Camino Post #11- Stays Along the Camino

August 06, 2024

Camino Post #11- Stays Along the Camino

Oh the places we stayed along the Camino. That was one of the exciting parts of the adventure. Rolling (or should I say walking) into a new town each day and a new stay each night. Most people who walk the Camino stay in Hostels along the way which are plentiful, rarely require pre-booking, and incredibly affordable.

However, because we only had time to walk the last 100K, we decided to pre-book our stays. I am a planner in every way, so having these places on our itinerary ahead of time was nice and it freed space in our already full packs as we did not need to pack sleeping gear.

Each stay was unique and had aspects that we loved. A few had surprises, like the worlds smallest elevator or the fact that dryers are few and far between. All of our stays had private bathrooms and most had air conditioning. Lodging costs are much lower in Spain so that was a perk as well and made our adventure possible.

TUI, SPAIN

After arriving in Porto, Portugal and taking a train to our starting point, our first stay was a slightly more upscale hostel in Tui, Spain called La Sigrina Hostal. This was the perfect place to spend 2 nights to shake off our jet-leg. This hostel had so many beautiful outdoor spaces to enjoy and a fantastic breakfast complete with croissants of course! We became fast friends with this quaint town and give this stay a 10/10!

O'PORRINO, SPAIN

The next stay on our Camino Route was a small town called O' Porrino, Spain. Although our experience was good, this was probably one of our least favorite stops along the way. It felt slightly more commercial and we stayed in an apartment complex with a tiny elevator that made me anxious to say the least. The large windows and view off of the back patio of the apartment made up for the elevator anxiety and the washing machine in the kitchen made us laugh.

REDONDELA, SPAIN

After our stay in O Porrino we hiked a little off the beaten path to Redondela, Spain. Although most of our stops were right on the Camino Path, this was one we specifically detoured for. In my opinion, every good adventure needs a stay near the water even if it means extra miles. We stayed at Hostal Antolin and I adored everything about this place. Our room was a simple hotel room with a bathroom, but the hostel had beautiful water views, a restaurant, and great outdoor spaces. Plus, it was right on the beach! I could have stayed here much longer than one night!

PONTEVEDRA, SPAIN

After our stay on the water Paul practically had to drag me away to our next location, but I am glad he did. It was a good one! Our next stop was in Pontevedra and once again, we detoured off and then up the path for this gem. I think this ended up being our steepest climb of the hike so the pool was a welcomed sight for sore feet! We stayed at Hotel Rural Campaniula and it was lovely in every way. The highlights here were the beautiful hotel grounds as well as a full service restaurant. Sometimes, after a full day of walking it was nice to stay in one place for the evening. This hotel was a gem.

CALDAS DE REIS, SPAIN

Pousada Real Hotel in Caldas de Reyis was our next stay and was one of my favorites. (Have I said that already? If you can't tell, we had many favorites!) This hotel was unique because it was directly on the Camino path which made it fun to open the beautiful windows and watch the pilgrims traveling below. The view out our window was picture perfect. We enjoyed using the pool at a sister property a few doors down and the restaurant was fantastic too. Caldas de Reis was one of the most beautiful towns we traveled through. Again, I could have stayed a while longer!

PADRON, SPAIN

Our last stay before we arrived in Santiago de Compostela the following night was a small airbnb just outside of Padron, Spain. It was very much in the heart of a little neighborhood so along with dogs that barked all night, I think we both felt an eye roll from the neighbors that an airbnb was in their midst. Although this rental was incredibly cute and well done, we likely would continue on into the heart of Padron if we were to stay again. We enjoyed the adorable outdoor courtyard and a fully stocked kitchen which we used to prepare padron peppers which the town is famous for.

PORTO, PORTUGAL

The next day, we got up with the sun and arrived at our final destination, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. We stayed a few nights at a Marriott as we explored the city and celebrated. Since our flights were in and out of Porto, Portugal we eventually hopped a train and spent a few days exploring Porto before flying back home. Our stays in Portugal were excellent! Some who hike the Camino begin in Porto depending on the length of time they have. We stayed one night in the heart of Porto and couldn't get over the wall of windows and balcony view of the street below. Our final two nights we crossed the river to the quieter side called Vila Nova de Gaia and stayed at one of our favorite airbnbs stays ever. The highlight was the ladder staircase that opened onto the rooftop. The view was beyond words and we spent every moment we could up there watching the beautiful town below. The window views were so incredible they could have easily been mistaken for a paintings. Both of our Portugal stays were 10/10's and who knows, maybe some day we will return.