0.3 business
Address:
75 observatory avenue, Observatory extension
, Johannesburg 2198 Johannesbu, South africa
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Lonely Planet Review
- Alistair Simmonds
- Lonely Planet author
In a large, somewhat grotty old mansion is this lively backpackers with enthusiastic staff and excellent views from its sunny braai deck. A case of 'what you see is what you get' here, with communal areas left largely untouched from a distant heyday and a general doziness that seems to have settled along with decades of dust. It all makes for a strangely soporific experience (particularly for this kind of accommodation, more often associated with rowdiness) and the large spaces don't bring too much warmth. But the rooms - scattered about and hidden away in the mansion's unexpected corridors and recesses - have an individual flair and are clean and comfortable. The bar/pool table/swimming pool combo expected of South African hostels are present and accounted for, as is a sundeck, with great views of Joburg's eastern expanse. In summer the roof doubles as an observation deck for the city's famous electric storms.
