The Hostelz.com Review
Swellendam Backpackers Lodge is perhaps the most popular and best-publicized backpacker accommodation in the area.
The Location
Swellendam Backpackers Adventure Lodge is located in a quiet residential street inhabited largely by retired people, a pleasant half an hour’s walk from the museum and the main street, which has several supermarkets selling groceries. Long-distance buses to Cape Town and elsewhere stop on the main street daily. The backpacker’s Baz bus stops outside the hostel door. In order to reach trailheads and Bontebok National Park, some six kilometers away, private transportation is recommended. There is ample street parking in front of the building and in a large field belonging to the hostel next to the main buildings also used for tent camping.
Rooms and Bathrooms
There is one ten-bed, mixed-sex dorm in a rustic shed-like corrugated iron building reminiscent of accommodation occupied by poorer South Africans. This does not have lockers, but management will store valuables on request. It is not usually locked. In addition, there are various wooden cabins surrounded by lawns and trees containing mainly one double or two twin beds, and there is one so-called “luxury” room adjacent to the main building which has its own bathroom. Tent campers use a field adjacent to a stream, which is usually dry during the main summer season.
There is one bathroom with two showers and two toilets. The two showers have soap dishes and facilities for hanging up clothes and towels, but since they are shared by a large number of people, there is congestion at peak periods.
Common Spaces
The kitchen is located in another rustic building down some steps from the main backpacker accommodation adjacent to the camping area. The roof looks as if it ought to leak, but this is apparently not the case. There is a refrigerator, only one stove resulting in congestion at meal times, a dining area and a few worn and broken utensils. Self-caterers are expected to provide their own cooking equipment or rent it from management, paying in addition a returnable deposit.
The main building includes a reception and bar /dining area where guests can order meals, a games area and a pay-as-you-go Internet computer. Music is confined to the main building but only at reasonable times. Smoke is not a problem. The hostel is friendly and social and is frequented by a wide range of age groups.
Summary
Swellendam is more or less equidistant between Cape Town and a popular part of the Atlantic coast known since the 1920s as the Garden Route and is a good place for travelers to break their journey and occupy themselves with sightseeing, hiking, horse-riding, and observing nature. Swellendam Backpackers Adventure Lodge is probably about as good an option as any for this purpose in terms of easy of access and moderate prices.
The Location
Swellendam Backpackers Adventure Lodge is located in a quiet residential street inhabited largely by retired people, a pleasant half an hour’s walk from the museum and the main street, which has several supermarkets selling groceries. Long-distance buses to Cape Town and elsewhere stop on the main street daily. The backpacker’s Baz bus stops outside the hostel door. In order to reach trailheads and Bontebok National Park, some six kilometers away, private transportation is recommended. There is ample street parking in front of the building and in a large field belonging to the hostel next to the main buildings also used for tent camping.
Rooms and Bathrooms
There is one ten-bed, mixed-sex dorm in a rustic shed-like corrugated iron building reminiscent of accommodation occupied by poorer South Africans. This does not have lockers, but management will store valuables on request. It is not usually locked. In addition, there are various wooden cabins surrounded by lawns and trees containing mainly one double or two twin beds, and there is one so-called “luxury” room adjacent to the main building which has its own bathroom. Tent campers use a field adjacent to a stream, which is usually dry during the main summer season.
There is one bathroom with two showers and two toilets. The two showers have soap dishes and facilities for hanging up clothes and towels, but since they are shared by a large number of people, there is congestion at peak periods.
Common Spaces
The kitchen is located in another rustic building down some steps from the main backpacker accommodation adjacent to the camping area. The roof looks as if it ought to leak, but this is apparently not the case. There is a refrigerator, only one stove resulting in congestion at meal times, a dining area and a few worn and broken utensils. Self-caterers are expected to provide their own cooking equipment or rent it from management, paying in addition a returnable deposit.
The main building includes a reception and bar /dining area where guests can order meals, a games area and a pay-as-you-go Internet computer. Music is confined to the main building but only at reasonable times. Smoke is not a problem. The hostel is friendly and social and is frequented by a wide range of age groups.
Summary
Swellendam is more or less equidistant between Cape Town and a popular part of the Atlantic coast known since the 1920s as the Garden Route and is a good place for travelers to break their journey and occupy themselves with sightseeing, hiking, horse-riding, and observing nature. Swellendam Backpackers Adventure Lodge is probably about as good an option as any for this purpose in terms of easy of access and moderate prices.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
March 2010
Their Description
Swellendam Backpackers Lodge Details
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Swellendam Backpackers Lodge Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Great place, great people, second time around!!! Nice garden, and warm cozy fires at night. Thank you very much again. — Donna Homer (2005-08-31) Lovely place. It has one of the best locations around. Massive grounds and spectacular countryside are nearby. Unfortunately when I stayed here the weather was not so kind so I will have to visit again and do a few of the activities that the hostel can arrange. — Anonymous (2005-02-27) I've been there twice now — I can strongly recommend the horse trails, too. — Anonymous (2005-02-27) What a little paradise, definitely don't miss out. Just go, get off the Baz bus and relax or get some thrills. You stop in the street, then go through the house and voila? Wow!!! Then to top this I could do my Internet travel with world standard connection, I mean good and fast. Keep up the good work, Bruce and your team. — Claus (2005-02-26) I was treated like royalty here, and yes, the lady who started the hostel is back, with a great team. I have gone back twice now. It has a great garden, a fresh organic salad garden to buy stuff from, the most beautiful campsite, and views of the mountain. I wish them all the best. I know you will have a wonderful time here if you pop in. — Franco (2004-10-30) The real gem at this place was Jaco. He was extremely helpful when our rental car broke down. — Anonymous (2004-10-03) The hostel is under new management, apparently by the lady that started it. You can see changes every day. I stayed there at the beginning of August and again on my return--and boy!!! It is an awesome place; I went horse riding with her and explored the mountainsides with a mountain bike rented from them. Good bikes, too!! I loved it and had to tell someone. — Anonymous (2004-08-26) Great country hostel, with a huge garden and lots of mountains. An outdoor adventurer's paradise! — Jopie Adam (2004-08-03)