The Southern Right whales come to Walker Bay in Hermanus every year from July through November. And the best view of them, up close, is from the window of your suite at the Marine Hermanus. The attention to detail, beautifully appointed rooms, great seafood, combined with the lovely town of Hermanus, make the Marine unforgettalbe and wonderful. No need for a concierge; the staff will get you anything you need. You won't be sorry that you spent the money to stay there.

We stayed for two nights on 24th and 25th December 2007 and couldn't have chosen a better place to spend Christmas. We booked a premier suite and weren't disappointed - it was huge. We had a window which overlooked the sea, literally 10 metres away, and to our amazement (and that of the locals) a few whales were still in the bay. Room finishings were as expected - of a very high quality and the four poster bed was a dream. Given the busy season, we had booked our evening meal on 24th and lunch on 25th a couple of months before arrival. It was a good job we did as both restaurants were packed! Seafood at the Marine was excellent and Christmas lunch came with champagne and canapes on the terrace, turkey, Christmas pudding, crackers and an opera singer!!! We really spent some lazy time at the hotel. We had some drinks in the beautiful bar, went for a walk on the coastal path (amazing scenery) and a wander around Hermanus town. The hotel location is perfect for ditching the car and the town is quite safe to walk around during the day (we didn't venture out at night). The main factor that made our stay special were the levels of service. If you have been to Africa then you'll know that even at some of the top hotels, service can be a little shoddy at times. Not at The Marine! Everyone from housekeeping to senior management went out of their way to ensure we had a fabulous time - nothing was too much trouble. I'd highly recommend The Marine to anyone wanting a night or two on the coast ESPECIALLY when the whales are in town.

We stayed at the Marine for three nights earlier this month. What a wonderful place. The whale watching is fabulous this time of year...they are really all over the place. The hotel is beautiful and the staff was great as well. It helped a bit that we had Room 219, which is a two-story Premier Suite located on the second floor of the three-sided structure in the middle of the hotel facing the ocean. Without question the greatest hotel room we have ever had. The food in both restaurants is very good. I highly recommend the Marine.

we spent 3 nights in the Marine at the start of a lovely honeymoon in SA. We chose it to relax after a hectic few weeks and it delivered on every level. A fantastic location, within 5 mins walk of the old harbour. Rooms are lovely and we were upgraded to a mini suite with a terrace looking out to sea. The restaurants are lovely - watch for the supplements in the Sea Food one - they are well explained but I was still caught out!! Bar and terrace areas are lovely and drinks very reasonable. Breakfast is perfect - go for the Overberg Farmers Omelette (but only the once!).

This hotel truly deserves its five star rating, So what truly makes this place great, apart of course from being able to see whales from the breakfast table, the lovely pool and the great rooms (although some kind of frosting on the bathroom window might be a good idea!). The thing that made it really great though was the staff, From the moment of arrival to the moment of departure the staff were superb, The recption staff who cared about you as a guest and were not simply going through the motions, the restaurant staff to whom nothing was too much trouble. Everyone was fantastic, would i reccomend it - 100% i would