East London Backpackers

If you are passing through East London for the night then this hostel is a great place to stay and relax. It's spacious, chilled out and quiet. However if you are basing yourself in East London then forget it. The staff are of little, if no use and almost seem reluctant to tell you any information about the town or to point you in the direction of someone that might know.

The hostel itself is in prime location very near the beach and harbour and there are spectacular views of the surfing waves landing at the foot of the huge dunes. Inside the hostel is clean and tidy and reasonably well presented.

The good stuff: The hostel has two large communal rooms with basic facilities (kettle and amenities, non satellite tv, etc.) The rooms are spacious and each is adorned with pictures and paintings. The rooms consist of doubles, singles, and dorms. Both the singles and double come with en suite options. There is also a courtyard that is a perfect suntrap, but is sheltered on all sides from the wind. They provide laundry facilities at a reasonable rate as well.

Not so good stuff: They have a tiny kitchen which could be a problem during the busy summer period as it is only self-catering. (But at the end of the street to the right there is an excellent restaurant.) The internet is rather slow and expensive. They also do not have a bar exactly. They do have a fridge with a lock on it if you wish to buy a beer. The pool is situated in the aforementioned courtyard, but is very small and does not appear to be cleaned or refilled with any regularity.

In summery, East London Backpackers is clean tidy and generally secure and in a great location to the beach. A night's stay here is worth it. Staying longer I wouldn't recommend due to the lack of help you are likely to recieve.

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