Hostel The Backpack, Cape Town

Awesome location, friendly staff, nice, clean and secure

Location was great, staff were really friendly and the breakfast was good! Loved my stay here

There wasn’t anything that I didn’t like

Great service. I even booked another night.

The room was nice, simple but well decorated, pretty clean I have to say and loved that each room was named after some outstanding personality and you could read about them through the qr code. Loved the project behind, WASH, water for all. It is amazing to support properties that act in favour of the community

Reliably good

Everything else

The coffee

I had so much fun! The hostel is nice and cosy. The garden is perfect to chill and enjoy the sun. Beautiful view on the mountains also! I loved the share kitchen, it is well organized and very convenient! And the staff is lovely and super friendly The area is safe to walk and shops are very close by.

The place is amazing and there is a sense of community among the people who pass through Villa Viva

To be perfect it should have a gym area

Friendly staff. great location.

We did the Cape town Cycle tour. No option for earlier breakfast

Best hostel ever

Modest breakfast cereal, hard boiled eggs, fruits n breads

Noticed small ants in our room

We enjoyed the infrastructure of Villa Viva, the very nice and well decorated spaces, the amazing breakfast and the good service that we received !

everything

Safe area even though I would still not walk around at night, shared bathroom is very clean, wifi is fast, bed and duvet are comfortable. They have safety box for every guests as well. Breakfast is plenty.

You can easily hear if someone talks in the corridor due to door crack underneath or thinner wall. For light sleeper better bring ear plugs.

Excellent location, close to vibrant kloof street, nearby a bus stop. Fantastic view of table mountain, short trip to the cable way and lions head ( comfortable walking distance if you're feeling athletic). Nice that breakfast is included

Everything

Nothing really

Location, staff and the room were great. A lot of space inside and the toilet was just very well designed.

Nothing.

First of all it's a perfect place for solo travellers as it is a very social (but no party) hostel . It's so easy to meet other travellers in the bar or pool area and there is even a hostel whatsapp group to connect and plan activities. The breakfast is also great and the beds are very comfortable.

The amazing staff first of all, the people were lovely. Besides this is a big hostel so plenty of opportunity to connect with people. The price-value is good and it is in a centric spot in a relatively safe part of Cape Town. I also love the shared WhatsApp group that enabled organizing activities with different people in the hostel. Had the best times here.

The view from my room

The stairs to my room

Great location; shared room was very good with ensuite; great way to meet other travelers

Nothing

Real gem of a hostel and the best one I've stayed at in CT. It's social without being too party or loud, lots of different social areas, inside and out, for relaxing or meeting people. Loved the pool outside, which has a view of the gardens and table mountain. Breakfast each morning was decent and there's an active WhatsApp group for organising hikes/activities with others.

I stayed twice, my first dorm was much nicer with curtained beds and lots of space. The second time, the dorm was more basic and small, despite being more expensive. Sometimes it could be hard to find a free bathroom as there aren't many of them.

beds are very comfortable and visitors were obeying the silence rules after midnighr hrs.

Bathrooms are located very wierdly, you feel like it is a maze and you get lost until you find bathrooms.

Very pleasant atmosphere, relaxed and friendly. You feel safe even in a big city like cape town. Staff is very kind, responsive and ready to assist you.

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I liked that I could meet other people. Made a good friend on the very first day I arrived. I liked that the bed was comfortable and the bathrooms were clean.

I didn’t like that there wasn’t at least one bathroom in or close to the dormitory. It wasn’t comfortable walking around to find an available bathroom. Then I didn’t like how high the top bunk was and the ladder is so straight, made me so scared whenever I climbed up. There were no stools so everyone just kept their stuff on other people’s boxes. Breakfast was also not great, same meals daily and the juice was watered down.

♡ 95% of the staff are genuinely kind & helpful ♡ I loved Bruno hence his photo ♡ I met amazing people

Pros: Location Beds in dorms Spacious bathroom Spacious lockers Cool house overall Pool Views Breakfast was decent and included in room price

Cons: The dorm bathroom rail was broken, preventing us from having places to hang our towels. The shower had an issue - it had many ants

I really enjoyed my stay at Villa Viva. The facilities are clean and the staff is taking care that everyone feels comfortable. A big plus is the complimentary breakfast and the location is close to Kloof street with lots of food options. For everyone who needs to work, there's also a room, where you can work without getting distracted.

Sometimes you have to look for a free bathroom in the whole building.

We loved the ambiance, and certainly, the location is also a great spot . It was very convenient for all our activities.

We never had the privilege of hot water , which i found rather unfortunate as we were up quite early each day and using very cold water was a bit of a challenge

The Breakfast was okay. We only experienced a shortage of hot water there and there but overall everything was fine

The place is better as it is

Everything. The staff was amazing and lots of space.

Nothing. It was perfect

Love this place - stayed here many times in the past before its rebrand and its done well maintaining the vibe that made it popular in the first place. Very social, without being an overbearing party hostel. Great place to meet people, chill bar, very close to all the good things in Town. Fully recommend.

Traffic noise from some of the dorms is a bit unbearable at times.

breakfast and location

room is too small

The stuff, people I shared room with very friendly. What you see in the picture is what you get. It’s clean!!! Enough bathrooms

The check out time it’s too early but it’s okay.

Very easy going and helpful staff Clean dormitories comfortable beds

People snoring

One of the nicest hostels I’ve ever stayed in! Everything was clean, the rooms were comfortable and the staff was friendly and helpful. The breakfast has everything you need and the location is perfect to get around Capetown. Will definitely come again :)

Friendly

Some of the people my room was very rude

Casual atmosphere and welcoming staff

There was a surly guy at the front office that I interacted with a couple of times. On the day I finished my start it was early morning and the guy just said ‘key’. No that’s for staying et al

Breakfast, location

Other travel girls that feel entitled.

Very cool Vibe in the middle of the city and there is a view on the Table montain. People were fun. I wished I had planned more time there.

+friendly staff +i like hostel’s dog Bruno +great breakfast (extra fee for coffee) +perfect location next to Bookap colorful houses +very comfortable bed +rented hairdryers from the reception

-there were 3 spiders on our 1st day -we didn’t have hot water to take shower in the evening after 22:30, so we started to take shower around 20:00h -no shampoo or conditioner -room smelled like a mold -there is hole in the wall in bathroom next to the door in Bulungula room

Loved staying there, very comfortable and accessible. The staff is helpful and the patio at the back is perfect for evening booking reading. Limited but good breakfast

They could change the breakfast options on some days.

Location, Breakfast, the staff

The noise

Good location and safe.

We shared a bathroom with a lot of people, so one had to wait on a line to take a bath.

Everything

Nothing

The staff were exceptional and friendly. The location is superb, close to Table Mountain, walking distance to the Bo Kaap, lot of fantastic eateries and pubs around the area. I would definitely stay again but in a dormitory with bathroom inside.

The outside view surrounding table mountain and standing into Bookap street. Inner room cleannesses, ambiance, toiletries all are top notch Staffs are friendly Breakfast was great

A bit crowded and party freak and not soundproof especially the room close to common place and outdoor activities

My group of friends really enjoyed most of the stay. The staff were super helpful, really kind and professional. Love the staff!

My friends felt a little insulted on how the owner approached us when we came in with our gift boxes. The owner assumed it was for a party or event but it was only gift boxes. Other than that it was really nice.

Beds are super comfortable, good location and breakfast was nice too.

Nothing.

Good location - near restaurants/bars, close to table mountain and lions head Great view of table mountain Breakfast was nice Plenty of areas to chill out or work remotely if need be Staff are helpful

Double room was a bit small, but fine for what we needed Room smelt a bit damp and couldn’t lock from the inside