Albergue Seminario Menor

The Menor was the de facto place I would stay on my 8 Caminos. It's basic, airy and clean. They brushed up the showers a few years ago and made them worse in my opinion and I liked the long open dorms but they sub divided them with plasterboard walls which made things feel a little claustrophobic. But I like the place for meeting up with other pilgrims after our long journey. However, the last 2 years, I turn up to find the place is fully booked up. Full of school children. Why? Apparently they have walked the last 100km to earn a Compostela. Ok, they've walked but for the last 2 years, no bed or very few beds available for pilgrims. I could book ahead but that's not my thing. Besides, Booking.com are greedy buggers.

NOT RECOMMENDED AT ALL! First, I would like to mention the issue of cleanliness. While making the bed, I found that my sheet had four grease stains, as we could identify. In addition to the fact that the mattresses are plastic-like and do not come with a fitted sheet, it was not even made up. A roommate of mine found a sheet with holes in it. After this, we decided to go to the reception, where they gave me an even more stained sheet than the previous one. Regarding the reception staff, there is one point to highlight. There was a very irritating employee who complained about our group because we asked her to open the room where we had to leave our luggage. She responded with phrases like: "I am not opening anymore" or "we are not the porters to open the luggage room for you," even though she could leave the room open to avoid bothering her (although I do not understand how it could bother her to do that part of what is considered her job).

The building is impressive. The rooms and bathrooms are very clean; we thought it had just been renovated. The reception, cleaning, and cafeteria staff are super friendly. It has common areas where you can prepare your food, do laundry, everything essential. The breakfast is delicious, with bread, croissants, juices, tea.... 15 minutes walking from the Cathedral. Thank you for welcoming us and making our stay easier. Thank you, Pilar, and to your daughter; you are delightful.