Gibela Travellers Lodge — Hotel in Essenwood

Well... Gibela Lodge. Our bus arrived at Durban station on Friday morning at 5am and we were at the lodge by 10. The owner Elmar refused to let us check in before 4... But he did allow us to iron, change and brush our teeth in the toilet at reception even though the was nobody occupying the rooms. Lungi was very helpful and nice during our stay and the other guy...forgot his name who's helping at reception went out of his way to help us with everything we needed. What amazed me is that de following morning we were woken by a group of American students who were allowed to check in before 4 o' clock. They showered and they we were all over the unpacking and checking out the place by 10 in the morning... Was is racism? Am not sure... Thanks Lungi and the guy at reception for making our stay pleasant... Not sure if I'll go to Gibela next time am in Durban...

Giving 5 stars - not because of the rooms which have comfortable beds and are clean, also not because of the quiet ambience and the laid back atmosphere. Because of the owner Elmar who is really extremely helpful! He'll provide you a good package of knowledge about the area and helps you with bookings and other information.

+++ Elmar laid back and quiet super central to Florida road - an area packed with restaurants and bars and considered as a safe area swimming pool and good "continental" breakfast nicely decorated lobby fully equipped kitchen area

fans in the rooms are old and make some unpleasant noise. wouldn't mind having mosquito screens at the windows or mosquito nets for the beds It's a bit pricy for a backpackers - however you are really in an...

Had a fantastic 3-night stay at Gibela. It was very quiet, which was exactly what I wanted but the was close to Florida Road so if I wanted to enjoy the nightlife I could. It's also very short walk to a supermarket and laundromat, so I got everything done without needing to go very far.||I wish I had known before that the wifi there is not unlimited (400MB/night) but I found it to be enough for me if I didn't stream anything. Plus Starbucks, with all the free WiFi you could need, is only a quick walk away.||Very helpful staff and a fun cuiro shop. Breakfast was also great!||Definitely stay at Gibela if you're looking for a quiet and clean hostel with a central location! Definitely...