Morgade bed bugs

[Quahaug]

Have reservations at Morgade in the near future and have started seeing reviews that report bed bugs. Anyone have any recent experience there?

 

[trecile]

Any accommodation from albergueto 5 star hotel can have bedbugs. The important thing is how do they react when they are discovered. Most albergues are great about taking care of the problem quickly. I have read excellent reviews of the albergue in Morgade and wouldn't hesitate to stay there.

 

[Quahaug]

Thank you. I read excellent reviews as well but lately there were several that said they had a significant problem. It’s the one thing I don’t like dealing with. Everything else I can control or live with.

 

[nathanael]

wonder about the advice given; seems questionable??????

 

[Anniesantiago]

Have reservations at Morgade in the near future and have started seeing reviews that report bed bugs. Anyone have any recent experience there?

Can you tell us where you saw these reports?
I've stayed at Morgade several times and enjoyed it.
Any lodging along the Camino can get bedbugs. They are carried along the route by pilgrims.

 

[J Willhaus]

We did stay there without difficulty in 2016. Any place can get bedbugs since pilgrims spread them. Please report them if You find a problem so the responsible parties can then respond to the issue.

 

[Quahaug]

Can you tell us where you saw these reports?
I've stayed at Morgade several times and enjoyed it.
Any lodging along the Camino can get bedbugs. They are carried along the route by pilgrims.

It was on the Wise Pilgrim mobile app, recent reviews of the Morgade. The Camino Frances route

 

[williamlittig]

Have reservations at Morgade in the near future and have started seeing reviews that report bed bugs. Anyone have any recent experience there?

All albergues address Bedbugs promptly. They can travel with Pilgrims. Elite hotels can have them. Like Covid, we can't see it, we hope we can prevent it. Walk prepared not scared.

 

[Xali1970]

If you get bedbugs, 1 advise the hospitalero. They're likely to both help you and thank you.
2. To eradicate them from your gear: stick everything DRY in a dryer on the hot cycle. DO NOT WASH BEFOREHAND: You will destroy your delicate clothing if wet. It will wipe the critters out and their eggs and stop the proliferation of these pests.

 

[RRat]

If you get bedbugs, 1 advise the hospitalero. They're likely to both help you and thank you.
2. To eradicate them from your gear: stick everything DRY in a dryer on the hot cycle. DO NOT WASH BEFOREHAND: You will destroy your delicate clothing if wet. It will wipe the critters out and their eggs and stop the proliferation of these pests.

How were the bedbugs detected? Evidence in the bedding or bug bites? If on the bedding, in a corner of the mattress or on sleeping bag. One is obviously from the lodging and the other is possibly from previous lodging. If bug bites, possibly not bedbugs.

 

[good_old_shoes]

All albergues address Bedbugs promptly.

It is true that they can be in expensive hotels just the same as in cheap albergues.

But sadly it is not true that *all* albergues address them promptly.

I've seen everything from directly closing down whole dorm rooms and immediately calling an exterminator, to denying the obvious problem ("that's not a bed bug, we don't have bed bugs, you don't know what a bed bug looks like" ect) to blaming the pilgrim who reported it of having brought them in that day, despite clear signs of a massive, ongoing infestation.

Some places seem to be *very* good at dealing with them, while there are some who seem to pretend that the problem doesn't exist.

It's still a good idea to report them to the hospitaleros whenever you notice any signs on you or in the room. Hopefully the right things will be done by the hospitaleros, and of course the pilgrim should do what's necessary, also, even if the hospitaleros should not take the matter seriously. You can always go to a laundromat and make sure that at least you won't carry them elsewhere.

 

[J Willhaus]

If you have bites from a previous night, please advise the hospitaleros when you arrive at the new albergue so they can help you before you unpack your things. They may give you a black trash bag and sometimes a new set of clothes so they can treat your pack, clothes and belongings. If it is hot, they may put everything in the black bag and set it out in the sun so it can bake the bugs to death. If they have a dryer they may help you get your stuff in the dryer or there may be some other resource (nearby laundromat, etc.) In any case, please don't unpack your stuff and potentially start a new infestation.

If you awake in the morning with new bites or find brown/black spots on the sheets, please tell the hospitalero. At some locations, the hospitalero may not be awake yet when you leave or may stay off site, but please leave a note.

When volunteering, we carefully check for bedbug sign every day after pilgrims leave, but it is much easier to treat before it becomes a problem.

Edit: We always treat people with respect. No blaming. It can happen to anyone or at any place. It is unfortunate.

 

[SilentNight]

Any place can get bedbugs.
Best practices to avoid and stop bedbugs?

How to tell if you have bed bugs in hotels, rentals and what to do if you take them home

Bed bugs are experts at hiding and reproducing. Experts say there are some key steps to avoiding them while you travel.

www.usatoday.com

 

[JesperK]

Edit: We always treat people with respect. No blaming. It can happen to anyone or at any place. It is ununfortunate.

Thank you. I once arrived at the huge albergue on Ponferrada, checked in and got my bed. Walking outside in the courtyard I was greeted by another pilgrim I knew, but she told me to keep my distance and get the hospitaleros. She was riddled with bedbugs. Two female hospitaleros took her into an adjacent building, stripped her, emptied her backpack and everything was thoroughly washed & cleaned or whatever it was they did. Amazing people that didn't just tell her to leave. PS: me and two other pilgrims went shopping and made sure she got dinner that night.

 

[Quahaug]

Can you tell us where you saw these reports?
I've stayed at Morgade several times and enjoyed it.
Any lodging along the Camino can get bedbugs. They are carried along the route by pilgrims.

Just read another review in Trip Advisor with the same warning after a stay in June.

 

[Philtration]

Several years back I got into a bad infestation of bedbugs at a nice Holiday Inn in Seattle. It can happen anywhere. I put everything into the dryer and that took care of the problem. Now a bedbug inspection is the first thing we do upon arrival at a hotel, every time.

 

[trecile]

Just read another review in Trip Advisor with the same warning after a stay in June.

June? That was two months ago. I highly doubt that the hospitaleros didn't solve the problem by July, if not sooner.

 

[JesperK]

June? That was two months ago. I highly doubt that the hospitaleros didn't solve the problem by July, if not sooner.

Exactly - the ones I have talked to go to war as soon as they just hear the word bedbugs.

 

[Bainbridge]

Have reservations at Morgade in the near future and have started seeing reviews that report bed bugs. Anyone have any recent experience there?

Decided to stay there in June after looking at the reviews. I checked the room and mattress and bed frame—perfectly clean. No problems. I can’t remember exactly what the particular reviews said but the way they were written caused me to question them. I have seen occasional reviews for a few Albergues that mention bed bugs when other reviews are fine and cleanliness are fine. When I see this I do look for other places but if the village is at a key point in the stages we created I look deeper. Morgade was such a key point and there were not other options. So the choice is to change the staging or take the risk.

 

[Quahaug]

Good to know. There were two reviews that cited bed bugs in the upper rooms, one in trip advisor and one in Wise Pilgrim. I am staying there in early October regardless. There aren’t many alternatives for my staging.

 

[J Willhaus]

It is a great place and they have an excellent restaurant. As an aside, cleanliness is not the opposite of bedbugs. They are not attracted to dirt, only people.

 

[C clearly]

I would be surprised if any busy albergue on the Camino Frances would escape being visited by bed bugs from time to time. If Morgade had them on one occasion, you can be sure that they came from somewhere else. What matters is how quickly the albergue operators address the problem.

 

[peregrina2000]

We know that forum members like to report on their experiences in albergues, restaurants, etc. But we also know that when these comments are made, the owner is unlikely to respond to give their side of the story.

Sometimes these second hand reports feed on themselves and snowball, so we ask that you keep your comments to reporting your own first hand experiences, and not what you’ve read elsewhere, heard elsewhere, of have a friend of a friend who has had an experience.

Like everyone else has said, the family that owns and operates the Morgade facility are dedicated, honest, and work very hard to provide a good experience for all — those who continue on after a meal or a drink, as well as those who stay there.

Updates on the current situation and the Morgade reaction would probably calm some jitters. I can’t imagine that they took it cavalierly or ignored it.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I know personally of one albergue owner who found a problem with bedbugs. He moved ALL of his beds out into the yard, BLOWTORCHED the metal frames, bought all new mattresses, cleaned and sprayed the rooms, moved everything back in, and two weeks later, a couple of pilgrims brought in more bedbugs. This is a PILGRIM problem, not an albergue problem. PILGRIMS transport the bugs in their packs, in their clothes, in their sleeping bags. You can not have them one day and the next day you're infested.

Honestly, I wish they'd hand out "what to do if you get bedbugs" and "how women should dispose of toilet paper" notices in SJPP when they give them maps and credentials.

Also, I have a good friend who manages a high end hotel in Portland, Oregon who told me THEY have constant problems with bedbugs coming in. And at one time there was a website that you could check to see what hotels had been reported for bedbugs along the I-5 corridor between Oregon and California. They're not just a Camino thing.

One of my clients told me she spent over $4000 getting rid of bedbugs after a trip to Asia and she had stayed in upscale places.

They're everywhere

 

[WalkingLester]

It is true that they can be in expensive hotels just the same as in cheap albergues.

But sadly it is not true that *all* albergues address them promptly.

I've seen everything from directly closing down whole dorm rooms and immediately calling an exterminator, to denying the obvious problem ("that's not a bed bug, we don't have bed bugs, you don't know what a bed bug looks like" ect) to blaming the pilgrim who reported it of having brought them in that day, despite clear signs of a massive, ongoing infestation.

Some places seem to be *very* good at dealing with them, while there are some who seem to pretend that the problem doesn't exist.

It's still a good idea to report them to the hospitaleros whenever you notice any signs on you or in the room. Hopefully the right things will be done by the hospitaleros, and of course the pilgrim should do what's necessary, also, even if the hospitaleros should not take the matter seriously. You can always go to a laundromat and make sure that at least you won't carry them elsewhere.

This is very true. In April on the Frances we found bed bugs in an albergue and the hospitalera responded with denial and blame. They did change our room, but really that didn’t do any good, as we later found bedbugs in all the rooms. Also in the morning we found out they had put two pilgrims in our initial room after we switched to another one, despite us showing the hospi the actual bugs in that room.

I am glad to read here reports of albergue staff taking fast and effective action to address bedbugs. It’s a good idea, of course, to report the issue. The reaction of the staff should tell you all you need to know. If you are met with a reaction like we were then I have to think that the albergue is not going to do anything about the bedbugs.

 

[junie]

Have reservations at Morgade in the near future and have started seeing reviews that report bed bugs. Anyone have any recent experience there?

Stayed there about ten days ago with no problems!

 

[NicP]

Whilst I can understand people’s concern about potential bedbug issues, in the wider context which has already been discussed by some of longstanding members commenting here (thanks for the wisdom @peregrina2000, @Anniesantiago, @C clearly, @trecile, and others) I wonder if this is an example of us (me included, I’ve had these concerns too at times) worrying about not being able to control things which are almost by definition inherently outside of our control…. Which is in some ways, maybe missing some of the beauty of the camino- you never know who or what lays around the next corner…. I vote for taking a risk, walking into the unknown, and making the most of whatever comes to pass, whether it be purely sublime, or really challenging. I’d love to have the opportunity to be on the camino, bed bugs and all, right now!

I’m not saying you shouldn’t be prepared. Just maybe take the advice of those here who have a longer view on the issue, and then put it in the basket of “I’ll deal with it if and when it happens”. I doubt there is an albergue that’s been open 10 years, that hasn’t had some bed bug related issues at some point!

 

[trecile]

I’m not saying you shouldn’t be prepared. Just maybe take the advice of those here who have a longer view on the issue, and then put it in the basket of “I’ll deal with it if and when it happens”.

Definitely. There are a number of threads here on bedbugs and how to deal with them if you encounter them. Just keep that information in mind, and you will know what to do.

 

[WalkingLester]

Whilst I can understand people’s concern about potential bedbug issues, in the wider context which has already been discussed by some of longstanding members commenting here (thanks for the wisdom @peregrina2000, @Anniesantiago, @C clearly, @trecile, and others) I wonder if this is an example of us (me included, I’ve had these concerns too at times) worrying about not being able to control things which are almost by definition inherently outside of our control…. Which is in some ways, maybe missing some of the beauty of the camino- you never know who or what lays around the next corner…. I vote for taking a risk, walking into the unknown, and making the most of whatever comes to pass, whether it be purely sublime, or really challenging. I’d love to have the opportunity to be on the camino, bed bugs and all, right now!

I’m not saying you shouldn’t be prepared. Just maybe take the advice of those here who have a longer view on the issue, and then put it in the basket of “I’ll deal with it if and when it happens”. I doubt there is an albergue that’s been open 10 years, that hasn’t had some bed bug related issues at some point!

I agree. I regret if I was too alarmist. I have spent over 200 nights on Caminos and have only seen bed bugs twice. Although, I have spent time with several people who kept claiming they were getting “mosquito bites”….. in the winter

I was just so shocked at the attitude of this albergue, the one I stayed in, not Morgade. On the other hand, the next day the owner of a private albergue in the next town helped us dry our clothes and shook his head in disgust at our tale.

I have a few measures that I take to avoid encountering and transporting bedbugs, but I don’t spend much time worrying about them. The risk is small and the the rewards of the Camino, for me, have been phenomenal. Buen Camino!

 

[peregrina2000]

I was just so shocked at the attitude of this albergue. O

Sorry, but it isn’t clear to me which albergue you are referring to. I just want to make clear that (I think) you are NOT referring to Morgade, which is the topic of this thread.

 

[WalkingLester]

Sorry, but it isn’t clear to me which albergue you are referring to. I just want to make clear that (I think) you are NOT referring to Morgade, which is the topic of this thread.

I am not referring to Morgade!! I didn’t want to name the albergue. Perhaps I was off topic. I was trying to second the idea that not all albergues are responsive. Enough said from me

 

[Anniesantiago]

This is very true. In April on the Frances we found bed bugs in an albergue and the hospitalera responded with denial and blame. They did change our room, but really that didn’t do any good, as we later found bedbugs in all the rooms. Also in the morning we found out they had put two pilgrims in our initial room after we switched to another one, despite us showing the hospi the actual bugs in that room.

I am glad to read here reports of albergue staff taking fast and effective action to address bedbugs. It’s a good idea, of course, to report the issue. The reaction of the staff should tell you all you need to know. If you are met with a reaction like we were then I have to think that the albergue is not going to do anything about the bedbugs.

Yes, I've had that happen as well. There is one place in Astorga I refuse to recommend because the hospitalero's answer to my report of bedbugs was a "shrug." I found them there on 2 separate occasions and was met with that shrug so now I refuse to sleep there and tell everyone I know not to sleep there. I've met many pilgrims up the trail with horrible bites who slept there.

But MOST albergue owners and hospitaleros do their best to keep the bugs out.
They know word travels fast in this world of social media.

And if I have found bedbugs, all have given me back my money when I asked.