Cheap Accommodation In Cape Town

Cheap has a different meaning for different people. What might be cheap for one might still be a bit high for another. Some will be looking for really cheap with no regard to area or the type of accommodation while other people will want cheap but within a few parameters.

Nine out of ten times the backpacker’s lodges will be the really cheap accommodation. For the young and young at heart this will be ideal. If you don’t mind to share a room with 10 or so other people and make a trip at night, to a possible far off bathroom, this will be your ideal cheap accommodation. Backpackers are extremely popular and many have changed over the years to allow you more choices. Obviously if you want private facilities you will pay more, but it will still be a lot cheaper than a cheap hotel for instance.

Backpacker’s Lodges

Longstreet Backpackers has been around for a long time and they have been voted as the number 1 backpacker’s lodge in Africa many times. What makes this place so unique is the location right in town and close to everything. There are double and single rooms available, as well as small apartments with their own bathrooms.

Most backpacker lodges in Cape Town are roughly around R100 per night for a shared dorm room. Private rooms and rooms with bathrooms will cost more. Chill & Surf and Cape Town Backpackers are two of the cheapest ones but it will take a lot to beat the new Ashanti Backpackers in Green Point where dorm rooms are R50.

Many of Cape Town’s trendy backpackers are situated in the city for easy access to transport, the many tourist areas in the city and the night life.

Self Catering

Families or people with small children might prefer something more private or less noisy and busy. Self catering flats might then be a better option. To find something really cheap you can try the classifieds of the Cape Town newspapers. Most of them are online or you can also look at gumtree.co.za on the Cape Town page. Private owners might offer accommodation at a cheaper fee than websites and agencies. This, however, might be a risky option and while most people are honest about what they offer, you won’t have any backup or a chance to read reviews from other people that visited. You might end up with something unsuitable that can have a negative impact on your holiday.

Outside the City

In most places accommodation a bit out of the city, is cheaper. With Cape Town it is, unfortunately very seldom the truth. The areas around the city are very popular and some of the most luxurious accommodation choices are here. Your best bet for cheaper self- catering will be around Green Point and Sea Point.  With a bit of luck you will find something around R600 for four people. In season this will, most of the time, not be the case. If you look at prices on the website you will find prices can differ between R600 and R3000. The R600 will usually be during the lowest season while during popular times such as December and school holidays you will easily pay R3000 for that same accommodation.

Budget hotels are also available and the safest bet is always the Holiday Inn group or the Protea Hotel group. Here you will look at prices from about R500 per person per night.

For real cheap accommodation there is nothing that beats a backpacker’s lodge.