Even though a big chunk of travellers most likely come from first world countries, and find South Africa incredibly cheap, the average traveller - especially student travellers - look for affordable, yet proper and safe accommodation... Coz they're "in Africa" and all, ya know...
We recently decided to act all touristy and booked a night at the "All-star hostel", Once in Cape Town, located on the hip-and-happening Kloof Street. What a perfect place for the traveller described above. Packed with young tourists from all over the world, this is where youth hostel meets hotel: Vibey, centrally located, clean, catering for specific needs, and best of all, won't break a young'uns budget.
The setup is really great, with the first floor being a hostel/backpackers - you share the room with three other people and thus pay a little less for your bed. Each bed is custom made (extra length) with high quality soft white hotel linen, a reading light and locker to charge your electronics at night. Every shared room has a private bathroom.
The second floor has classic budget hotel rooms, while the third floor houses long term guests who are staying for longer than one month.
We checked in around 6pm and I was relieved that I didn't have to let my car sleep on the street - Once in Cape Town has secure private parking at the back for a few cars only, as I suppose most visitors are tourists anyway who probably make use of public transport and taxis.
Once checked in, we were escorted to our room, located on the second floor. It was clean, tidy and simple, with all the necessary amenities of a 3 star hotel in Cape Town: a private, clean bathroom; a TV; a safe; linen and towels; and to top it off, a splendid view of Table Mountain. Let me not forget the unusual décor which brought the room its own personality... weird. Pink scatter cushions with skulls printed on and the most peculiar painting hanging on the wall which looked like a nun lying in a rainfall of roses.
We had a fabulous night out, had dinner at a little Italian restaurant nearby, and were delighted that our lodging for the night was literally a stone's throw away. We unfortunately weren't able to get a lot of shut-eye with all the noise coming from downstairs and also being able to hear what was happening in the rooms next door - even the sound of text messages coming through. Then again, you can't always have your bread buttered on both sides. If you are looking for a party, a roof over your head which is affordable and much better than a traditional backpackers or youth hostel, Once in Cape Town is a win.
If, on the other hand, you aren't 21 anymore and really hoping to get a good night's sleep so that you are rested for your next day's travels, perhaps not.
With a "breakfast on the go" at Yours Truly café (located beneath Once in Cape Town) being included, each guest receives a piece of paper upon arrival and you can choose from the breakfast selection.
What we really didn't appreciate though was the service. No one assisted us with guiding us to how breakfast worked or where to hand in our papers with our breakfast selections. Once we figured it out and handed it to the guy behind the counter, he took it without saying a word. So we waited... Only for him to look up again and ask us what we were waiting for. He sent us over to the other side of the counter, where we waited again, not sure what to do now and feeling a bit like idiots. Being highly annoyed at this point, I approached another waiter (who I am convinced got a fright seeing me in my state of irritation). He quickly cleaned up the other guys mess and sorted us out in no time. We had a juice, a coffee (Yours Truly really does have amazing coffee), a fruit and a croissant with jam and cheese - more than enough to get the day going. What's pretty nice about the breakfast voucher is that if you happen to miss the breakfast slot, you can still use your voucher as a R20 contribution to your meal.
Staff are available to help with activity planning - from which festivals to go to, to hopping on the Bazbus (which departs from the front door) surfing, abseiling off Table Mountain, Garden route trips or going on a wine tour. This "All-star" hostel is definitely for the young (and of course young at heart) and you will surely experience Cape Town in a unique way.
Once in Cape Town is located at 73 Kloof Street, Cape Town. For more, go to www.onceincapetown.co.za.
