Casa de Aldea Araceli — Hotel in Allande

We are pilgrims that chose not to stay in albergues as we value our privacy and a good night's sleep. We chose private accommodations and hotels instead.

This wonderful house was by far the most beautiful stay we had on our whole Camino. A quiet side of the town, with plenty of space outside to enjoy the sun and the views.

The old stone house was refurbished with delightful style and finishings. Everything looks so much better than in the pictures. Every corner, inside and out, is spotlessly clean.

The rooms are lovely, beds comfortable, bathrooms huge, with ample hot water and great water pressure.

Plenty of windows, all with fly screens. There were radiators in the room which we could adjust to our preference as the nights were quite cold in the area. A much appreciated detail!

We were worried about finding dinner in a town so small, so we called ahead to reserve a spot to dine at the house, the woman on the phone said it so simply, "when you come, you will eat", assured us not to worry.

When we arrived we were greeted by the same woman, with her signature simple, unfussy, professional demeanor. She gave us the keys and let us get settled.

We had some drinks downstairs at the bar terrace before dinner, and proceeded to enjoy one of the best meals on our Camino. There is no choice of menu here. It felt like the old stories when people would invite pilgrims into their homes and share their own supper with them.

She served us 3 courses of freshly prepared food; hearty soup with vegetables and potatoes, some incredible tasting beef that was so soft you did not need a knife with a side of homemade french fries, and 'tarta de santiago' for desert. The portions were double the size of our capabilities. There is no way to remain hungry.

The breakfast had toasted bread with a choice of spreads and butter, an actual freshly squeezed orange juice and a choice of coffee, plus 2 big pieces of homemade biscocho which we took with us to nibble on during the day. Everything we had here was sooo delicious!

What impressed us most was her, the owner Aracel, who somehow manages to run this whole entire operation ALL BY HERSELF, and I mean: cooking and serving meals, tending the bar, cleaning everything inside and out, reception, even laundry service (we didn't use it ourselves but heard her talking to other guests about everything being ready for them at 7:00 in the morning the latest). Everything is done on time and to perfection. AND she manages to do it without a trace of fuss or stress with the same simple, professional demeanor towards everything and everyone. Even has time to sit for a few minutes and talk to some of her friends that came for a drink.

There aren't enough stars to do this place justice. I would come back to this tiny little town in the middle of nowhere just to get to stay here again.

Thank you so much...

I want to give this hotel many 5 stars rating. I can’t say enough Thank you to the female owner. ( la dueña ). This hotel literally saved my day. 2 days ago I was in Tineo in a hotel. I stubbed my small toe. I emailed my doctor and she told me it might be fractured because of the redness and she advised me to go to emergency room right away. The owner ( she told me her name twice and still I can’t remember) . Well , in this little village of Berducedo, there is nothing . A few moments earlier I asked the waitress in an albergue where I had lunch. She said there is no clinic here. The nearest one is in Grandas de Salime. I saw a taxi driver and asked her and she said there is one here . Just asked the owner. The owner called someone and gave me a thumbs up. Afterward, she drove me to the clinic. Thankfully there is a clinic here but only operates 2 hours today and I was fortunate enough to catch them before they ( a doctor and a nurse ) return to Pola de Allende. The nurse received me at the curb and took me to the office. The owner said if I need a ride back to the hotel, just give her a call. The owner did an outstanding job. She later asked me if I need any ice for my toe. She said tomorrow if I need a taxi, she can call for me or I can wait until La Mesa. She will give me the phone number of the taxi.

Then I need to do my laundry. She said no problem, she can do laundry there. She washed it and then hang dry it as the dryer is not working. The clothes dry so quickly here.

The room is huge. It is in a attic. Although the WiFi doesn’t work on the upper level, it is also a good chance for me to stay away from WiFi. I can use WiFi one level down.

The owner was so kind. I asked, she delivered. Everything she did, her gesture, her smile made my very difficult walking day of only 10.5 miles much more pleasant.

My Spanish is awful but she put up with my lousy Spanish. Here in Berducedo, the doctor, the nurse, the brother of the owner, the taxi driver no one speak English but I have a chance to practice my Spanish.

Summary. This hotel deserves the best of the best for an...

This is a lovely Casa Rural. My room was very nice, although there were only two charging points at almost floor level. The views over the fields and mountains were impressive and Cows were grazing close by. The lighting in the room was too bright and there were no bedside lamps so you had to get out of bed to switch the main lights off.. The bathroom was small with a shower. You have to shut the door to use the shower etc and there’s only a windowsill to place your wash bag on.|There’s a bar and food is served all day. I was not checked in so I didn’t receive any information about the facilities, Wi-Fi or about the nearest town. The owner did everything without assistance and didn’t seem able to cope. At supper she seemed to think we could eat when we felt like it but with a group discussion we decided to all eat at the same time so as to make life easier for her. It was a late meal but the food was excellent and substantial. I know that since the Pandemic Casa Rurales are struggling a bit but if you stay here it is a lovely restful heaven and the owner is...