Johannesburg: Backpackers Ritz (Hostel)

Address: 1a north road, Dunkeld west , Johannesburg , South africa
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Lonely Planet Review

Some readers love the 'Ritz', but we're not convinced. You'll be sacrificing luxury, cleanliness and quiet for a great location (it's a safe hop-and-a-skip from Hyde Park Mall, and bars and restaurants), but it's lots of fun: there's a crypt-like bar and sunset braais with stunning views. It's in a characterful old mansion, yet curiously the dorm rooms are very large and the doubles a bit cramped. A real curate's egg: judge for yourself.

Dorms are large, not particularly sunny and perhaps in need of an overhaul, but they do the job thanks to the efficiency of the management and the consideration of the clientele, brought here largely thanks to good word of mouth. Private rooms, similarly, are boxy and lifeless if undeniably clean and ample. The property is surprisingly large (despite its entrance, hidden away at the end of the street, being almost invisible), with a rolling lawn, plenty of parking, a large swimming pool and, from the top of its hilly topography, the pièce de résistance: a jaw-dropping, fully 180-degree view of west Johannesburg. It's from up here that, during a braai (barbecue) on a perfect Highveld evening while watching the sunset, you'll never want to leave. Anything and everything else, provided with gusto by an energetic staff, becomes merely a bonus.