A few nights ago my walking partner and I decided to stay in a low budget hotel for the night. Along the Camino the choice of accomodation ranges from hotels (with the usual mix of star ratings), private albergues with rooms that sleep four or the municipal or monastery hostels that sleep large numbers of people in bunk beds in mixed sex dormitories. I have tried a mix (though only hotels in the 1 star bracket) but have tended to favour the municipal hostels: partly for the price (as when you are tired you only need basic facilities) but also because the Camino camaraderie shines brightest in these hostels. People exchange tips on typical Camino ailments, share whatever may be needed by others and are open and friendly. A downside of this accomodation is that snorers dictate the sleep of others and early risers (pre-6am) wake the whole dormitory with their rustling of plastic bags. Every now and then a decent sleep is required so that the day can be more fully appreciated and there is sufficient brain space for a blog or two. And so it was a couple of nights ago when I stayed in a hotel in Fromista. What might be standard travel on other trips assumes luxury status on the Camino: a bathroom to share between two that can be used when you please; towels (multiple) that come in a size large enough to wrap around your body, make you decent (compared to my postage stamp of a micro fibre towel) and assist with squeezing moisture out of your washing; a bed with cool, clean sheets to slip between (unlike my restrictive sleeping sheet); and, most importantly, a quiet nights sleep. The added bonus was a small balcony overlooking the church (photo), which had enough space to hang out my miserable scraps of ‘clothes’ for drying. Don’t misunderstand me, pelegrinos are provided with amazing services on the Camino and part of the opportunity is managing with less. But a little dab of luxury makes you appreciate things all the more.