Refugio Vértice Paine Grande Hostel

The facilities were very clean, among the cleanest on the whole W, and there was lots of comfortable indoor space to relax and meet people. Breakfast, though, was a real disappointment. We left sweaty, smelly socks, gloves, and beanies by the fireplaces to dry while we went on a day hike, and they were gone when we came back. It was our mistake to leave them unattended. At first we thought someone had stolen them, though who would want dirty socks? Then we noticed staff shut down the living quarters to clean at 9:30am, and got suspicious. We asked to review the camera aimed right at our things, but over two days got a string of excuses, from meetings to electrical work. My suspicion is staff disposed of them so they wouldn't be on the drying racks when other guests checked in. I can't imagine a backpacker taking dirty socks, especially one paying 30 USD for a bland buffet breakfast. They were only small items, but I wanted to warn others.

My bunk bed was clean, comfortable, and had fresh sheets, and the staff were friendly and helpful. The location is well placed for getting to the trails, and the food was fresh and healthy, if not the tastiest. The shared bathroom was absolutely disgusting. A sink was clogged, there was hair and dirt all over the shower floors, and the water wouldn't flow steadily. All the shower door locks were broken, and the sink water was freezing.

I can't recommend this place. It's far too expensive for what it offers: over $100 per person per night, terrible food that felt like a $2 meal for $49, wifi at $9 per hour, crowded rooms, and dirty showers. There's no flexibility to change a booking for bad weather. Heating only comes on in the evening, there's nowhere proper to dry clothes in Patagonia's intense weather, and one soaked woman was told by staff to move away. It lacks hospitality and professionalism. The refugio doesn't feel like a mountain refuge in harmony with its setting, and the experience has none of the spirit of mountaineering and hiking that should be encouraged. Turning pristine Patagonia into a Disney land for profit harms the environment. We stayed just one day. The weather was awful, with winds from 80km/h to 120, so we skipped the hike and stayed in the refugio. We spoke to many people doing the circuits who felt too stressed about losing their next booking to skip a hike, and pushed on in bad weather even against rangers' advice. More than 100$ per person per night here, with other Refugio on the trek costing even more, like 300$ per night for a tent. This is how incidents happen. The whole W and O trek package system and circuits are run like businesses, and put hikers' lives at risk. Five people died in December last year, as I understand it. The way the park is run feels negligent. They only seem to care about fires because a fire would burn the park, which they treat as an economic asset to exploit. The park is beautiful, but I'd stay in Puerto Natales and get a local guide for a real experience. Otherwise you might as well stay in Colorado. In other places I've visited, park rangers and refugio hosts brief guests at breakfast about conditions and what to watch out for. Here there was nothing, maybe because it's overcrowded. The place was so busy it felt like a city hostal. Still go to the Park, but don't waste your money on packages or refugios, and don't get taken in by the prices making it seem luxurious. It isn't. Inform yourself and stay in independently run hostels or hotels in Puerto Natales. I hope the ANONYMOUS COORPORATION running the park gets called out. What the hell, this is a national park, not a stock share. Nature is not for sale, and neither are our lives.

Fairly good, given the market is captive if you want to do the W/O. The refugio beds were big, staff friendly, and there are a couple of nice lounge areas and a pleasant outdoor picnic spot. The rooms were very small, with no room to open two backpacks on the floor at once. Check-in took over an hour, and the dinner and breakfast queues were each longer than 45 minutes, even though I joined before they opened. Bathroom cleanliness was poor for $100/bed/night. I expected the shared bathroom bins to be changed more than once a day, but by 8pm toilet paper was spilling across the floor, and nothing had been done by the time I left at 9am.