Wednesday, December 23, 2009

2010 – HOLY YEAR IN SANTIAGO BOOKING ACCOMMODATION ON THE CAMINO

Photo credit:  Tour Spain
If you are concerned about overcrowding on the camino next year, you could book all, or some of your rooms ahead of time.  You can do it yourself, via a hotel chain website, or through a tour operator.
Many tour operators that normally only provide complete packages – guided or non-guided tours, luggage transfer, accommodation and food on the camino trails – are prepared to help pilgrims in 2010 by offering to book their accommodation on the camino. Regular package services are also available. (For a more comprehensive list of tour operators, including art tours, coach tours, cycle, fly-drive-paradors etc., visit the CSJ of UK website here. )

Here are a few operators that you can contact to book all or some of your accommodation for you next year:

TOUR OPERATORS

Camino Travel Centre

The Camino Travel Centre in Santiago will help you book rooms along your camino route and can help with reserving bus, train or flight tickets. They also provide 60 days storage facilities for excess baggage. You can contact them at: frank@caminotravelcenter.com or ivar.rekve@gmail.com or visit their website at: www.caminotravelcenter.com/

Follow The Camino

They specialise in walking and cycling holidays along the many different routes of the Way of St James. They select hotels and guesthouses based on their comfort, character, facilities and convenience to the Camino. For further information, you can contact them by phone on +353 1 443 3972 or by email info@followthecamino.com See website for information on our trips, news and special offers: http://www.followthecamino.com/

Fresco Tours:

They have been working on the Camino since 1999 and are very familiar with all the hotels and providers along the trail. They would be delighted to assist any pilgrims with their travel needs! For more information on their scheduled, full service guided tours of the Camino, please contact them: alex@frescotours.com  http://www.frescotours.com/tours_camino_de_santiago_10.asp

Frontier Holidays:

Guiding and helping folk to independently walk the Camino for a decade. Affordable family run accommodation. Luggage transfers, maps, route notes and useful tips. Tailor made self guided and Guided holidays can be seen at:  http://www.frontierholidays.net/ info@frontierholidays.net

Iberian Adventures:

They provide an accommodation booking service, as well as help planning itineraries, arranging transfer of luggage from overnight stop to overnight stop or even taxis to get to and from lodgings if need be. They can arrange a range of accommodations, from some private albergues all the way up to the most luxurious lodgings available along the way. http://www.iberianadventures.com/   jd@iberianadventures.com

Outdoor Travel Pty Ltd 
http://www.outdoortravel.com.au/
Australian based walking holiday travel specialists Outdoor Travel Pty Ltd has been helping pilgrims, walkers or cyclists to secure accommodation & assistance with luggage transfers on the Camino for over 8-years. The staff have experienced the Camino first hand and offer several routes from Le Puy in France to Santiago (the French route), the Camino Portuguese, the Primitivo & Norte & the route to Finisterre.  For information & assistance see the website www.outdoortravel.com.au or email info@outdoortravel.com.au :  You can also call to talk to them personally on +61 (03) 57501441.
Spanish Adventures:

Camino de Santiago, Self guided. I am an Australian living in Santiago de Compostela and have been working as a guide on the Camino since early 2003. As well as guided trips, I offer self guided trips on the various caminos, organizing your accommodation (with dinners usually provided in the smaller towns), and bag transfers so you only need to carry a small day pack. Stages are worked out according to your requirements and experience, and accommodation is selected according to your budget, in general using good quality local accommodation. I provide maps and suggestions on places for lunches and coffee breaks, and labels for your bags each day to ensure your bags arrive at your accommodation. See my website for more info. http://www.spanishadventures.com/ Contact Garry at garry@spanishadventures.com

Totally Spain

Totally Spain is an established and reputable Spain Travel Agent dedicated to planning and organising quality, customised travel and tours in Spain for independent travellers and groups since 1999.
We provide an accommodation booking service along the camino in hotels and B&B´s.  http://www.totallyspain.com/spain_travel.asp  info@totallyspain.com

Iacobus Bono (In Galicia)
A tourist service designed specifically for the Camino de Santiago spending each night in a different rural home. The price includes accommodation, dinners, breakfasts and car transportation from the rural settlements to the beginning and end of each stage. Also available, as an optional service, is a picnic lunch, luggage transfer and accommodation in Santiago de Compostela.
All cottages cooperating in Iacobus Bonus offer excellent accommodation with a family welcome and outstanding gastronomy, and are very close to the points of arrival of each stage. The Bono Iacobus can be purchased throughout the year except during the month of August and Easter. http://www.turgalicia.es/iacobus/bono.asp?cidi=E


DO YOUR OWN BOOKINGS:

Turespana’s Guide to Accommodation:

In 2004 the tourism institute of Spain - Turespana - published an official guide of hostals, pensions, hotels, and camping sites on the Camino called "Guia Oficial de Hoteles y Campings del Camino de Santiago". It is available in French, German, Spanish and English and lists all accommodation authorized by the appropriate municipal and national tourism authorities. Obtainable free of charge in any tourist office or from TOURSPAIN :  E-mail: manuel.jurado@tourspain.es

Top Tour of Spain
Their website provides a link to inns, hostels, pensions, hotels, paradors, monasteries and apartments, which they believe offer the best rates going.
http://www.top-tour-of-spain.com/hotel-information-for-spain.html
http://www.top-tour-of-spain.com/Camino-de-Santiago-walking-tours.html

Hotel Asturias: 
Visit our website for making reservations on the Internet for all our hotels with the best price available, because there is no middleman and we don't charge a commission. This may be very useful for all pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela this year, especially as many of our hotels have launched special rates and services for pilgrims. http://www.ehotelesasturias.com/ 



Find accommodation in Guide books:

The CSJ (Confraternity of St James) in the UK sells excellent, annually up-dated Pilgrim Guides for all the routes, which are good value at ± £5 and light enough to carry: http://www.csj.org.uk/

A more comprehensive guide to the Camino Frances, Caminho Portugues and Fininsterre routes are the John Brierley guides. Available online at http://www.caminoguides.com/ and through Amazon.

These and other guide books offer names and contact details for ‘other accommodation’ in the towns and villages including inns, hotels, casa rurals etc.

Camino websites with lists of alternative accommodation:

http://www.jakobusfreunde-paderborn.eu/Download.html   In German but with lots of accommodation on the camino Frances.

http://www.caminosantiago.com/  Click on Lodging

http://www.mundicamino.com/MenuHospedaje.cfm?id=HOTELES&startrow=1&pag=40&primer=37 Links to hotels in all regions

Lists of Albergues
 

http://www.caminosantiago.org/cpperegrino/federacion/inicio.asp

http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/albergues/

http://www.mundicamino.com/

http://todosloscaminosdesantiago.com/caminofrances-albergues

http://www.jacobeo.net/


Private albergues  (Many private albergues can also be booked in advanced)

http://www.redalberguessantiago.com/documents/211.html
Free, download leaflet with all the albergues on the Camino Frances including the Private albergues that can be reserved ahead.  One can also have baggage transported to most of the private albergues.



If any of these companies do not offer to book beds ahead, please let me know so that I can remove their details from this post.
Disclaimer:  I do not endorse, nor am I in any way connected with the companies listed above.  This post is merely a resource for people who might want to reserve some or all of their accommodation next year.

11 comments:

  1. This is great stuff Sil! Thanks for the information, I'll be back again. How will this year's Camino population compare to years past?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hola Andrew

    The last 10 years stats are:

    Year Total
    1999 154 613 (Holy Year)
    2000 55 004
    2002 68 952
    2003 74 614
    2004 179 944 (Holy Year)
    2005 93 924
    2006 100 377
    2007 114 027
    2008 125141
    2009 - to November 120 000

    The latest estimate from the Archidocese is 350 000 pilgrims earning the Compostela in 2010!!
    Its going to be a busy year but that shouldn't put people off. They should accept that it isn't going to be a solitary, meditative meander and think of it as a great opportunity to celebrate.
    Sil

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gregg9:12 pm

    Very glad I ran across your blog. I'll be walking the Camino Frances in May-June of 2010. First timer and looking for as much information about accommodations, etc, as I can.

    ReplyDelete
  4. May and June are lovely months to walk el camino. Green fields and vineyards and spectacular spring flowers. You'll meet wonderful pilgrims and your camino will be a Holy Year celebration!
    Enjoy it.
    Sil

    ReplyDelete
  5. makalah3:51 pm

    Hi I have contacted Garry from one of your tour operators found on your website. The tour operator is called, 'Spanish Adventures'. Garry has helped me a lot in guiding me on doing the camino. His guidance is invaluable.

    Being concerned as I have never met him before I would like a confirmation regarding his credibility. Please note i will be doing the camino on my own and the bookings for the hotels will be booked by him.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That is a great way to do the Camino!
    Garry has been highly recommended by other pilgrims who have used his services. Because so many small establishments don't have Internet or even email and don't accept credit cards you will probably have to pay upfront. As long as Garry as explained that to you I'm sure he will look after you!
    Buen Camino.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Aliette Fenton-Sharp12:50 pm

    Hello,

    My husband Nick and I are going to start El Camino on the 15th of July departing from Burgos. It's my 40th Birthday celebration and goal. We understand this is the busiest and hottest time but could not do it at any other time due to our children's school term time.

    The kids will be with their grandparents which is going to be the hardest thing for us to leave behind, but at 3 and 5 years of age, the prospect of a wakling holiday is not a good idea...

    Anyway, I wanted to ask if you have any recommendations on how to get our Passports and the shell if we need one (Compostela) before we depart London.

    Please let us know if you can.

    Thank you!
    Aliette

    ReplyDelete
  8. Aliette, how wonderful that you and Nick can take time out and walk a Camino this summer. Don't worry about the little ones, they don't have much sense of time and where your days are going to be long and slow, their days will go quuickly! You can get a pilgrims' passport from Peterborough Pilgrims in the UK.
    Contact this site:-
    http://peterbros-pilgrimcredentials.blogspot.com
    You'll be able to pick up a shell in any town or village on the Camino. Have a wonderful walk!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi guys,

    Here is the answer to all luggage transfer questions...
    You can book them for the French way, Le Puy, English way(Ferrol to Santiago) and Portuguese Way (Tui to Santiago).
    http://transfers.followthecamino.com

    Enjoy!
    Umberto

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous12:19 am

    Whats the best transport if we're flying into Santiago and want to start in Sarria the same day?

    ReplyDelete
  11. The only way would be to get the overnight train which arrives in Sarria at about 6h30am the next day. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete