Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme

The rooms were clean and nice - 6 to a room. The showers were clean and warm when we arrived. The food however, was pretty bad. Tasteless soup, mystery pasta dish and the most dried out chocolate cake I have ever experienced - that was dinner. At breakfast, it was simply warm milk and cereal, jam and leftover bread. The staff was nice enough, but the food was probably the worst of our TMB hike. All of that said, my expectations were'nt high. This place is in the middle of nowhere. The views - epic.

7 months ago

Having read the mixed reviews, we arrived with an open mind, and came away with mixed feelings of our own. ;) To future guests--you'll survive just fine, and this is a beautiful spot with understandable limitations due to the remote location. That said, come prepared with snacks, power bank, and hand sanitizer! Setting: second to none. This refuge is at high elevation, with the most incredible views. Not another sign of civilization in sight. Reception: Busy at checkin time. The staff weren't UN-friendly, but they weren't very thorough with directions. We were told where to put our things, but they didn't explain we should then come back for our room assignment, so we were wandering around looking for the dormitory for a while before waiting in line a second time to then be shown to our room. Anyway. All gear had to be left in the basement, with baskets provided to bring our overnight items to the room. There were hut shoes available. Showers: No hot water when we arrived, which staff blamed on the solar heating system. But there was a good amount of sun that day, so...? The rumor on the trail was the showers had not been hot for months on end, and either the heating system was broken or the staff were choosing not to turn it on so there would be less cleaning to do. Toilets: Unfortunately it was hard to escape the sewage smell from the outdoor toilets provided for passers-by. These definitely should have been built much farther away from the refuge. The indoor toilets for overnight guests were dated and a bit small, but fine. As others have mentioned, the refuge did not provide hand soap, which is inexcusable given the number of flies inside the dining area (the same flies that are buzzing around the outdoor toilets). Laundry: none. Food: The staff were on "partial strike" during our stay so we could only order coffee or tea, no snacks/alcohol/dessert. Not a big deal. But the tea was in a very small mug with no access to more hot water, so not worth the 3 euro. Dinner was ok. By TMB standards, not great. The soup tasted good but was thin. The fresh bread and local cheese were definitely the highlight. The main dish, a pasta casserole of sorts, was filling but on the bland side. Breakfast was the real travesty. As many others have mentioned, there was nothing of substance provided--just bread, jam, and cornflakes--and it would have been better if the cornflakes weren't there. Only hot milk is available (it isn't labeled as hot, so this was a surprise) and it turns the cornflakes into a yucky hot mush that you then have to eat (or pack out with you), since there is no trash service. Definitely bring energy bars or similar to get the energy you need to hike to a lunch stop. Rooms: We were in a small 4-person room, which was lucky, as the larger dormitories looked very crowded. The beds were comfortable and there was plenty of shelving for our things. It would have been nice for the staff to designate one bunk bed to each group of two, as was common everywhere else we stayed. In this case, the two other hikers we were sharing with had each taken a bottom bunk by the time we arrived, so we were both in top bunks and it was a bit awkward climbing above strangers. WiFi: nope. Outlets: madness. There are a few outlets on a strip in a small room off of the main dining area, none in the rooms. You'll likely need to keep checking back or ask someone if you can plug a cord into their multi adapter.

7 months ago

A welcoming shelter in the midst of a rather cold mountaintop area. Yes, it's true that the rooms are a little tight and the sleeping facilities are basic, and showers are also €3 for 4 minutes. However, given the constraints of being on a mountain with limited and infrequent resupplies, I can understand. Now on to the positives. The staff were friendly and they explained everything we needed. The highlight was dinner which was sumptuous and served in generous portions – one large pot of soup and one big pan of pasta for each table which afforded us multiple portions each. It was also done in a communal setting, and I personally enjoyed dining and speaking with new people! Made a number of new friends and I thoroughly enjoyed the food and time there. They also had board games available (we had a good game of Catan), and it was a welcome experience in our TMB hike.

8 months ago