Just returned from a wonderful two night stay at the Birkenhead House. Everything was first class from the moment we arrived and were greeted with champagne and a tour of the house. There are a variety of rooms at the house so if you are booking well in advance check the web site out and pick your room to suit. Room one is right at the front and seems to have the best views but we were quite happy to be mid house (room 7) which also had good views.

The room was spacious with a large four poster bed with good quality linen, TV, DVD, mini-bar, safe, bath robes and complimentary champagne. The bathroom was very large with walk in shower, bath, twin sinks etc all of a high quality. The room also had two areas for relaxing, one at the rear (via bathroom) which doesn't have views of the sea and is rather enclosed by the adjacent buildings but nonetheless quite private. The area at the front (via the bedroom) has great views and chairs for relaxing and taking in the views.

We didn't use the pools as it was quite chilly when we were there but they looked clean and well looked after. The lounge area was very comfortable with great views out to sea. All the meals were excellent and served by friendly staff. Indeed, I found all the staff to be friendly, they all went out of their way to ensure everything was just right for us during our stay including arranging trips if required.

The hotel is right on the cliff path and takes about an hour to walk into Hermanus although we didn't find a need other than for spotting the whales. Can walk in to town and get picked up by the hotel staff from the Marine hotel.

All in all a great stay, the small touches around the house make this a very memorable stay.

Would not hesitate to recommend the Birkenhead House.

My wife & I stayed in Birkenhead Villa ( the hotel itself was full). It was fantastic on all accounts & we are glad we were in the villa rather than the hotel, as it felt more intimate & special. We used the hotel for drinks, lunch, lounging etc & would have been more than happy there as well. We only had 2 nights & will return to stay longer.

Design in the villa is modern, with clean lines but not overly minimalist - v comfortable in stylish way. Position out of Hermanus town is great, even though it is not as isolated as you might think. Right on the ocean, great for whale watching. The basis is something we normally avoid like the plague - fully inclusive, bed, breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, laundry etc. But because it is so small it works really well. There is no institutionalised, big hotel, impersonal service feel. It all feels bespoke. Not a buffet in sight, thank God.

Room - good design, well furnished, excellent large bed, great large bathroom. High quality fittings, big bath, huge walk in shower. Top marks.

Lounges etc. Top marks again - enough room never to feel crowded. Good quality sofas, open fire in the evening etc. Helpful but unintrusive staff. You are made to feel like it is your home for your stay. Excellent uninterrupted sea views. Too cold to use the infinity pool but it all looked great.

Food - lunch fantastic, dinner even better, good wine at both. The cook & waiters were good, friendly & were interested in making sure you enjoyed it all.

Overall, we will return for sure. Couldn't be better.

2 nights in October.

1. The strong points:
a) Personal attention - and genuine concern for wellbeing.
You are made to feel like a special house guest. Nothing is too much trouble - e.g. at very short notice they rummaged up a wet suit and surf board for my partner and, later, even went into town to personally download some photos onto DVD at a local shop.
On departure we were waived off by most of the staff! The ratio of staff to guests must be around two to one.

b) The rooms and housekeeping.
Immaculate large room (9) with huge bathroom. Petals on the bed upon arrival! Housekeeping in like a flash as soon as they saw us leave our room - both in the morning and for the downturn service in the evening.

c) The view.
In a word - breathtaking. We went specifically in whale season and were not disappointed. Sometimes as many as seven right in front of the hotel.

2. The weak points:
a) Immediate location and construction.
The hotel is in a residential area with a communal car park on one side and houses on the other and across the road. Upon arrival,as we were shown through the hotel, there were pneumatic drills going off at a plot across the road and even as we were speaking with our host on the front terrace admiring for the first time the great view , we could hardly hear due to industrial tile cutting/grinding next door. Our host did not even apologise for the noise. It was only after I complained, that action was taken by the host , whereupon after some time, the work appeared to be relocated to the rear of the next door property.
We spent most of our time away from the hotel during daylight so I cannot say if the noise continued. It should be noted, however, that there appears to be a fair amount of construction work in the neighbourhood. I would be aware of this in case it is a problem in the future.

b) Food.
Sometimes great - rack of karou lamb. Sometimes very bland - paella. However, the fully inclusive concept works well and I agree with a previous reviewer that the inclusive wines are very good.

c) The pools.
Small!

My review is in the context of the price - which is hefty by South African standards. I would certainly return to experience again the outstanding personal service, wonderful rooms and great view but I would also be sure to check in advance on the construction situation.

We stayed here for 3 nights on our honeymoon, i wish it could have been longer. The setting of the hotel is stunning, perched on a cliff edge on the Atlantic Ocean. The whales were frolicking as we ate our breakfast/lunch out on the terrace, and without asking binoculars were proffered for a better look. This is just one way the staff make a stay here so special. On our last night we were shown to our table in a separate lounge next to a log fire and surrounded by rose petals. All the staff are welcoming, polite, smiley and tirelessly there to cater to your every whim. The food is simple, that is to say not fussy, and beautifully cooked with the best ingredients. We had Room 6 with a wrap-around balcony overlooking the ocean and the hotel pool. Fantastically comfortable bed, free-standing bath and open shower. Whilst a stay is not cheap, once here everything is included (minibar, all food and drinks, laundry), except the reserve wine list, but to be honest there are plenty of fantastic wines on the main wine list. I would recommend also making the most of the spa (not included in the price), i can recommend the indian head massage and the deluxe manicure but there are plenty of other treatments to be tried out. As you can read i cannot speak highly enough of this fantastic hotel, if you're in Cape Town make sure you book a couple of nights here at the very least.