Stone lodging for pilgrims only, offering simple dorms, a patio & laundry facilities.
Address: Calle Santiago, nº 10, Villafranca del Bierzo
Phone: 987 54 02 29
Website: https://www.albergueavefenix.es/
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Like many of the reviews for this place, this was absolutely my worst night on the camino. There’s no heat, and the walls are thin. The owners and volunteers were yelling at each other at 11 pm at night about some of the restoration. Also they offered to do our laundry, it was €3 for laundry and €3 for drying, and we gave it to them at 5 pm, but when it was 10:30 pm they hadn’t even started the dryer for our clothes, and there was only two loads of laundry from everyone staying. Also they lost some of my laundry and wouldn’t even apologize. They charged us €10 euros to stay and €10 for dinner but it was just a soggy vegetable soup that seriously needed salt, and some eggs and chorizo. STAY ELSEWHERE IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO RUIN YOUR TRIP.
What can I say about the worst albergue on the Camino! Cold rooms, unwashed mattresses, the night I stayed there was a fight between the Hospitallers, which woke up all the pilgrims. This place is supposed to be a resting place for pilgrims, not for them to be disturbed. The food is also not up to par, unlike other albergues that are donative. Also, the courtesy they should show to the worshiper is lacking in them. Pilgrims' personal belongings are kept in a room that is open at all times. Not to mention the bathrooms. If you want to avoid suffering like me, pay a little more for another place.
It took 2 days to recover after the stay in this albergue. Rooms and bathrooms were cold, not clean enough, but that this bearable. What was unbearable and reminded the nightmare, that in the middle of the night, the local woman, who was staying in the same albergue, was crying and calling for a help. She was beaten up by the man. Her face was bloody. Everywhere was chaos, many piligrims standing in the yard, just woked up from the beds, crying of the woman, shoutings of the others. No police to take care of this kind of situations. Just everybody was left in shock and in state of uncertainty.
Beware place is filthy. Following my stay at Fenix I arrive at an alburgue in Las Herreriass to be told that as I had spent the night at Fenix all my clothes had to be washed immediately and my bag was not allowed in the rooms upstairs as Fenix has bed bugs. Approximately 15 other people arrived from Fenix and they also had to wash all there clothes and there bags were not allowed in the rooms.
BEDBUGS! (10 Oct) - bedbugs were found in one of the rooms, on the bed and blankets. This happens of course, but the way the hosts (not the old man, he was kind) responded was totally out of order, no concern at all, and blamed the bedbugs on covid (wtf??) and the pilgrims that found them. As pilgrims began leaving late at night for other accomodation they began partying loudly in the courtyard. Sadly I think this place would’ve been nice once upon a time but is in need of some serious care and maintenance (the shower head fell on me), and cleaning! Book at your own risk. I hear albergues further ahead are aware of this and making pilgrims wash their clothes etc.
