Birkenhead House

This is the second time we have visited Birkenhead house , and this hotel just gets better and better ! The service and the facilities are second to none and the location is fantastic to sit and watch the waves crash against the rocks whilst drinking Gin and Tonics, and watching the sun go down.

Birkenhead is one of those rare places which is so much more awesome in person than it looks in photos. I confess to having been only medium excited about the stop from looking online - I very nearly decided to skip Hermanus and I’m so glad I didn’t! The only downside to visiting in April is missing out on whale-watching season from June to November, which is what Hermanus is famous for. The hotel has an amazing location and great vibe to it. It’s a 1 hour brisk walk along the cliff path to the main town, and behind the hotel there’s also an hour hike up to a viewpoint which I’d highly recommend making the effort for. BY FAR my favourite thing about the hotel is the jacuzzi overlooking the sea. There are big, beautiful, crashing waves at all time of day here, and just spacing out, and looking out at the horizon while listening to that wonderful sound was one of the highlights of my entire trip. It’s also fantastic that the hotel allows guests to use it at any time of day - I enjoyed it most at night, when I also got to see a cute little genet cat scurrying across the terrace. My only complaint is that my room (8) didn’t have much privacy unless you closed a few shutters, and if you’re light sensitive like me expect to wake up early, because the shutters really don’t do a good job of keeping the room dark. Some blackout blinds would be nice!

a great combination of excellent food, amazing views from the veranda and personal, but relaxed service. Clive the chef made for a wonderful eating experience, very tasty, locally sourced food and wine. I'm not a 'foody' but ate fish most evenings and lapped up the puddings :-). We were full board, which I think is standard and with such a variety of dishes, we never got bored. We stayed here for 6 nights and tried to keep active with walks, swimming, a marine five trip and some eMTB and a wine trip. If this is your thing then I would suggest; - If driving from CT, take the coast road and stop at Pringle for a coffee and a led stretch. - hiking in the Fernkloof (hills behind the hotel) lots of trials, ask the management or look on strava for recommendations. watch out of the baboons, friendly-ish, but don't entice / feed or try and scare them away....just be cool...and they wont hassle you. if they do, call the baboon hotline...yes, there is a baboon hotline. - Mountain Biking at Oak Valley Wine estate - see my review if this, but go for the biking and not the food or wine - and use Joe Ride from Cape Town as a guide. - The Marine Big Five - just do it. We were out of whale season and saw copper sharks, a hump back whale (yes I know right) lots of dolphins, penguins and fur seals. We didn't hang around in Gainsbaii, but seemed nice enough. - Cafe at Grotto beach. - Walking along the coastal path and swimming in the sea. Its cold, and find out of about currents, but very refreshing.

Birkenhead House is a fantastic property. The location above a gorgeous beach is to die for, and we spent many happy hours around the small plunge pool taking in the views while our kids played safely in the surf below (using complimentary boogie boards from the hotel). Service is outstanding - very friendly and everyone genuinely seeming to want the guests to have the best time. The hotel is "all inclusive" so all drinks and food (and mini bar - stocked with vast amounts of food and drink) are complimentary, and are of very high quality. The rooms are very bright and well appointed, and meticulously cleaned. We were very surprised to find that one of our two rooms had its own pool that was not much smaller than the hotel plunge pool on the terrace! We enjoyed our stay very much, but there were a couple of small niggles. We thought the food was excellent, but one meal was not quite in keeping with the hotel's 5 star rating (the curry we had one was average), and at breakfast one day the staff member's very long hair fell into my plate of fruit as she put it on the table - she noticed, said nothing, and I left the fruit as it had lost its appeal! But, these are minor points and we would return in a heartbeat.

Wonderful in every way The most wonderful hotel you will stay at. The attention to detail, views and beautiful interiors made it perfect. Also the best massage!