Albergue Gares | Puente la Reina

This place is decent and at a perfectly fair rate -- you get your bed to sleep, a nicely stocked kitchen to cook, and clean bathrooms with plenty of hot water. We were a bit spooked about potential bedbugs, but the hospitalero was very attentive about it when we expressed our concerns. He cleans the bedrooms every morning and has them sprayed with pesticides occasionally (and, we woke up bite-free, so we worried without reason!). The place has a few quirks mentioned in the other reviews -- the washer and dryer are coin-only, there's no soap in the bathroom, and you have to pay for sheets -- but these things are honestly common in many budget albergues which is exactly what you're paying for. Maybe some of the other reviewers here got rubbed the wrong way, but we found the hospitalero to be very kind, hard-working, and has interesting stories about his previous life as a shepherd. I would recommend this place for anyone needing a place to stay after the Camino... and it's super close to all the downtown restaurants & cafes!

pretty nice only complaint is room was kind of small for four people. (Slept in two bunk room). Nice kitchen area plus they have laundry and dryer.

This albergue is the Ryanair of the Camino—industrial, impersonal, and completely lacking Camino spirit. From the start, you’re forced to register and pay online, including completing the official Traveler Registry, just to be handed a tiny slip of paper with your bed assignment—no welcome, no human connection. Even worse, during online registration they request your consent to share your personal data, likely for profit. After that, they send a separate message requesting an additional 2€ if you want a bottom bunk—even if, like me, you have limited mobility. The person at the front desk was polite, but more of a clerk than a hospitalero—just doing his job, no warmth, no “bienvenido,” no Camino hospitality. The rooms are bare and of poor quality: flimsy wooden bunks, uncomfortable mattresses, grimy pillows, and no chairs to sit on. Bathroom facilities are limited (2 toilets, 3 showers for 16 beds), and shockingly, the shower curtains were covered in mildew. Internet connection dropped frequently. They do have a washer and dryer, but for hand-washing, your only option is a bathroom sink with no plug, and you’re left to dry your clothes on a rack in a damp, poorly ventilated bathroom. There are not enough electrical outlets, and bathrooms lacked even basic soap and hand towels. The so-called lounge is just a kitchen space with folding chairs and tables. While the kitchen is functional, there’s no communal breakfast or dinner, and they clearly throw out anything pilgrims leave behind to share. Unless you have no other option, I would not recommend staying here. It's a place to sleep and nothing more—with no charm, no comfort, and no sense of community.

Had a two bed private room. Very cheap and close to restaurants and groceries. Quiet and good internet.

Pretty below average albergue. It has all the things you need, but for the price should have been better. It didn’t include disposable sheets, hand soap, spin dryer, etc. These can all be lived without, but I had albergues that were half the price and had these things included. Adjusted for price it was not very good.