I ♥ Hermanus because ...

Hi, I’m Carole, Manager of Whale Cottage Hermanus in Hermanus on the Cape Whale Coast.

HERMANUS IS BEST KNOWN as offer­ing the best land-based whale watch­ing in the world.
GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT Gearing’s Point, with the Whale Crier, whose job it is to blow his kelp horn as soon as he spots any whales in Walker Bay, a bril­liant idea of the late Jim Wepener.  He is a unique whale crier, one of a kind in the world.
THE BEST PICTURES OF Southern Right whales can be taken at Gearings Point, some whales com­ing very close to the cliffs and the cliff path.
OTHER HAPPY SNAPS CAN BE TAKEN AT Grotto Beach and Voelklip, of beach lov­ers enjoy­ing them­selves, and of whale moth­ers and their albino babies lying gently in the sea, or breach­ing, a most spec­tac­u­lar sight when they pull their heavy weight out of the water, express­ing their exuberance ...

WHEN THE WEATHER'S GOOD, I LIKE TO go to Grotto and to Voelklip beaches.
WHEN THE WEATHER'S BAD, I LIKE TO visit an art gal­lery, or enjoy a glass of excel­lent Hermanus red wine in front of the fire.

I THINK THE BEST TIME OF YEAR TO VISIT IS in September, when the Whale Festival takes place around the 24^th of September pub­lic hol­i­day, because the whales seem to sense that the Festival is held in their hon­our, and that they must put on an extra spe­cial dis­play for all the vis­it­ors to Hermanus at that time.  Whale watch­ing is at its best from May to November, but there­after Hermanus’ beaches call until the end of summer. Hermanus also has excel­lent walk­ing oppor­tun­it­ies, as well as fant­astic wines.

 

MY FAVOURITE BREAKFAST SPOTS ARE Cubana and Europa, both offer­ing break­fast with a view onto Walker Bay.
FOR LUNCH, I SUGGEST Seasons, in the Hemel & Aarde Village, and La Vierge, with a won­der­ful view over the vine­yards of the Hemel & Aarde val­ley.
MY FAVOURITE RESTAURANT IS the brand new Hermanus, where Joubert’s used to be, close to Woolworths and Beach House.
BEST LATE NIGHT SNACK can be enjoyed from Cubana, and at the Gecko Bar in the new Harbour.
FOR A NIGHT OUT ON THE TOWN TRY The Marine Hotel and Warwicks.
IF YOU WANT TO MEET LOCALS, GO TO Onrus’ What the Dickens pub, and the Cuckoo Tree, Savannah and Europa cof­fee shops.
MY FAVOURITE RELAXING SPOT IS Kwaaiwater, where I go beach­comb­ing, look­ing for nice shells and other inter­est­ing items washed up by the sea.

HERMANUS'S BEST KEPT SECRET IS its Wine Route, which includes a num­ber of top wine estates in the Hemel & Aarde val­ley, includ­ing Hamilton-Russell Vineyards (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, also make Southern Right and Ashbourne) and Bouchard Finlayson.
MY FAVOURITE THING TO DO WITH FRIENDS IS to feed the seagulls with “slap chips”.
TO RELAX AND RESTORE MY SOUL, I LIKE TO go to the beach.
IF YOU'RE FEELING ADVENTUROUS, TRY kayak­ing close to the whales, sky­diving, horse rid­ing, quad­bik­ing, paint­balling, or shark cage diving in the nearby Gansbaai.

MY FAVOURITE WALK IS in the Fernkloof Nature Reserve.
MY FAVOURITE UNIQUE SHOP IS Chilli Pepper, selling a lovely mix of spe­cial things.
MY FAVOURITE whale-watching SPOT IS Kwaaiwater.
IF YOU ARE HERE IN September, join in the fun at the Whale Festival.
MY FAVOURITE ART GALLERY IS the Fisherman’s Gallery, in the heart of the town. Check out the local artists’ work.
MY FAVOURITE BUILDING IS the Fisherman’s Cottage Restaurant, for its ori­ginal Hermanus archi­tec­ture.  Sadly, there are few such beau­ti­ful build­ings still left in the village.

TRAVELLING WITH CHILDREN? A FUN OUTING IS Kleinrivier Cheese fact­ory in Stanford, where the chil­dren can touch their favour­ite pets.

BEST CHEAP AND CHEERFUL OUTING IS eat­ing fish and chips on the beach, or hav­ing a meal at the Spur, What the Dickens, the Lusitania fish fact­ory and at Ocean Basket.
WHEN MONEY'S NO OBJECT, I LIKE TO go for a spa treat­ment at the Marine.
THE MOST UNUSUAL THING I SEE HERE IS baboons on the moun­tains above Voelklip, and dassies run­ning around on the rocks.
MY FAVOURITE WEEKEND GETAWAY IS Grootbos (Private Nature Reserve).
WHEN I WANT TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY, I buy a pen­guin house to pro­tect the pen­guins and their eggs on Dyer Island.

I ♥ HERMANUS BECAUSE of the peace and tran­quil­lity, the beau­ti­ful nature, the whales and the nice people that are my friends here.

Whale Cottage Hermanus

Whale Cottage Hermanus is a stately double storey house offer­ing the best whale watch­ing and unob­struc­ted seav­iews guests could wish for. The cliff paths in Hermanus, from which the Southern Right whales and their calves can be seen, are just 100 meters across the road. Whale Cottage Hermanus is also close to the shops and res­taur­ants in Hermanus!

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Desirable Digits

Cubana Latino Caffé +27 (0)28 313‑1178
Europa +27 (0)28 312‑4377
Seafood At The Marine +27 (0)28 313‑1000
La Vierge Restaurant +27 (0)28 313‑2007
Hermanos  +27 (0)28 313‑1916
Gecko Bar +27 (0)28 312‑4665
Warwick's Restaurant +27 (0)28 312‑1706
What the Dickens +27 (0)28 316‑3946
Cuckoo Tree +27 (0)28 312‑3430
Savannah Café +27 (0)28 312‑4259
Fisherman's Gallery +27 (0)28 313‑2222
Whale Cottage Hermanus +27 (0)21 433‑2100

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