O Cebreiro Accomodation...

[Reggie (Scout)]

In trying to find accomodation for 4 ladies (need 2 rooms) in September. It seems the only place available is Venta Celta which has pretty awful reviews. Any suggestions? (We really want to stay in O Cebreiro and yes, we're wanting private rooms...don't judge too harshly.)

 

[SYates]

Have a look here at the Camino Planer from this forum: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/cam...rances/the-complete-camino-frances#o-cebreiro
BC SY

 

[SabsP]

In trying to find accomodation for 4 ladies (need 2 rooms) in September. It seems the only place available is Venta Celta which has pretty awful reviews. Any suggestions? (We really want to stay in O Cebreiro and yes, we're wanting private rooms...don't judge too harshly.)

Did you check out Gronze or only bookingdotcom?

O Cebreiro, Lugo | Albergues y Hoteles | Gronze.com

www.gronze.com

 

[trecile]

(We really want to stay in O Cebreiro and yes, we're wanting private rooms...don't judge too harshly.)

No one should be judging you for staying in private rooms, and many times it doesn't cost much more for two or more people to stay in one room vs two or more albergue beds. Plus, you are leaving the less expensive albergue beds to those who can't afford private rooms.

 

[Reggie (Scout)]

Did you check out Gronze or only bookingdotcom?

O Cebreiro, Lugo | Albergues y Hoteles | Gronze.com

www.gronze.com

I will check Gronze. Thanks.

 

[JustJack]

FWIW, if you're unable to find anything, and everything on booking.com is full, check booking.com again the day before for a cancellation. That's how I got my beautiful private room in O Cebreiro. I had been trying for a week to get a room there and had given up. Luckily I checked one last time the day before.

 

[domigee]

In trying to find accomodation for 4 ladies (need 2 rooms) in September. It seems the only place available is Venta Celta which has pretty awful reviews. Any suggestions? (We really want to stay in O Cebreiro and yes, we're wanting private rooms...don't judge too harshly.)

What is wrong with Venta Celta? I stayed there a few times, always sorry the other times when it was already booked up.
Mind you, that was a few years ago, maybe it has changed?

 

[walkingagain]

If you can't find anything in O Cebreiro - La Esceula is the closest hamlet. Albergue La Escuela has very nice private rooms - Mom and I stayed there in April '24. Here's a link https://g.co/kgs/v7WhM1s

 

[Laurie Sanantone]

Have you looked only through the .com travel sites? I’ve stayed twice at Casa Carolo — clean rooms, good bar/restaurant downstairs and they might even wash your clothes for you. I believe it can only be booked by phone, so if your Spanish isn’t adequate, maybe a Spanish-speaker can phone for you. There may be other lodging places that must be contacted directly.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

My guess is that the other establishments in O'Ceb haven't yet released their rooms to the booking.com platform. From what I gather, the establishments prefer to be booked directly because it is more profitable for them, even though it is usually less expensive for the end user. They will probably release their inventory once the date draws near.

That being said, it is on top of a mountain and pretty small, so IMO, the establishments on O'Ceb aren't really that great, as they don't really have to compete based on "quality", more like just availability.

 

[SabsP]

What is wrong with Venta Celta? I stayed there a few times, always sorry the other times when it was already booked up.

People on bookingdotcom seem to complain about not enough hot water or noise from downstairs restaurant?
Seems so much more important to some than the nice reception and friendliness of the owners.

 

[Tincatinker]

A cold, dank room with dodgy plumbing?Grouchy service? Caldo Galego that turned out to be potato and cabbage soup? And €45 for 2? Try Blackpool

I’ve never overnighted in O Ceb except in the municipal which has functioning plumbing, warm showers, grouchy staff and doesn’t serve Caldo Galego.

The reviews for Venta Celta strike me as no worse than I’d expect or hope for in that locale

 

[Damien Reynolds]

I’ve never overnighted in O Ceb except in the municipal which has functioning plumbing, warm showers, grouchy staff and doesn’t serve Caldo Galego.

About them showers.... . . .

Are they still "locker room" style?

 

[rappahannock_rev]

It seems the only place available is Venta Celta which has pretty awful reviews.

Sorry to hear that. ... Never stayed there myself, but dined there on two of my Caminos. (First time I ever sampled caldo gallego, and I loved it!) ... My impression of Venta Celta was/is that it is basically a busy restaurant that -- strictly as a side line -- rents rooms upstairs.

 

[Tincatinker]

About them showers.... . . .

Are they still "locker room" style?

We’re on my last encounter. I was entertained by those who chose to wash their knickers while wearing them

 

[stewinyvr]

We’re on my last encounter. I was entertained by those who chose to wash their knickers while wearing them

lol.. they are still like this as of October last year..I was just happy for the hot it was cold and wet outside…

 

[Damien Reynolds]

We’re on my last encounter. I was entertained by those who chose to wash their knickers while wearing them

Ok, this one time...

It wasn't high season. So it wasn't crowded. I wandered down to the showers and was sort of confused by the signage about which shower to enter.

I'm pretty sure I got the right one.

I'm lathering and enjoying my warm shower, when in walks an older lady.

We are both stripped down. Completely naked. I looked at her, she looked at me, and we were both like "whatever."

 

[MarcusJ]

We stayed at Casa Anton, very nice! https://www.casaanton.com/inicio

 

[Tincatinker]

I looked at her, she looked at me, and we were both like "whatever."

I suppose that’s one of the subtle differences that make the internationalism of Camino so interesting. European's wouldn’t have looked

 

[Damien Reynolds]

I suppose that’s one of the subtle differences that make the internationalism of Camino so interesting. European's wouldn’t have looked

Agreed.

 

[peregrina2000]

don't judge too harshly.)

I think that’s good advice in the other direction, too — I don’t know where you were looking for reviews, but I don’t see anything that I would describe as awful. Mixed reviews, yes — complaints that the heat wasn’t high enough, the water wasn’t hot enough, staff was inattentive because they were dealing with crowds in restaurant, etc. I stayed in Venta Celta in 2000, on my first Camino, and we thought we were in heaven - a room with two beds, private bathroom, clean sheets! We had gone to check into the albergue and my walking partner began to have an allergic reaction to all the mold that was in the big dorm room, so we had to find an alternative (this has been remedied).

O Cebreiro has become a tourist town, overrun at times, and with it comes a reorientation of business to capture as much of that trade as possible. And probably a much more demanding patron who is likely to find many faults with Venta Celta and any other establishment in town.

Venta Celta has definitely changed from its origin as a labor of love by a camino-holic from Bilbao. In 2000, there were a few rooms upstairs and the kitchen served one menu only — ensalada, caldo gallego, tortilla de patatas, and queixo O Cebreiro with honey. It was nourishing and delicious. The owner was the cook and she spent time talking with us about the Camino. The last time I was through the woman behind the counter told me that the menu had changed to keep up with clientele demands. She had to prepare a dizzying array of menu items, all by herself, in what was not a high end professional kitchen. She wasn’t the owner but told me that the owner had been trying to sell the place for years once the Camino glow wore off.

Just to say that I think this is one of those towns where Camino magic has been like the goose that laid the golden egg. I’m not disputing the negative reviews, but think that as the crowds increase, expectations increase, and satisfaction decreases.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

One other bit of advice, I don't ever pay attention to the reviews from Spanish locals. I think they have higher expectations.

 

[Bradypus]

Just to say that I think this is one of those towns where Camino magic has been like the goose that laid the golden egg. I’m not disputing the negative reviews, but think that as the crowds increase, expectations increase, and satisfaction decreases.

O Cebreiro was for many years the place where Don Elias Valiña served as parish priest and from which he led much of the work of rebuilding walking pilgrimages to Santiago. It was both literally and metaphorically a high point of the Camino for many of us who walked in the earlier years of the Camino revival. Something enhanced by the legend of the chalice in the church and the legacy of Don Elias himself. On my own first visit I slept on straw in a candlelit stone and thatch palloza and was immensely grateful for an experience little different from that of pilgrims hundreds of years before. I know that @David Tallan has written of sleeping on the floor beside the fire in the dining room of the hostal on his own first visit. Despite the sometimes tacky development it is still a place I approach very fondly.

 

[RJM]

September? Eight months from now? You may be trying to book too early and some accommodations now closed for the winter. Try looking again in March or April.

 

[Jodean]

I was going to suggest La Escuela too. Only 1.5km from the top, I walked up experiencing a gorgeous sunrise.
Comfy beds, great food in the restaurant and yes, they have private rooms, though I had a single bed in the dorm room which was fine.

 

[Gthiker]

I second the note above about Casa Anton. We stayed in a nice upstairs room in 2017.

 

[Hans-Georg Goebel]

In trying to find accomodation for 4 ladies (need 2 rooms) in September. It seems the only place available is Venta Celta which has pretty awful reviews. Any suggestions? (We really want to stay in O Cebreiro and yes, we're wanting private rooms...don't judge too harshly.)

maybe you try Alberguería Frade, O Cebreiro, 21, Céntrico, +34 667 553 006(WA)

 

[joramos]

In trying to find accomodation for 4 ladies (need 2 rooms) in September. It seems the only place available is Venta Celta which has pretty awful reviews. Any suggestions? (We really want to stay in O Cebreiro and yes, we're wanting private rooms...don't judge too harshly.)

In trying to find accomodation for 4 ladies (need 2 rooms) in September. It seems the only place available is Venta Celta which has pretty awful reviews. Any suggestions? (We really want to stay in O Cebreiro and yes, we're wanting private rooms...don't judge too harshly.)

Have you tried checking with Pension Casa Carolo (+34 982 367 168)? I stayed there Spring 2023 and I love my private room. They also have a good restaurant/bar on the ground floor. The have a great panoramic view of the distant mountains and valleys. They require reservation confirmation at least a day before your arrival. Buen Camino.

 

[Robert Long]

We have thoroughly enjoyed two stays in O Cebreiro. Both in private rooms. In 2022 we got rooms by phoning them.
Burn Camino

 

[Bob Howard]

I am of the personal opinion that the nightly Pilgrim's Mass in O Cebreiro is not to be missed. Staying in La Escuela I imagine one would be unlikely to walk up to O Cebreiro for the Mass . . . but maybe. I have attended the Mass five times now, and although I am neither religious nor particularly spiritual, I have been moved to tears each time. Can't really articulate why--it just happens. The last three Caminos, O Cebreiro was fully booked, so I stayed in wonderfully bucolic Las Hererrias, and, along with several others. took a taxi up to O Cebreiro for for the Mass. Again, that Mass is powerful including readings from assorted international Pilgrims in their native languages, and then at the end, all the Pilgrims are invited up front to stand in a semi-circle and receive the small stone with the hand-painted arrow. I have attended Pilgrim Mass in other towns/hamlets, but nothing as moving as what happens in that little church at the top of the hill.

 

[Tincatinker]

I feel this thread reflects as a microcosm of the modern Camino. I hear two simultaneous conversations much as I do if I leave my hearing-aids switched on in the pub.

So, we discuss the significance of beds, warm showers and accessibility on Berking.con and; we discuss the significance of O Cebreiro in the history of the emergence of the modern Camino.

These conversations are synchronous but the boundaries that separate them are entrenched and profound.

S’funny, really, innit. ‘Cos last time I looked we were all pilgrims on the road to Santiago and yet it seems we will never understand why any of us walk that road, nor ever why the Dolphins said: “so-long; and thanks for all the fish”.

 

[Harland2019]

I stayed at Venta Celta in 2019, whilst I had to hold the shower, as there wasn't anything to hold it up, I would certainly stay there again. The upside is both being able to stay in O Cebreiro and there was good food beside an open fire in the evening. It is difficult to find accommodation there - I couldn't get any rooms there in my other 2 Caminos'. I would jump at the chance to stay at Venta Celta again. Whilst it may, or may not, be up to the standard of city centre hotels/pensions enjoy the experience. I would book before you can't get any accommodation in the village.

 

[Marian Patricia]

We booked Casa Carolo by phone in 2017 when no one else was responding and all seemed booked up - pleasant room, clean, restaurant and bar, laundry services - absolutely nothing to complain about. We arrived earlier than check-in time and they gave us our room without hesitation.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

nor ever why the Dolphins said: “so-long; and thanks for all the fish”.

I understood everything until that part. Please explain. .

 

[Tincatinker]

I understood everything until that part. Please explain. .

When the Vogon destructor fleet materialised in Earth’s orbit in order to demolish it to make way for an hyperspace bypass the Dolphins all left the planet. Their last message, misinterpreted as a particularly complicated double back somersault and reverse flip, was actually “so-long; and thanks for all the fish”.

I hope this helps

ps: the writings of Douglas Adams may help clearing up any further confusion

 

[Sandra Bridie]

In trying to find accomodation for 4 ladies (need 2 rooms) in September. It seems the only place available is Venta Celta which has pretty awful reviews. Any suggestions? (We really want to stay in O Cebreiro and yes, we're wanting private rooms...don't judge too harshly.)

I stayed at Venta Celta in October 2024 and it was absolutely fine! Windows looking out to the valley, quiet and warm. Breakfasted there the next morning in front of the fire. Friendly staff.

 

[camino07]

In trying to find accomodation for 4 ladies (need 2 rooms) in September. It seems the only place available is Venta Celta which has pretty awful reviews. Any suggestions? (We really want to stay in O Cebreiro and yes, we're wanting private rooms...don't judge too harshly.)

I have previously stayed at Venta Celta and loved it. This past November stayed at Hotel O'Cebreiro in a separate building across the road, only problem there was no Wifi in the bedroom but we went over to the Hotel to use it.