CDH Backpackers

Susan looked after us well, bringing mosquito repellent for the nights and giving us clean towels. It was quiet at night, the fans worked well, and we had the room to ourselves, so there was plenty of space. The location was handy, within walking distance of the bus arrival point and Old Town. The Wi-Fi was so-so. After a shower, the washroom floor was wet, and one toilet had no seat.

Susan, the host, was very nice and friendly. The hostel itself was disappointing, though. It’s in a really dirty, horrible area of Mombasa, and the old building and furnishings felt worn out. The kitchen was dirty and had no cooking equipment. There’s a nice terrace, but it was dirty too. There was no Wi-Fi, despite the listing on hostelworld.

We booked just three hours before arriving, and the woman in charge helped us find a nice room. She was lovely, and we stayed four nights. A good place to stay if you’re trying to save money.

After about 15 minutes, the woman came back to say there’d been a cancellation and we could have two dorm beds. We went to look and found a room with at least 10 beds and young children. It was extremely hot and nothing like what we had booked, so we decided to go elsewhere. Definitely not a good experience. We’d booked two beds in a six-bed dorm three days earlier, but on arrival the woman told us there was no space. It was getting dark, and we were two girls trying to find somewhere to sleep in central Mombasa. We sat on the stairs searching online for another hostel, and she was kind enough to give us the Wi-Fi password.