Hermanus – South Africa – September 2019

Tags

Birkenhead House, cliff walking, Hermanus, South Africa, sunset over the sea, whale watching

A beautiful seaside town definitely worth visiting!

Three weeks ago I arrived in South Africa and have been travelling around a bit with a visit to Kruger National Park in the mix.  My friends who live here in Pretoria recommended I visit Hermanus, a seaside town south east of Cape Town.  My travel agent booked me into Birkenhead House, a gorgeous cliff top hotel overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.I was driven from Cape Town to Hermanus which took about an hour and a half and upon arrival at Birkenhead House, I was offered lunch as my room was not quite ready.  I decided to sit outside and was brought a complimentary cocktail followed by a glass of wine and freshly baked bread.I had advised the hotel of my dietary requirements and the chef made me a delicious salad and a warm new potato dish.  Both so good! It was then time to go to my room but first decided to take a look around the hotel.  It is beautifully decorated, so stylish with huge sofas to sit in to read a book or just take in the fabulous vista.

There are two pools, one inside the building complex and the other an infinity edge pool overlooking the ocean. Bit too chilly to swim but could imagine relaxing in the pool with ocean views.Then to top it off my room also had its own pool along with a nice outdoor area and a really lovely bathroom.The staff had left me a small bottle of champagne as a welcome gift which was very kind and I was told the mini bar contents were complimentary as I had paid for an inclusive food and beverage package.I decided to go out and explore the area so walked along the cliff tops for about an hour to reach the township.  It was rather windy but the views were spectacular so I made up my mind that every morning I would take a long walk along the cliff tops where I was greeted by many friendly people out walking or jogging.The town of Hermanus is quite small but has some lovely quaint paved small streets and great bookshops.Before I arrived in Hermanus I found out it was Whale watching season so booked a tour as they are very popular and book out quickly.  We were given a ten minute talk on the history of the Southern Right Whale after which we went out in the bay for about two hours.  We were very lucky and followed a mum Southern Right Whale and her baby near the shore (not great photos though).Most afternoons I would sit on a day bed reading my book and enjoying uninterrupted views of the ocean and on one occasions saw a whale breaching. Now that was a magnificent sight.All meals at Birkenhead House were delicious and made with fresh local vegetables and on my last evening I had my dinner inside with an American couple then stepped outside to watch the magnificent sunset.And so after four days it was time to move on…taking with me my beautifully presented clean laundry!