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En-suite, private room, dormitories and camping. BazBus Stop. The Green Elephant is the closest hostel to Groote Schuur Hospital, in the heart of Observatory, where University of Cape Town (UCT) students from all around the world live and meet each other. The attractions are pubs, coffee shops, restaurants, a golf driving range, the original Observatory, Groote Schuur Hospital (where the world's first heart transplant took place), theatres and small art galleries. The annual Obs Festival is held on the first Saturday in December.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Quaint
Residential Neighbourhood
Languages Spoken
English, Afrikaans, Swahili, Xhosa
Location
57 Milton Road, Observatory South Africa
Green Elephant
4.5 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
It is one thing to just go on a holiday, an internship, travel for work, or just get away....its another thing when you do it without a care in the world, in a home away from home...That's what Green Elephant Backpackers is. Right from the front desk at check in with either smiling Nyasha or Edwina, through the brisk brief tour up and down the house, to settling in....you are greeted with an assurance that you've come to the right place. The dormitories are clean and well kept, thanks to the wonderful team comprising of Madam Esther, Lulu, Vuzu, Farai..and their attention to detail in saving energy, water, and our lovely planet earth is enlightening. Whether you are staying for business or pleasure, you will have interesting moments with Thursday night all you can eat Pizza, special moments bring and braai, or just sitting at the bar with Nick or Marlon sipping your drink and listening to cool music. The backdrop of this place is the family setting it offers, with a large dining table in the kitchen for all to sit, facilitating discussion and idea exchanges about culturally diverse meals, large couches in the upper floor around a satellite tv, a large table in the library downstairs where people gather for discussions...It really is a home away from home! I am leaving tomorrow morning, and its like I wish I could just stay on and on....
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Date of stay: July 2015
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:the dormitories are clean. Generally quiet area, thus, any of the rooms are ok. No need to pick...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It was actually so brilliant, that we came back twice during our SA trip. Why? Because it simply felt like a second home! Super friendly, fun and caring staff; wonderful vibe; clean rooms (we had the private ones); cool people to hang out with; a real community kitchen, a bar with lovely events, a washing machine, free wifi and a free computer to use (yes, there are people out there who like travelling without smartphones) and a dog. And Obz itself. To be honest, we could have simply stayed longer.. But hey, after the trip is before the trip and we will definitely go back to the Green Elephant, that's for sure. -Anna Lena
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Date of stay: March 2016
Value
Rooms
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed here this summer for around 9-10 weeks whilst on placement at Groote Schuur hospital and I had an amazing experience from start to finish! Sorry for the looooooong review but I want to make sure I do it justice...
Soooooo from the beginning...I felt welcome straight away and (as a lot of people have already mentioned) it is a very homely setting. The hostel itself is set up in a very communal fashion with a big dining table, shared kitchen, lounge area, shared bathrooms & outside bar. This made for a very social atmosphere and the chance to meet all the other people staying there. In addition to this there are pizza nights, movie nights, organised trips etc etc so again plenty of opportunity to meet other guests & experience some of the things cape town has to offer. I stayed in a dorm for the majority of my stay and I had no issues at all, the dorms are lovely, they are cleaned regularly and they're spacious. Everywhere in the hostel was maintained to a really high standard (i.e. bathrooms were always clean and there was always at least one available). There was a nice mix of a few long term guests, the staff and then those travelling through green elephant which meant that there was always people around.
The hostel is in observatory, a quirky little neighbourhood not far from the city centre, which has plenty of good (and cheap) restaurants, bars, shops & a couple of supermarkets. I spent a lot of time in obs and loved it. I also had a brief stay in green point when I first arrived in CT and although I enjoyed it there too, I much preferred obs in terms of atmosphere, people and price! Obs also has its own train station which is handy for getting around on a budget and the hostel is near the main road where buses/minibuses are around constantly for transport into city centre. There are always things going on in obs but some things I definitely recommend are: -mr lins for sushi -TAGORES-v nice spot ran by some very decent people! -stones for happy hour and lots and lots of pool playing -Cafe ganesh for drinks and food -if you're staying more long term and want to join a gym (to counteract the copious amounts of wine and meat which will inevitably be consumed)-the kickboxing gym on lower main (ringmasters fighting acadamy) was really good! I'd never really done boxing before but they ran circuits class/spin classes etc..
I have a LOT of highlights from my time in SA but I have to say to say the thing that made my trip so special (obviously aside from the fact that south africa is glorious!!!) was my stay at green eli and the people I met here! I cannot thank the staff enough for being so bloody wonderful during my stay. I've (reluctantly) come back to the UK now but have come home with the most amazing memories. If ever I'm lucky enough to grace SA again I'd return to green elephant in a heartbeat.
PS- marlons music is one million times better than howards! (sorry howie!!!) haha x
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Date of stay: July 2015
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I recently stayed at the Green Elephant for two months. I stayed in a girls dorm and although it was a bit of a squeeze, the room was clean and the nights quiet. Being a volunteer I found the self serving kitchen to be very useful, the showers available and clean, and the option to do your own laundry beneficial. The location was perfect for walking to get food from the shops or tasty meals at local cafes/bars. The minibuses were also near by and it was only a short ride into downtown Cape Town. The reception staff were very friendly and knowledgeable of the area and provided local tours. Great place to stay at if you are looking for a short or extended period of time.
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Date of stay: November 2014
Rooms
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are two studentens who were doing an internship at a nearby hospital and stayed in a private house of the Green Elephant Backpackers for 5 weeks. We loved staying there! The staff is super friendly and helpfull - also with general advice about the city and all the cool stuff to do. The rooms are generally clean. The kitchen areas are shared. The only thing that is less good is that the wifi is sometimes not working so well, and the wifi room gets crowded with people in the afternoon/evening. Altogether I would definetely recoment anyone going to Cape Town to stay at the Green Elephant backpackers!
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: June 2016
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I came to Cape Town to do a placement at Groote Schuur Hospital for 6 weeks (just over the road so perfect for anyone doing a placement here!), and I felt at home straight away! The staff are all so wonderful, I could sit and talk to them for ages and they were so kind, helpful and smiley, making my stay so wonderful and always brightening up my day! The ladies who helped clean the hostel are also the sweetest people in the world! They were always teaching me Africaans and just generally making me smile and making it feel so homely. All the staff are just amazing people and I have so much love for them, and I miss them dearly!
The hostel in itself is a beautiful place, with beautiful murals on all the walls and many communal areas so everyone can chill together! The dorms are lovely and spacious and always spotless! There are loads of showers and toilets so you never have to wait! The kitchen is huge and has a lovely large table in the middle so you can all eat together if you want! The bar is wonderful and always a fun place for everyone to meet and hang out, I have had many a great evening there and it is just on your doorstep, well before the doorstep! There is pizza night on a thursday which is always great fun as pretty much everyone in the hostel does it, just like movie night on a sunday with popcorn!
The area is great! Observatory is a wicked little place with so many cool places where you can eat (cafe ganesh), drink (tagores, hello sailor, armchair), play pool or foozball (stones), go to live comedy (armchair), watch live music (tagores), shop for cool clothes (intsangu), food shopping at a big supermarket, train station and so much more!
But the people who stay there.. well I think the green ele just attracts the most amazing people! I have made friends for life staying there! It has a real family feel that makes everyone feel involved and we would always go out in groups from the hostel whether for a night out, mzolis, a hike, to first thursdays in town, museums, a day trip to the beach, a road trip camping and many many more amazing times! And in the hostel we often did a braai all together using the braai at the hostel. We would all bring meat and share it and it was so lovely and just beautiful to see everyone from all different countries together in one room enjoying some delicious food!
I could go on and on, but I could never really put into words everything that makes this hostel just so brilliant! So... you will have to go there for yourself and see! I know I will definitely be going back!
Big love to all at the Green Ele xxx
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Date of stay: August 2015
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:All the rooms are lovely!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
While not in the downtown core, the Green Elephant provides a great place to stay in the Observatory, a hipstery neighbourhood with bars full of microbrews and fancy food. The private room I was in was clean (and cleaned regularly). The water pressure in the ensuite shower was lacking, but the shared shower had great water pressure. The staff was friendly and all the amenities were good. The pool seemed to need work but I wasn't in Cape Town to swim in a pool anyway. The hostel had it's own bar which provided a rich opportunity to meet people.
They were also very willing to help arrange day trips for you, which I found to be very good. Highly recommended
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Date of stay: October 2015
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Very warm and family-like athmosphere! Green Elephant feels like a safe place in the still kind of rasphy Observatory area of Capetown. You get great value for your money, comfy, big beds even in the dorms.The whole place feels a little safe made. A big friendly team takes care of all facilities, that are clean, and can give gread advice on all kinds of traveller questions. Special thanks to Nyasha from the front desk for getting me that rental car, when everything was booked out! The Wi-Fi is free but a bit too slow. There are Pizza-nights, a sandwich guy, movie nights, even a small pool and a bar where people meet and are up for chat and a cold beer every night.
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Date of stay: February 2015
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Green Room is the biggest 6 bed dorm room!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed at the Green Elephant for 4 weeks whilst on my medical elective at Eerste River Hospital. This was my first experience of being away from home on my own so I was quite apprehensive but I needn't have worried, this hostel is great! The staff are incredible, extremely friendly and helpful and made me feel at home immediately. I stayed in a private room in the main house which was perfect for me as I didn't feel like I was disturbing another guests when having to get up early to go to the hospital. The room was comfortable and clean with a double bed, wardrobe with safe, dresser and sink. The hostel has great facilities with a guest kitchen, lounge, free wifi, well-equipped bar and even a small outdoor pool! There is a 24-hour reception so there is always a friendly face to help out with anything you might need at any hour. The hostel also feels very safe and I never needed to worry about my belongings. Regular activities are put on by the staff such as pizza night (all you can eat for 50rand!) and a movie night which are great opportunities for meeting other guests and making friends! Observatory (or Obs as the locals call it), where the hostel is located, is a great area to stay. Just five minutes walk from the hostel is Lower Main Road which offers lots of nice restaurants with every type of food you can imagine including Chinese and sushi, Mexican, pizza, burgers and much, much more. There is also a large Spar supermarket, a few bars and Observatory train station. There are security guards which patrol the streets at night and can escort you to/from the hostel after dark so I never felt in danger. You can get a taxi to the city centre in about 20 minutes for approx. 70 rand which the staff at the reception will happily arrange for you. Overall I would definitely recommend this hostel, whether you're just visiting Cape Town for a few days or staying for a few months! It's right next to Groote Schuur Hospital so particularly popular with medical elective students but I met people from all walks of life. I was amazed at how quickly the Green Elephant felt like home and that was really down to the brilliant staff so thank you so much! Hopefully I will be back to visit some day!
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Date of stay: June 2014
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The People which work there are so nice and friedly and help with all their knowlegde. I lived in Wesleystr 17 and the housekeeping woman is so friendly and knows a lot of things. The guys who run the hostel they helped me whenever i needed Information or help Thanks a lot for this week ( I am German so sorry for mistakes in writing and expressions)
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Date of stay: March 2014
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
To answer your first question yes it is safe, I just would not walk around the area at night. Would recommend either catching a taxi or Uber should you wish to go out at night.
Regarding the air conditioner I don't remember seeing one. As I stayed in one of the rooms it was a communal bathroom shared between 3 rooms. This was not an issue. Yes there is wifi available. But not in the rooms only near the office and bar area
Cape Town Central, South Africa9 contributions3 helpful votes
Hi, Please our cancellation policy bellow.
Cancellation Policy
Less than 7 days - 100% of deposit is forfeited.
7 to 21 days - 50% of deposit is forfeited.
Over 21 days - 25% of deposit is forfeited.
There are more places to choose from in the Observatory area.
PRICE RANGE
R 676 - R 785 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
South AfricaWestern CapeCape TownObservatory
NUMBER OF ROOMS
13
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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