There are many cities, towns and villages along the Camino Portugues Coastal route. Some are one after the other while others are more spread out. Either way, there are many accommodations along the way whether it be an albergue, guest houses, apartments or hotels.
Albergues
An albergue (Spanish word for hostel) is the cheapest accommodation on the camino and you do not need a reservation. It works on the first come first serve basis. Just show up and they take you in if there is a bed available. The downside of an alburgue is that it is a communal accommodation, meaning you will have roommates. Most albergues do not provide sheets and towels. So you have to bring your own towel and a sleeping bag or sleeping bag liner which means more weight to carry and a bigger backpack. Fortunately most albergues have a wash basin to wash clothes.
We passed by a number of albergue signs along the Camino Portugues Coastal route. I tried to find them on Google Maps by typing “albergue” in the search bar and a number of accommodations showed up, except albergues. So it makes it tough to plan how far to walk each day by not knowing where to sleep. If you are on a budget and your only option is to go the albergue route, then a camino guidebook may be necessary to bring along in case you get turned away at the first albergue you try to stay in.
Our Accommodations
We passed up staying in albuergues on our journey mainly because of all the disadvantages mentioned above and our age. We are light sleepers and have the senior’s curse of needing to wake up once or twice in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. We anticipated that we would either not get a good night’s sleep in an albergue or that we would disturb our roommates when we answer the call of nature.
So we ended up staying in accommodations that have private bathrooms. These are mainly guest houses, hotels and apartments. My wife booked the majority of accommodations through Booking.com. We booked our accommodations two months early and chose the cancellable option at a higher price. You pay less for the non refundable option. Once we got to Europe, we checked the rates before the cancellation date and re-booked the same accommodation to get the lower price.
My wife spends hours reading the reviews on Booking.com. We also communicated (using text messages) with the apartment or guest house owners through Booking.com. Most of the accommodations wanted to know our expected arrival time a day prior to our arrival. If there are any surprises about the accommodation, then we include it here.
Most rooms in accommodations are at a higher level or floor. Some do not have elevators so you have to tackle stairs which is a small inconvenience after a day of walking. Here are the accommodations that we stayed in.
Portugal
Day 1: Smiling Places Guest House in Labruge.
Smiling Places Guesthouse is a former home that was recently renovated by its owners Elizabeth and Fernando. They have four rooms with private bathrooms. One even has a balcony. All rooms are on the second floor. They provide a hearty breakfast as well. They ask for your expected arrival time so they can welcome you at the guest house.
Elizabeth and Fernando are one of the happiest couples we met. They greet you with a warm smile when you check in. Their happiness is contagious which is enough reason to book a stay here. They love to meet and talk to their guests. Elizabeth was kind enough to drive my wife to our next accommodation as she was not feeling well to walk that day. This is the only accommodation in our trip with a personal touch.
Day 2: CMB Guest House in Apulia.
CMB Guest House has clean and basic rooms right in the middle of a small town. We got our room key from the Immobilier (real estate) office across the street. So you need to arrive before the real estate office closes. Rooms are on the second floor or higher. Ours was on the 3rd floor. Breakfast is included.
Day 3: A Botoeira da Praça Guest House in Viana do Castelo.
My wife booked the Superior Studio which is a studio apartment complete with a kitchen. It was roomy and close to restaurants and a grocery store. It is a nice modern apartment. We checked in the store directly below the apartment to get our apartment key.
Day 4: Hotel Meira in Vila Praia de Âncora.
Hotel Meira is a nice hotel at a very reasonable price. It even has a spa including a dry and wet sauna. Restaurants and grocery stores are close by. Breakfast buffet included.
Spain
Day 5: Apartamento Peregrinos in Rosal.
Apartamentos Peregrinos is a cozy two bedroom apartment that sleeps four. One room has two single beds while the other room has a queen bed. There are no nearby restaurants or grocery stores but the owner provided simple ingredients so we can cook our dinner and breakfast. He even stopped by to find out if we needed anything.
Self check-in apartment with key box. The owner provided the key box access code.
Day 6: Hotel Arce in Baiona.
Hotel Arce is a local two story hotel owned and operated by Robert who was originally from England. The hotel has an elevator. Rooms and bathrooms are of decent size and not cramped whatsoever. Located near the center of town and close to shops, a grocery store and restaurants. Breakfast included.
Days 7 and 8: Attica 21 Vigo in Alcabre.
Attica 21 is an upscale hotel but not at an upscale cost. Big rooms with high ceilings, a sitting area, large bathroom and balcony/patio facing the water and walking promenade. We booked our accommodation without breakfast as it would be cheaper for us to buy our breakfast than include it in the hotel price.
There are several restaurants nearby including a McDonalds. The grocery store is about a 15 minute walk. At least our hotel room had a refrigerator.
Day 9: A Solaina Apartamento Turistico in Redondela.
A Solaina is a two bedroom apartment with a living room located on the third floor. Fortunately there is an elevator. Near shops, restaurants and a grocery store. Lots of room so it is nice to be able to spread around. Email: solainaredo@gmail.com. The owner will meet you at the apartment to give the keys and show the apartment to you.
Day 10: Rua Vela Apartment, Caldas de Reis.
Rua Vela Apartment was the nicest and largest apartment we stayed in. Our apartment had two bedrooms on the second floor with three beds (a queen and two twins). The building has an elevator. It is a self check-in using an access code that the owner provided in advance to enter on the door keypad. The apartment is on the camino route which is very convenient.
Restaurants are close by and the grocery store is about a 10 minute walk.
Day 11: Vivienda de Uso Turistico Apartment, Padron.
Vivienda de Uso Turistico Apartment was a one bedroom apartment on the third floor. No elevator. Simple breakfast of cheese and meat slices and yogurt was waiting in the refrigerator as well as some fruits and bread on the table. Restaurants are nearby as well as a grocery store. This is the only accommodation that had Wifi issues as it kept dropping off so we had no internet.
Day 12: Casa Rural das Bentinas, Milladoiro.
Casa Rural das Bentinas is a nice guest house that has four rental rooms with a large common/sitting area. We had the place all to ourselves during our stay. Breakfast is included. The only disadvantage is that it is about a kilometer off from the camino route. There is a bus stop about 5 minutes (uphill) from the accommodation but the bus was not running due to a strike during our stay. We ended up riding a taxi from Santiago de Compostela to Casa Rural das Bentinas for about 15 Euros.