037: Luxury on the Camino? Yes, It Exists!
How my father’s first Camino turned into a royal adventure—and why you don’t have to rough it, either.
Hello Camino friends! Here’s what’s in this issue:
👑 “Luxury on the Camino? Yes, It Exists!”
📸Scenes from the Camino: Accommodations
⛰My upcoming talk at REI in Asheville, NC
🎥Upcoming live interviews: Camino Portugués and Camino Francés
🥾How to get help planning your Camino.
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“What’s the Camino?”
❓Not even sure what the Camino de Santiago is? Start here.
🤔Heard of the Camino but not sure if it’s for you? Read this.
Let’s get started!
Luxury on the Camino? Yes, It Exists!
“I thought the Camino was staying in hostels. . . ” Dad’s friend said. My father had just called to brag about the latest 4-star hotel we were staying in on our very first Camino together.
“We’re doing a luxury Camino,” Dad said. “Here—Becky will explain it to you.” He handed me the phone.
I started right in with my Camino educational-moment-of-the-day. “Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain did the Camino. We’re doing it their way. I’m pretty sure they had people carrying their bags for them and they probably stayed at some pretty nice places.”
Municipal hostels didn’t exist when the King and Queen did the Camino. . . What did exist were “hospitals” —which were actually places of hospitality usually run by religious orders. They offered not just care for the sick, but hospitality in the physical and spiritual sense for any pilgrim who came through their doors: a warm bed (or straw mat), a fire, some food, and care for the soul.
From Hostels to Hotels
I’ve stayed in plenty of present-day hostels on my Caminos. On my first Camino, I lugged my pack, walked until I deemed I was done for the day, then searched out a place to stay—usually a hostel in which I shared a room with 4 to 40 other people.
But when my then-71-year-old father wanted to do the Camino, there was no way I was going to make him to do that—or, more accurately, there was no way he would walk a Camino that way.
I was, by that point, experienced in the ways of a more “luxurious” Camino. When I had accompanied my 73-year-old friend Lois on her Camino a few years earlier, she said, “If we can stay in a place with a private room and private bathroom, we’re going to do that.” And we did. Almost every night.
So Dad and I spent a night in the 16th century Palacio de Pujadas — which, on its website, calls itself a “quaint” palace. We stayed in a Parador — former convents, monasteries, and castles that the Spanish government saved from ruins by turning them into 4-star hotels.
A Camino for Everyone — How The Camino Calls Began
Over the years, more and more people said to me, “I’d love to do the Camino, but I’m beyond the point in my life where I can sleep in a hostel.”
And I’d say, “You don’t have to!”
They’d say, “I’d love to do the Camino, but I wouldn’t be able to carry a backpack.”
And I’d say, “You don’t have to!”
After realizing so many people were missing out on the incredible experience that is the Camino de Santiago because the majority of resources talked about carrying backpacks and staying in hostels, I decided to spread the word that there is more than one way to do the Camino de Santiago, and thus The Camino Calls was born.
When I write a post about how to pack for the Camino, I assume you’ll be carrying a day pack and sending your luggage with one of the many transport companies.
When I write about accommodations on the Camino de Santiago, I talk about pensions, hotels, casa rurals and paradors — not hostels.
When I write about any Camino topic, I write from the perspective of someone 45+ for whom the physical challenge of walking the Camino is enough—as one of my recent Camino Walk with Rebecca participants said, “You don’t have to be a martyr.”
After explaining King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella’s Camino to my father’s friend, after telling him about our day packs and air-conditioned rooms, I said, “If it makes it easier for you, you can just call us King Lou and Princess Rebecca.”
If you want to do your Camino with private rooms and private bathrooms, I’d be happy to help you plan it. Click here to book a call with me.
If you’d like to know more about the Camino Walk with Rebecca trips, click here. If you’d like to be the first to learn about my upcoming trips, click here to get added to the list.
With love,
Rebecca
Spoiler alert: I’m now working on planning a 7-day hybrid trip for the end of April!
Camino Conversations: Lois’s 522-mile Camino journey — at 73!
In this episode of "Camino Conversations," host Rebecca Weston interviews Lois Bertram, who was 73 when they walked the 520-mile Camino Francés from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela and Finisterre. Lois shares her journey from inspiration to completion, practical advice for pilgrims, cultural surprises, and long-termreflections. The di…
Camino Conversations: First Camino at 71–A Conversation with My Father
In this week’s episode of Camino Conversations, I sit down with my father, Lou, who first walked the Camino at age 71 and—now at 78—is still walking and planning future Caminos.
📸Scenes from the Camino: Accommodations
Are You In the Asheville, NC Area?
If so, I’m giving a Camino talk at REI Asheville on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 6pm. It’s free, but registration is required. Click here to register.
🎥Join me for live interviews here on Substack!
Sure, I can tell you all about how to train for, plan, and walk the Camino de Santiago. But what’s better than me? Conversations with others (45+) who have done it!
Wednesday, Nov 5, 11-11:45 ET: Maria Andersen of The Perennial Immigrant - Maria first dreamed of the Camino from her couch in Coral Gables, Florida in 2020. Five years later she lives in Portugal and has just completed her first one.
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 11-11:45 ET: Debbie Bartolomucci joins me to tell about her journey on the Camino Francés.
Want to share your Camino stories, advice, and inspiration? I’d love to have you as a guest! Click here to schedule your interview.
🥾Ready to start planning your Camino?
Rebecca Weston
Camino Planning & Preparation Guide (for People 45+)
Rebecca@TheCaminoCalls.com
Your Camino adventure should feel exciting, not stressful — here are some ways I can help you get ready:
Watch Camino Conversations for practical tips and advice from my guests who have done the Camino (or more than one!).
🗓️ Camino Planning Session (60 min): Get answers to your top questions and a notes doc created during our call.
📞 Full Camino Experience: 6 coaching calls with detailed notes to plan your trip with confidence and ease.
🥾 Walk With Rebecca: 7-day hybrid Camino walks — 3 days guided, 4 days independent, private rooms, preparation classes, and optional check-ins. Click here to be the first to be notified about my next trip.Rebecca Weston is an American who walked her first Camino in 2012.
About me: I’ve walked more than a dozen Caminos since my first in 2012. I’ve spent many days volunteering along the trail, and if I’m not walking one now, I’m planning the next—and would love nothing more than to help you plan yours, too. Originally from the US, my husband and I live in a town of 6500 people on the Camino del Norte.