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Where is the most reliable accommodation information?

LizziM

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Frances, July 2015
I'd like some recommendations about where to find the most current and up to date information about albergues that are actually open.

I'm currently walking the camino Frances, and I can't even begin to list the number of albergues that are closed when the app says they are open from Jan 1 or Mar 1, and villages I've passed through that supposedly have amenities where absolutely nothing is open.

I'm using the wise pilgrim app at the moment, and I've started using booking dot com, since it's the only way I can reliably find a place to stay.

I understand that many albergues don't open until after Easter, which is fine. I just want some reliable and honest information about what IS open.
 
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LizziM said:
I understand that many albergues don't open until after Easter, which is fine. I just want some reliable and honest information about what IS open.
Click to expand...
I've usually found Gronze are most up to date. A website rather than an app. But even better is to phone somewhere direct and ask them if they are open and have beds available.
 
Hello
sorry for your woes
Its hard to say what EXACTLY can be consider "reliable". You already have Wise Pilgrim app, perhaps also download Buen Camino and of course Gronze.com
(as a side note - also download WhatsApp if you don't have it already)
I guess roughly 2-3 days out from your next anticipated stop - look over the list of albergues (even if you have to go through all of the sites mentioned) and CALL the albergue directly - that is your most reliable current u-t-d info. Yes it requires "home work" but IMHO you cannot lose this way. If they are open - perhaps you can reserve right on the spot.

Good luck and Buen Camino
 
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LizziM said:
I can't even begin to list the number of albergues that are closed when the app says they are open from Jan 1 or Mar 1, and villages I've passed through that supposedly have amenities where absolutely nothing is open.
Click to expand...
LizziM said:
I just want some reliable and honest information about what IS open.
Click to expand...
The apps and guides are all honest, I think. Their information is only as reliable as its sources, which may be the owners themselves (who are free to change their minds any time and probably don't immediately inform the app) and other pilgrims like you who can provide information from the road.

In the off-season, you would be wise to check ahead, and not (for example) arrive exhausted in a small town with only one listed albergue, expecting to find accommodation there.

Are these municipal albergues you are finding closed, or private ones? Where are you on the Camino?
 
https://www.aprinca.com/ is spot-on for accommodation that is open from 1 November to 28 February, and very greatly appreciated by all those who walk in winter.

Sadly, they suddenly shut down their website on 1 March, literally.

So, although places are still closed until Easter, one has NO idea anymore what is open.

On 1 March last year I met a couple who were doing 30+km days, but they hadn’t noted what was open that night.

Because I was offline the aprinca list was still viewable on my phone, so they took a photo, and gave me the hugest hug ever, as they now knew where they could head for that night.
 
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I'm talking about any and all accommodation options. And I'm not just talking about a one albergue village. In one case there were 6 or 7 listed in a town as open in March and in reality only 1 that was actually open.
Somehow, other people I met knew this without needing to phone each place, and I'd like to know if there's some other 'live' information resource where the most current info is consolidated.
But from the comments here, I'm guessing there isn't, aside from gronze, but that hasn't been entirely accurate either.
 
LizziM said:
I'd like to know if there's some other 'live' information resource where the most current info is consolidated.
Click to expand...
No, there is no central authority.
LizziM said:
In one case there were 6 or 7 listed in a town as open in March and in reality only 1 that was actually open.
Click to expand...
I am curious where this was, and if there was space at that albergue. Maybe the local people collaborate to ensure that one of them is always open.
 
I have a few different Apps, and have found they all have 'some' out of date information.
And it's of course always the one you need......
It must be hard to keep them up to date.
My 'go to' is Gronze.
Seems to be consistently more up to date than many others.
 
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You could be that reliable source for people who are following in your footsteps.

Rather than asking, you could be providing
 
I find that albergue owners know what is happening. Ask them. Then see if they will call to the next town for you and reserve a bed. Buy them a coffee or a beer or a wine when they do this favor for you. Make sure you show up at that albergue the next day so your reservation is not wasted.
 
Booking.com is fairly reliable. But remember some albergues will be open but the host lives off site so if it appears that no pilgrims are coming in, they won’t open. Best to call ahead direct if you’re worried about it.
 
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LizziM said:
I just want some reliable and honest information about what IS open.
Click to expand...
What @C clearly wrote is exactly correct. No one website or app is 100% accurate. i am sure in peak season they are very accurate but the rest of the year, from my experience no site is more than about 70% or so accurate, and none have all the available albergues. That is why I think having multiple sources especially in winter gives you a better chance of finding an albergue. Call or whatsapp to find out if an albergue is open or closed.

jsalt said:
https://www.aprinca.com/ is spot-on for accommodation that is open from 1 November to 28 February, and very greatly appreciated by all those who walk in winter.

Sadly, they suddenly shut down their website on 1 March, literally.
Click to expand...
I believe this website always shuts down after winter is over and goes back online, on or just before November 1.
Albergue owners may tell aprinca.com that they intend to stay open but as @C clearly says albergue owners may close on a whim because they are exhausted or have a pressing need to close. I have encountered this on more than one occasion with aprinca.com.
 
Between about mid October and about the end of March the only way to know for sure what’s open is to contact them directly. What’s app works well for this.
 
C clearly said:
The apps and guides are all honest, I think.
Click to expand...
Maybe some of them. Others change the date on the cover and sell something otherwise unchanged. The 2016 Michelin guide I bought did not list an albergue that had started in 1999, but did list in the same village one that had been in ruins for several years. (I spent more than fifteen months in that village; I’m not merely passing on rumors I heard.)
 
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With few exceptions, the most reliable sources are the Hospitalera and Albergue operators with who you are staying. They almost always know who is open in the next couple of stages and can provide recommendations, names and phone numbers.

If the Hospitalera is not helpful then the next most reliable source are the other Peregrinos you may be staying with and meeting along the way.

The most enjoyable Caminos I've walked were with no guide, no map, no phone and no plan - a true Camino experience.
 
Promote your Camino Project on the forum
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2024 edition: The Brierley Camino Frances Guide
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
You really have to contact the lodging directly. No list will be perfect. It’s just the way it is in Spain. Part of the charm.
 
WalkingLester said:
You really have to contact the lodging directly. No list will be perfect. It’s just the way it is in Spain. Part of the charm.
Click to expand...
That's why I tend to consult two or three apps as well as perhaps a guidebook or two on my Kindle app and Gronze. Between all of them, I can get a decent list of possibilities to check.
 
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