Refuge Le Peuty

Refuge Le Peuty Experience

Photos & Write Up Contributed by: Therese Drapeau

About 15 minutes past Trient (moving anti-clockwise) Le Peuty is the last stop before entering the climb to Col du Balme.  It consists of 2 yurts, located across the road from the check-in, outdoor seating area and sleeping quarters.  Access to any area of the compound requires an outdoor transit, which is fine with good weather but may be rough on rainy days.

Le Peuty has a reputation for good food and did not disappoint.  Lunch and dinner both offer vegetarian / vegan / gluten free options. Our dinner, served in the community yurt, was an olive tapenade starter, chicken and chickpea curry over rice, fresh salad with honey balsamic vinaigrette, and blueberry parfait for dessert.  The separate outdoor seating area looks up onto the glacier, where you can enjoy a delicious meal and cocktail from the bar.  I had their signature ginger and blueberry cocktail with fresh mint and lime before dinner, 7 Euro…yummy!

Check-in was relatively early; we arrived around 1PM and were checked-in at 2PM.  This allowed us time to explore the area.  There is a camping area nearby and a small camp store (Open 3-6PM) where you can buy some camp essentials and snacks. We could also watch (and smell!) the farm truck spraying manure over the adjacent farm fields.  Being the first to arrive, we were given the “early bird” section of the one room dorm, which is housed in a converted barn.  The benefit to our section is we had the window above us to open if we wanted to.  Since the night was forecast to be rainy and cold, we opted to keep it closed. 

There were plenty of extra blankets piled up for cold nights, books to read, and once again, a community charging station located near the door to the barn.  We slept really well here, but one person in our group did wake up with mysterious bug bites which thankfully did not follow us down the TMB.

There are two shower stalls and two bathroom stalls, both located below the sleeping area with the two hand sinks.  These are accessed by walking through the boot room, making it crowded in the morning, even with only half the beds taken that night.  The provided soap was watered down.  Showers are hot, and the sinks run cold water only.  You can fill water bottles here as well. 

Le Peuty has groovy character and an earthy vibe that almost make up for a general lack of hygiene. The staff were super friendly and helpful, the dietary options for the breakfast buffet were all encompassing..  The sleeping area is cozy, but could use a spring cleaning done more than just once in the spring. And I like my hand soap full strength.