I LOVE this place!!! Architecturally & environmentally so pleasant, flowing interesting. Kind & friendly staff. Clean, quiet. I could stay forever

I like the wonderful breakfast.

Green vibe. Lovely friendly staff . Excellent breakfast.

Well kept, beautiful view of Table Top Mountain. Parking for a small fee on site was very useful. I thought there was a laundry room on site, but I was wrong, they can send laundry out to be done and returned the next day.

Excellent location and nice staff. It’s overpriced and overrated as well. I expected more based on the reviews. The room seemed old and had a weird smell. The breakfast is only cereal and bread. It’s supposed to be an eco friendly hostel but is more to save money than anything else. Encourage you to not flash the toilet and saved the water you used after taking a shower! That was odd to me.

great, really clean location with a fun vibe. very easy to meet other travelers. The breakfast was awesome!

Hotel is very close to all the bars and restaurants, has a cozy environment that’s easy to meet people. There’s also a lot of tour options. I would definitely stay here again. Only down size is it’s a bit more expensive than the other hostels.

Fabulous friendly hostel

Fabulous friendly hostel across three converted neighbouring houses in the safe and walkable Gardens area of Cape Town, and worthy of their reviews and awards. Great location for bars, restaurants, supermarkets (KwikSpar and Woolworths 5min walk away on Kloof Street) and transport to the popular tourist spots. Friendly staff, who are able to recommend and arrange tours and car rentals for you. Affordably priced bar spread across an indoor and exterior covered terrace with TVs for sport, and pool tables. Private rooms are well appointed and away from the bar so noise is not an issue. Water cuts are not a problem and they have solar panels so you won't be affected by any power outages either.

Good central hostel

This is a good hostel in a central location. Pros: fair trade, with a social mission; spacious room (I had a private single); close to restaurants and bars; clean Cons: wifi didn't work several times, including once overnight; close to busy road (noise); noisy guests; hostel itself doesn't organize social events

Absolutely amazing place... the owner, staff, ideology and layout make this better than other hostels i’ve stayed at that seem to have higher ratings... by far a much better experience!! Book directly with The Backpack to save some money and help give a bigger percentage back to the community!

Wonderful friendly hotel close to Table Mountain.

Super friendly staff especially Clare the intern and Jabulani the bartender. Loved the eco-friendly nature of the hostel. For example we had bins to put bath water in due to the shortage in CT. Also the lounges were comfy and the free breakfast was a feast! Highly recommended!

Best backpackers ever!

Spacious room, very great atmosphere in communal areas, *amazing* breakfast, helpful and friendly staff, can't recommend this place enough.

Beautiful Hotel with Perfect Staffs

It was recommended by my friend to stay in this hostel and it was definitely a great choice without regrets. The actual environment is exactly the same as the photos published in the web, well, I stayed in a single room and it was cozy! Nice dining place and reception area, as well as the pool (though I did not have time to use it but just walked by). The staffs were all friendly and nice, it really felt like at home.

Amazing location, great people

Overall, an amazing hostel. A fantastic way to meet people, and wonderful staff. The facilities were clean, but not pristine. I guess it was what I expect at a hostel. Overall, I highly recommend it for anyone looking to meet people and have a great time.

My Stay

Very comfortable

Great location

Hostel is whithn a 5-10 min walk to ling street. bree street, and loop st, popular hang outs i cape town. it is clean, quiet, and safe. Breafast is free and actually good! They have 24 hrs security guards and a parking lot for those who rent a car. Just a great place!

Very nice, no frills but very well done.

Great location. Very nice accommodation. Comfortable.

Solo traveler, short visit

I had a wonderful stay at The Backpack recently. A week before arriving they helped me arrange airport transfer and book some tours. The staff was great, very helpful, and a pleasure to speak to. It was a friendly atmosphere and easy to meet and talk to other travelers.

It will do.

Main staff could be nicer, they consistently seemed put out any question I had and sometimes even my mere presence. Not the most welcoming of feelings. Room was clean and fine although it didn't look like the photos. Neighbors were quite noisy even late but that can't be helped - it's a hostel. Overall not the worst one I have stayed in but also not the best, but certainly works if you just need a place to stay for a bit on your travels.

Average

Nice communal area. Noisy at night from other guests which is of course variable but also noisy from trucks going by on the road as the windows don't shut. No aircon. Room smelt damp. Good staff service behind reception. Limited space for parking but you just have to block in. Average for price.

Well run, clean, friendly, excellent breakfast and very convenient location - walking distance to downtown.

Great hostel

Great location! Easy to walk anywhere in Cape Town. Breakfast was fabulous and fresh everyday. Staff was helpful and set us up on tours within a short notice. Clean, safe, fun! Free parking available if you decide to rent a car like we did. I would definitely recommend this hostel and stay again!

Bad stay in studio

Upon arrival we were greeted by slow staff, which told us, that our studio is 5 minutes drive from the Hostel. Unfortunately, in the studio there was a problem with water temperature control - only cold or hot. With Wi-Fi could connect at one point only 1 equipment and and finally in the room dripped A/C. All the problems at the Studio we called the staff on the day we arrived, who promised to solve the second day repaired it. The following day, after breakfast, I again agree with a promise resolve continuing on the same day morning. Throughout our stay with problems which we reported nothing happened.

Clean, fresh.

Nice place, close to the centre

Staff are really helpful in recommending activities and booking things. Very sociable environment, really easy to meet and talk to new people.

We've stayed here 2 years ago and it did not disappoint this time either. We had 2 children traveling with us this time and they loved the pool. It was located conveniently to some good restaurants that we were able to walk to and not too far from Table Mt. The staff was helpful and friendly.

A good stay at The Backpack

We enjoyed our stat The Backpack. Great location, clean rooms and common areas, and the place does a lot for the community. The gift shop is nice to pick up small gifts for those back home. We would stay here again!

A few small negatives, but overall, a nice stay

This is our second stay at The Backpack. We stayed in October, 2014 as well, and were happy to return for the fun, laid back atmosphere. We love the decorations, the cleanliness of the rooms and common areas, the central location (close to great restaurants), and how The Backpack gives back to those in need. Having free breakfast was a nice touch, but the wifi was spotty every evening of our 3 night stay. Our room this time was small, and although the sky light did open for a partial view, our room was lacking the natural light and beautiful views that some of the other rooms offer. The only negative was one of the front desk attendants, while helpful, was not very friendly and made us, the customers, feel like we were an inconvenience. Overall, we were happy with our stay and would stay again.

Reasonable hostel

Good hostel nice atmosphere, little far from the centre of town but manageable

This is a best place to meet and make friend with

Overall, it is very good.

Great hostel

Best hostel I've ever stayed at staff were very helpful . Great people stayed there . Was never bored

outstanding place to stay in Cape Town

The Backpack is a charming, relaxing, safe, and pleasant place to stay in Cape Town, right at the base of Table Mountain. It is conveniently located near shopping, great restaurants, and night life, and with easy access to the waterfront. There is plenty of free parking available. The rooms are colorful, spacious and spotless, and there are plenty of quiet places to sit and relax indoors and out. The staff are helpful and friendly and are happy to arrange tours and provide information about getting around. There is an excellent cafe that serves coffee and delicious home-cooked breakfast, (and I believe also lunch, and dinner), and well equipped kitchens. The Backpack has beautiful gardens, a small library, and even a swimming pool!

As advertised!

Great stay. Staff very friendly and building very charming. Pool area was a real treat. But pricey for a hostel but happy to support such a great company supporting the local community.

overjoyed

Safe clean pleasant and very much secure

Weird place

Very weird staff and tenants. Also felt very unsafe in the area of the hostel and would not recommend walking anywhere.

We love Viva Villa Hostel! We stayed at superior double with bathroom. The room is cozy and comfortable, and the bathroom is very clean and easy to use. The staffs are gentle, and breakfast is delicious. The interiors are so nice, which I felt their artistic spirits about. The access to Table Mountain is good!

Awesome Hostel in a awesome City

Simply one of the best Hostels in one of the greatest cities in the world I‘ve stayed in!!! Make sure to get the family room as it has great views to Table & Lion Head Mountain. Staff is super friendly & helpful!!!

Bel ostello , in buona posizione .

Buon ostello ben tenuto ottima pulizia buona colazione ,bella camera con aria condizionata . A pochi passi dal centro di Cape Town , vicino a locali ,ristoranti, pizzerie,pub e supermercati.

Rzvc

Loved the Vibe at Villa Viva.

Fijne locatie, dichtbij restaurants en supermarkten. Ook dichtbij bezienswaardigheden zoals V&A Waterfront, kabelbaan naar Table Mountain & Lion’s head. Gratis voor de deur parkeren. Mooi hostel met lief personeel. Het was schoon, met zwembad en fijn ontbijt. Wat wil je nog meer?? Soms wat gehorig (weg en gasten) maar tussen 22:00-07:00 zeker heel stil.

Supert opphold

Hyggelig personale, bra lokasjon, fine rom og et koselig basseng

Fair Eco Hostel but beware of your room location

Beware of the room facilities because there are rooms in which the bathroom is outside (Cape town can be a cold and rainy place) in open areas. Shower is not good at all (tried 3 different in the hostel) but maybe this is because of the water concerns and eco view from the hostel. Friendly staff, location is good but right in front there are people living in the streets (what is common in many areas of city centre). My room was not good concerning silence. Also there were lots of families with children during my stay.

Sehr tolle und gemütliche Unterkunft mit vielen interessanten Begegnungen. Jederzeit wieder!

Atento as ruas proximas nao andar

O que me salvou foi os brasileiros que trabalham no local . Mas duas coisas chatas aconteceu roubaram meu sabonete organico que esqueci no banheiro um noite e minha champanhe que tinha meu nome beberam . E administracao nada fez pessimo. Eu nao volto.

Horrible

Un cauchemar ce séjour à cet hôtel ! Tout était censé se dérouler à merveille pour mon anniversaire. Je réserve et paye pour une chambre familiale pour 5 nuits. La responsable a jugé bon pour rentrer dans ses frais de nous donner une chambre standard simple sous les combes (Je fais 1m80 je vous laisse imaginé) avec l'odeur, l'humidité et la vétusté de la chambre. Comme nous n'étions que deux nous avons eu cette chambre à la place de celle initialement payé. Nous nous sommes donc rendu à la réception le lendemain pour leur faire part de notre mécontentement car la veille nous sommes arrivés tard le soir et c'est le vigile de l'auberge qui nous a fait l'enregistrement. La Responsable ose nous répondre qu'elle ne voyait pas le problème car nous n'étions que deux personnes et que nous étions dans une auberge et non un hôtel (allez chercher l'erreur nous payons pour une prestation et on nous demande de quoi nous plaignons nous ??). Et là a commencé le début de notre cauchemar car non seulement elle nous a mis à la porte nous n'avions plus de logement dans un pays étranger(en Afrique du Sud) de surcroît deux filles et à cause de ses mensonges Hôtel.com a refusé de nous reloger car elle leur a dit que nous avons refusé d'accepter la chambre standard. Résultat des courses à 19h nous étions à la rue à chercher nous même un autre hôtel qui était pour la plupart complet. Un anniversaire catastrophique à cause d'une mauvaise personne. Faite également attention à hôtel.com car quand on

Liebevoll eingerichtetes und sehr nett geführtes Hostel, fußläufig der Long Street

Nettes Team, saubere Zimmer, leider sehr laut und mittelmäßige Lage

Ich habe in dem Hostel eine Nacht in einem der Zelte verbracht, wirklich eine tolle Ausstattung. Super Erfahrung!