Didn't quite make it...

[Donald Schell]

Arlene,

My experience of staying in refugios as compared with staying in inexpensive
hotels (and both times on the Camino I've done both, though predominantly
refugios) is that the refugio is a place where the experience and
companionship of others shapes my pilgrim experience, where meeting and
including others in 'my camino' transforms an individual experience into
something more, and where even the few (at its very few) pilgrims I find
difficult contribute to the compassion and open-heartedness of my walking.
Overall I have found that fellow pilgrims were among the sweetest and most
interesting people I've ever met.  Most of the conversations that led to
talking along with way began in refugios.  If it's a weight concern,
consider carrying only a sleep sack liner.

That said, my own preference is also to take a real day of rest after a week
of walking and the refugios will only put you up for one night.  That's when
I (daughter Maria and I, second time wife Ellen and I) stayed in inexpensive
hotels.  We never had reservations and always found an adequate to
comfortable place to stay for relatively little money (though that's partly
by planning those notes for towns rather than villages).

Donald