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All 131 Cape Town Central accommodations »

The Backpack

74 New Church Street, Cape Town Central 8001, South Africa
Hotel amenities
The Backpack
4.5 of 5 stars 113 Reviews
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113 reviews from our community

What travellers say about this Speciality lodging
  • Table Mountain(19)
  • Long street(11)
  • Great location(8)
  • Very clean(7)
  • Helpful staff(3)
Traveller rating
    64
    37
    7
    2
    3
Only show reviews for Family (4) | Couples (23) | Business (3)
Date Rating
istanbul
Senior Contributor
23 reviews 23 reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
11 helpful votes 11 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 May 2012
1
person found this review helpful

I stayed in the female dorm in may 2012 for one night. Such a good experience. The beds are very comfortable, bathroom very clean, with towels. Very lively bar, cafe, library and a lot of info about south Africa, tours etc. I took a township tour from the reception and it was the my best experience in cape town. The... More

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See 3 more reviews by lea_cocappi for Cape Town Central
Chicago, Illinois
Senior Contributor
33 reviews 33 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 May 2012

My friend and I recently took a trip to SA and we were initially going to only stay at The Backpack for 2 days and then look for another hostel. We ended up staying here because it has a convenient location and isn't trashy like the hostels on Long St. This place is really nice. It's a huge compound with... More

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See 2 more reviews by TravelBunnyFooFoo for Cape Town Central
London, United Kingdom
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 29 April 2012

Thoroughly enjoyed our stay here, the hostel is extremely well organised and in an excellent location near all the nightlife. Slightly pricey, but well worth the excellent service and facilities in return.

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See 2 more reviews by jicks for Cape Town Central
Eleni Good, Duty Manager at The Backpack, responded to this review
14 May 2012

Thank you for reviewing our hostel on Tripadvisor. It is lovely to hear that you were happy with yoru stay here at The Backpack. We are really proud of our location as we are close enough to key places, but a nice distance away that you can get a good rest at night. We hope that you will be able... More

1 review
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 26 April 2012

Stayed in 8 bed dorm basic bunk beds but comfortable matress and pillows only problem is lack of storage space for 8 even worse if its 8 girls like my group! Good service some staff were rude but i suffered a language barrier as she was from portagul. Night entertainment is good background music and tv in the bar and... More

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Eleni Good, Duty Manager at The Backpack, responded to this review
14 May 2012

Thank you for taking the time to review our hostel on Tripadvisor. We are sorry that you felt that there wasn't enough space for storage in your room, as we have made sure that each person in the 8 bed dorm has a cupboard to store the bags,etc. We will be sure to look into it though. It is awesome... More

York, United Kingdom
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 26 April 2012

What can I say Ive stayed in a few hostels but this was the best ive stayed in. Amazing location right in the centre of Cape Town. Rooms are clean theres plenty of toilets and showers. Food was spot on and the backpack has theme nights a couple of times a week. The hostel has a travel centre were you... More

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See 5 more reviews by Woodster554 for Cape Town Central
Eleni Good, Duty Manager at The Backpack, responded to this review
14 May 2012

Thank you for your review on Tripadvisor. We are really glad that you had an awesome time at The Backpack and that your time here is making you want to visit Cape Town again. The hostel is made up of four Victorian style houses, so the wooden floors can sometimes be a little noisey, but we love the character and... More

Arnhem
1 review
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 April 2012

I have stayed 5 nights in a 4-bed mixed dorm. Very nice and clean bed with your own bedlight. It was obvious that the owners manage a backpackers since a long time: very professional and perfectly adapted to what travellers need: 30 minutes free internet every day, a travel desk, a personal safe, good staff and cleaning etcetera. I'll come... More

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Eleni Good, Duty Manager at The Backpack, responded to this review
14 May 2012

Thank you for reviewing our hostel on Tripadvisor. It is awesome to hear that you got to experience all the postive vibes coming from the Backpack. We always strive ourselves in trying to ensure our guests have the best stay possible. We hope that you will come visit us again in the future. Kind Regards Eleni Good More

North Petherton
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 11 April 2012

We have just returned from our very first trip to South Africa. The backpack staff were wonderful, friendly and helpful nothing being too much trouble. The rooms were excellent, with the most comfortable beds!! The location is great, so close to everything. We took the advice of the staff to book excellent trips that made everything just more special. If... More

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See 3 more reviews by alison b for Cape Town Central
Eleni Good, Duty Manager at The Backpack, responded to this review
14 May 2012

Thank you for reviewing our hostel on Tripadvisor. It is awesome to hear that you had a good time while staying with us at The Backpack and that all your questions were answered by our guests. We look forward to welcoming you back in the near future. Kind Regards Eleni Good More

Bristol, United Kingdom
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 April 2012
1
person found this review helpful

My boyfriend and I stayed here for 2 nights, it was a great base to have in Cape Town. The parking was convenient and you could walk to all the main attractions. The staff were incredibly helpful and friendly. The room was very clean and comfortable - we had a private double and the facilities were clean and very close... More

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Eleni Good, Manager at The Backpack, responded to this review
9 April 2012

Thank you for taking the time to review our hostel on Tripadvisor. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us, and was able to admire that stunning views that we are fortunate to have around our hostel. It is unfortunate that there was some noise during the evenings that may have caused disturbance for you. We... More

Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 March 2012

The people who work in the backpack are not friendly and helpfull. the atmosphere is not good. Do you really want to meet nice people and a nice place?? Go to Ashanti!

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Eleni Good, Manager at The Backpack, responded to this review
9 April 2012

Thank you for reviewing our hostel on Tripadvisor. We are sorry that you did not enjoy your stay with us at the Backpack. The Backpack staff always try to ensure that all our guests have an awesome time with us. Should you decide to stay with us again, we hope that you will have a more enjoyable time. Kind Regards... More

toronto
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 March 2012

I did my research before booking and read through a ton of reviews before booking. The backpack really did turn out to be a little slice of heaven. I stayed here after a 55 day overland trip beginning in Uganda and it was absolutely perfect. The staff were incredible and so helpful when recommending activities and answering any questions I... More

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See 2 more reviews by wrldflightie for Cape Town Central
Eleni Good, Manager at The Backpack, responded to this review
9 April 2012

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review about our hostel on Tripadvisor. It is really awesome to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us at the Backpack. We always strive to ensure that our guests have the best stay possible. We are glad that we could end your trip for you on a high note. Please... More

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Additional Information about The Backpack

74 New Church Street, Cape Town Central 8001, South Africa
Price range (per night):* S$23 - 118

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