Where did we stay?
We spent about $50 a night to stay in private rooms for all but one of the nights on the Camino. Given that the average cost of a bed in the dormitory was usually around $15 for one person, we thought the extra $20 a night was worth it for a private bath, private room and no snoring or 5 am departures by our roommates. From all we heard, we were right.
Below, those marked with a + we'd try to stay in again. Those with a - we'd choose somewhere else. The rest (=) were fine but not remarkable.
And in the cities (Oviedo, Lugo, and Santiago) we paid more for real hotel rooms.
Oviedo: Sercotel--Great location wonderful staff. Expensive. Good breakfast. +
Paladin: Villa Palatina--very nice. It had an above ground pool! But also more expensive for both food and lodging than other places. Huge amounts of food, but does not allow outside food, and is adamant about it. Pablo, the host, is a character. Shared bath and shower with a few other rooms. -
Cornellana: Roca Madre--our favorite of the trip. Irene and Diego were wonderful hosts and ate dinner with us. Lots of good, healthy--home grown food. Tasteful remodel of an ancient farmhouse, with modern and tasteful bath/shower room. Nice 20-outlet usb charger for all to use. Clean, organized, classy. Diego meets every guests with a cold beer during registration. The town had shops for food. And Roca Madre runs a clothes wash every day for camineros. ++
Salas: Tulipanes--Dutch host Nicholas is working on this, but it's still a work in progress. We had an odd shower bath across the hall and through a storage room. Food was delicious and plentiful, and vegetarian. Nice group dinner. Great location, and the town is charming. -
Tineo: Posada--a more traditional pension, right in town, without a lot of character. Just 50 m away was Bar Tineo, which served massive amounts of cheap and delicious food, and we also loved eating at the senior center, where the hostess made us feel like family. Not much to do in Timeo. =
Borres: Albergue la Montera--really nice room here, and the place was spotless. Nice terrace under the panera to sit and chat. Only one restaurant in town, just 30m away, which served massive amounts of food but would NOT allow anyone to share plates. This is a key jumping off spot for the Hospitales route, but there is absolutely nothing to do in Borres. + The only option
Berducedo: Albergue Camino Primitivo--after the nasty weather on Hospitales, we just wanted rest. Lovely upstairs room with big exposed beams. A group of us wanted to wash clothes here, but we had to negotiate a bit to do it. All fine here, including the food, but we were all a bit shellshocked from the day's hike. +
Grandas de Salime: Porta de Grandas-- lovely spot just steps outside town, with its own garden park. Nice, clean, and modern, with exposed beams and a glass balcony. We found a wonderful restaurant here, A Reigada, and ate there twice, loving it both times. And breakfast at Cafe Jaime was also good. The Ethnographic museum here was sensational, with locals staffing the exhibits. 1.50 to enter. What fun. +
Fonsagrada: Portico hotel--a real hotel with lots of rooms, only $60. Older style, but beautifully done, with nice historic artifacts about. Our room was huge, with room for four. More exposed beams! After the brutal climb to get into town, it took us a while to recover. Center of town has a bank, bars, grocery store, etc. And Cantabrico restaurant was delicious and cheap. +
O Cadavo: Pension Porta Santa--a more traditional pension for the Camino. They also have an albergue nearby. Nice modern room with fully ADA compliant bath. No food here, but they offer a kitchen. The restaurants in town were packed with locals, and we had to struggle to get a table at the only bar. Happily, the same bar was open early for breakfast. =
Lugo: Two nights at Hotel Mercure, including one rest day. A very modern and stylish hotel that's 1km from the city center. We felt a bit out of place here in our grubby clothes, but Oscar and his staff were almost overly friendly. And the room was luxurious, the bath even more so. We liked Lugo--great food and lots to see from Roman walls and a Cathedral to museums and cafe-filled plazas. Next time we'll stay in town. A special thanks to cafe Las Brisas who got in early to greet us with an amazing breakfast and bocadillos for the trail, all before 7 am. - for location
Ferreira: A Nave--a more informal albergue with a big lawn and dining area, but no restaurant. That's next door at the Cantina Ferreira. Nice, simple room that was clean, and a modern bath. But the vibe and crowd here is more youth hostel/summer camp. A bit noisy and busy. Maybe it's the new crowd from Lugo. The Cantina served massive tortillas. -
Melide: Hotel Lux--maybe the best place we've stayed. Beautiful small hotel, very modern, right in the middle of town. Efficient, classy, warm, and professional. Lovely rooms, one more modern bath. First class. We ate octopus and more at Casa Ezequiel, which is a Camino institution, but found it crowded, slow, and unremarkable-- overhyped for what it was. +
O Pedrouzo: Codesal Pension--this was a perfecty normal and nice pension with one drawback. It's almost a km from the center of town. True, there's a supermarket almost across the street, but no other options for food unless you want to order take out. We didn't. We ate salads and empanadas from the store, but missed the comraderie and service in a restaurant. Too far out for us. -
Santiago de Compostela: Hostal San Clemente--this is part of the Pousadas group that I stayed in my first night in Santiago. Lovely place with security codes instead of locks. We had room #4, which is across the patio and very private, and large. Included a bathtub and very soft sheets. 1st class. I stayed at the more traditional Virxe de Cerca hotel (same group) my first night in Santiago and loved it. +
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