I booked two nights in Stumble Inn based on recommendation in Rough Guide South Africa and because the rating on hostelworld.com was fine. A day prior to going to Stellenbosch I came across the reviews on tripadvisor and honestly thought about cancelling my stay at Stumble Inn. But as I had already invested the non-refundable deposit and a one day notice to cancelling the accommodation is not fair in my point of view, I "took the risk" and am I happy to have done so.
I really cannot relate to the negative points from the recent reviews
- I felt safe all the time: A door code is needed to enter the building and all windows on the ground floor are barred and therefore not accessible from outside; of course if people let in strangers or leave the door unlocked this is not a failure of the hostel in my point of view
- the kitchen, bathroom and room was properly cleaned: Staff cleaned all facilities at least daily and also the dishes of lazy fellow travellers were cleaned and put away properly in the course of the day
The room however was recently refurbished and smelled like paint for one night, the smell was gone the next day though.
Stumble Inn also offers a well priced Wine tour called "Easy Rider", I found this better value than the official Stellenbosch hop on/hop off tour which only includes transport. The location is also superb compared to other hostels in Stellenbosch, as Stumble Inn is only 5-10 minutes walk from the main streets and you will not need a cab to get around.