Albergue Seminario Menor — Hotel in Santiago de Compostela

We booked private rooms. On arrival we were greeted with a very helpful male receptionist.||We are three foot weary pilgrims who have just completed walking from sarria to Santiago .||Our total ages are 200 years old.||It’s cold and late and everywhere is jam packed booked because of a music festival on the outskirts of Santiago.||We have walked nearly 25 km today and just need a shower and a comfy bed and yes some luxury would not go amiss!||We were handed a paper bottom sheet and pillow case each, no towels, this is when my heart sank!||Our rooms are on the third floor, shared bathrooms,and a long way away from rooms, ugh!||Rooms are really basic but have beautiful views.||Beds are comfy and thank goodness we had brought silk sleeping bag liners, they really saved us.||There are radiators in the room but no heating and even in june it’s really cold in Santiago, all our other accommodation still had heating on!||There is a sink in the room but only a cold tap!||We tried the showers but they are barely warm and just as well we are slim!||Wi fi is included in the price and worked well.||In the basement is a communal area with cooking facilities seating area and cafeteria that also sells basic items.||The corridors are long and you hear every footstep outside of your room and coming up the corridor.||It was a late night by the time everyone had settled into bed and we could eventually get...

Very cool accommodation! May be it’s me, coming from Santiago Primitivo and having all type of stoic experiences in municipal Albergues, for two weeks :), but I was so relieved and happy to finally have my private space in a separate room. Yes, the room is quite bare, BUT it has everything one needs: open closet, decent bed, extra blanket, a chair, a small table and a sink. High ceilings and tall window makes the room spacious. Excellent strength of wifi everywhere in the building! The drawbacks all related to the gigantic size of the building because you might be quite a walk to the showers and bathroom, as I was. And no matter where you sleep, it’s a long way down to the kitchen and laundry area. Wich are both amazingly staffed with cutlery, two fridges, two big stoves, microwaves and even moving bread toaster :) There is also a small supermarket/cafe to sell breakfast items and some everyday necessities. Plenty of washing and drying machines. Cleaning ladies do excellent job by prepping communal areas like toilets and showers for the next day from 9:30 till 14:00. I rated location of the place as a four star only because it can be difficult for older folks to walk twice a day quite an uphill to the Albergue, as it’s sitting on...

A massive historical building around 15 min walk away from the cathedral, with views to die for. Because it is such a big building, walking the long corridors inside it is a Camino in itself. Not so welcome after you have done over 100km on foot, especially when you have to go to the loo in the middle of the night. You must remember to take your electronic key with you when you are going to the loo, or you will be locked out of the room for the rest of the night until reception opens. The shared showers and loos I used (there are many) were smelly. The ‘dining room’ is a rather grim place, very utilitarian, they could have done something more pleasant, welcoming and joyful. The building is surrounded by quite a bit of land, but there is no garden area for the pilgrims to sit in and relax. I had a painful and swollen leg and asked reception if they have an ice pack, no they don’t. Some of the reception staff seem bored and annoyed. The last straw was a bed bug in my room. Overall, lovely building with lovely views, but no, I would not stay...