Happy Hippo is for those who want to explore Durban, but are not looking for the centre of attraction at their place of stay. With clean, open spaces, Happy Hippo provides good contemporary (African themed) accommodation, reminding one of the quality yet sparse furnishing of a Formula 1 or Road Lodge hotel with a dash of culture, but faces an inner city cosmopolitanism that lends some blandness to the experience. The bar is a nice big rooftop experience, but the rooms need open windows in the sweltering summer heat and bring in a fair share of the late night traffic.

A great space for exploring the centre of the city, or for travelers seeking a pit-stop and are not sure where to go, but it is not the laid-back and enriching experience found in some backpackers in South Africa.

I was very happy with the stay was great. You get to meet people from all over the world and the rooms are comfortable giving me ample rest at night and the staff are great . Was perfect for me as i worked at ushaka so i could walk to work everyday and not worry about my car as it is locked in the garage. The bar upstairs is very good with a great bar tender who is always friendly

It's 7am. I'm in my room at Happy Hippo Backpackers. Didn't get much sleep last night, despite ear plugs, blindfold and the soothing sounds of heavy trucks and taxis throughout the night. Plenty of time to mull over this review...

The room provided the comforting environment of a mothers womb with temperature of over 30 degrees centigrade and 100% humidity, combined with a heady smell of sweat permeating through the walls. (An alternative room overlooking a local alley wall, had a delightful musty dank odour, for an additional R90). We were fortunate enough to have an overhead fan in our room (there's no air conditioning at this establishment), which had a rattling sound reminiscent of the Huey helicopter blades of the Vietnam war. This combined with the heat, humidity may be comforting to Vietnam Vets, but not to us Capetonians. Fortunately however, the death rattle of the fans helped to drown out some of the drunken carousers in the street below and on the balcony above and to the side, but unfortunately did little to alleviate the heat. The communal fridge had aromas that were more difficult to place,
but distinctly rotting character, with stalactites of frozen slimy, non-descript ooze.

The accommodation has an urban feel, appears to be a converted factory or wharehouse, situated on a dodgy major road, with immediate access to a garage next door, within walking distance of a local brothel, or alternatively, the nauseating uShaka Marine World. Lovely view from our room of the traffic on a major road. The secure parking (situated below our room) had a charming uriniferous odour, and what appeared to be piles of rubble and possibly bodies in white linen bags. Our room price was R155pp/pn (with a R50 deposit for the room key), and i was left with a distinct impression that i could have done better.


PROS:
Friendly, well-meaning staff
Large, well equipped kitchen
ample toilet paper (although we were warned to turn off the bathroom lights and spare water, as apparently there is an "energy crisis" at this backpackers.)

Yours sincerely,
Very unhappy hippo

Our room was nice and the hostel is really spacious - so was good value. It was also useful to be able to use the wifi in the rooms. However, it felt a little 'institutional' compared to some of the other more relaxed places we stayed in South Africa