Birkenhead House

This was our third visit to Birkenhead House, & of course we were looking forward to it. It’s always a bit dangerous going back to somewhere special: staff change, properties get older, things move on? Nope, all as good as it’s ever been. Food & drink & rooms & facilities still fantastic, all assisted by the fantastic beachfront view. Our only complaint was we’d missed the end of Whale Season given the views there are so good, but that’s hard to complain about (unless the owners can sort that next time too?…..)

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.

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.

We were firstly greeted by the lovely and smiley Nikita. She checked us in and gave us an orientation about the hotel which was helpful. The rooms are absolutely incredible! The views are spectacular. I don’t know the chefs name! But whoever he/she is are INCREDIBLE. The food was delicious. Chris seems to be everywhere and do everything, always with a smile on his face! We love Chris! We want to take him home. He was so helpful. The waiter Athiani was also smiley and helpful! I have never felt so boujee and have never been in a hotel quite this posh. I have 0 complaints but 1 suggestion is that instead of having opening doors, maybe look to having sliding doors instead. The wind can get really bad so the doors can knock which gets noisy.

In my humble opinion: Best hotel in South Africa! Just So Luxurious . The staff are beyond delightful and they predict what you want even before you want it! Wonderful location over the best beach in Hermanus. A little way from the centre but they will drive you in and out. Wonderful walking along Coast Path. Delicious food. Beautiful paintings and furniture everywhere. Can’t recommend it highly enough.