Penthouse on long Hostel Cape Town Update – the new hostel name is HomeBase Cape Town Backpackers. Same location and same excellent prices & services!
Traveling alone, finding the right hostel to stay it’s a bit difficult. You must find the perfect one; not the party hostel type, but not the boring, quiet hostel one. And if the hostel has a rooftop it can the one!
HomeBase Cape Town Backpackers
Location:
6th floor 112 Long Street/corner with 37th Strand Strett, Cape Town, South Africa. I am pretty sure that all the hostels in Cape Town are located on Long Street. The guesthouses and hotels are usually located at the end of this busy street. The location of Penthouse on long Hostel is excellent. Right in the heart of Cape Town, close to all the bars and restaurants. 5 minutes walking from Bo-Kaap and 10 minutes by foot from the train station. There are many ATM’S close to the hostels. And there is one in the hostel but when I was accommodated it was out of service.
Facilities
In terms of facilities, the hostels have almost what you need. The tours/travel Desk has every player you need; you don’t even need internet to check and for books, some tours; just look on the walls and you will find everything. Even some daily jobs. There is a nice board where you can write a tour you are willing to do and other quests can join you on that tour.
Breakfast is not included, but you can deposit your food in the refrigerators and there are plenty of restaurants where you can have a healthy breakfast for less than 4$!
WI-fi connection is decent for Africa; don’t expect to download a movie in 10 minutes; you are not allowed to do that. But Skype, email and other searches on the internet can be done without a hassle.
On the best facility of the hostel is the rooftop terrace! Lovely, quiet and the view is amazing!
Rooms & Prices
I paid 150 rands per night (that’s less than 14$ per night in Cape Town) in a Basic 8 Bed Mixed Dorm. It was not crowded and had plenty of space. I was alone for the first 2 nights so I had all the room for myself. I was a bit cold and the heating consisted in an Air Conditioning turned on with the heat. I was a bit noisy, but in the end, I managed to get a good sleep.
Atmosphere & Stuff
As I was saying before, the good atmosphere was made by the roof terrace. On Tuesday there is movie night and they played a Bond Movie. Even if it was almost winter, it was possible to stay there and to enjoy a beer. After the movie you just could stay there and play some pool or to watch them. Later on, the music was on; the Dj was a black gay dude whom made the atmosphere funny. The toilet had an amazing view: taking a pee and you could see an amazing Cape Town view by night!
Stuff had been helpful; a bit too old for my taste. They were doing their jobs well, but no more than that. I had met more friendly south africans’ in SA.
Recommendation: 8/10. You can book it online on booking.com!
