Refugio Central — Attraction in Torres del Paine

This is not an honest company.

Let's start with the positive points: well-maintained domain, hot and cold water, hygiene in toilet and bathroom relatively in order.

However, it seems that some Chilean vultures smelled money here a few years ago and sold the soul of the surrounding mountains piece by piece. The campsite is extremely overpriced, both the pitches for the tent (45 USD/person?) and the tents themselves (190 USD/tent?). In return you get: toilet and shower, mini market with 8 items, water. Everything you get at any other campsite in the world for a quarter of the price. The 'kitchen' was a covered area with picnic tables.

It seemed that we were sponsoring the summer camp of the excessively many student workers who worked here. When we asked them why it was so expensive here, they did not defend the mission and values ​​of their employer, but indicated that they did not understand this themselves and also earned very little. Furthermore, they gave us wrong advice on relatively easy questions ('until when can you order food?') or they didn't know the answer. Poor kids.

This is not the way to receive tourists. If this had been my country and company, I would have been...

Pros: Consistently hot showers Common area cozy

Cons: Staff highly unfriendly and inexperienced, especially kitchen staff. Recommended to start a sunrise hike 2h earlier than needed. Refused to serve breakfast (Full board is US$80 !) 20min after 9am after we had hiked for 9h. Did not know how to read weather maps or give proper advice. Dinner quality and portion sizes very small. Overall not surprising given the place is part of a chain and staff has limited accountability or incentives to be flexible/provide better service. Power outlets did not have enough current to charge devices like power banks. Overall overpriced considering it lies right by a road with access to cheap...

Nice place, but two very annoying things bring it down. You have to pay an extortionate amount for hours and minutes of WiFi(which you can't share) and if you lose a flimsy bit of paper that you get at the border crossing they will charge you an extra 19%( this would be ok only that the other travel company vertice don't do this at all they just scan the stamp in your passport) and give you 7 days to pay. This is bad because they don't have to do this and by giving 7 days they are ensuring they pocket the money. All under the disguise of a "local tax"..it's the biggest tourist tax...