next year for his special birthday He loves the northern coast and he enjoys walking more and more and I love walking with him...so I am very happy with this choice.

His preference is to plan the stages and book hotels... he's not a fan of albergues and he would prefer to walk around 20 - 25km a day. I've been looking at wikilocs gps tracks, making notes from @Magwood's blog and I have I think a reasonable plan for 3 weeks.

But I've never walked a camino and only stayed in hotels... has anyone else? If so, did you ever feel that you missed out? Or did it simply enhance your camino?

Also are there any albergues, convents or monasteries that we should not miss?

many thanks in advance

We walked the Portuguese Camino last October from Porto
I prebooked all the hotels using mostly Bookings.com so I could have the bookings all in one place on my Ipad
I basically kept the distances to around 20km a day and it worked out well. Some of the rural hostals were really great.
We have already booked all the hotels for our next adventure next April to walk the French Camino.
The only extra I've added is some rest days in places like Pamplona
You will have wonderful time

 

[khiker9]

My husband wants to walk the Camino Norte next year for his special birthday He loves the northern coast and he enjoys walking more and more and I love walking with him...so I am very happy with this choice.

His preference is to plan the stages and book hotels... he's not a fan of albergues and he would prefer to walk around 20 - 25km a day. I've been looking at wikilocs gps tracks, making notes from @Magwood's blog and I have I think a reasonable plan for 3 weeks.

But I've never walked a camino and only stayed in hotels... has anyone else? If so, did you ever feel that you missed out? Or did it simply enhance your camino?

Also are there any albergues, convents or monasteries that we should not miss?

many thanks in advance

I see you have gotten a lot of replies & advice, so I will add just a little more. I started the Norte from Bilbao the second week of September, 2016, for 5 weeks. I was solo, I try to walk around 20K per day, & I only stay in private rooms. If you get the Buen Camino App you can download the maps & then follow the route without need for cell or data service. The only time I had trouble getting a private room was on a weekend in one of the bigger coastal touristy towns - from then on I booked ahead for the weekend. I did stay at the albergue in Guemes with Father Ernesto but I was able to get a private room that is usually saved for the volunteers but was available that night & I only had to walk across the drive to the bathrooms - it was an amazing place! I found that there were usually at least a couple of other pilgrims staying in the same hotel where I was. Some of the stages did end up being a little longer than the guide had indicated but were doable if you stop & rest. After a couple of weeks of a lot of road walking I decided to change my plan - I skipped around the bigger cities so I could stay mostly on the coast & when I reached Ribadeo and the route turned inland I skipped ahead to Baamonde (still enough distance in to get my compostela) & when I got to Santiago I had enough time to walk on to Finesterre. The Norte is amazing! Buen Camino

 

[Maggie Y]

I see you have gotten a lot of replies & advice, so I will add just a little more. I started the Norte from Bilbao the second week of September, 2016, for 5 weeks. I was solo, I try to walk around 20K per day, & I only stay in private rooms. If you get the Buen Camino App you can download the maps & then follow the route without need for cell or data service. The only time I had trouble getting a private room was on a weekend in one of the bigger coastal touristy towns - from then on I booked ahead for the weekend. I did stay at the albergue in Guemes with Father Ernesto but I was able to get a private room that is usually saved for the volunteers but was available that night & I only had to walk across the drive to the bathrooms - it was an amazing place! I found that there were usually at least a couple of other pilgrims staying in the same hotel where I was. Some of the stages did end up being a little longer than the guide had indicated but were doable if you stop & rest. After a couple of weeks of a lot of road walking I decided to change my plan - I skipped around the bigger cities so I could stay mostly on the coast & when I reached Ribadeo and the route turned inland I skipped ahead to Baamonde (still enough distance in to get my compostela) & when I got to Santiago I had enough time to walk on to Finesterre. The Norte is amazing! Buen Camino

Did you enjoy the Camino from Ribadeo? I got there last. Sept and hope to complete el Camino del Norte in 2018. As I said before its great to have posts about el Norte on this website xx

 

[khiker9]

Did you enjoy the Camino from Ribadeo? I got there last. Sept and hope to complete el Camino del Norte in 2018. As I said before its great to have posts about el Norte on this website xx

I went on the Norte for the coast so when the route turned inland at Ribadeo I bussed from there to Vilalba and walked into Santiago from there. I did enjoy it until Arzua where it became the rowdy crowd of the Frances. If you didn't go to Catedral Beach at low tide while you were in Ribadeo last time, don't miss it when you go back!

 

[khiker9]

I did el Camino Frances only staying in the hotels. I did not have the feeling that I missed out anything. I met other pilgrims in the restaurants or bars and mainly during the walk.

I am planing my walk in March la Via de la Plata and I plan to stay only in hotels. I am older and I need a bit of comfort

I am thinking about the Via de la Plata in April, 2018. I too am older & stay in hotels and walk shorter stages - ~20K. If you walk shorter stages, do you have an idea of an itinerary with shorter stages with hotel accommodations available? Thanks for any info.

 

[LesBrass]

@khiker9 thanks for the tip about the app... we'll certainly do that. Having booked accommodation for each stage my dates have changed! So I have to go back and switch them... fortunately all are changeable. There is a part of me that is holding off as I wonder if we should just play it by ear and search for accommodation a day or two in advance. It's my husbands walk and he prefers knowing it's all arranged so I'll go with this choices... I had hoped to walk the Primitivo at the end but I think that is unlikely now... but I'm still very much looking forward to my 3 weeks on the Norte!

 

[Paintboy2]

We walked from Cadavedo to Santiago easily in 12 days, stayed in hotels all but 2 nights. Let me know if you would like a list of what and where. Some were so nice we stayed 2 nights and had a cab ferry is to and from start\stop points.

 

[gb]

My husband wants to walk the Camino Norte next year for his special birthday He loves the northern coast and he enjoys walking more and more and I love walking with him...so I am very happy with this choice.

His preference is to plan the stages and book hotels... he's not a fan of albergues and he would prefer to walk around 20 - 25km a day. I've been looking at wikilocs gps tracks, making notes from @Magwood's blog and I have I think a reasonable plan for 3 weeks.

But I've never walked a camino and only stayed in hotels... has anyone else? If so, did you ever feel that you missed out? Or did it simply enhance your camino?

Also are there any albergues, convents or monasteries that we should not miss?

many thanks in advance

 

[gb]

LesBrass, I walked the VdlP in 2012 and stayed in small hotels most of the time. Prices were cheap (say E25 or less), I had my own bathroom, no snorers and early bag packers, my departures usually before 8am and arrivals between 2 and 4pm. I never booked more than one day in advance, sometimes not at all, and I was never refused a room because of a hotel being full.


Booking more than one day in advance is a little risky because you may not cover the distance, want to stay longer in one location because of its interest…….


My walk was from 7 September until 14 November, therefore not high season for peregrinos or tourists.