Hello!
I am planning to walk the el Camino de Santiago - Camino Frances from Sarria to Compostela in the Spring. My 70 y/o mom is walking with me, and she wants to have reservations at places to stay. They don’t have to be fancy, we are just looking for safe, simple casas rurales or along those lines. She just wants to know we have a bed waiting for us at the end of each day. Can anyone please tell me where to stay/ how to make reservations? Any advice would be much appreciated!
Gracias,
Allie
Allie, on a number of occassions I've booked with Spanish Adventures https://doncamino.com/ for accomodations and luggage transport. Garry is a local (lives in SdC) and not a large UK-based travel agency.
Buen Camino.
Craig
When we made the same hike in 2019, these were the places we stayed at. Our accommodations were booked through Macs Adventure, but you should be able to make reservations on your own.
Sarria - HOTEL MAR DE PLATA. It’s about a block from the train station.
Portomarín - PENSION ARENAS PORTO (nothing fancy but clean). Some friends stayed at Vistalegra Hotel that appeared nicer.
Palas de Rei - CASA LEOPOLDO (outstanding B&B). Some friends stayed at Hotel Casa Belinde.
Arzua - PENSION BEGOÑA - reception was on the 2nd or 3rd floor. Our friends were at Pension Resaurante Teodora.
Pedrouzo - PENSION RESIDENCIA PLATAS
Santiago de Compostela- HOTEL LUX SANTIAGO. We spent a 2nd night at Hotel Rua Villar. Both hotels were fine. Lux was modern had a great breakfast buffet, but Villar had a better atmosphere and more centrally located. Our friends stayed at Hotel Herradura. It’s not as centrally located as Villar. If you wanted to splurge, then consider staying at the Parador beside the cathedral.
We also went a few days early and spent a couple nights in Lugo. Photos from our Camino to give you ideas as to what you’ll see.
We just booked this same route for September. My brother did all the work and I will reach out to him and update this post. We are going through Santiago Ways.
Jamie - love your photos.
Hi Craig, Jaime, and Barbara,
I can’t thank you enough for your posts!! So nice to “meet” fellow pilgrims!
Jaime, thank you for sharing your photos - I looked at every single one! What a beautiful trip!!!! Thank you for your list of places you stayed. Did you make reservations or just wing it?
To all, did you find the language to be an obstacle? I used to be fluent in Spanish, but I’ve the years it’s gotten choppy due to lack of use. My parents met in Zaragoza in high school (and are still together 53 years later!), so Spain is in my heart and in my blood, which is why I want to do this walk with my mom.
Did you all feel safe? How’s the risk of being robbed? Any tips?
Did you guys hike with a tent in case you couldn’t find accommodations?
Any tips, I would love! I’m so excited about this, but I haven’t been back to Europe since 2004 and having my mom with me, I want to do this smart and safe.
Gracias y Buen Camino!
Allie from California
Macs Adventure arranged everything for us regarding lodging and luggage transfer. I consider myself conversant in Spanish so language isn’t an issue. That part of the Camino is heavily traveled so safety isn’t a concern. Mornings, the trail is full of pilgrims, many of whom are only hiking for a few hours to say they walked the Camino. By the afternoon they have all gone and the number of pilgrims thins out. If you have lodging arranged you only need to travel with a day pack, water, and snacks. There are places along the route to use the facilities and get a meal if you’d like. For our walk the daily mileage ranged from between 10 and 19 miles.
A camino with your mom sounds great. You'll find answers to a lot of your questions plus much useful information on the Camino Santiago Forum. https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/whats-new/posts/
I am 68 and just finished walking the Camino Frances in May.
You may want to walk shorter distances each day. If you look on booking dot com, you can find all kinds of places to stay for every budget. Figure out how far you want to walk each day and then book. Look at the terrain. Is it a hilly day, then maybe just 10-12km. Is it a flatter day, then perhaps a bit longer? 15-17km?
Many albergues have private rooms to book, so that you can have a fuller pilgrim experience.
You do not need to bring a tent.
Bag transport is easily arranged each day as every place you stay will have the envelopes and numbers to call (use Whatsapp)
My Spanish is minimal, but if I needed more than the basics, I used Google translate. The staff at all the restaurants and albergues, and pharmacies use it a lot. When there are 10-15 different nationalities in a place, it is so helpful.
The above mentioned website and forum is a treasure trove of information. The Wise Pilgrim app is good to download and will show you terrain. I also use this website to plan my stops that match how far I want to walk each day. Then I go book a place to stay. I have booked all my 40 nights last year and 47 nights this year.
https://godesalco.com/plan/frances
For Santiago, San Martin Pinario is fantastic. Located right next to the cathedral, it is a beautiful old stone building. Not as posh as a parador, but also not as expensive. I have stayed here on 4 Caminos and it is the 1st thing I book.
Please feel free to message me if you have any questions. I also have a FB page - Camino Jo and a YouTube channel - Camino for Everyone
Follow Jo's information. If you don't want to reserve yourself, I'd suggest contacting Carol Alexander-Price of CaminoConfidence.com. She arranges independent tours for women/woman (as well as guiding her small female only tours) based on your wants. She would also be available each day by telephone if you have any issues.
I was 69 when I walked this route in May with one of Carol's small groups (8 women max). You don't have to walk together, but you stay at the same location, etc. It's a beautiful walk. And, all the women were lovely. However, with two of you, you can have your own Camino designed per your wants, distances, etc.
PS, Jo, I love that Camino Planner!
