Refuge de Miage — Local services in Bonneville

THIS IS NOT A REFUGE! This place is operated like a restaurant and will NOT help hikers in need unless you are paying for their accommodation.

I came there after a whole day in the rain, snow and mud, cold and hungry. Straight away they told us we cannot come inside (it was still raining) and they won’t cook anything for us because they are „fully booked” despite multiple tables being free. Okay fine, no food. But I sat down at a huge free table just to warm up a bit. Very quickly i was asked to leave. Noone came to that table for the next 15/20 minutes! Despite being „fully booked” and „unable to serve us anything warm” to eat, for 15/20 minutes half of the staff was smoking cigarettes outside. Surely there was time to make something quick and small?

Additionally, the „rifugio” manager showed even more blatantly that she wants all hikers gone. There was another group at the rifugio with us, also planning to sleep on the aire du bivaque nearby. We were both waiting outside under a small roof for the rain to ease. The manager came and told them the forecasted rain is only going to increase (NOT true, rain stopped after 30mins for the rest of the night and every forecast showed that) and that they should go away and set up their tents already (basically telling them to get lost)

This place had THE WORST attitude towards hikers from all the refuges along the tour de Mt Blanc route. It does not belong to the...

We used the bivouac / wild camping spots near this refuge (it’s free of charge). Ask with the staff and they will show you where you can put up your tent, a few hundred meters from the main building. The views are spectacular and the tent spots nice and level. There is a squat toilet about 100m away (not super clean) and also a water point nearby. The staff of the refuge was very friendly. We had a big and tasty omelette as a late lunch and skipped dinner but it’s possible to have dinner if you ask them a few hours in advance. We were able to grab breakfast (€10 per person, bread with butter and marmalade, milk and cereal, coffee/tea and juice) after the big tour groups had left at 8 AM. All in all a great...

Stayed here first night on our tour du mont blanc. Arrived early and sat inside a wood fire heated glass gazebo while we dried our wet clothes. Ordered some hot chocolate and coke to warm up. The rooms were shared and our room had enough sleeping space for 10 although only 3 beds got used. Beds were comfy and even though the room started cold, we stayed warm. Dinner was a salad, soup and potato omelet with blueberry pie (the pie was dry crumbly crust with frozen blueberries and very average). Everything but the pie hit the spot. Breakfast was simple and plain. Views were beautiful right along a river with multiple waterfalls seen across the meadow. Would stay here again. Luke warm showers were...