Accommodation Options
Accommodation options along the Camino vary greatly and we stayed in them all. Here are the types we encountered, starting with most basic to nicest:
Albergues (a.k.a. hostels): these are the most basic options and are available in virtually every village, town and city along the way. They are your classic hostel situation with shared rooms of bunk beds and shared bathrooms and are very much geared towards the pilgrims doing these caminos. There is typically no on-site restaurant although they have a self-catering, shared kitchen (and there are some nicer albergues with an on-site bar/cafe/restaurant but those are the exception). They are first come, first serve, so there is a risk they may be full. They are also typically free; however, a small donation is generally expected (€5-10). We stayed in some, usually when there was no other choice available. When they are busy, which they mostly were, you can count on a loud snorer in the room. Not fun.
Casa Rurals (a.k.a. Houses/Buildings with Private Rooms): these are definitely a step-up from albergues but you pay for the privilege of that private room and usually a private bath. They are very often in nice, old buildings, so they often have quite a bit of charm and character. They also typically have a star system posted outside to indicate just how nice the property is, typically one to four stars. I distinguish them from hotels in that they lack many standard hotel services and were not built as hotels, but, rather a former private residence. But to call them a type of small boutique hotel would be fitting and you can book these in advance via a phone call or sometimes on Booking.com. Depending on how nice the property is, these typically range €20-40 per room and we stayed in some nice ones.
Hostals (a.k.a Inns): these are small, basic inns above a restaurant/bar/cafe with a handful or two of private rooms with (usually) private baths. We stayed in these types of properties a lot. Similar to casa rurals, but they always have a restaurant/bar/cafe on-site (and usually not as much charm). They are typically quite basic. The rooms in one, in particular, were quite bleak, but most were basic but fine. Their price point is the same as casa rurals, typically €20-40 per room and could also be booked in advance.
Private Apartments: in a handful of towns, we were able to book a two bedroom, private apartment via Booking.com. This required calling up the owner upon reaching the place and they would usually show up within 15 minutes to check us in, show us around and tell us where to leave keys upon departure. We typically paid €60-80 for these and were usually good.
Hotels: larger towns and all cities, of course, would have a real, full-service hotel option available. I, Vic, would treat myself to a number of these when the option was available periodically. I admit I like my creature comforts and splurging periodically I still kept the total cost of all accommodation over the course of the Camino pretty reasonable. The cost of this option is depended, of course, on how many stars (usually two to four were available), but the range per night was typically €60-100.
Albergues (a.k.a. hostels): these are the most basic options and are available in virtually every village, town and city along the way. They are your classic hostel situation with shared rooms of bunk beds and shared bathrooms and are very much geared towards the pilgrims doing these caminos. There is typically no on-site restaurant although they have a self-catering, shared kitchen (and there are some nicer albergues with an on-site bar/cafe/restaurant but those are the exception). They are first come, first serve, so there is a risk they may be full. They are also typically free; however, a small donation is generally expected (€5-10). We stayed in some, usually when there was no other choice available. When they are busy, which they mostly were, you can count on a loud snorer in the room. Not fun.
Casa Rurals (a.k.a. Houses/Buildings with Private Rooms): these are definitely a step-up from albergues but you pay for the privilege of that private room and usually a private bath. They are very often in nice, old buildings, so they often have quite a bit of charm and character. They also typically have a star system posted outside to indicate just how nice the property is, typically one to four stars. I distinguish them from hotels in that they lack many standard hotel services and were not built as hotels, but, rather a former private residence. But to call them a type of small boutique hotel would be fitting and you can book these in advance via a phone call or sometimes on Booking.com. Depending on how nice the property is, these typically range €20-40 per room and we stayed in some nice ones.
Hostals (a.k.a Inns): these are small, basic inns above a restaurant/bar/cafe with a handful or two of private rooms with (usually) private baths. We stayed in these types of properties a lot. Similar to casa rurals, but they always have a restaurant/bar/cafe on-site (and usually not as much charm). They are typically quite basic. The rooms in one, in particular, were quite bleak, but most were basic but fine. Their price point is the same as casa rurals, typically €20-40 per room and could also be booked in advance.
Private Apartments: in a handful of towns, we were able to book a two bedroom, private apartment via Booking.com. This required calling up the owner upon reaching the place and they would usually show up within 15 minutes to check us in, show us around and tell us where to leave keys upon departure. We typically paid €60-80 for these and were usually good.
Hotels: larger towns and all cities, of course, would have a real, full-service hotel option available. I, Vic, would treat myself to a number of these when the option was available periodically. I admit I like my creature comforts and splurging periodically I still kept the total cost of all accommodation over the course of the Camino pretty reasonable. The cost of this option is depended, of course, on how many stars (usually two to four were available), but the range per night was typically €60-100.
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