Accommodation on the Camino

I am sitting in the comfort of my hotel room in Burgos enjoying a private bathroom and the fact I have a decent bed to sleep in and that I can spread my clothing and equipment around as I want. As pilgrim accommodation goes this is completely luxurious and of course is available to anyone. But all along the length of the Camino, in the main places that are recommended as stops in the guide books and in all places in between, you find accommodation specifically for those doing the Camino. These places are solely for 'pilgrims', require you to produce your 'credencial' which is a document you buy (for €2) at the St Jean Pilgrim Office, generally allow one night's stay only and many have a 'lights out' policy (usually 10pm). The standards vary but the majority are hostels with bunk beds and limited facilities. There is usually a communal area and a kitchen for the use of guests but again it is all very basic. Some hostels are large dormitories of 30 beds or more while others might have a number of rooms with fewer beds in. Sometimes the bunk beds are exactly as I remember them as a child, sometimes they are self-contained cubicles with power sockets and lights and a curtain to separate you from your fellow room mates. Some are modern, some are tired and some are funky but all are cheap: €9 to €15 will secure you a bed for the night, often with a basic breakfast and in many another €9 will secure you a simple but hearty three-course dinner in a communal dining room with fellow guests.

In the last two weeks I have made use of all types of hostels and all have their advantages and drawbacks: the simple and cheap albergue - generally a local government funded affair - offers a great communal atmosphere with its shared meals and crowded rooms but you need to be able to accommodate and work around your fellow travellers; whereas the more expensive and swept up places with individual cubicles - invariably privately run - offer more privacy and luxury but by default you mix less readily with others in the same accommodation. All however have WiFi, an interesting nod to the perceived needs of the modern pilgrim (although I have met one great young guy from Berlin who writes his diary in a journal and who bought an old phone with no internet capability specifically for use on his Camino - and he works in IT).

With the increasing numbers of people walking the route many people now phone ahead to secure accommodation for the night before heading out. But there are still many others that 'let the Camino decide' and pitch up at their destination to take whatever is available, moving on to the next town if that should prove necessary. There are some albergues that do not accept bookings and others that retain a percentage of their beds for 'walk-ins'. To me it is nice that in an environment that could be more financially mercenary there is an effort to cater for all: both those that wish to place some faith in fate and embrace whatever that may bring and others who feel unable to do so.

There is still one form of accommodation I have yet to try: that run by religious orders. These run even tighter rules than the albergues, ask only for donations, and are even more communal in their approach: among other chores, residents are asked to help cook for their fellow guests and the food is bought from the donations of the previous night's guests. This seems to me to be even more in the spirit of the Camino and I hope to try such a place soon.