I am pleased to "celebrate" today the first post after "reviving" my ViaPlata-Aktuell page with some happy news.
The church hostel in Alcuéscar - Casa de Acogida de los Esclavos de María y de los Pobres - has opened the doors for pilgrims again!
From the beginning of the lockdown in Spain until a few days ago, the hostel was closed and it was not clear whether it would reopen. Therefore, since the beginning of the pilgrimage season, the situation in Alcuéscar has not been satisfactory. Many people know that in the years before the lockdown I had my own small hostel in the town and it turned out that this year a lot of pilgrims were traveling with the "older" editions of the pilgrim guides. So on most days I received up to 6 calls from pilgrims to whom I of course could not offer a bed at my place but explained the situation and the alternatives in detail to everyone, which did not make me very happy. I am all the more pleased that the situation has now eased in the village ....
and from now on Via pilgrims can be informed here again about this website with all the news I get. A request: share and give the link to the page to others!
Accommodations:
Hostel in the monastery - to note that there is a lunch break strictly observed, where no one can go in or out! In the evening it closes VERY early! Please keep this in mind when planning your dinner at a restaurant/bar!!!!
Hostal Los Olivos - +34 661 256 990 - There are rooms in the hostal but also an Albergue Touristico. To get there you have to follow the arrow forest to the LEFT after the last climb before Alcuéscar , on the top. The hostel is located at a traffic circle at the highway exit and has a large truck parking lot. there are 2 restaurants but NO grocery store. The town is 3 km away (restaurants, bars, China store, DIA market, and many stores for various things). The next morning you go first quite a while on the road and must be careful not to find the entrance, right of the road, on a path that later meets the actual Camino.
Casa Grande - a Casa Rural in the village. (The ratings and opinions of the pilgrims are not very uniform).
My recommendation for pilgrims who can also run longer distances:
If you start in the morning in Aljucen and run the very beautiful, but not so easy stage, to Alcuéscar, take a good break there, you can continue running the next 15 km to Aldea del Cano. This is another 15 km, but the route is very easy to run and without slope.
There you will find
the small Albergue municipal - a quite nice, small stone house hostel, for which you pick up the key in the BAr opposite (payment and stamp also there). WARNING: the hostel has few places and if many pilgrims are on the road and you run this "double stage", you will certainly not arrive first ;) and may not find a bed. Reservations are not possible there.
Casa Rural Vía de la Plata - Casa Rural Vía de la Plata - Theresa's Casa Rural is very nicely furnished and has a courtyard garden (moderate CasaRural prices). There you can book by phone and get pilgrim prices or via booking.com, but there are "normal" prices.
For pilgrims who do not want to have bed reservation stress and/or are not very confident in the Spanish language and also want to have help for all emergencies :
This year is again my CAMINO-ANGEL-SERVICE to book. I invite you to look at the info about it and, if it is not an option for you, then please pass it on to pilgrims for whom the service can be a great help. Thank you.
I wish all pilgrims a BUEN CAMINO!
Dorothea
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