Guide for pilgrims
Refugios

Thanks to everyone that contributed to this page!

St Jean Pied-de-port - only one toilet (you are joking aren't you?), sorry, only one toilet that Noelle could find (hey I didn't stay there!) but there is a separate bathroom with showers and sinks.

Roncesvalles - not too shabby, two restaurants in town with pilgrim's menu

Zubiri - In an old school house. Two rooms with bunkbeds, quite nice. The bathrooms have no shower curtains and really stunk by nightfall, bring tooth brush to restaurant with you. Nice restaurant up the road with a good pilgrim's menu. Hospitality quite nice, they NEVER turn anyone away as they ALWAYS find extra matresses for late arrivals.
(that's what Noelle says...wish I'd known that!)

Cizur Menor - two refugios. The first one has a fully stocked kitchen. Small rooms (less likelihood of sharing a room with a snorer!), only one bathroom. Other refugio is up the road a bit. Rumoured to serve an excellent breakfast!

Puenta la Reina - there are three refugios. The first one you encounter just before you enter the town, it's attached to a hotel. It's the costliest of the three. The second is attached to the monastery, there's a small kitchen. The third is on the other side of the bridge, up the hill, but they serve dinner and breakfast.

Estella - good sized kitchen, lots of flies. (really, there were flies everywhere) Great view over the town. Don't expect to get a lie-in here, they start serving breakfast at 6am.

Los Arcos - we were treated to chilly cold showers. Nice little kitchen, but if you eat outside beware of the birds, which are liable to crap on your noggin.

Torres del Rio - and I quote: "great albergue, great pasta dinner, but what was up with the urinal only bathrooms, no toilets for the ladies, old school holes.....not good if you can't bend your knees."

Logrono - no kitchen, showers were warm. Great back patio area with a fountain.

Granon - given two thumbs up, friendly, great hospitality, run by the local church. Donation only, and a free dinner. No beds, sleeping mats are provided.

Najera - small kitchen, adequately stocked with crockery etc.

Villafranca Montes de Oca - albergue with apparently the worst reputation, but not that bad. Hot hot showers (a two-hot rating!), but the town isn't that friendly towards pilgrims.

Santo Domingo de la Calzada - Two refugios in the town. One run by nuns, one not run by nuns. The one not run by nuns doesn't have a kitchen, but everyone does get single beds (no bunks!). The one run by nuns looked a whole lot more inviting when we went over there for dinner...mmmm it was yummy. Those nuns want to feed you up good!

Belorado - Welcome to the Hotel Belorado. One of the friendliest refugios going round. The blokes that run the refugio seem genuinely pleased to see everyone. The bloke that looks a bit like a leprechaun can speak stacks of languages. There is a kitchen which is more than adequate.

San Juan de Ortega - basically the worst refugio I encountered. No hot water, no kitchen, toilets stink to high heaven, located in the biggest hole of a town in northern Spain. The bar next door (the only place in the town that serves or sells food) specialises in bad service. Avoid if possible.

Burgos - no kitchen. But there is a free "train ride"!

Hornillos del Camino - nice clean albergue. no real kitchen, comedor. Great restaurant in town. no tienda.

Hontanas - no kitchen, but apparently they'll do a meal there for a few hundred pesetas. No food otherwise in the town. To say that the town is a bit of a hole would be generous. Notice to ladies: the barman at the one and only bar in this town has allegedly assaulted female pilgrims in the past. Allegations aside he is a shady, sleazy character.

Castrojeriz - they wake you up with classical music which is piped through the sleeping areas. Don't bother getting up too early if you plan to eat breakfast there - they don't open the kitchen area until 7:30am. Which is a sensible hour. No cooking facilities.

Fromista - "large albergue, boring town" Well there you have it! (Isabel gets to the point, and gets there fast!)

Poblacion de Campos - one of those "self-run" refugios. You have to get the key from a woman who lives in the town. The refugio has a kitchen, but it's not exactly over-endowed with pots'n'pans, crockery and cutlery. Showers are warm for a while. They ask you to leave some domestic items as a donation, eg washing-up liquid. Not so easy when the only shop in town only sells food.

Carrion de los Condes - Isabel rates this higher than Fromista by the sound of it: two albergues in town, heard that the nuns one is better, nice rooms and it has a kichen. the municipal one, no kitchen, only comedor. nutty but sweet hospitalera.

Calzadilla de la Cuenza - it has a washing machine! But that's it. There's no kitchen, but there is a restaurant nearby. Look out for the trained monkey.

(I'm kidding, there is no monkey.)

Sahagun - kitchen consists of two hot plates.

Reliegos - kitchen, quite an assortment of implements there, large eating area.

Leon - two refugios in Leon. One is central, but is cramped and has no cooking facilities. The other one is not central, and that's about all I know about it. Rumours were floating about that every room had its own tv.

Hospital de Orbigo - two refugios: one located out of town and one in the centre of town. The one out in the woods isn't recommended for lone female pilgrims, but a couple that we knew stayed there and said it was pretty good. The one in the town has a kitchen (which is outdoors!), small rooms and a nice backyard. And a courtyard, if you're into that kind of thing.

Santa Catalina de Somoza - situated in a town straight from a horror movie. Two bars in the town, one is grimy, the other run by something of an eccentric. Small rooms, and open mixed-sex showers.

Molinaseca - don't recall there being cooking facilities. There is a washing machine and a great little spinner/dryer. Good luck getting hot water.

Villafranca del Bierzo - Lolly can you email me and tell me what goes on at this joint that's so amazing? Y'know, all the stuff that didn't happen the night we all stayed there!

Hospital de Condesa - small self-run refugio. Beautiful views! The kitchen is adequately equipped, but there is no foodstore in the town.

Sarria - kitchen has hot plates but no crockery or pots and pans or anything.

Portomarin - kitchen with not a lot of crockery etc, but enough.

Palas de Rei - No kitchen.

Rivadiso de Baixo - massive kitchen (featuring many hot plates and sinks) with two pots, a little bit of cutlery and no crockery. Washing machine and dryer.

Monte del Gozo - mind the tourists.

Santiago de Compostela - not the best way to end your pilgrimage. Cold, uninviting and institutional.