Hotels & Luggage Transfer

[Barbara Er]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone would be able to recommend hotels in the last stage of the route? Also if you know of any companies / locals that I can contact along the way to arrange for luggage transfer.

I'm starting off from Sarri and following the usual prescribed route used by tour companies. But the rate I have quoted by an agency is coming in at almost EUR 750 for 6 nights. It includes luggage transfer, breakfast and dinner.

Backpacking is out of the question as I am hoping straight on to a 2 weeks work trip in Ireland after. Pulling a trolley bag behind me for the way - hmmm.. definitely no.

Any info on this would be much appreciated!

Barbs
Countdown to El Camino

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Barbs ~
Congrats on your upcoming Camino. Wow, that sounds pretty expensive for 6 nights. In 2008 my wife and I walked the final 10 days and stayed at hotels. We simply used the Brierley guide (Amazon.com: A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago: St. Jean - Roncesvalles - Santiago (Camino Guides) (9781844091928): John Brierley: Books) to choose our hotel for the upcoming night and then called ahead for the next night's reservation as we checked into each successive hotel. Our average nightly cost was about 50E.

For luggage transfer you might try Taxi Belorado which transports luggage on each stage in Spain. You might also simply try working with your daily hotel to arrange taxi transfer for your things.

Buen camino!

[Barbara Er]

Hi HN,

Thanks for the info. JB's book has been recommended to me by a colleague who completed the walk as part of her retirement celebration last year (there you go - a 65 year old!) She's going again in September for a longer route. I have checked Amazon and it's gonna take about a month before the book reaches me. Considering I am going in June - would I have left it till too late to book into accommodations? Honestly - I do not relish the idea of sleeping in the great outdoors and a sleeping bag is not part of the packing list. Another company has just quoted me over GBP 600 but it has an extra night in Santiago. No dinner tho. How much should I budget for a packed simple lunch and dinner?

Will try and find someone who speaks Spanish to check out the taxi site for me.

Am trying to weigh between paying the money to have everything boxed off (flights, rooms, luggage transfer) over the next couple of weeks vs going in without any bookings. It about halves the cost but knowing me, will add the anxiety part. Lots to think about on that trade-off!

Cheers
Barbs
Countdown to El Camino

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Barbs ~
A simple, packed lunch would be around 5E and dinner would be 10-15E.

You can do all the booking in advance on your own if you follow your own itinerary. A typical Sarria to Santiago itinerary looks like this. I've added some ideas for hotels.

Sarria: ( Sarria hotels at Sarria Hotels and B&Bs: Read Sarria Hotel Reviews and Compare Prices - TripAdvisor)
Sarria to Portomarin 22 kms Pousada de Portomarín - Lugo
Portomarin to Palas de Rei 25 kms Hotel Casa Benilde - Palas de Rey - Lugo
Palas de Rei to Melide 14.5 kms Hotel Carlos 96 - Melide - Galicia
Melide to Arzua 14 kms HOTEL SUIZA. ARZUA (A Coruña)
Arzu to O Pedrouzo (O Pino) 18kms O Muiño De Pena Hotel El Pino, O Pino in Spain - Compare Rates with 2 Hotel Booking Agents
O Pedrouzo to Santiago 20kms HOTEL ALTAÏR (my favorite)

Some ideas anyway. Hope this helps. Buen camino!

[revrenjen]

Barbs--

I'm walking for the first time starting next month, but I've been in the planning stages for a year. Rick Steves Guide to Spain has an excellent section on Santiago de Compostela. I made my reservation in Sarria, where I'm meeting my husband June 21, more than a month ago, using something like the website Sandy suggested (maybe hotels.com??), and found most of the hotels booked. Can't figure out what's going on then, but would suggest you book quickly for Sarria. Can't say about the places in between.

Rene
Omaha, NE

[grayland]

There are a number of hotels in all ratings in Sarria. Contacting them direct is usually a better way to go.
Rick Steves selections usually get a lot of action because of publicity and may not reflect actual conditions.
Here are some suggestions...you can Google them and find the actual hotel website.
Alfonso IX (very nice upscale chain hotel) Price runs from reasonable to pretty high ( I have stayed here)
Hotel Roma (Next to train Station) and can be very reasonable and has nice restaurant (I have stayed here also)
Mar del Plata
Villa de Sarria
Casa Matias
and many others

[BHinSanDiego]

Another website they may be of help to you is MadridMan. Don't let the name fool you, it is designed for all of Spain and he has links to various cities throughout the country. There is a message board where you can ask for specific information on places to stay in Sarria if there isn't anything listed. www.madridman.com
Ultreya,
Barry

[Barbara Er]

Dear All

Thanks for the many helpful hints. Decided to not "kill" myself and go with a very helpful chap operating out of Scotland.

It's almost all systems go now with 6 weeks (or so) running. Only stumbling block at the moment is trying to get a ticket on the Trenhotel from Madrid to Sarria. I know it's a lot of pain (so many references to it online!) but I will give it another week or so. Worse case - I'll forget about the train and catch the bus instead!

Cheers
Barbs