Cape Town Backpackers

I stayed at C/T B/P for two weeks over Christmas and I had an awesome time. The staff are super-helpful and really cool. I can't recommend this place enough -- if you're in Cape Town and want to be in the centre of it all, but just far away enough to get some peace and quiet, head to the Cape Town Backpackers. Oh, and the bar's open twenty-four-hours a day, with the ever dedicated Alvin sitting behind the bar pouring drink after drink while making you feel right at home.

This is a really nice, friendly hostel. It was close enough to the city center to walk everywhere, and the staff were really helpful with organizing tours.

Cape Town backpackers is a fairly small hostel over 2 floors, a 5-10 minute walk from Long Street, the centre of Cape Town which has many shops and bars. The train and bus stations are about 20 minutes walk, and the Victoria & Albert waterfront takes about 45 minutes to walk to. Inside the hostel, the reception, bar, TV and computer for internet access are all in the same (pretty small) room, so don't expect any wild nights in the hostel bar (which closes at 11pm)! It is, however, pretty good for calm evenings, watching a film or reading the magazines that are left lying around. There is a self-catering kitchen for preparing your own meals: the bar doesn't serve food. There is no shop on the premises, but several convenience stores are just a few minutes walk away. Out the back of the hostel is a small courtyard with a couple of hammocks for relaxing on sunny days, although it is on the lower level so there is no view. The dorms have around 5 beds, all individual rather than bunks, with sheets and blankets provided. They even leave little chocolates on the pillows on your first night! However, the rooms can be very noisy due to a road directly behind. The staff are helpful enough, and will book Robben island tours, and taxis etc, though sometimes they are not as polite as might be hoped. Overall, this is a reasonable place to spend a few nights, though a little pricey for the facilities on offer.

I entrusted my best friend to this place in May 2003 when she had to travel down to Cape Town to meet her mother, and they looked after her so well that I took my own mother there in September 2003. What a friendly, comfortable place. With the bar literally in the living room, it's a great place to relax and put your feet up. It's also only a short walk to Long St. for a great night out. Yes, I was woken up by six drunk Irishmen singing there way back up the street from a night out, but they offered to carry my bag down to Long St. to meet my truck, so I couldn't hold it against them for long. The staff were welcoming, and the rooms and bathrooms were clean and comfortable. Endless piles of magazines kept me entertained on the wet nights. It's a home away from home to return to.