CaminoWays.com Reviews 511

Our trip was smooth and flawless. CaminoWays arranged a spectacular itinerary for our Camino biking adventure! Everything was absolutely perfect, and our trip was amazing!! From the airport pick up, to the last hotel, all went to completely as planned.  The bikes were waiting for us at our first hotel, and our day rides were glorious!  Each hotel, which included meals, was arranged by CaminoWays and was simply fantastic! The luggage transfer service service was clutch!!  We couldn't have asked for anything better!!!

I was impressed with the pre Camiño information & communication, prompt responses to questions and a change request, the variety and quality of the accommodations during the route, and efficient luggage transfer during our walk. What a great way to spend time with my daughter and celebrate her birthday.

This was our 3rd trip with Camino Ways (2019 Portuguese Coastal Route, 2021 entire Camino Frances and 2025 Via Francigena). We've always been happy with the trip planning and the responsiveness to many questions! Lidia and other support staff were very helpful when our bags were lost by the airline on this trip and we were delayed. This also happened at the start of the Camino Frances and we had great help then as well. CW always tries to find the best accommodations when available. The only small things on this trip were that two of our stops were quite a distance outside of the main towns so we missed seeing them as we were leaving early in the morning to beat the heat. There was another night when our accommodation had been cancelled but our trip information hadn't been updated. We reached out to the support line and they told us the name of the replacement hotel and all was fine. The Via Francigena is not as well traveled as the routes to Santiago - very little infrastructure and a very different experience overall - but CW did a great job of getting us the best that was available with limited options. I wouldn't necessarily recommend getting the meal plan UNLESS there is no other food in the area and you have to eat at your accommodation - it consisted of the same thing each time (spaghetti, bread and a glass of wine) and there are better food options available for less cost. But these are small things that are based on my preference and not a mark against CW. We had a great time and would recommend and use again in the future.

CaminoWays is an excellent way to do the Camino. It was well organized, I did not have to do any planning for our stays. Most of the stays were great for the prices we paid. Two of the hotels said the dinner was not included even though our schedule said they were. And 2 of the hotels, the meals were not great. CaminoWays was very helpful when my luggage got lost one day, the found it and delivered to the hotel before night. They were also helpful to get us an additional night on the first hotel.

We recently traveled with Camino Ways and had a truly enjoyable experience. The itinerary was thoughtfully planned, the destinations were stunning, and the staff was friendly and helpful throughout. We appreciated the effort that went into organizing everything and felt well taken care of in many ways.

That said, we do have a few suggestions that we hope will be helpful for future trips:
• Communication: There were times when we weren’t quite sure of the day’s schedule or meeting points. More timely and clear communication—especially during transitions—would go a long way in helping travelers feel more at ease.
• Guidance: While the logistics were well handled, we felt the trip could have been enriched with more cultural or historical context from the guides. A bit more storytelling or background would really elevate the overall experience.
• Hotel Accommodations: We paid for the standard accommodation package and expected a slightly higher level of comfort. Some of the hotels felt below the standard we anticipated—especially after long days of travel in the summer heat. A bit more attention to comfort and amenities would be appreciated.

Despite these points, we had a great time and would still recommend Camino Ways especially if these areas are addressed moving forward. Thank you for the memorable experience!

Our CaminoWays journey was nothing short of incredible, and much of that is thanks to our outstanding guide, Mark A. From start to finish, Mark brought heart and deep knowledge to every step of our pilgrimage.

He had that rare ability to make every person in the group feel seen and supported, whether we were seasoned hikers or walking the Camino for the first time. His passion for the trail, its history, and the spirit behind the journey shone through in every story he shared and every stop he recommended.

Mark’s attention to detail was impeccable—he always made sure we were well-informed, comfortable, and safe. He handled every situation with calm professionalism and a warm smile, no matter what came up. He also had a great sense of humor, which kept spirits high even on long stretches of the trail.

What truly set Mark apart, though, was his kindness and care. He never rushed us and often reminded us to pause, breathe, and truly take in the beauty of the Camino. It felt like walking with a friend who just happened to know everything about the route and every hidden gem along the way.

Thanks to Mark and CaminoWays, this journey wasn’t just a hike—it was a deeply meaningful and joyful experience that we’ll always treasure. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide, and we wholeheartedly recommend both him and the CaminoWays team to anyone considering this unforgettable adventure.

CaminoWays did a wonderful job planning the trip They were very helpful, answering queries before and during the trip. Luggage transfers were conveniently handled with no issues. Hotels were comfortable - some more than others. The only inconvenience was no fans or air conditioning on a couple of the hottest days (~95F). However the front desk staff at those hotels were so very pleasant, as with all other places too. Climb to Armenteira on one of the hottest days was the most strenuous part of the journey. Lovely people! Great experience!

Our trip was well organised, communication was excellent, accommodation superb. Had no issues with the transporting of our luggage. Second time using CaminoWays and will take advantage of your services again. Highly recommended. Thank you

They offered great service till they made my bookings. I had 22 nights with them planned. They kept urging me to pay the deposit to confirm the bookings because everything would get filled up quickly so I gave them the deposit. But once I receive the bookings, I noticed they had my ONLY rest night in the wrong town and that would mess up 2/3 of my 22 night journey. So with all that rushing now I have the wrong bookings with them. Realizing this I immediately began emailing them with titles of URGENCY please respond. I set up a call back with them. They usually call me back, this time they did NOT. Also I wasn't allowed to schedule any more call backs- all the time slots suddenly shown as taken. After 4 days of this I warned them in emails that I will make my own bookings. I saved 2 YEARS of vacation time and money for this trip and I wanted the proper experience (I did not want to be taxied around as Caminoways had warned me about this happing to me if I did NOT make my deposit quickly). It took 6 days for them to finally get back to me and when they did, they told me the reason was because they were busy making other bookings (they actually said this) it was why they didn't respond (for sure my properties wouldn't be available and it was apparent the people at Caminoways didn't care). They said they could 'likely get me into or near the towns on the trail and figure something out". Luckily after 4 days of waiting, and taking 2 days off of work, to do the work of booking I was very thankful I had done what I did. I had ALL my own bookings so after hiking my 20 miles/day average I knew I did NOT have to be waiting for a taxi at night and again in the morning- this wasn't the experience I wanted and was the reason I paid them the deposit in the first place. I also made ALL my own connections (trains and shuttle services) and ALL my luggage transfers. Of the 22 nights I booked myself, I had to change some towns around because of the 4 day delay some towns were already full (but I was able to add or subtract some hiking distance- something Camino ways told me they would never do for me at our "planning stage" because they only can book specific towns so I would have been taxied by Caminoways for sure). I told (and emailed) Caminoways all this, and mentioned that I only used 2 of the same properties off their list. Despite all this Caminoways would not refund me, even partially. I have American Express so I disputed the charge (a lot of work again uploading documents) yet Caminoways got to kept every penny because of their cancellation policy that was attached to the deposit. I never had a company treat me like, to make that kind of a mistake, not be responsive for 6 days and keep everything despite doing nothing but making me extra work. Update: Since posting this review elsewhere Caminoways lied about both the timeline they got back to me and also about their mistake- 2 VERY key factors about my bookings. They also came up with excuses to sound good/concerned for me (haha). The sad part is there is nothing to stop these type of companies from doing this to consumers. Don't believe only me, just look at the other bad reviews of people who did end up using them and the problems they faced there. Caminoways responded to them to saying how they will use their terrible experiences to improve but over time people continue to complain about serious problems. This company can take honest people's hard earned money and give bad to no service (I am a nurse but no matter your profession we all give of ourselves and save up both our money and time for trips like this to reward ourselves) With their greedy ways they attempt to sound concerned and defend themselves. I will look at reviews differently after this $800 loss. Beware!

Everything went as to plan. the bags showed up on time each day.

A great experience with wonderful sights along the way. The hotels were first rate and the restaurants at the end of the day were a real treat! The breakfast buffets surpassed anything I could imagine! The luggage transport worked very well also. I would recommend anyone riding a bike starting in Porto, should begin the ride out of town, take metro, the city was too busy to ride comfortably.

Overall, very good! Didn’t have many issues with hotel reservations. I would have preferred hotels with air conditioning. We had some sleepless nights due to being hot. I would prefer hotels in the town instead of having transfers to farms.
When you ask peregrinos to go to a destination to call for pickup, include the address of the place. Trying to find Tio Pepe or Town Hall without address is confusing.
Food was very good, more than enough. In the future, I wouldn’t take the meal plan. In many places, meals were not served at the hotel. In some instances, it was a late meal that we decided not to eat.
The mileage you gave us….how did you come up with it? From what points are you measuring? Is it from center of town to center of town? We couldn’t rely on the numbers given to us.
Other than that, we enjoyed it. The process you have works very well. Thank you.

i loved the experience .so glad I walked the Camino...i appreciated that ,all accommodations were clean and had wonderful showers. My bags were transferred each day without incident. The itinerary did present, in reality, slightly longer distances than stated but all went well.
My criticism of the company relates to the communication which I felt was poor.
Not the response times but the initial requests for information and guidance.
There was no way to see or print out directions to the accommodations prior to being there. There was no guidance to explain that some were right off the Camino or that others required a bit of a walk through towns. TG my Google maps/cell service worked well.
I received your emergency phone # only a day or so before leaving and it took a bit of playing around with your emails to actually open and see my confirmed schedule/travel documents
On my own I took my paper luggage ID to be laminated...you offer no suggestion to do that. You gave no idea of how we get to the Camino to begin in Sarria. A simple comment that our hotel would guide us and that it was but a street or two down the road would have been appreciated. Or that they have the pilgrim passport and that the church to get a passport is only open after 11am...
Basically, my concerns prior to leaving were not well addressed as one is nervous to arrive at a completely unknown situation. Of course, once there, and I'm quite able to take care of myself, all was very easy.
And fyi...the food, at almost each place, was pretty bad. Almost no protein other than dead prosciutto, rarely fruit, no eggs, awful breads. Glad the little cafes along the way had some or salad with tuna.

Overall, Camino.ways made the once in a lifetime trip for me
Very easy and memorable. It was efficient and all the hotels were clean and good, except for one, - Torre do Rio, where there was very loud construction going on within the property.

Thank you CaminoWays. Our 5th Camino and your expertise are highly recommended!!
We trekked from San Sebastian to Santander..scenery, people, food, cleanliness of their land was remarkable!!
The Grade Elevation in our first 3 days were intense..be prepared !!

No app, terrible navigation, no materials. After using four different companies for self-guided tours, this company ranks last. Sent us along busy roads with heavy traffic, missed key places to sightsee, and provided no information on en-route amenities. Had to buy a separate guide to be able to self-guide appropriately.

It's all pretty straightforward and everything worked on the ground as it should. One of the hotels wasn't right and I've let them know but it's not always easy when there's a lack of availability in the middle of nowhere. Communications are all good and the portal is easy to use.

This is the third time we have used CW and they, once again, did a great job in organizing our walk. I had to change plans a couple of times and they made the process very easy. Most of the places we stayed were clean, well run and either provided or organized great food along the way.

Your prompt & polite responses were so helpful (especially when leading a group). Love the 24/7 Assistance line - didn't really have to use it, but it's comforting to have.

Honest feedback: the Hotel in Vigo, Hotel Junquera, was the only hotel that we would recommend not using - after 7 days of walking, it was our day of rest and it was depressing - that is our team opinion!

Camino Ways made our first Camino experience just perfect! From planing, tech, communication, transparency to picking the best bike rental, luggage transfer and perfectly dreamy stays along the way, we could not have asked for better. We’ll be using their service again!