Hermanus is where I base myself, and The Marine has stood on its cliffs for more than a century. It first opened in 1902 with twenty-one rooms, and it is still the grand old lady of the town.
It sits right on the cliff path, the twelve-kilometre walk that follows the shore from the New Harbour to the lagoon. Between June and November the southern right whales come into Walker Bay to calve, and they come in close, sometimes only metres from the rocks. From the sea-facing rooms you can watch them from your bed. What they do is up to them, but they rarely keep us waiting long.
Liz McGrath restored it and reopened it as a five-star hotel in 1998, and it has been refurbished since. In 2026 the ground floor was refreshed, the reception, the cocktail bar and the Pavilion, without touching the bones of the old building. It still feels like a house by the sea: a sun lounge for the afternoons, a heated pool on its own terrace, and the tidal pool on the rocks below for anyone brave enough to swim.
John Sparks
Before you arrive
Rooms over the bay
Every room has a king bed, air conditioning and twenty-four-hour room service. For the whales, ask for the sea.
Luxury rooms with a sea view
The ones to ask for
Rooms looking straight out over Walker Bay, some with a balcony, so the whales can be watched from inside.
Premier Suites
Space, and the ocean
Suites with their own lounge and views of the sea, with room for two children under twelve.
Double rooms
Comfortable and quiet
Well-sized rooms with everything you need, a minute's walk from the cliff path and the whales.
The cliffs, the whales and the table
The cliff path
Out of the gate and along the shore in either direction, past the old harbour and the whale-watching benches. Mornings and late afternoons are best.
The whales from the water
A licensed boat out of the New Harbour, a short walk away, when the sea is calm. We arrange it.
The table
The Pavilion, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a terrace over the sea, and the Sun Lounge for something light during the day.
Slowing down
The Carchele spa, the heated pool, and the tidal pool on the rocks below for a cold swim.
Further afield
The wine farms of the Hemel en Aarde valley ten minutes away, the fynbos of Fernkloof above the town, and the coast on to Gansbaai.
Wake up, open the curtains, and look for the whales.
Before you go
Where
On Main Road, in the old heart of Hermanus, on the cliff path above Walker Bay. About an hour and a half from Cape Town; we arrange every transfer.
Whale season
June to November, with the most whales usually from August to October.
Arriving and leaving
Rooms are ready from three in the afternoon, and we leave by eleven on the last morning.
Families
Children are welcome; the Premier Suites take two children under twelve.
Recognised
A Small Luxury Hotels of the World property, included in the MICHELIN Guide hotel selection for 2026.
Pairs well with
The wine valley of Hemel en Aarde, Grootbos and the dunes near Gansbaai, and the West Coast flowers in spring.