UKC

Just out of interest I looked up some of the TMB refuges on Trip Adviser as I'd noticed that many of them display the Trip Adviser "window sticker".

I was particularly interested in the reviews for the Rifugio Bonatti as I'd heard and indeed found it to be one of the best, if not the best, on the TMB. I was rather surprised to read one comment moaning about the lack of privacy in the dormitories and people snoring.

I got the impression that the author was not new to trekking but found myself wondering if he REALLY expected total privacy(short of a single room) and silence in a mountain refuge.

In reply to mypyrex:

He's right. Snorers, bag rustlers and obsessive pee-ers should all be shot.

In reply to mypyrex:

I read that as'Refugee reviews on Tripadvisor'

In reply to MG:

Surprised you didn't mention farters!
Can't remember which refuge but in the Pyrenees one year I'm sure somebody was having a wink.

In reply to mypyrex:

Trip adviser of refuges? How long before Death Bivouac gets a review and a sticker. Christ, I am feeling old.

In reply to NeilBoyd:

I know. How do you think I feel. Cold water, no showers, squat and shit, torches after dark, no phones or WiFi etc...
And of course the squat and shits were quite something if you were doing it through the eye of a needle

In reply to mypyrex:

The whole point of Refuges is the snoring and the occasional bit of pungent frotting. Best thing is to kip outside.

In reply to mypyrex:

People who are going to use mountain huts surely know what to expect. Having reviews available does seem a bit pointless.

In reply to mypyrex:

There was one French hut I stayed in, in the 90's. A couple on the same long alpine bunk decided to get it on. They were not even quiet or discrete about it. We could not submit Trip Advisor reviews back then.

In reply to Pete Pozman:


I truly truly hope that there is typo in there .........

In reply to mike123:

I'm missing that...? Just my unlucky experience. And not me pungently frotting.

In reply to Pete Pozman:

all things considered, pungetntly frotting for 40/50€ a night ain't bad

In reply to Lion Bakes:


"Foreplay was adequate, but could have had more enthusiasm on her part. Thrusting and variation of positions wasn't too bad. Only managed to crack the one out whilst watching, needed to be more inspirational. 3/5"

In reply to Fozzy:


*uck off. We were doing our best.

I thought I'd C & P the following from Tripadvisor:
"I stayed for one night with my husband while doing the tmb Although staff was helpful the place leaves much to be desired. There was only 1 shower for men, dinner was barely adequate and breakfast horrible. Renovation works were going on while people were moving beneath the plasterer. It is an overpriced refuge and definitely not good vslue for money"
It's a review of the Refuge du Col du Croix de la Bonhomme. On reading it my thoughts were along the lines: For f@cks sake it's a refuge not a luxury hotel and it's situated at 8000 feet, do these people not understand the logistics of running and resupplying these places? Personally, after a cold,wet, windy ascent to it I was bloody glad of shelter, food and drink and a roaring wood burner.

Trip advisor has a facility for contacting reviewers. I feel tempted to(politely) reiterate what I've just said.

In reply to mypyrex:

don't forget that someone gave Skiddaw a terrible review for being boring and lack of facilities at the top

In reply to mypyrex:





I've mentionned this already on here, must be 10 years ago. Sharing my tent with a " casual partner" ( no pun intended ) , we had both settled down when all of a sudden he blurted out "do you mind if I have a w@nk" I didn't reply ! Well, at least he was pretty discreet about it !

In reply to mypyrex:

https://www.myshreddies.com/

Sorted.

In reply to mypyrex:

Actually, we tried to get a cup of tea there. The staff were being resolutely 'French', so we gave up.

Granted, some people do seem to have excessive expectations of refuges...

I found the welcome and atmosphere in the Mottets refuge to be very warm. Couldn't have wished for better service from Isobel and the other girls running the refuge.

Didn't get much sleep that night, even in our 4-bed private room; French girl interloper. Snored. Very windy night.

In reply to mypyrex:

I generally find that the sort of person that feels the need to post their opinion of somewhere on Tripadvisor is not the sort of person I'm interested in the opinions of.

In reply to GrahamD:

What about if the opinion is good?

In reply to captain paranoia:


Don't really care. I'd only really trust people I know value the same things about a place. To some people horse brasses are important in a pub, to others its beer.

In reply to mypyrex:

Tripadvisor is OK if you read only the bad reviews, which gives you a better idea of the failings of a place. Of course you have to filter out the reviewers who had a silly argument with the owner or the waiter over something trivial but when you take into account the rest of the bads or when you've actually experienced the badness for yourself, the shocking thing is that 70% of reviewers usually gush about the place, proving how little discrimination the British public actually possesses.

In reply to Rigid Raider:

Me and Mrs BrendanO take great delight in reading the 1-star Trip Advisor reviews...for anywhere! More than half of them are nutters, and you often get brilliant management responses. Try it for a favourite place, it's great fun!

A good example is Arthur's Seat (volcanic hill in Edinburgh) - complaint that there's no cafe on top, not much to do.

Sorry, slightly off-topic. I do think TA is useful, but you have to filter the nutters.