Backpacking In Guinea Bissau🇬🇼: My Stay At The Pensao Creola, The Best Hostel In Bissau

Backpacking In Guinea-Bissau: My Stay At The Pensao Creola Hostel

Backpacking In Guinea Bissau: My Stay At The Pensao Creola, The Best Hostel In Bissau

After getting my visa on arrival in Guinea-Bissau, I was ready to explore this smaller African country. Guinea-Bissau houses just over 2 million people, and its capital city, the eponymous Bissau houses a huge 500,000 of that. However, when backpacking in Bissau, it feels like a calm over-sized town. On Christmas Eve 2023, particularly, the city centre was a ghost town.

Backpacking the old town (Bissau Velha) in Bissau

I chose two different places to sleep when I was backpacking in Bissau. I first enjoyed the elegant arty pad at Coimbra Hotel And Spa, but the hostel backpacking history in me lends me to a more hostel style abode. This is where I recommend the Pensao Creola Hostel, the best hostel in Bissau and the place to relax. Here is what I liked about this cool residence.

Backpacking In Guinea Bissau: My Stay At The Pensao Creola Hostel, Bissau

1.Central Neighbourhood

Here, at Pensao Creola, you are in the city centre in a quiet local neighbourhood. Nearby, you have the football stadium, the parliament building, bars, cafes, restaurants (such as Oysters at Coqueiros). The seafront is less than 10 minute walk, less than 15 minutes to the old town (Bissau Velho), the fort (Fortaleza D’Amura) and the harbour. You are also two streets away from the main street in the city centre – Avenida Amilcar Cabral.

Backpacking the harbour in Bissau

You could hear a pin drop in the calm, quiet streets of Bissau, capital city of Guinea-Bissau

Bissau Velho, capital city of Guinea-Bissau

2.Calm and Quiet

Once you step inside the doors of the Pensao Creola, you can feel the calmness and quiet. You can relax here, away from the outside stress of the world. There are seats in the shade and in the sun in this courtyard setting. It’s all very chilled out.

Backpacking In Guinea Bissau: My Stay At The Pensao Creola Hostel, Bissau

3.Welcoming Family

Run by a Swiss and Guinea-Bissau couple, this is a family business and is therefore welcoming and well run. The owner, Marcel was away for Christmas when I visited, but I met the family and my host Abubakar introduced me to the home, my room and I also had my first ever Guinea-Bissau local beer here (a Djumbai beer).

Abubakar and I at Pensao Creola, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau

Switzerland and Guinea-Bissau flags together

My first ever Guinea-Bissau beer – Djumbai

4.Cosy Rooms

I was in Room Miguel 5 here and this was a cosy wee room at the back. I had a comfy bed and a nice bathroom. There was also a desk, a mosquite net and towels etc.

Backpacking In Guinea Bissau: My Stay At The Pensao Creola Hostel, Bissau

My cosy Room – Miguel 5 at Pensao Creola

5.Wi-Fi

Getting internet access in West Africa is not easy but here they have fast and easy Wi-Fi which works well as it is a small hostel, so you can be online everywhere from your room to the courtyard to the balcony.

Working WiFi at Pensao Creola, Bissau

There was also a map in the reception and I was proud to put the first pin in Northern Ireland in it. They had someone from Republic of Ireland stay before, but I was the first Northern Irish guest, as I also was at the Hotel Du Golfe in Conakry, Guinea.