LIVE from the Camino Sarria-Santiago Lodging

[LaDisapo]

Hello everyone! This is my first Camino and after so many days, I’ve finally arrived at Sarria! So far it’s been a great (interesting) experience. I’d been reserving every night, with the exception of one and I had to knock on 3 Albergues to finally find a bed after 31k . After that I learned my lesson and went back to reserving for peace of mind. I have finally arrived at Sarria and everything was completely booked on Booking as well as the albergues on the list you get at the pilgrims office in St Jean I got lucky and found one for 41€. Everything from here on is fully booked I can’t seem to find anything for the next two days and am freaking out. My question is, are there Albergues or Hostals that are not on booking or on the list that are out there and should have a bed for me therefore I should not worry or should I get ready to sleep on the streets ?. I’m starting to think it might be the case since everyone that is local is telling me I should’ve booked ahead due to lots of people starting the 1st of August I didn’t think I’d be arriving the beginning of the month. I’d been booking about 3 days ahead but once I got closer to Sarria I haven’t been able to find any places for the next 2 days (stages) I’ve looked in the towns before and after and nothing. Anyways too much blah blah blah don’t be surprised if you see me sleeping in the streets. What a way to finish my Camino

 

[Tincatinker]

Hi, @LaDisapo, looks like you'll be on the Municipal Sprint. No booking in the Junta albergues in Galicia.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/no-more-reservations-in-public-albergues-in-galicia-as-of-july-2021.69108/

 

[deniseketcham]

Have you tried all those listed on Gronze.com? I hear you have better luck with direct contact via email. I have booked ahead every hostel, but have had to juggle quite a few as plans changed.

 

[Grousedoctor]

Although Booking.com may indicate no availability, I have often been able to reserve beds or rooms at a place that is “full” by directly emailing the hotel or albergue. Good uck!

 

[LaDisapo]

Hi, @LaDisapo, looks like you'll be on the Municipal Sprint. No booking in the Junta albergues in Galicia.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/no-more-reservations-in-public-albergues-in-galicia-as-of-july-2021.69108/

Thank you, looks like I’m gonna have to wake up at 3:30am since I’m so slow We’ll see how it goes!

 

[LaDisapo]

Have you tried all those listed on Gronze.com? I hear you have better luck with direct contact via email. I have booked ahead every hostel, but have had to juggle quite a few as plans changed.

Yes I have tried Gronze. Thanks. It looks like they have the same places as the ones in the Pilgrims list that they give you in St. Jean. I’m just gonna wing it. Just more stories to add to my Camino experience.

 

[oursonpolaire]

Others have suggested direct contact rather than Booking.com. I have done this on a number of occasions and have almost always found rooms. Proprietors only put some of their rooms on Booking.com on account of the healthy percentage taken by them.

 

[NadineK]

I was on the Primitivo but just crossed Melide, so am now on the Francés for the last bit. I didn’t have trouble booking a bed for my two stages here, but I reached out directly to the albergues (in both cases I texted using Whatsapp and they responded promptly). Two days ahead for each place… one in Boente, one in Lavacolla. But I do know that it is much more crowded in these last stages and I think depending on how many pilgrims are walking in your ‘stage’, it could be difficult! Good luck!

 

[didi2L]

Hello everyone! This is my first Camino and after so many days, I’ve finally arrived at Sarria! So far it’s been a great (interesting) experience. I’d been reserving every night, with the exception of one and I had to knock on 3 Albergues to finally find a bed after 31k . After that I learned my lesson and went back to reserving for peace of mind. I have finally arrived at Sarria and everything was completely booked on Booking as well as the albergues on the list you get at the pilgrims office in St Jean I got lucky and found one for 41€. Everything from here on is fully booked I can’t seem to find anything for the next two days and am freaking out. My question is, are there Albergues or Hostals that are not on booking or on the list that are out there and should have a bed for me therefore I should not worry or should I get ready to sleep on the streets ?. I’m starting to think it might be the case since everyone that is local is telling me I should’ve booked ahead due to lots of people starting the 1st of August I didn’t think I’d be arriving the beginning of the month. I’d been booking about 3 days ahead but once I got closer to Sarria I haven’t been able to find any places for the next 2 days (stages) I’ve looked in the towns before and after and nothing. Anyways too much blah blah blah don’t be surprised if you see me sleeping in the streets. What a way to finish my Camino

Hey there. We left Sarria this morning and had to stop short at albergue Mercadoiro and are facing the same issue the rest of the week. We feel your pain! This is such a heartbreaking way to end a month on camino! It's actually becoming quite stressful. Everything is much more expensive too. We found some accommodations as high as €95. We are in our 50s and not as fast either which leaves us really frustrated. We just might see you at 3.30 am one of these mornings...

 

[jsalt]

My question is, are there Albergues or Hostals that are not on booking or on the list that are out there and should have a bed for me

Hi, try loading all the cellphone numbers into your Contacts, that you can find from Gronze, of all the albergues coming up, and send a whatsapp to those who are also on whatsapp.

I find the owners respond more to whatsapp these days than to an email.

But send it in Spanish (use Google Translate), e.g.:
Do you have one bed for Monday 2 August please?
¿Tiene una cama para el lunes 2 de agosto por favor?

Good luck.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

@LaDisapo if you are okay at navigation then walk north from Sarria to join the Primitivo. That will see you right until Melide where you can join @didi2L and consider going north west again and joining the Norte.

If you don't want either of those options then look for accommodation off the Frances using G Maps and then bus or taxi to and from the camino at the end and beginning of each day.

It will still be busy everywhere in August but much less busy the further away that you get from the Frances.

 

[didi2L]

@LaDisapo if you are okay at navigation then walk north from Sarria to join the Primitivo. That will see you right until Melide where you can join @didi2L and consider going north west again and joining the Norte.

If you don't want either of those options then look for accommodation off the Frances using G Maps and then bus or taxi to and from the camino at the end and beginning of each day.

It will still be busy everywhere in August but much less busy the further away that you get from the Frances.

@LaDisapo the bus/taxi forward a few extra kilometers we can't quite walk is precisely and sadly what we've been discussing this evening. We've had a constant stream of no's all evening. Super discouraging and crushing since we've been so excited to get to the last 100 km! I hope you find something! All the best and buen camino

 

[DoughnutANZ]

It is also the weekend and lots of locals start walking from Sarria on the weekend. This creates a wave of people. If you have time to stop walking for a couple of days then you may find that there are more vacancies.

 

[Former member 98118]

When I crossed the border with Galicia on the Frances I stayed just in municipals which cannot be booked and surprisingly that's why they were never full and sometimes empty. O Cebreiro didn't fill up, in Caldor before Sarria there was 1 pilgrim, in Gonzar and Hospital de la Cruz 1-2 pilgrims, in Eirexe I had entire albergue for myself (!), Casanova didn't fill up, Arzua had beds when I passed by, Santa Irene didn't fill up. That's because in these strange times people don't want to go to places that cannot be booked. And I love to take this risk and every time I was rewarded with nearly empty albergue Edit: I didn't stay at all those albergues, but I often entered to ask about the vacant beds, get a sello and talk to hospitaleros.

Seems like on Primitivo in Galicia things look similar: in Fonsagrada today Casa Cuartel and Cantabrico are nearly full, when I arrived to the municipal at 7:30 pm (yes, from La Mesa) there were just 8 pilgrims in the albergue.

Buen Camino! Choose the non-Brierley towns to increase your chances.

Below: nice capsule hostel Andaina in Sarria where I stayed about a week ago. 12 euro. Found on booking com.

 

[gloria lowe]

Try calling the places that say they are full on booking. I look at booking dot com to see what’s out there and then go directly to the place and book.

 

[Wanderingfriend]

Yes I have tried Gronze. Thanks. It looks like they have the same places as the ones in the Pilgrims list that they give you in St. Jean. I’m just gonna wing it. Just more stories to add to my Camino experience.

Isn’t gronze in Spanish? I wish I could read and speak Spanish. Clearly my problem.

 

[Gerard Griffin]

You can translate gronze into English using the translate tab on the three dot button, upper right. I've had the same problem, sometimes hard to find a bed, but sometimes empty hostels. All the solutions proposed are good, but mine is to roll up at a municipal just before they open. People rightly prefer the nicer places and the security of a reservation, so demand is lower for Municipals ... So being there at 1 pm, opening time, has always worked for me (except the 2 nights I had to use my tent). Good luck to us all in these crazy times we live in.

 

[Kanga]

@LaDisapo I echo the experience of others - the municipals can't be booked and they are your best bet. It takes a bit of courage though, because you have to assume you will find a bed.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

@LaDisapo I echo the experience of others - the municipals can't be booked and they are your best bet. It takes a bit of courage though, because you have to assume you will find a bed.

Surprisingly in 2019 I was able to book ahead for municipal albergues in Roncesvalles and Valcarlos as someone had given me a tip. I think I have read on this forum a several months ago that more of them are beginning to do this, but I'm not sure if it's true or not.

 

[NadineK]

When I crossed the border with Galicia on the Frances I stayed just in municipals which cannot be booked and surprisingly that's why they were never full and sometimes empty. O Cebreiro didn't fill up, in Caldor before Sarria there was 1 pilgrim, in Gonzar and Hospital de la Cruz 1-2 pilgrims, in Eirexe I had entire albergue for myself (!), Casanova didn't fill up, Arzua had beds when I passed by, Santa Irene didn't fill up. That's because in these strange times people don't want to go to places that cannot be booked. And I love to take this risk and every time I was rewarded with nearly empty albergue Edit: I didn't stay at all those albergues, but I often entered to ask about the vacant beds, get a sello and talk to hospitaleros.

Seems like on Primitivo in Galicia things look similar: in Fonsagrada today Casa Cuartel and Cantabrico are nearly full, when I arrived to the municipal at 7:30 pm (yes, from La Mesa) there were just 8 pilgrims in the albergue.

Buen Camino! Choose the non-Brierley towns to increase your chances.

Below: nice capsule hostel Andaina in Sarria where I stayed about a week ago. 12 euro. Found on booking com.

View attachment 105919

I also walked La Mesa to A Fonsagrada- it’s a long stage (and with that last, steep hill up to town!!), well done!

I’ve also heard similar things about open places in the municipal albergues, at least on the Primitivo. So I think that is always an option!

 

[trecile]

You can translate gronze into English using the translate tab on the three dot button, upper right.

You need to use the Chrome browser to do this.

 

[Former member 35551]

So, here's my story from Lugo. Sarria to Santiago is a completely different animal, so, not sure how or if this helps but here goes . . .

2019. Saturday in July. Heading to Lugo, which is a very popular tourist town. I want to stay at the Hostel Cross. Checking online (think it was booking.com). Sold out. I call the next day. Completo. I get to Lugo pretty early and stop for lunch. The city center is packed. I had decided to move on but I like the looks of this little town. So, I decide to see about a bed or room.

Just for the heck of it I head to Hostel Cross and see if they had any cancellations. It was a madhouse. She told me they were full but . . . maybe. If I could wait a few minutes. I could wait. Once there was a slight break from people with reservations coming in, she checked the computer. They were full but . . . I'm not sure what happened but I got what she said was the last bed, actually a pod.

The room I was in had 10 or 12 pods. There were a total of only 4 people in that room that night. It is a real shame the number of no shows at albergues but that's a whole other topic.

While I don't recommend this as a standard tactic, it has worked for me several times. And as others have intimated, it's better to text than send an email, call rather than text and then finally try in person.

 

[LaDisapo]

Isn’t gronze in Spanish? I wish I could read and speak Spanish. Clearly my problem.

I speak Spanish. I’m from Mexico So I’m lucky

 

[LaDisapo]

@LaDisapo the bus/taxi forward a few extra kilometers we can't quite walk is precisely and sadly what we've been discussing this evening. We've had a constant stream of no's all evening. Super discouraging and crushing since we've been so excited to get to the last 100 km! I hope you find something! All the best and buen camino

I got lucky and found something on booking because I kept checking every hour. Finally booked something for 72€ yikes but after seeing tons of peregrinos walking in the rain and being rejected in every Albergue due to them being booked 72€ seems like a bargain. The lady told me someone canceled and I had booked it within 20min. This has happened twice. I actually heard a familiar voice asking if there was space available yesterday as it was raining it was a girl I started with back in St. Jean, she was soaked and exhausted I asked the woman if it was ok I could share my room since it had two beds. I was happy to let her stay w me. She okayed it. The girl had walked since Samos and stayed w/me in Castromayor. She and 2 guys couldn’t find anything in Sarria or after. As you mentioned, it hasn’t been fun for the ones that started from far that didn’t know the 1st of August is when all the Spaniards start their vacation. Most of us didn’t book ahead and some of us have been looking two days before and didn’t find anything. None of us are happy with the way this is ending but maybe Finisterre will give us back our peace. This is what we’re hoping. I hope you’ve found something being that Albergues are only allowed 30% capacity. I heard people walking at 2:30 am. It’s crazy out here. Buen Camino to youStay safe