Refuge Elena — Hotel in Courmayeur

After a long hike from Courmayeur with the last segment of the hike being a steep ascent of about 1000+ ft in cold rainy weather, I wanted to crash in a bed. However, this refuge makes you remove your boots and poles in a separate room that is not air conditioned and you feel the cold, and it is not connected to the main dorms - so you walk in cold rainy weather outside to move items around! Then you are expected to remove stuff that you’d need for the night and the following day from your luggage bags in red baskets to the dorm room. Due to all the moving around, I lost my coolers/sunshades and Slippers. The supposedly “hot” water in the shower turned out to be cold water (not freezing though) - I’m surprised that is what passes for “hot water” in this refuge even after paying for it. The staff, dinner, and location were great - so the three stars. Next time, I would pick...

Large dorms with bunks arranged into smaller sections, which was helpful for privacy. Unfortunately, many in our group struggled to sleep and several of us lay awake for hours. Showers are on a token system – most got warm water, but I had an ice-cold one start to finish (channelling my inner Wim Hof!). Food was very basic; the pork didn’t look great, though evening drinks were enjoyable. Staff were friendly and helpful. rucksacks are stored downstairs in the winter room – sensible for keeping dorms quieter and reducing the risk of bed bugs. We picked up some of their merch (socks + cap) which was a nice touch. Food 3★ | Beds 3★ | Showers 2★ |...

This was the best Refuge we stayed during our 10 days TMB hiking. We upgraded to private room where only 8 such rooms are available. It has bathroom and shower, no need to put your gears in the locker room on the basement. No Wi-Fi, but you can have cell phone signal at one side of the platform. The view is great, you have the Pré de Bar glacier in front of you. BTW, you can save your effort by taking a free bus from Courmayeur and only need to hike 1.4 miles to...