Name: Gansbaai Lodge & Backpackers
Address: 6 Strand Street, 7220, Gansbaai, South Africa, Gansbaai, Gansbaai, Gansbaai, 7220, South Africa
Rating: 6

Air conditioning

Smoking areas

Security guard

Garden

Terrace

Fire Extinguisher

Outdoor furniture

General

Non-smoking rooms

Room service

Fridge

Family room

Indoor Fireplace

Shower/Bathtub

Shower

Rooms

Wheelchair Accessible

Accessibility

Restaurant

Kitchen

Microwave oven

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Free internet

Internet

Airport transportation

Transfer services

Transfer

Barbecue grill(s)

Fishing

Recreation

Parking

Parking nearby

Location

At the hotel

Room amenities

Gansbaai Lodge & Backpackers

Gansbaai

We were a group of 6 hikers walking the Pilgrimage of Hope trail.  We had walked from Wortelgat Outreach Trust to Gansbaai and were super tired when we arrived at the backpackers.  There was no one there to let us in when we arrived and when Rene did rock up we had to pay an extra R20 each in order to secure the use of old towels. The place itself is OK for a backpackers but the owner/manager is both unfriendly and argumentative. An unpleasant experience for us all. 

Unpleasant interactions with owner

Nice place to stay for budget travellers. Also they can arrange shark cage diving which is a very must thing to do when you are in South Africa. And the host is very helpful with all the things you require.

Accommodation with shark cage diving

We visited this backpacker many times. The Location is great and the house is just amazing. We love the view on the ocean! 
The host is always available and on time when you need to enter the venue. He is very helpful and kind. We can just recommend to stay there when you visit Gansbaai and the sharks! 
Amira and Tom

Great backpacker

It has a bed to rest your head but nothing more. We arrived and had to call the owner so that we could check in. The owner arrived 20 minutes later. As internationals we were very lucky to have a sim card to call him otherwise we would have been stuck. There was no soap to wash hands. My boyfriend cut his hand on the gate and there was no first aid box to stop the bleeding. There was no hot water. The bathroom door was a sliding piece of wood not big enough to fit the door frame. It was noisy at night until late. Not a good thing when you have to wake up early for shark cage diving. The owner was very nice but the place is not worth it and needs desperate updating.

Not worth it

This is by far the worst hostel experience and also my worst rating on TripAdvisor. Not because I want to hurt the owner, but because I want to warn other travelers. Because it all seemed like a bad joke. First of all, I want to emphasize that the building in the photos and the address given is most likely NOT the place you'll stay if you've already booked. Then we just got to the house and locked the doors. No reception, no reception. At one door you find a phone number with the request to call.

I'd rather not book.

Reading some of the other reviews, I’m surprised by the negative comments as our experience was quite positive. Perhaps because of the excellent preceding email communication with the manager, Rene beforehand, we knew how their system worked and what to expect. We had lovely accommodations and had a braai on the rooftop with fantastic ocean view and the full moon only made things better. 
The shark cage diving was disappointing though, a completely commercial endeavor, it ranked far below what I expected as a seasoned scuba diver. Next time I’d rather do it in the winter with a small, specialized outfitter.
Overall, we had a great time.

Came to see sharks

Excelent place to stay and affordable, very clean, and beautiful place, very very clean. Will definitely stay at Gansbaai Backpackers again. The staff was very helpful and friendly, Assisting us and showing us where to go, to find the best reastaurants in the area.

Gansbaai Backpackers

The accommodation is good for spending a night, when you go scuba diving with sharks, for example. We were 4 men and we stayed only one night in a room for 4 people. The room was typical of a hostel with 2 beliches. It seemed clean to me, although it smells a little strange (I believe it's near the sea). There's no breakfast or anything like that. As you must have read here, the hotel doesn't have a reception, so if you don't have a phone to call the owner when you arrive you'll have trouble checking in. We called when we arrived and it still took about 15 minutes to get there. We were prepared for that, so it wasn't any surprise.

A good place for a night

The manager, who had no change for the payment, mistreated him and suggested that we solve it ourselves. Very basic, nothing clean or cozy. One bathroom, one shower and toilet, for all guests.

The Song of Songs

A good base to stay in Gansbaai to do shark cage diving. Clean hostel, with good facilities, room with adequate space, has kitchen, room, collective bathroom, finally, it is a house, with rooms where they are sold daily to sleep on the beds. However, take care of your reservation, I made by booking.com, as directly with the hostel was cheaper, I asked to book there and I canceled my reservation at the booking, as requested by the owner. After I cancelled the reservation, the owner informed me that there were no more vacations, being that I had already made my bed for me. A tremendous confusion that only resolved after my threat of wandering the diving booking.com port had a good choice, and the owner had a choice to check out a good distance and a good night's sleep, and all of our boats and boats were not treated well.

Gansbaai Lodge & Backpackers

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