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| Address | 15, Walton Rd, Apollo Bandar, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001, India |
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| Location | 18.9200003, 72.8306964 |
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Reviews
Backpacker Cowies has truly been my home away from home for almost a year now. The memories, friendships, and moments spent at the rooftop and common area will always stay with me.
A special thanks to Kishan Sir, Anita Ma’am, and Jay at the reception for their warmth, hospitality, and the way they genuinely look after every guest.
Perfectly located in Colaba, just minutes from the Gateway of India — this place is more than just a hostel, it’s an experience.
Stayed at Backpacker Cowies in Mumbai in one of their private rooms. It’s a dormitory-style setup, and overall it wasn’t a bad experience. The private room on the 3rd floor was a bit small, and since the lift wasn’t working during my stay, climbing up was slightly difficult. The room was also a little dusty, probably due to the renovation or work happening on the lower floors.
That said, the stay was still decent for backpackers and short stays. The atmosphere was good, and with the ongoing works completed, the experience would likely be much better.
This is THE place to stay in Mumbai. Its beautiful rooftop is unparalleled, perfect for complementary tea, socializing, or even working (with good wifi). This hostel can be very social if you so choose; I made lasting friendships during my time here. Very kind reception staff and a wonderful clientele; nice rooms with spacious lockers and generally clean bathrooms; filtered water available all the time. It’s also very central; next time I might opt to stay somewhere less touristy (perhaps Bandra), but still quite conveniently located. I look forward to returning.
I booked my first stay here in November 2025, and a second time again this week. I no longer think twice about which hostel to go to in Mumbai. I am their problem now.
The USP is the location. You step right into colaba causeway the minute you leave the hostel.
The staff at the front desk is quick, efficient, helpful and friendly.
I also found pretty good company this time around.
I only wish for the rooms and bathrooms to become more airy and tidy. Adding a couple of basics like a tumbler and curtains to seperate the bath area from the toilets would help. Some rooms have balconies but you can't open them because of ongoing construction.
All in all, great location, and decent amenities in dorms. Some additions in terms of comfort and cleanliness would make the stays more memorable.
Backpacker Cowies is situated in an excellent location in Colaba, a short walk from the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and the gateway to India.
Particular pros of the hostel included the rooftop area and the communal area, great for relaxing, socialising and remote working. There is also a small kitchen situated in a corner of the 4th floor, that contains snacks, water (from the purifier machines), tea and coffee, however it isn't well signposted.
The staff at the front desk were always friendly and on hand should you need anything.
However we felt a few issues overshadowed these positives. First, we booked a private room, however found this was windowless. Nowhere on the booking site do they make this clear. For £50 a night we would not have booked had we known they had windowless private rooms which are extremely stuffy and oppressing.
The room itself could also have been cleaner, with stained sheets, dust, a broken toilet and little to no hot water.
When we asked the staff to clean our room, the desk staff were extremely helpful, however the cleaners we encountered were rude and clearly making fun of us, assuming we would not understand what they were saying.
Overall, as many other reviewers have noted, I would recommend staying somewhere else for the same price to get a more comfortable experience.