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Albergue Monasterio de La Magdalena offers a chance for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago to stay in a former monastery in the town of Sarria.
The Location
The albergue is located at the top of a hill overlooking Sarria. It is about a fifteen-minute, uphill walk from the train station and is directly on the Camino de Frances after you leave the city centre. Sarria is a big enough town that you can find plenty of restaurant and bar options as well as a couple of supermarkets. If you choose to arrive by car instead of on foot, then there is plenty of free parking outside the monastery.
Rooms and Bathrooms
Albergue Monasterio de La Magdalena has three large dorm rooms with wooden bunk beds. One of these rooms has at more than thirty beds placed quite close together, so if you are a light sleeper it may not be the best option. Bottom bunks are also quite low, so you can easily bump your head. They also only provide you with a disposable bottom sheet and pillowcase; these rip and come off the bed whilst you are sleeping. They provide you with a duvet, but you need to bring your own top sheet or sleeping bag. Lockers with a charging power point inside are provided for each bed. You need a euro coin to lock them, which you get back when you open it.
Bathrooms are unisex and have separate toilets and showers within one room that is shared between two dorms. Facilities are relatively clean but many of the lockers are missing doors.
Common Spaces
The hostel has two main common areas including a kitchen/TV lounge and social lounge. The kitchen is fairly basic, with just a microwave that has seen better days, and a couple of stovetops. There are enough utensils to cook basic meals, but having some chopping knives would make cooking easier. There are also vending machines with snacks, drinks, and hot coffee as well as a small mini market with simple staples like pasta and noodles. The TV is also situated in the kitchen if you need to catch up on any Spanish TV.
The social lounge is basic with a couple of lounges and chairs as well as some pay to use leg massagers. Free Wi-Fi is available but it's fairly slow and works in the dorms and outdoor courtyard but not in the common areas. Computers are also available to use if you don't have your own smart devices. Laundry facilities are available as well as a spot for hand-washing smelly camino clothes. The vibe of the hostel would vary day to day, but a large group of teenagers were there during our stay and were quite loud and inconsiderate at times, and otherwise it was not social at all.
Summary
Overall Albergue Monasterio de La Magdalena is a decent budget option on the Camino de Santiago, but with some simple improvements it could be a bit better.
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Straighty
Hostelz.com Staff Reviewer
Published on Aug 16, 2019
Location and Contact
Location
The hostel Monasterio de la Magdalena is located in Avenida de la Merced 60, only 5 minutes walking from the Municipality of Sarria, 10 minutes walking from the train station and 15 minutes form the bus station.