I stayed in an ensuite twin room with a friend in early July. Shoestrings is very well situated with about a 25 minute walk to the mighty Victoria Falls, and it is within 5 minutes walk of the town centre. The guy at the tour booking desk was very helpful, and the internet cafe was pretty good.

The room I stayed in was pretty run down. The door did lock, but as it didn't shut properly it rattled during the night. There was no door to the ensuite bathroom, so choose your roommates carefully! The shower was hot but the bathroom was very dingy. The bed was comfortable but I wasn't convinced it was completely clean. If you are staying in the summer I would definitely bring a mosquito net as they are not provided. We were lucky to be staying in winter. On the basis of the room I didn't think it was value for money.

The bar is very lively as it fills up with travellers and locals after dark! However, we were persistently hassled by a guy trying to sell his services as a tour guide to the Falls (not that I could blame him). The alcohol is very cheap and the food (especially the pizzas) was pretty good. However, the music at the bar was deafening, and from my room (some distance away) it was still extremely loud. If you're a light sleeper I would not recommend staying but if you're a party animal you'll love it!

We spent a night in the private room with en suite. The room is no frills and I mean spotty cleanliness, toilet that didnt quite work and no door to the washroom. Bar life was fun hanging with travelers and locals. We were even privy to a traditional dance with fire show. ½ hour walk to Victoria Falls and the bungee jump bridge.


Positives:
Fun place with lively bar at night.
Pool to cool off.
Computers with Internet access.
Great pizzas made at the restaurant
Easy 5 minute walk to the centre of town.
Camping available for cheaper alternatives
Laundry service on site.

Negatives:
One has to get use to the constant street hawkers.
Night time, that easy walk to and from town in the pitch black is not so easy.
Will be noisy if your a light sleeper.

This is a basic backpackers. We had a private room with en suite, the room was large but a little rundown. The toilet didn’t work properly and there is no door, the mirror was broken & the front door rattled all night. However our room was quiet, it is in a good location & the guy at the activities desk was great. Helpful, very informative & arranged everything we needed in Victoria Falls & all arrangements for the next day to Livingstone.

Stayed two nights at Shoestrings and had a good time there. Its pros and cons are:

Pros: Convenient location (5 mins walk from grocery), friendly staff, a good 'hang-out' place at night with a bar and local people (happy hour $2 for 2 local beers), has a good travel operator run by a cool guy called Carl.

Cons: Noisy at night, stuffy dorm room w/o any ventilation, unpredictable water supply for shower at night, have a huge dog

Caution: do not use their air transfer, which is $25 each person if you are travelling alone. this is more than double the price for the dorm ($10 per night) and almost double the price offered by other reputable tour companies (~$12 per person).