Accomodation

How long can I endure sleeping in a dormitory of sweaty, snoring fellow pilgrims ? One night! It was absolutely awful; I could hardly sleep in the windowless basement with around forty fellow travellers snoring, waking up to go the loo, torches flashing, stumbling around...all to the accompaniment of the toilets flushing immediately above my head. So one night at the pilgrim hostel in Ponferrada was my lot. Not that the staff were not charming, helpful and sympathetic, but just not my bag! Some of the smaller hostels looked quite charming, but always with bunk beds within an arms length of the neighbouring one. Fortunately, this is Spain so any number of cheap and decent hotels, pensions, rooms above bars or other very reasonable places to stay. I always found an en-suite room even in the middle of a fiesta, and usually for around €30, often less. I was occasionally tempted by the really nice places along the way, but felt somehow out of place hiking into the Paradors. In many cases there were "pilgrim discounts" which were welcome if a little incongruous in four star hotels!
Pilgrim (and public) hostels (always less than €10, sometimes free)


Cheap hotels (normally €30 or less)

3 and four star hotels (around €50)

Luxury hotels (surprisingly from as little as €90, but going up towards €150-200; still not bad for a palace!)