The hostel is really well organised and well set out.

The rooms were excellent and the staff were brilliant. Really friendly and the owner (i think) was on hand to give great advice for excursions and general information about Livingstone. The pool was really nice and the chill out area is a good idea. Wifi available which was decent and we always felt secure inside the hostel.

i didnt really enjoy the food but then I am a bit fussy , it seemed to take forever for the simplest order even when the bar bit wasnt busy.

In summary I would recommend this place for either two days or a couple of months. A good quality hostel with great staff.

Stayed in a 4 bed dorm which was clean. There are no locks for the door so be careful what you leave in your room (take a padlock for their boxes). Shower wasn't great and they looked a little grotty. Toilets fine. Great free tour with a guide on Weds of the town, it ended up being just me and him, really worth it! Food there is the going price of elsewhere so for convenience it's worth eating there. Swimming pool - not really something you'd want to swim in. The ladies who run it do answer all your questions (even if they have heard them a million times). Bonus - free pickup from airport!

I stayed in Jollyboys Backpackers for 3 months from January - April 2008 as I was teaching in a nearby school. The location of the hostel was perfect for access to livingstone, The staff were extremely friendly and helpful and we got to know them very well during our extended stay. They were always able to give advice and good local knowledge. The hostel was very clean, we saw people cleaning it every day. The only drawbacks were internet access which could be unpredictable but This Is Africa and the cooking facilities in the kitchen which tended to be temperamental and not very modern- however this may have changed now. Myself and my colleague took several trips all booked through the hostel which were brilliant, well organised and value for money. It is also wonderful to have the pool which was lovely in the extreme heat and the bar and food there was good too. I would definitely reccommend this hostel to anyone, in fact I already have. You also get to meet a lot of interesting people there who are travelling through, I made some really great friends during my time in Jollyboys and I hope you do too. Stay there its excellent......

We stayed in a double ensuite room with A/C (cost US$45/nt for two in Sept '09). Our room was small, dark and dirty (floor was definitely not washed in a long time proably just swept). The bed was a foam mattress that sinks in the middle and very lumpy pillows. We laughed trying to go to bed. The ensuite bathroom was unfortunately pretty gross with moldy shower curtain and shower tiles, had to wear flip flops. The shower curtain is about 8 inches too long for the shower and clogs up the drain. The pool in the common area is more like a pond. You can't see to the bottom and it is actually slimy! It is not for swimming in.

Our personal preference is that we would not stay in Livingstone town again, but opt for a lodge or guest house near the falls or along the river. Livingstone town didn't have much to offer and the restaurants were overpriced, dirty and lacked character. We would even consider staying in Kasane (Botswana) longer and just day-trip in to see the falls and do activities. One day is plenty for the falls.

We were hoping this would be kind of cozy in a no-frills way and a flashback to our backpacking days...but for us it was just too budget. I'm sure it remains a good deal to budget backpackers, but if you are more mid-range or can stretch your budget here it would be worth it.