Alpage de la Peule (Peulaz) — Local services in Orsières

We really enjoyed this gîte! Descending from Col Ferret, it was totally invisible until the last few minutes- don't worry folks, it's there, and no, it's not the farm you see on the hillside all the way across the valley. ;)

Setting: very pleasant. The gîte is on a working farm, but we didn't notice any smell from the animals. Set into a hillside, the building is low-profile with some outdoor seating, and there are nice views of the surrounding mountains.

Reception: this is a family-run place, and we enjoyed interacting with the owners. They speak English, but making the effort to use our limited French was clearly appreciated. We were greeted, sent to leave our boots & poles in a side shed (plenty of hut shoes to choose from), and then shown to our beds. We were able to order treats (ice cream and beer) from the counter before dinner.

Showers: we did not shower here, but heard the showers were ok/lukewarm.

Toilets: the bathrooms had two or three toilets and one large sink with several faucets for everyone to share. It worked out just fine, but was a bit more crowded than most other huts.

Laundry: we did not see any hand-wash area aside from the bathroom sink, but we didn't ask either.

Food: hearty & delicious. The combination of dinner, breakfast, and snacks available from the menu was among the best we encountered on our TMB! Dinner was a chopped salad with a variety of fresh veggies, followed by a sort of open-faced fondue sandwich (bread, meat, and pickled veg covered with yummy cheese), with fresh fruit and ice cream for dessert. Breakfast was buffet-style with oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, bread/butter/jam, and hot beverages.

Rooms: as far as we saw, there was just one big dormitory with a most bunks on the main level and a lofted second floor. It was quite dark in our corner, and the walls/floor were damp, so not the best atmosphere. BUT the beds were the biggest and most comfortable of our whole trek. We (two petite women) actually chose to sleep together on the bottom bunk because it was so roomy.

WiFi: scan a QR code to connect. Signal was strong for us!

Outlets: there was one to share amongst four people in our corner, and others available in the dining area. Not a bad ratio...

We stayed here recently during our TMB hike. I would give 5 stars for food and 3 stars for accommodations, so average out to 4 stars.

Accommodations This refuge was nestled in the mountains, the view from here was very nice. We slept in dorms, and I personally found it a bit cold and damp, so I didn't get a great night of sleep here. They do have a few outlets. Unfortunately you must walk outside to get to their showers and toilets. It was also quite cold outside even in July (probably because we were so high up in the mountains), so I froze coming back from the showers, and was generally just cold for the whole time we stayed here, even with all my layers. Also, they only had two showers, so there was a wait. The waiting area for the showers had many flies :(

Food The food here was really good and unique! For dinner we had a tasty salad, followed by an incredible cheese crust (toast and ham covered in melted cheese) which was still sizzling when they brought it to us, and finally a fruit salad for dessert. We were so happy. For breakfast there was yogurt, bread, jam, and a lot of cheese. For the picnic, we got a huge ham and cheese sandwich, and the cheese was so good! Cheese definitely seemed to be one of their specialties, and you might see their cows in...

We bought two double espressos for a total of 8 chf but only had a 50 chf note with which to pay as that was the smallest denomination we received from the ATM. The cashier was not happy about the “large” note so when she provided change she reached into a separate envelope rather than the cash register for the last 10 chf note. We later found out (when trying to buy lunch) that the last note she provided was a discontinued currency that is no longer valid and can only be exchanged at a bank (UBS) for the new valid currency. Her action was deliberate and basically cheated us out of a tenth of our spending cash for the remainder of our Swiss TMB hike as there aren’t any banks where we can make the exchange. An amazingly dishonest act so check your change as...