Booking in 2010 - Opinions and Experiences Please
So, the booking system in 2009 fell to bits by the sound of it (there are several mentions on this forum like this one)
Does anyone have any information regarding how likely it is to be "enforced" in 2010?
The official site's "open for bookings" date has already been postponed once...
We're going in very late Aug/early Sep and the idea of booking through more than the first few huts seems nonsense and far to limiting.
No chance of an impromptu rest-day or re-scheduling due to being pinned down by a storm... but hey - we all know it's not really workable - I'd just like to hear how likely we are to run into trouble if we do not book?
Posted: Mon, Aug 16, 2010, 20:46
Posted: Wed, Aug 18, 2010, 18:53
From our Sep-2009 experience -
You can find tents to rent in the refuge. They have many opened in every site but more also in the back in case more people come. So in case the refuge is full you can still camp.
Sleeping in a rented tent cost the same sleep in the refuge (in case you are traveling as a couple).
Posted: Thu, Aug 19, 2010, 21:07
Right.... My experience is the booking system is a waste of time.
Most of the refuges didn't even ask if you had booked or not before staying in the refuge. On only one night did I find the refuge full and they still had lots of tents spare to rent out for the same cost.
Every refuge had these blue tents set up ready.
Best thing is to get in early (2pm ish) to guarantee your place for the night.
Camping wise, don't even consider booking. No need at all.
Posted: Sun, Sep 19, 2010, 22:15
We did not use the booking system.. main reason we decided each day how far we intended hiking. Only problem was our last night. After a long hard day we arrived to find the refuge full, and no tent spaces available..this was late August. So we hiked a little more... no problem.
Everyone we spoke to had done the same.
Posted: Thu, Sep 23, 2010, 7:44
The booking system works well.
The only problem is that, in my experience, the refuges are not full due to no-shows.
At the start of September, the refuges we stayed in, had around 20% empty beds.
One of my friends had to camp as he was told that the refuge was "complet"
Posted: Sun, Oct 10, 2010, 21:37
The internet booking system works and YOU DO NEED TO USE IT IF YOU WANT A BED!
Early September was one of the most crowded periods in the season, apparently. People were regularly turned away for not booking, or made to wait until 8pm before their bed was confirmed.
It was noticable that the French all knew they had to book - and did so - while the Brits didn't, and so ended up in their tents! Some futher points about book on my Blog: http://gr20andotherwalks.blogspot.com/
Posted: Sat, Nov 13, 2010, 17:46
We ended up going in the last couple of weeks of September - and huts were full even then.
We didn't book. However, we always got a space (many other people weren't booking at that time of year).
We often ended up staying in the ubiquitous, blue Quechua tents (cheap own-brand of Decathlon; the French outdoors chain) that the refuges leave permanently erected with thick camping mats.
In fact - we often asked to stay in them. As long as you're dry, they're more comfy than a crowded, stuffy and noisy refuge dorm.
In high season, they must have run out of room at times!
But next time I'd take a tent as backup (a Terra Nova Laser would work for two and only weighs 1.2 kilos - we carry the Laser Competition version and squeeze into that).
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Posted: Thu, Apr 15, 2010, 19:39