San Martin Pinario Hospederio Seminario Mayor Hotel-Santiago

[Sedona2012]

While I cannot say enough great things about the location right behind the Cathedral, the lovely grounds and full breakfast I cannot find anything positive to say about the front desk staff.

They are so very rude and just a while ago I watched them bring a German woman to tears. They seem very short tempered with guest in general. I have traveled a bit I would say and this is the worst I have witnessed.

This is not typical of Spain in my experience and I only hope management will try a spirit of hospitality, re-train their front desk staff and accept that people from around the world will be staying with them.

Oh my, my first negative post

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Sedona,
Congratulations on finishing your camino, I have enjoyed getting news from the Norte, since it's been at least 6 years since I passed that way.

I too have stayed in San Martin Pinario on three different occasions, and I'm sorry that you found the staff to be so rude. My experience has always been very positive, which is not to say that I doubt you at all, just that maybe this was a particularly bad day for the staff.

In any event, once you are back home, I think you should send them an email and let your opinion be known. They have a great business going there, and the management surely doesn't want pilgrims to be upset with the service they provide, especially when the price of bad publicity on a forum like this could be so significant.

I hope this doesn't take the glow off of the rest of your time in Santiago. Enjoy, and congratulations once again! Buen camino, Laurie

 

[mspath]

Sedona,

I too am so sorry to learn that you felt the Hospederio staff to be rude. Each time when I have been there they have been most accommodating and helpful. Perhaps this was new or over worked staff. As Laurie suggests do send them an email and let your reaction be known. When you do write to the management please let us also know their response to your complaint.

Now it is time for you to relax and enjoy the evening in Santiago.

Margaret Meredith

 

[Anniesantiago]

I have always found them very very helpful.
Maybe someone one just having a bad day?

I was in there today and yesterday using the wi-fi and there were several groups of EXTREMELY loud people there. The heat is also overwhelming.
Maybe the person is just tired.

Who knows.

 

[nalod]

Stayed here on three different occasions. Found reception "matter of fact" not overly friendly but not rude either. Good value great location. Will stay there again.

 

[sulu]

I enjoyed my night there but I did find that two of the receptionists were so busy chatting to each other that they really couldn't find the time to speak to guests, not to pilgrim guests any way. A shame because otherwise it was great.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

They take reservations for the pilgrim rooms, leaving many a pilgrim without a bed. That puts them on my blacklist. I have stayed there back in the day when the pilgrim rooms were first come, first serve. They have become quite full of themselves now that they are a haven for the tourigrinos.

There are better options, and it is a very loud place in the public areas. I think that may flow from not really being a hospital for pilgrims; just a cheap place to stay.

 

[peregrina2000]

Falcon, I think that's a bit harsh. I don't know of any privately owned albergue on any Camino (except for some donativos) that doesn't take reservations, so I don't think that fact should put them on anyone's black list. Even if they didn't take reservations, they would still leave hundreds of pilgrims without a bed because they can't have room for many more than 100 people.

I think that many of us stay there because by the end of many weeks of walking, clean sheets and towels, and a quiet room with a shower all have great appeal, but staying in a "real" hotel just doesn't feel right. The albergue situation in Santiago seems to have improved a lot, I just saw this one about three minutes from San Martin, http://www.thelaststamp.es/en/ but it takes reservations, too.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Deleted member 3000]

O Fogar de Teodomiro takes reservations as well. They all have abandoned the first come, first serve concept, to the frustration of those who don''t make reservations.

Like AnnieSantiago pointed out, it is different this year. Pilgrims without cell phones to make reservations spend a lot of shoe leather looking for a bed. It is about profit. I don't work for free, so I don't expect albergues to, either; but the Camino is changing.

 

[sulu]

I thought that San Martino de Pinario was a hotel that just gave special rate to pilgrims who say on the top floor :? :?:
The great advantage here is that there is a lift to the top floor

 

[peregrina2000]

The "albergue" is the 4th floor, then there is at least one floor, maybe two, of hotel rooms -- bigger, nicer, newer, more expensive. Then there is one floor at least where the much diminished seminarian population lives.

I don't disagree with much of what falcon says, but I think it's unfair to single San Martin Pinario out for doing what every other private albergue on the Frances, the Norte, the Primitivo, the Vdlp, etc etc does, which is take reservations.

 

[Yallah]

I had a bit of a rough experience with the reception at San Martin Pinario last fall as well. Nothing too drastic, but the receptionist was obviously stressed and quite curt. I was shocked at how packed the place was, a very far cry from staying there 6 years ago when there were few guests and the place had more the feel of a parochial albergue.

While I enjoyed having my own cute little room, the pilgrim rooms seemed rather dirty with a lot of dust and cobwebs. On the bright side, the buffet breakfast was marvelous. I would probably still stay here (if I could manage to find an available room!) for the great location, reasonable price and good breakfast.

 

[sulu]

Then there is one floor at least where the much diminished seminarian population lives.

Wow .. Poor things, hardly a prayerful ambience. A preparation for the real world. maybe they have to walk up the stairs to the 5th floor

My room was bare, like a students room, but clean, with its own en-suite, and a lift to get there. Heaven
I left too early to get breakfast so I will have to go back.
Sue

 

[wayfarer]

My experience at the St. Martin was all good. The people on reception were friendly and helpful, they even held some bags for my brother while we walked to Finisterra and Muxia. I loved sitting on the steps opposite in the afternoons and meeting some of the pilgrims we knew as they walked in or sitting in the cloister garden in the shade and having a drink.

 

[tyrrek]

I've stayed there several times and count myself among the lucky ones who have always enjoyed it and found the staff to be pleasant. The place has become a large part of the 'Santiago experience' to me now. Buen Camino!

 

[jirit]

My wife and I stayed here this year after completing the via de la plata.

We booked a room for ourselves along with a couple of single rooms for a couple of friends - all on the 4th floor for pilgrims. At a price of 25 euro for a single room with a private and bathroom and 43 euro for the double, both that included an all you can eat breakfast, this is probably one the best places in Santiago to stay at for those looking for pilgrim style accommodation.

Upon our return from Finisterre, we booked a regular double room just for ourselves and again I would highly recommend this too - a bit more upscale and again well worth the price of 65 euro.

Lunch by the way is also a good deal

 

[KirstenLP]

I just got back on July 3, and spent two nights at San Martin..the last several days of my Camino, I developed terrible tendonistis and had been icing it every night. Upon arriving my first night, I asked if I could get some ice (I had a Ziplock bag) for my leg. I got a very snotty "No. But there's a grocery store not far that I'm sure sells ice." So I hobbled, quite visibly and painfully, up to the grocery store and it was closed (at about 3pm, but the front desk lady had assured me it would be open because of all the tourists)....so I hobbled back. There was another person at the front desk and so I asked them..another "No. We don't do that." I'm a). obviously injured and b). obviously a pilgrim who'd just completed...(still in my sweaty clothes from finishing the walk that day!). I hobbled back outside and went to the nearest bar where they unblinkingly filled my Ziplock bag. I spent the night between fuming at both the front desk people I'd spoken to, the amount of money I spent to stay there and feeling sorry for myself because I had gotten no sympathy. That first night I was ready to pack up and switch hotels to a place more considerate of people... I didn't leave cuz I had pre-paid and couldn't get my money back for the second night. It's a handy place, but the rooms are plain, nothing luxurious...but the I'd agree with the unpleasant reception desk people.
*I thought I was over my irritation with this situation, but obviously not!* :?

 

[Sedona2012]

Oh my, I'm not surprised many positive experiences staying at this lovely place.
I had many of my own and on check out a lovely girl who was very helpful.

I think I was more upset about how the German woman was treated.

 

[Jochen-Schmidtke]

Hello forums members.
I sent a mail with the link of KirstenLP's post in the forum to the management of the Hotel Seminario Mayor. :evil:
Lets wait how they will react. :?
Buen Camino
Jochen

 

[rasherbyrnes]

Sadly, I had similar experience at this hotel. The front desk staff were unwelcoming, and loath to give any information about the area. Also found the hotel very cold and quite noisy. The only good thing about the hotel is the great location.

 

[KirstenLP]

i hope they read sedona's and rasherbyrnes' posts as well...all similar in feeling about the unhelpful front desk.

Hello forums members.
I sent a mail with the link of KirstenLP's post in the forum to the management of the Hotel Seminario Mayor. :evil:
Lets wait how they will react. :?
Buen Camino
Jochen

 

[fraluchi]

Like AnnieSantiago pointed out, it is different this year. Pilgrims without cell phones to make reservations spend a lot of shoe leather looking for a bed. It is about profit. I don't work for free, so I don't expect albergues to, either; but the Camino is changing.

Yes, the Camino is changing very much indeed.
I have spent several nights on the 4th floor of the Hospedería, last year and this year, and must say that the front office staff has always been helpful. The floor staff was extremely pleasant and efficient. So were the staff at breakfast, lunch and dinner times.
At the end of May the Hospedería was sold out. Business at reception from early morning onward was unusual for a "normal" hotel. Check outs, large number of early arrivals who could not occupy their reserved rooms yet: groups and pilgrims wanting to be at the cathedrals's midday Mass, etc. Luggage had to be received, stored, sorted, handed out, traced (xacotrans, etc.) and traffic was more like a bus station. There should be no reason to be unfriendly, but this Hospedería's staff works at certain times of the day under potential stress. Sufficient for one tired guest (pilgrim or turigrino) to pull the plug :mrgreen:
This Hospedería is a difficult "product" to manage, as far as accommodations are concerned. For various physical and ideological (religious) reasons. :|

 

[pilgrim2013]

I was disappointed and surprised to read the comments re: Hospideria San Martin Pinerio
I stayed there on Saturday 6th July and found all staff helpful and attentive.

Pilgrim 2013

 

[Ria Mattheus]

Hi!!! Me and my friend stayed there last year Aug at the end of our Camino for 2 nights and we got good service from the hotel and staff. We posted some clothes to the hotel when we started our Camino, and they kept it for us for 20 days - FREE OF CHARGE!!! We didn't stay in the cheap rooms - didn't know about it - but still the rate was very fair! (coming from South Africa!) I was just a bit upset that when we did our reservation , nobody told us about the cheaper Camino rooms!! And they knew that we are pilgrims! But ...overall, the location, the clean white sheets, nice clean towels and our own bathroom was great after walking the Camino! Will definitely stay there again!!!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

nobody told us about the cheaper Camino rooms!! And they knew that we are pilgrims!

When they opened, they did not take reservations for the pilgrim rooms. Now they do. It is a business, and they made a business decision!

 

[tyrrek]

We didn't stay in the cheap rooms - didn't know about it - but still the rate was very fair! (coming from South Africa!)

Yes, I couldn't get a pilgrim room last year so asked about the other rooms expecting them to be too expensive, but they weren't tooooo bad - maybe 40-50 Euros (single) from memory including a good breakfast. Buen Camino!