Paseli Backpackers — Hotel in Lusaka Province

I recently stayed at Paseli Backpackers for 2 months! It was perfect for living in Lusaka during my summer internship, and anyone considering a more long term stay in Lusaka (week+) should consider staying at Paseli. ||||I stayed in the back "cottage", where there are two rooms that have two twin beds, a small kitchen, and a bathroom and shower. It was the perfect size, and the kitchen was perfect for a long-term person who keeps their things separate from the big kitchen. The rooms and bathrooms were clean, and the showers were always hot :) ||||The wifi was overall pretty good. During more of high season (late June into July) when there were more people at Paseli, the internet was much slower. ||||The staff were always so friendly and helpful! I always felt my belongings were safe and secure. ||||The location is excellent, especially for someone who takes the minibuses everywhere. It is close to the best mall in Lusaka and a decent location to both the inner-city bus station and the airport. Right down the road there are grocery stores, restaurants, and clubs for those looking to experience the bar seen in Lusaka (which Paseli doesn't have). ||||I would highly recommend this place for anyone staying in Lusaka, especially those who are staying for longer terms (they have a long term discount). Compared to Lusaka Backpackers, which I stayed at for a couple days during my stay in Lusaka, Paseli is much cleaner, quieter, and more relaxed....

I think this place just went through a management change. It was a mess. I would NOT stay here. I booked with a person named Miriam. However now a person named Stella is running the day to day operations. I asked about connections / relationships that they have with tours and tour operators in town; they had none. Miriam stated to me that they did have these connections. When I arrived the water was broken in the building I was in. When they "fixed" it the next day, somehow the eletrcial system was hooked into the plumbing system. Therefore you got shocked when you touched the on / off valves (not a pleasant experience). Not to mention they incorrectly billed me. I was supposed to be billed 200 Kwacha a night since I was not in a suite including a bathroom. They billed me 250 Kwacha - I was not going to argue over 150 Kwacha ... however it just shows they do NOT understand customer service and satisfaction. Not to mention the Wi-Fi was a total mess. They have it locked down with quickly changing passwords. Literally in three days I went through eight different user IDs and Password changes. However 10 meters from the router you could not get a signal. ||||On a positive note the place was clean and safe ... which does go a long...

Good thing about this hostel is that if you plan to travel to Mozambique, hostel is in the same street as Mozamiquan embassy. Booked a dorm, there were 2 bunk beds and not really enough space for 4 travellers with backpacks. They have only one key of the dorm, and one day i had to wait other two travellers who had a key to get into the room! shared bathroom always lacked toilet paper, and no soap to clean hands, not to mention some sort of paper towels, so every time you go to bathroom you have to bring all with you. According to prices these little things could be provided. I also rebooked this dorm bed on the way back from Livingstone, not because it was so good, but because i knew the location and sheets werent changed. they have nice garden though. Also their arranged transfer costed me 250 kwachas which is rip off. i got myself taxi on the way back to airport for 50 % less! One night a group of travel buddies was loud all night, and nobody from hostel did anything about noise. They also dont sell any drinks, no water anything, so make sure you stock your self if you want to stay hydrated. no additional value in this hostel, good for one night but...