Friends Wild Coast

The staff members are friendly, a beautiful place to stay during a trip to Coffee Bay.The local drummer session available at the bar was very good. A place you will truly enjoy.Their restaurant serves pleasant meals too.I'm however, dissatisfied with their service regarding the WiFi during my last night of the visit. I spent more than 2-3 hours trying to get it sorted and that didn't happen.

Terrible experience!!! DO. NOT. GO. THERE... WHAT THEY ADVERTISE IS NOT TRUE! And the owner Linda is NOT honourable and if she's says she is 'sorry' and will refund you, make sure you get the money straight away as it's a lie! I have never posted on one of these sites, but don't want anyone else to have the horrible experience we had and to waste their money...Our experience was:- unhygienic toilet (hole in the ground... Not flushing toilet) which wouldn't be so bad but it was covered in vomit and urine and not cleaned for days- toilet smell wafting to braai area when trying to cook- toilet paper strewn all over campsite and left there (we picked it up in the end)- sink in the shower area being used for washing up so it getting clogged up with bits of meat and fish which ends up in the shower. Really disgusting to shower with bits of food floating around your feet-shower water running into braai area. Braai area flooded and covered in mud and therefore getting us covered in mud whilst trying to cook our food.- Gates broken so no security, animals coming into the site. Pigs ripped apart our friends site. Cow poo everywhere... Literally including right outside the entrance of our tent.- no security at night. We saw the guys twice in the whole time we were there. There was a massive drunken fight on new years eve which we had to break up. This raised concerns of safety for us in general.-no facilities available to us at this site that are advertised. For example, no fridge, no washing facilities, no WiFi, no flushing toilet, no ice.WORST EXPERIENCE EVER AND A TERRIBLE REFLECTION OF THE TRANSKEI, WHICH IS ACTUALLY A MAGICAL PLACE. MANY OTHER PLACES TO GO... DO NOT BOOK AT FRIENDS!

Clean rooms, very friendly and helpful staff. Breakfast was delicious and the local drummers really got the party started around the fire at night. The place is a bit rough around the edges and the room Love" had a bit of a musty smell but still staff worked hard to keep the place clean and it has a well loved vibe. We would return."

In 2016 it used to one of the best places around but now it's dirty unmaintained can't even buy a decent meal and enjoy it there without making sure you got activated charcoal with you. Absolutely hated it 2months ago.

This is actually the entrance. Do not fool yourself. This is a township. And its dangerous. The road to the hole in the wall is bad and once you get there you wil be bombarded with township guys wanting money or to watch you car. There is no parking , you have to park infront of township houses. It is actually not safe here , you dont feel safe and the drunk people in the roads shouting as you drive past and young children begging everywhere is not pleasant. Stay away from coffee bay unless you know what yours getting yourself into.

I hate to be negative on social media, but what we experienced at Friends Backpackers in December 2017/ Jan 2018 has left me with no choice.The campsite is in a dire state - dirty, unsafe and unhygienic - the only toilet on the campsite was a filthy long drop, covered in urine and vomit, along with a constant swarm of flies. Toilet paper was also strewn all over the campsite, which we picked up in the end.The braai area is adjacent to this, so one can only imagine the smells that hang in the air as you try to cook your food. The only basin and tap for food preparation in the whole campsite is located inside the outdoor shower. Both of these drains were blocked, resulting in used water flowing downhill and collecting in a dirty pool around the fireplace.None of the facilities advertised were available to us - no fridge, washing facilities or flushing toilets.Security was another major issue - The gate to the campsite was broken, and our cooler box was ripped open by pigs and other livestock that were free to wander into the area. There was also no security at night, except for a guard who we saw for a brief period on the night of the 31st of December. My friends had to intervene when a fight broke out between residents in the campsite.We traveled far to be there (we live in Cape Town), after hearing how beautiful and enchanting Coffee Bay was. We came for a holiday, to relax, enjoy ourselves and recharge for the new year ahead, but instead we left feeling anxious and distressed.We spoke to Linda, who I understand is the person in charge - who apologised for everything and claimed to be completely unaware of the foul state of the campsite - Linda then promised to refund us for our stay, but to date this has not happened. We have followed up numerous times but have received no response.Definitely think twice before booking a stay at Friends Wild Coast Backpackers. I’m not sure where all the people who gave 5 star reviews on Facebook were staying, but clearly it was not this place.

Wood fired pizza with generous toppings and wafer thin crust was amazing! Very friendly staff. Don’t let the decor or appearance put you off. Perfect place to stop after a long walk from Hole in the Wall

What to say about this place... well the one liner would beA grouping of buildings next to the river mouth built by 100 drunken monkeys and run by 2 angels"A wide variety of accommodation from dorms to camping to on suits up till a standalone cottage for 8+ people! In a superb location with a very homey vibe and all you would expect from a backpacker including great food

Very rustic, but run by lovely friendly people. They were very welcoming. They have good pizza's. Everyone is a bit eccentric and they give the place its own particular flavour.

Warm, friendly, great bar/restaurant etc only thing which would have made it 100% would have been a fridge in the unit - as it is advertised as self catering one would need at the very least a fridge in the unit. Also one of the websites advertises a kids play area and a pool. This wasn't the case but in saying this it is a VERY kid friendly place and very accommodating of children.