The Backpack Reviews

Excellent facilities, clean rooms, tour information desk etc. However the reception and tour desk staff were scatterbrained, and sometimes most unhelpful. It was difficult to ask about booking information on the phone as the only response was: you need to book on-line. Most unhelpful, it was extremely frustrating to communicate with the staff at the reception and the tour desk.. If I had not paid a deposit and had it not been such a busy time of the year, I would not have stayed here.

The Backpack was probably the nicest hostel I've ever stayed at!! I was in the all girls ensuite dorm and it felt like a proper hotel!!! The bar is very nice and they have good food!! Everything is very clean, also the shared bathrooms, the travel desk wil happily help you with all your bookings, just the staff at the reception seemed a bit annoyed if you wanted them to help you with anything. But all in all I had a great time at the backpack and met some awsome people there!!!!

Very noisy, people stayed outside at the pool until 4 a.m., couldn't sleep, definitely no value for the money! but staff was friendly and helpful.

The best experience. I loved! The people there are very friendly and they helped me too much! I went a lot places in Cape Town and the employees showed me many kinds to do this. The only problem was the internet, because isn't work the Wireless and have just 30 minutes per day for use.

One minor point is that the cleaning staff fully opened one window after finishing of our room each day. 100% security of our stuff in the room cannot be quaranteed in this way and therefore we would like to recommend that they improve airconditioning in the room thru which opening the window (at 38 grades Celcius) is not necessary anymore.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at The Backpack in Cape Town and returned there for our last night. The food was really good and the service was very friendly. We recommended it to friends who also booked in there for their last night. We would highly recommend it and certainly if we return to Cape Town will be booking in.

This was my second time staying here and I still believe that this is the best hostel/backpackers in Cape Town.

Very good hostel. Staff is friendly, location is close to everything. It's easy there to meet new friends...and have long night-life time. It's really clean. Definitely one of the best hostel I went in...and I have visited a lot in the world.

My room was OK, but the housecleaning staff never vacuumed the rug or shook it out to clean it. It had old hairs from former boarders. Also, the bathroom/showers always seemed to have dirt floor mats and hair on shower walls was not cleaned out. The room was very hot even with the fan on. The washer had no hot water and I needed to wash whites. It also just DRIPPED in the water! Took a long time to fill with water. The pool was dirty. Needed PH tested and chemicals and vacuumed out. Too much $$!

Having the full-time staff serving travel needs for free was a real bonus. Good food in the cafe. Thoroughly enjoyable!

It's bigger than other hostels that I stayed at which is great for planning day trips and meeting other travelers. The dorm room I stayed in would be nicer if it had a ceiling fan (really hot Summer night) and more convenient electrical outlets. Overall very good experience.

We really enjoyed our stay at the Backpack Hostel. The flexibility of the accommodation options suited us as a family group. We found the facilities in the hostel excellent and enjoyed the friendly, relaxed atmosphere. The fact that the hostel has an ethos of fair trade and supporting the local community was also very appealing to us.

This hostel is top rated on this website, however, I wouldn't say that it is the best in Cape Town. I stayed in three different hostels during my stay and they were all very different. The staff in this hostel were originally not very helpful but bettered throughout the week. The beds look nice and are comfy with good quality sheets. Beware it can get very hot in the 8 bed dorm. The food and drinks in the hostel are pricey and the same can be bought for cheaper in local bars and restaurants.

A lovely hostel and a great place to start or end a trip in South Africa. We had great views of Table Mountain from our room!

The place is really lovely with great staff and full service. Beautiful view of Table Mountain. It is located a few blocks from the main strip so there is a bit of walking. Our private room with in suite was small and hot. There was no place to put our luggage or clothes. Considering I booked many months in advance I was a bit disappointed. We had fun while we were there- the restaurant was good and we met great people - but we left early because of the room.

Excellent! I highly recommend!

The lockers in the dorms didn't lock.

Definately the best hostel I have ever stayed in! Best location, safety and staff....And soo clean I couldn't believe it.

Good allround hostel, pool and parking is good. Only complaint is the wifi is only accessible through external providers and not through the hostel itself.

Everything is nice, the view on the table mountain is very beautiful Wifi is not for free - you have to pay and it is quite expensive. Hostel restaurant is overpriced, staff at the reception seems to be unexperienced