Ballito Backpackers
TrustIndex
0
Ranking
#9
in Travel & Vacation
NPS Score
0
Recommended: Unlikely
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Share Your Experience1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
WARNING: DO NOT BOOK AT BALLITO BACKPACKERS – A COMPLETE ****! Our experience at Ballito Backpackers was beyond appalling – it was a nightmare from start to finish. If you’re considering staying here, DON’T. We were outright conned by misleading advertising and suffered through rude, *********** management, filthy conditions, and blatant dishonesty. False Advertising & Deception Our booking promised a beautiful courtyard with garden views. In reality, there was no courtyard, no garden, and certainly no view—unless you count a rundown property with zero charm. The images online are a complete misrepresentation of what you actually get. Management: Rude, Aggressive, and Unprofessional Upon arrival, we were “greeted” (if you can call it that) by Augustine, the so-called manager. He was hostile, unhelpful, and made it painfully clear he had no interest in assisting guests. When we raised concerns about our room not matching the listing, we asked to upgrade. His response? A flat-out lie. He told us we could only upgrade the following Monday. However, we personally checked and saw the upgraded room was EMPTY. When we confronted him, he became aggressive and defensive. How is someone like this even employed in hospitality? Disgusting, Unlivable Conditions The first room we were given had a broken bed. After persistent complaints, we were finally moved—only to find the new room had a mattress with springs sticking out, dirty bedding, and an overall unhygienic state. We repeatedly requested clean sheets and housekeeping—only to be ignored. Eventually, we took matters into our own hands, taking the bedding to be deep cleaned at our own expense because it was too filthy to sleep in. Verbally Abusive & Aggressive Staff If you thought Augustine was bad, Mrs. Mayuri Singh takes the cake for the most disgusting and aggressive hotel manager we have ever encountered. After we cleaned our own bedding, she stormed into our room, screaming at us, falsely accusing us of theft, and threatening to call the police. Her behavior was completely unhinged, and we were left with no choice but to slam the door in her face just to get some peace. ****ming Disabled Guests To add insult to injury, we booked a private room for a disabled guest, only to find out it was actually a shared dorm with eight strangers. This blatant deception is inexcusable. When we requested a refund, they flatly refused. After more fighting, we demanded an extra mattress so our guest could stay in our room, but again, Singh made this a battle. She has zero compassion, zero professionalism, and should not be in any customer-facing role. A **** Operation Masquerading as a Backpackers Ballito Backpackers deceives guests, takes their money, and then turns hostile when confronted. It is not a legitimate hospitality establishment—it’s a trap designed to lure unsuspecting travelers in with **** listings. We are now trying to get in contact with the owner, Grant, because as a luxury travel and lifestyle magazine, we are horrified by what we endured for nine days. This was hands down the worst accommodation experience in our professional careers. Final Warning: AVOID AT ALL COSTS! For actual quality accommodations in Ballito, visit our website: www.adventurelifestylemagazine.com.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
WARNING: DO NOT BOOK AT BALLITO BACKPACKERS – A COMPLETE ****! Our experience at Ballito Backpackers was beyond appalling – it was a nightmare from start to finish. If you’re considering staying here, DON’T. We were outright conned by misleading advertising and suffered through rude, *********** management, filthy conditions, and blatant dishonesty. False Advertising & Deception Our booking promised a beautiful courtyard with garden views. In reality, there was no courtyard, no garden, and certainly no view—unless you count a rundown property with zero charm. The images online are a complete misrepresentation of what you actually get. Management: Rude, Aggressive, and Unprofessional Upon arrival, we were “greeted” (if you can call it that) by Augustine, the so-called manager. He was hostile, unhelpful, and made it painfully clear he had no interest in assisting guests. When we raised concerns about our room not matching the listing, we asked to upgrade. His response? A flat-out lie. He told us we could only upgrade the following Monday. However, we personally checked and saw the upgraded room was EMPTY. When we confronted him, he became aggressive and defensive. How is someone like this even employed in hospitality? Disgusting, Unlivable Conditions The first room we were given had a broken bed. After persistent complaints, we were finally moved—only to find the new room had a mattress with springs sticking out, dirty bedding, and an overall unhygienic state. We repeatedly requested clean sheets and housekeeping—only to be ignored. Eventually, we took matters into our own hands, taking the bedding to be deep cleaned at our own expense because it was too filthy to sleep in. Verbally Abusive & Aggressive Staff If you thought Augustine was bad, Mrs. Mayuri Singh takes the cake for the most disgusting and aggressive hotel manager we have ever encountered. After we cleaned our own bedding, she stormed into our room, screaming at us, falsely accusing us of theft, and threatening to call the police. Her behavior was completely unhinged, and we were left with no choice but to slam the door in her face just to get some peace. ****ming Disabled Guests To add insult to injury, we booked a private room for a disabled guest, only to find out it was actually a shared dorm with eight strangers. This blatant deception is inexcusable. When we requested a refund, they flatly refused. After more fighting, we demanded an extra mattress so our guest could stay in our room, but again, Singh made this a battle. She has zero compassion, zero professionalism, and should not be in any customer-facing role. A **** Operation Masquerading as a Backpackers Ballito Backpackers deceives guests, takes their money, and then turns hostile when confronted. It is not a legitimate hospitality establishment—it’s a trap designed to lure unsuspecting travelers in with **** listings. We are now trying to get in contact with the owner, Grant, because as a luxury travel and lifestyle magazine, we are horrified by what we endured for nine days. This was hands down the worst accommodation experience in our professional careers. Final Warning: AVOID AT ALL COSTS! For actual quality accommodations in Ballito, visit our website: www.adventurelifestylemagazine.com.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
It was a nice place to stay. Super close to everything - very CENTRAL!!! The ladies we shared a room with were super nice, and we were so relieved as we knew upfront that it was dorm style living. On the flip side though.... The staff were very rude - never a smile on their face - Not something you want to see when you are on your holiday! The Manager never asked us if we are prepared to move rooms, she just told us we HAVE to move. She was prepared to inconvenience us, to please other guests that arrived after us - was this just because we were girls travelling alone? Upon arrival (26 Dec) we were checked into room 20. The next day (27 Dec) we were moved to Room7 - This room was not clean, they only cleaned it on 28 Dec. The third room we had to move to (Room16) we moved to on 30 Dec, the aircon in this room did not work - it leaked water when in use, we could not even put our bags on the floor - they had to be on our beds!!! Moving around so much was truly an inconvenience!!!! Did not understand why, and it was also never explained to us? We checked out on 1 Jan, the end of our moving holiday!! The stay was comfortable. I would have just liked to be treated like a human and not a dog in a kennel that can be moved from pillar to post at the drop of a hat!!! Our money is the same as everybody else. We worked very hard all year long, in order to save, to go on our first holiday after studying without our parents helping us out!!
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
It was a nice place to stay. Super close to everything - very CENTRAL!!! The ladies we shared a room with were super nice, and we were so relieved as we knew upfront that it was dorm style living. On the flip side though.... The staff were very rude - never a smile on their face - Not something you want to see when you are on your holiday! The Manager never asked us if we are prepared to move rooms, she just told us we HAVE to move. She was prepared to inconvenience us, to please other guests that arrived after us - was this just because we were girls travelling alone? Upon arrival (26 Dec) we were checked into room 20. The next day (27 Dec) we were moved to Room7 - This room was not clean, they only cleaned it on 28 Dec. The third room we had to move to (Room16) we moved to on 30 Dec, the aircon in this room did not work - it leaked water when in use, we could not even put our bags on the floor - they had to be on our beds!!! Moving around so much was truly an inconvenience!!!! Did not understand why, and it was also never explained to us? We checked out on 1 Jan, the end of our moving holiday!! The stay was comfortable. I would have just liked to be treated like a human and not a dog in a kennel that can be moved from pillar to post at the drop of a hat!!! Our money is the same as everybody else. We worked very hard all year long, in order to save, to go on our first holiday after studying without our parents helping us out!!
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
They are *******. I've waited over a week for my deposit to be refunded. They ha e not communicated anything to me about any damages. They have done this to a few people, do not go there. The facilities are disgusting and so is the owner. He couldn't leave us in peace for a single day.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
They are *******. I've waited over a week for my deposit to be refunded. They ha e not communicated anything to me about any damages. They have done this to a few people, do not go there. The facilities are disgusting and so is the owner. He couldn't leave us in peace for a single day.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I thought my new years eve and 1 of January would be in Ballitos!! To my surprise the picture on Agoda advertised isn't the place is a restaurant, got there my room did not have a bathroom, I requested for other room, they said was none available. We had to drive back to Johannesburg the next day, had requested my refund, no reply. My take home is... a better deal isn't always a great deal and pictures are not guarantee the place is good!!
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I thought my new years eve and 1 of January would be in Ballitos!! To my surprise the picture on Agoda advertised isn't the place is a restaurant, got there my room did not have a bathroom, I requested for other room, they said was none available. We had to drive back to Johannesburg the next day, had requested my refund, no reply. My take home is... a better deal isn't always a great deal and pictures are not guarantee the place is good!!
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I am utterly disgusted with the Ballito backpackers We were sold lies on the internet. We made a booking online for the 13th to the 15th. Only to find that what was online was totally different from the actual place. We told the manager what we saw online and his response was that we mustn't compare the place with online pictures. He was utterly rude and the room that he gave us was so small with double bunk beds, no windows, one toilet and shower, mind you there were eight of us and three suffered sinus problems and one was asthmatic. When we told the manager of our health he blatantly refused to listen to us. We then asked for our money back so we could book elsewhere and he told us that he's not refunding a cent to us. We had to leave and book elsewhere for our health and safety. We require some sort of percentage from Ballito backpackers because it is unfair that they advertised lies and we paid in full for three days and yet we couldn't stay even one hour.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I am utterly disgusted with the Ballito backpackers We were sold lies on the internet. We made a booking online for the 13th to the 15th. Only to find that what was online was totally different from the actual place. We told the manager what we saw online and his response was that we mustn't compare the place with online pictures. He was utterly rude and the room that he gave us was so small with double bunk beds, no windows, one toilet and shower, mind you there were eight of us and three suffered sinus problems and one was asthmatic. When we told the manager of our health he blatantly refused to listen to us. We then asked for our money back so we could book elsewhere and he told us that he's not refunding a cent to us. We had to leave and book elsewhere for our health and safety. We require some sort of percentage from Ballito backpackers because it is unfair that they advertised lies and we paid in full for three days and yet we couldn't stay even one hour.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
First thing first their reception is not up to standard. Cameras are not working properly. At room 20 bathroom there is a leakage. NO clean towels and linens. NO gate access to all the clintes whereby you have to phone the reception to open the gate. Door handles broken. I booked for 4-days and i can tell the experience was hell on earth .
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
First thing first their reception is not up to standard. Cameras are not working properly. At room 20 bathroom there is a leakage. NO clean towels and linens. NO gate access to all the clintes whereby you have to phone the reception to open the gate. Door handles broken. I booked for 4-days and i can tell the experience was hell on earth .
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Just would like to warn people not to ever book at The Ballito Backpackers as we stayed there the end of May and our Gopro went missing from our LOCKED room. We had to beg to see the cameras and still the owner nor manager would come out to help us. They refused to give us the owners number even though a criminal offense has happened on his premises. The owner didn't even get back to us nor did he go out of his way to help once we have left. I had to find a link of how to send camera footage so he could send to us yet I've messaged them 4 times since the link and have not received 1 message back from them at all!! Absolutely disgusting and incompetent staff.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Just would like to warn people not to ever book at The Ballito Backpackers as we stayed there the end of May and our Gopro went missing from our LOCKED room. We had to beg to see the cameras and still the owner nor manager would come out to help us. They refused to give us the owners number even though a criminal offense has happened on his premises. The owner didn't even get back to us nor did he go out of his way to help once we have left. I had to find a link of how to send camera footage so he could send to us yet I've messaged them 4 times since the link and have not received 1 message back from them at all!! Absolutely disgusting and incompetent staff.
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