Interview with Milou Staub, General Manager at The B.I.G Backpackers Cape Town

Lifestyle - Interview

by Melisa Kaya

Cape Town is a city situated between iconic mountains and the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. It looks like a pearl protected inside the shell. It takes its place on the list of cities to be seen due to its natural beauties, cultural heritage and the variety of entertainment it offers. The Backpackers in Green Point offers a completely different alternative accommodation option for its guests with its location, range of rooms and price policy. I talked to Milou Staub, General Manager at The B.I.G Backpackers Cape Town, about The B.I.G and the beauty of Cape Town.

Milou, I would like to learn more about your location first. Where is The Backpackers in Green Point located in? What are the advantages of being there?

We are located in a lovely residential area in Green Point just off the main road, within walking distance to the famous V&A Waterfront.

The Backpackers in Green Point

Could you tell us about The Backpackers in Green Point and the overall concept?

The Backpackers in Green Point (or “B.I.G” for short) is perfectly situated between Cape Town’s iconic mountains and the beautiful Atlantic Ocean, in one of the city’s most stylish, vibrant and beautiful suburbs. The B.I.G is walking distance from Cape Town’s City centre and only a few kilometres from the pristine beaches of Camps Bay & Clifton Beach. The B.I.G boasts modern, newly renovated, comfortable accommodation, in the relaxed atmosphere that makes Cape Town’s hospitality world famous.

How would you describe the design concept of The Backpackers in Green Point? Please tell us about the design details and artworks on your walls.

We love supporting the local talents/young artists and also tried to keep in mind the recycle/upcycle trends as well as keeping in mind environmental conservation.

The Backpackers in Green Point

How many different types of rooms do you offer to your guests? What are their features?

We have 6 dorm rooms that sleep 4 people (All our mixed and girls dorm rooms have en suite bathrooms), we have 7 X double rooms, 3 X Triple rooms and 1 family room which sleeps 4, all the private rooms come with en suite bathrooms, and t.v’s with netflix connection for when you just want to lay in bed and catch up on some series.

The Backpackers in Green Point

In The Backpackers in Green Point, there is a swimming pool and a garden. Please tell us about your services and amenities. How could your guests spend time at The Backpackers in Green Point?

We do our best to make sure our guests are comfortable and feel at home, we have 3 fully equpied kitchens so guests can prepare food whenever they wish, 2 t.v rooms which are perfect for a relaxed night in watching movies, both on & off street parking bays, uncapped fibre wifi throughout the house, a library for planning your trip or just some quiet reading. We have an outdoor braai area and also a sparkling pool where guest are encouraged to make use of them both.

And when they out of The Backpackers in Green Point and stepping into the streets of Cape Town, what can they do?

There is so much to do in Cape Town, from taking a cultural walking tours, to visiting some amazing museums like the District 6 and the Zeitz Mocaa, hiking Table Mountain/Lions Head, Kayaking past the Waterfront and Sea Point. The list really does go on, and don’t even get me started on the food, the list of incredible restaurants is endless and when you feel like something else there is usually a food market around the corner.

The Backpackers in Green Point

What makes The Backpackers in Green Point different from other hotels in Cape Town?

Most of our guests label us as their “Home Away from Home”. We try to put the emphasis on a comfortable stay and also have a helping hand approach with upcoming travels after their stay with us. Guests check in as strangers and checkouts as friends :)

What kind of additional services do you offer for business travelers?

We do not have a designated “business facility” as such but we did host groups who made use of the various communal areas for (informal) meetings. We have the best internet available in South Africa (fibre) and it is free of charge.

The Backpackers in Green Point Mixed Dorms

How can travelers make their individual or business/group reservations? Do you have any advantage packs or reward packs that you offer to your regular and long-term guests?

All guests may book directly from our website : www.bigbackpackers.com, where the best rate is made available to them, alternatively to email us directly. We do not have such packages but will take each individual group booking discount requests into consideration. We do not promote long-term stay and have a 2 weeks maximum stay policy as we want to keep a “travelers/vacations” feel at the hostel versus a live-in accommodation one.

Which is the top season for travelers who want to visit Cape Town? What is the reason?

Our busiest season is always summer and for good reason. In Summer Cape Town just comes alive, the days are long and beautiful with the sun only going down after 8 pm, this makes it absolute perfect weather for the beach and Cape Townians take full advantage of that by throwing Sılent Discos, doing morning Yoga classes and ever fire jams (beach parties with fire dancers displaying their skills). Summer in Cape Town is just really something everybody should expirience.

The Backpackers in Green Point Female Dorms

What are the most famous attractions near you?

We are closest to the V&A Waterfront and the Soccer stadium, which was obviously made very popular during the 2010 world cup.

If you have only one weekend in Cape Town as a first-time visitor, in this limited time, what are the best things to do?

I would definitely say a peninsula tour for a full day, Cape Town and its surroundings are so beautiful and its a great way to see a good amount of it in one day. The next morning a sunrise hike up Lions head is always a great way to start the day, then on Saturday Cape Town if full of amazing markets that are known for keeping people busy for a good couple of hours and with all the incredible food its easy to understand why and then lastly to top it off a picnic on the top of Signal Hill to watch the sunset. And if you still have energy after that Cape Town has some great bars and nightlife to check out, like the Vue rooftop bar and Shimmy Beach Club (in the Summer).

How do you describe Cape Town in one sentence?

Rain or shine, the Mother City will never cease to amaze you!

Thank you Milou.

For more information, please visit website of The B.I.G Backpackers Cape Town

This interview was conducted in a Question-and-Answer format. The answers were checked for grammar and punctuation and published without any additional editing. Thursday, August 9, 2018. All photos are the property of their respective owners.