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Accommodations on the Portuguese Coastal Camino

Retirement Reflections

Richard and I just finished our 7th Camino. This one was an 11-day walk from Porto, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Spain (280 km according to trail maps, 323 km according to my Fitbit). One of the biggest (often unanswered) questions I had before leaving was about accommodations on this specific trail. We booked our first eight nights in advance (but did not need to for early June). We used Booking.com for convenience, Genius discounts, and easy cancellation. Booking in advance also gave us peace of mind before and during our walk, but it often meant that we walked longer days than we would have if not pre-booked (Google Maps can be an outrageous liar)!

We stayed in diverse places, including pensions, hotels, private homes, hostels, and albergues. (Although several clever Facebook commenters questioned it, we did not stay in the broken boat structure in the feature photo above 😀 ) We enjoyed all our stays but often preferred albergues the most. Alburgues are not just places to rest but vibrant hubs of Camino life. Shared meals and communal spaces made it easy to connect with fellow walkers, creating a sense of Camino camaraderie.

It was difficult to choose a favourite accommodation. I especially enjoyed Vila do Conde Pousada de Juventude (private room with shared breakfast), Marinahs Bed & Breakfast, Morada do Ultramar (private home with swimming pool), Albergue O Mason, Albergue de la Paroquia de Portela and B&B Hotel. Below are photos and brief descriptions of our stays on this Camino. If you have any questions, please give me a shout. I’d be happy to answer what I can.

Guest House Estella, Porto. This guest house is close to the subway, making it super convenient to get to/from the airport. Our private room had an ensuite bathroom and a large shower. The bed was firm but comfortable.

There was no air conditioning, but the windows opened, which was okay—although a mosquito or two did sneak in. The manager was amiable, and there was a laundromat nearby (having only one change of clothes with me, nightly clothes washing was essential). Overall, this was good value for the money. 66.00 CDN per night (45 euros).


Vila do Conde Pousada de Juventude, Vila do Conde. We had a private ensuite room that was large and comfortable. The front desk staff was friendly and helpful. The room cost included a good breakfast of bread rolls, toast, yogurt, cereal, coffee, tea, cheese, and sandwich meat.

There was also a shared TV room and recreational areas. Next door, there was a lovely wine shop with charcuterie boards for an evening snack or meal.
97 CDN per night, including breakfast (66.51 euros). Dormitory bunk beds were available for approximately 28 CDN each (19 euros).

Marinhas Bed and Breakfast, Esposende. Again, we had a private room and ensuite bath. Breakfast was not included in the room cost but was available for a small additional fee. Pizzas, etc., were available for lunch/dinner. Our room was clean and spacious, with fantastic greenway and water views. We met a lovely couple from Denmark here (they are in the corner of the photo). We kept running into them throughout our journey until we knew we were destined to be friends and stay in touch (which we have).
87 CDN (59.40 euros).

Morada do Ultramar, Viana do Castelo. 157 Rua des Combattents. This was a large private home with several guest rooms and a large kitchen area for guest use (the owners were on a separate floor). The washrooms were shared (but always available when needed). This property included a swimming pool and numerous lounging areas, which were a wonderful bonus!

Beer and soft drinks were available for a reasonable fee. The washing machine was free of charge. Next door was a fabulous restaurant, Adro Eventos. Be sure to be VERY hungry before you arrive there.
74.87 CDN (50 euros). This is the only booking that we made that was non-refundable.

Alda Santa Trega, A Guarda. This hotel is technically on the Camino path, but you climb up a mountain for another 3 km and climb back down in the morning. (Richard was unamused.) The reward was absolutely stunning views. It was a spotless, modern, quiet hotel with panoramic views and a nice restaurant nearby.

This hotel is located in a fascinating cultural area. If I were to stay there on the Camino again, I would take a taxi up and down the mountain as that path is not part of the trail. The private room and ensuite bath were 83.33 CDN (55 euros).

Talasa Atlantico, Cabo Sileiro. We had booked here to help break up our long walk to Baona and planned it as our luxury stay. Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi and the air conditioning were very weak, and using the hotel pool was a costly additional fee.

Spa services were also astronomical. The good news was that the hotel responded quickly to our Wi-Fi concerns and tried to help (although the weak Wi-Fi continued). The complimentary breakfast was one of the best we have seen (bacon, eggs, fruit, cheeses, avocado, yogurt, granola, pastries, breads, fresh-squeezed orange juice, other juices, coffee, tea, and more). Our total room cost was 139 CDN (95 euros).


Residencia Buenos Aires, Vigo. Private room and bath. Good value for the money. This was a very old, worn-down building in need of much repair. But it was clean, with friendly, helpful staff, and was very affordable.

It is on a bar street that never quiets down at any hour of the day or night (seriously). 59 CDN (40.48 euros).


Albergue O Meson, O Meson. Richard and I both really liked this place. We booked a room with three bunk beds, a lockable door, and individual lockers. Everything was new and very clean. There was a restaurant downstairs, a kitchen, and laundry (machine wash and dry) or hand-washing. Breakfast was available for 4 CDN each but had not opened yet when we began our walk the next morning.

67 CDN (45.54 euros) for a private room with three bunk beds. Individual bunk beds were available for 17 CDN each (11.59 euros).

Albergue de la Paroquia de Portela, Barro. This albergue slept 14 walkers in one room (with another room available when there were additional guests). A communal dinner was served with lentil and meat stew, vegetarian soup, bread, hard-boiled eggs, and wine. The host was very engaging and helped create a warm sense of community. Basic hand-wash laundry facilities were available.

17.56 (12 euros) per bunk bed. Dinner and breakfast were by donation.

Hotel Corona de Galacia, Pontevedra. Again, we had a private room with ensuite bath and air-conditioning. The TV was one of the smallest we have ever seen. The building and rooms were very basic and in need of some repairs but overall were fine.

There is a restaurant downstairs that is closed from 3 pm – 9 pm and then opens at 9 for dinner. This hotel is 1 km off the Camino trail. Reception gave us each a tube of coffee liquor because we were hiking the Camino. A excellent steakhouse restaurant (with vegetarian options) is close by and was thankfully opened when we went there for dinner at 6 pm.

99 CDN (67.50 euros).


Albergue de Peregrinos de Teo, O Faramello. This albergue has two rooms with 14 beds each. It boasts good showers, as well as a clothes washer and dryer on site. There is a lovely restaurant nearby. 14.64 CDN (10 euros) per bunk bed.

Albergue Seminario Menor, Santiago de Compostela. Hostel beds and single and double private rooms were available, all with shared bathrooms. There are tight check-in (2 pm) and checkout times (9:30 am) with no exceptions – even if ill. 

Bathrooms can be a bit of a trek from private rooms. It is an 18-20 minute walk to/from the cathedral. There is a store, cafe, kitchen and laundromat on site. 82 CDN (56 euros) for a double room. Single beds in dormitory were 35 CDN each (23.91 euros).

B & B Hotel, Vigo (post-walk). Our private bedroom with living room area and ensuite bath was pure luxury! The staff were super friendly and helpful. There is a restaurant onsite with breakfast, lunch and dinner available. 95 CDN (65 euros) per night

O Poboa Guesthouse, Povoa de Varzim (post-walk). Private room with ensuite bath, balcony. shared kitchen, shared outside patio. Great location, literally steps away from the metro. 22 minutes by car to Porto Airport or 43-53 minutes by metro. Povoa de Varzim is a vibrant seaside town with nice beaches as well as lots of shops and restaurants. Povoa de Varzim is directly on the Camino trail and is often the first stop for pilgrims walking from Porto to Santiago de Compostela. 98 CDN (66.94 euros) per night, a minimum of 2 night stay.

More Accommodation Images. From top left across and down: 1) Hostel at Vila do Conde. 2) Hostel breakfast in Vila do Conde. 3) Marinahas Bed and Breakfast, 4) Complimentary breakfast at Talasa Atlantico. 5) The view from Alda Santa Trega. 6) Guest House Estrela. 7) More panoramic views from Mount Santa Trega. 7) Communal dinner at Albergue de la Paroquia de Portela. 8) View from our room at Morada do Ultramar. 9) More breakfast options at Talasa Atlantico. 10) Absolutely amazing dinner at Adro Eventos, Viana do Castelo.

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All opinions are my own, and no part of this post has been sponsored.

Published by Retirement Reflections

Prior to retirement, I lived and worked in Beijing China for fourteen years (Middle School Principal/Deputy Director at The Western Academy of Beijing). Leaving international life behind, my husband and I retired to Vancouver Island in June 2015. To document both this transition and our new adventures, ‘Retirement Reflections’ was born. I hope that you enjoy reading these reflections, and will be willing to share your own.

57 thoughts on “Accommodations on the Portuguese Coastal Camino”

    1. Hi, Jo. Thank you for reading and commenting. The walking was fabulous. Although it was the ‘coastal route,’ a good portion of this trail was not actually on the coast, so there was a very interesting variety of terrain. To me, there is something exceptional about walking a Camino—but something that I’m never effectively able to explain. The camaraderie with other walkers is a big part of it.

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  2. I LOVED following your Camino and every morning we sat down for coffee at the beach after our flat 5km walk Grant would say, ‘Alright, what did they do yesterday?’

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  4. Thanks so much for all the details Donna, I really loved seeing your daily posts and checking your progress as my cousin and her daughter were walking the St Johns Way to Santiago de Compostela at roughly the same time as you. Your descriptions and costing s is very useful for anyone keen to do something similar (not sure if that’s us or not). A great post for WBOYC?, you’re both adventurous hikers and I’m in awe of your efforts at times!

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    1. Hi, Debbie – Thank you for your kind words. That’s so cool that your cousin and her daughter were also on the Camino this past month. They must have been on the French way – which is long but awesome. When I was planning this trip, I wanted to book our first week’s worth of accommodations in advance, but had difficulty finding all of the details in one post or place for this trail. Thus the idea for this post. If it helps even one other walker (or inspires a future walker), my job is done! 😀

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  5. Next time hike Faial Island and Pico off season, you will enjoy the Azores and it will be lovely to meet again after we left Beijing almost 10 years ago.

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  7. Looks like an interesting selection of places to stay. The good news is that if it wasn’t great, you were only spending one night. I loved that you allowed yourself some luxury too. No broken bones! Yay!

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  8. Hi Donna – quite a range of accommodation choices over the length of your trip. I think I’d pick the one with the pool as my favourite – not such a big fan of the 14 bunk bed type rooms – but I guess it’s all part of the experience (and nice that it wasn’t every night!) I enjoyed following along with your travels on FB – and it was great that it was incident free this time 🙂

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    1. Hi, Leanne – Great to hear from you. Shared acccommodations are not for everyone (and lucky most Caminos offers a wide range of choices). On our first Camino, we stayed at private accommodations the whole way — and it became quite lonely. Albergues are a fabulous way to connect with other walkers – which we love.

      I hope all is well for you.

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  9. You guys are unbelievable! For those who don’t know us, Linda and I made the journey from Porto to Santiago in 2023…by bus. Loved Santiago, especially its seafood and historical charm.

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  10. Hi Donna, I loved following your along your Camino on FB. I agree with you that albergues give a different experience to private accommodation. I’m not sure if it will be possible in the future to do the walking, but if possible I’d love to do this camino. I will be dreaming.

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  11. I find the idea of a camino and the variety of sleeping accommodations fascinating. What an adventure! I love the idea of communal dining, especially when travelling – I haven’t had much experience with it but what I have has been quite enriching. Thanks so much for sharing, Donna. It’s good to have you back, physically AND in the blogging world!

    Deb

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  12. I am so glad you paid for a private room and ensuite bath. When the original tourists and pilgrims went to Santiago de Compostela, I suspect they slept on the floor all together with whatever blanket they could find.  

    Breakfast also looks delicious, even though food was not included in the overnight price.

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    1. Hi, Helen – Thank you for reading and commenting. I agree that original Camino pilgrims likely slept in fairly simple/harsh accommodations. It is wonderful to have so many different choices today. But accommodations with other pilgrims remain my favourite.

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  13. HI Donna I’m so happy for you and Richard. I know the trip has been touch and go for some time because of your commitments with your Mum. I’m sure you still worried but getting away was the best thing for you and what a wonderful trip. I have to say I’m not sure Mike and I could do some of the accommodation you stayed in, albeit it all clean but I agree Booking.com is the way to go. We always use that mainly because of the ability to cancel at almost the last moment if need be. You did so well to get the post written too and I’m sure you will get back into the swing of blogging in no time. Take care my friend and looking forward to catching up soon. xx

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    1. Hi, Sue – This trip included much emotional struggle with more health issues arising for my stepfather immediately after our flight took off (which left my mom on her own for a long period of time). It’s a tough balance trying to provide the care that my mom needs and deserves, and not losing myself in the process. Definitely a work in progress. ❤

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  14. Hi Donna – I hadn’t realised you’d be walking north from Porto … and yes – I’d take that taxi up that hill. Amazing range of accommodation you managed to find/book. Obviously a very successful camino again … and I see there’s an alternative route inland. I look forward to reading all your posts re the trip … and see the sea views … sounds like you had a wonderful time … and perhaps a visit to Denmark, when you get to Europe again. An excellent informative post … thanks and welcome back – cheers Hilary

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    1. Thanks, Hilary – It was a beautiful trail, with frequent alternative routes which helped mix things up. The Portuguese and Spanish food was also diverse and delicious. I will post about that next week. I look forward to dropping by your site and discovering what has been happening for you. See you there!

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  15. I am so glad you did this walk and shared here. It is something I know people are drawn to and I admire that! What a round up you provided for all who read this. Great going. Denyse

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    1. Hi, Denyse – Thank you for your kind words. When I was planning this Camino, I was always searching for detailed, unsponsored suggestions of where to stay along the way. Hopefully, this post can help some other walkers who are looking for the same thing. ❤

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  17. Donna, I love that you opened this post with the beach shack. I was one of those snarky commenters, and am very happy to see that your actual accommodations were considerably upscale from here. Good idea to collect them in one post for other seekers to find. Welcome home and congratulations for ‘no blisters.’

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    1. Hi, Suzanne – I did love those comments about the beach shack, so thank you for being one of the contributers to that. It gave me a good smile along the way.

      On our first Camino, we stayed in all private accommodations. On our second Camino, we stayed in albergues the full way. It was fun to mix up accommodations on this trail and have a mixture of both.

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  19. Hey Donna! Lovely recap of all your “stays along the way”. You took great photos and I’m sure this post will be a valuable resource for other Camino Walkers in the future when trying to decide where to stay. Meanwhile, all your fans got a glimpse into your adventurous experience. Thanks for sharing and I’m looking forward to hearing more about your trip in the day ahead! ~Kathy

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    2. Love the detailed and honest recap, too! The only thing that’s missing is what was the trail like between each of the stops 🙂

      We once read about this walk in the UK from the east to the west coast that has you stop each night at a B&B, and you pay in advance for all of it, and that includes dinner at the B&B, packed breakfast, and your “stuff” gets ferried from one stop to another so you have only yourself to move from the morning spot to the evening spot. It sounded delightful, and you managed to plan and organize the whole thing by yourself… I’m somewhat in awe of you!

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      1. Thank you for reading and commenting.

        Accommodations were heavy on my mind when I was planning this Camino. I quickly become frustrating by finding so little candid, non-sponsored information on accommodations for this trail that still included a bit of personal detail. That’s why I started with a post focussing on this narrow topic. I do have another post already written on food from this Camino, that I will publish next week on What’s On Your Plate. I hope to also publish a third post about the rest of the journey and/or our takeaways from this Camino. But this is still to be determined. In a brief answer to your excelllent questions, the Portuguese Coastal Camino trail is very walker friendly, incredibly diverse and offers alternate routes along they way. It meanders through picturesque landscapes, rich forests and some rolling hills. Spoiler alert: the trail is often not directly on the coast.

        For most Caminos, including this one, there are numerous businesses that will book accommodations for you and send your pack forward each day. Richard and I did that on our first Camino in 2010, but loved the freedom of planning or own Caminos after that (or making them up as we went along). No need to be in awe of self-planning and organizing for Caminos. Numerous pilgrims do this and it actually quite easy.

        If you ever have more questions on Camino walking, I would be happy to answer what i can, at any time.

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      2. I truly appreciate that. Given the flooding of reviews with bot-generated ones, finding frank reviews is a rare and wonderful commodity. Two questions, if I may:
        1) How you chose this specific route?
        2) Any difficulty with the language barrier?

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      3. I love discussing Caminos so extra questions are no problem at all. This was our 7th Camino (or 5th depending on how you count them). The Island Walk in Canada – 700 km that trails around the full island – considers itself a ‘Canadian Camino’ and we did a good section of that walk in 2022. On our last Camino before this one, Richard broke his arm, so we only did the very beginning of that trail, and the very end of it, but we learned tons and we still consider that to be one of our Caminos.

        Richard does not like to walk the same trail twice, at least not on Caminos. As we have already done Tui to Santiago, The Camino Frances, Finnestere and Muxia, The Via Francigena and the other two Caminos mentioned above, that eliminated some of our posiibilities. We also had a short time frame, as my elderly parents are currently a worry for me, and I did not want to be out of the country for more than 2 weeks. The Portuguese Coastal Camino met all of these requirements, is a relatively easy walk, can be completed in 11 days (give or take) and who doesn’t like a coastal walk?

        Although Portuguse and Spanish were the predominant language of the locals, English was very common, especially on the Camino. At the albergues where we stayed, English was the most common language spoken. Where locals did not speak English, they were quick to use their phone apps to aid communication! 😀

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  20. Thank you for such a well written and informative blog. I have started looking at the Camino after seeing a film “The Way – My Way”. Have mainly been considering Camino – Frances but will look at all. Thinking of May next year. Am in Adelaide, South Australia. My lovely aunt Eunice is in Chermainus on Vancouver Island and cousin Mark in Vancouver.
    Will also look for tips on walking shoes, poles, clothes, toiletries and anything else needed to make the trip. Thanks once again.

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    1. I love the film ‘The Way’ and have watched it repeatedly. The French Way (the one in the film) is excellent and has an extensive infrastructure which helps to make things easier along the way. Packs, shoes, poles, clothes, etc. all make a huge difference and all are unique to the individual. I use a Tempest 30L backpack and keep it as close to 10 pounds as I can get it (yup, that’s light – but I have found that I need less than I always originally think). I also use a very light weight Alps Sleeping Sack and Nike Wildhorse Trail shoes (that work perfectly for my feet and helped keep me blister free). My hiking poles are Black Diamond, foldable, lightweight carbon poles that tuck neatly in my small backpack and help make airport security a breeze. Experiment with what works for you. If you are going to hike with poles and a full pack, ensure that you train that way as well. Hope this helps!

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  21. Hi Donna, what a lovely lot of places you stayed at. They all look fine except the one with the bunks. I wouldn’t be keen on sharing like that. What if all the people snore? Haha! These places are a lot cheaper than our hotel in Amsterdam.

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  22. I enjoyed following along on IG as you and Richard walked this trail. Your accommodations were varied to be sure. I’m glad you finally got to do this, if at first you don’t succeed & all that!

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    1. Hi, Ally – Thank you for following along on IG. This is a different Camino than the one that got interrupted last September. But it did start in Portugal (Porto instead of LIsbon), and despite the personal challenges, it is a fabulous trail.

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  23. The hiking & your fitness impresses me more than the accommodations. So varied. My British penpal of >50 yrs & I celebrated our 60th birthdays (and now you’re doing the math!) in Portugal in 2016. We stayed a night in a motel where the River Mira meets the sea. The motel linens were hung to dry on an outside line! The majority of our stay was in an airbnb in Olhao where we started & ended our day in the rooftop lounge area with sea views. Another world for sure for this prairie girl. June has been a month of gardening & bedsitting with my mom in LTC, my friend who broke her hip & my good neighbor down river who’s been diagnosed with cancer. The yardwork is a good antidote to the institutional environs.

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    1. Hi, Mona – I love connecting with you and always learn a great deal from your comments. I didn’t need to do the math, I knew your age (which is similar to mine). You must have told me before? Although I had much emotional stress on this Camino due to a new, last minute health issue with my stepfather that happened when our plane landed in Portugal, I felt physically stronger on this Camino than on any of the previous ones. Now the trick is how not to lose that, or at least not lose it quickly.

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  24. It looks like you did a fabulous job picking accommodations. I like the variety, including giving yourselves some luxury here and there (you certainly deserved it!). Portugal is such a beautiful country and you saw such different areas than we did last year. Even though you had the challenge of caring for your mother and father-in-law from afar, I’m thrilled that you and Richard were able to complete the Camino with no health issues. Yay, you!

    I’m looking forward to your follow-up posts.

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  25. Wow, Donna, a comprehensive, candid, and helpful list re your accommodations. The pictures are great to help give the vibe of the rooms. As you describe well, it is the people you meet (and the food) that helps make this adventure extra fun! 💕Erica

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  26. Woo hoo, Richard! That’s what I’m calling stylin’ (I’m referring to the pool shot, of course). This must be the year for Portugal. My step-niece went there earlier this spring and loved it. You guys are role models for sure, Donna. Love the patio shot of you both… and the food ain’t lookin’ too shabby either. Well done! – Marty

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