Perched on the Hermanus cliffs, the regal Birkenhead House overlooks the whale watching paradise of Walker Bay. Accommodating guests in the utmost luxury, this is the perfect destination for those seeking the pinnacle of seaside living.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to TGCSA - Tourism Grading Council of South Africa.
HOTEL STYLE
Romantic
Luxury
Languages Spoken
English, Afrikaans
Location
Cnr of 7th 11th Street Voelklip, Overstrand 7200 South Africa
Birkenhead House
544 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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.
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from The Royal Portfolio, General Manager at Birkenhead House
Responded 3 weeks ago
We are delighted to hear that overall, you had an exceptional experience at Birkenhead House and that you’d return in a heartbeat. Thank you for sharing the minor issues you encountered; we will address these with our team, as we are committed to always delivering outstanding service and a perfect stay for all our guests. Warm Regards, Shane Brummer General Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The minute you arrive the front of the hotel looks so unassuming. However, once you enter the hotel is stunning. We had a room on the second floor (7) that had a terrace where you can see the ocean and pool area. The decor in the main dining living area is so special and beautiful. It feels like an intimate B&B. It was a little chilly so there was a fire going at night and in the early morning. The food was delicious and they were very accommodating for any special requests. We had massages two days in a row and had to be one of the best massages we have ever had. All of the food and alcohol is included. T op shelf alcohol and great wines. It was a slice of heaven. The ocean was so relaxing. A place of a lifetime.
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Laura Siebert, Marketing at Birkenhead House
Responded 08 Jan 2024
Thank you for this fabulous review! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your time with us at Birkenhead House. It is wonderful to read about your highlights - your massages at the spa and your dining experience. We hope to welcome you back for another memorable experience soon! Laura (Marketing Team)
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We were so impressed by this hotel and the staff! This was at the beginning of our Africa vacation and set an extremely high standard. From the moment we walked in the hotel and looked out to see a mother and baby whale directly out from the hotel to the time we left was just superb service, warm friendly and professional. Shelton, the chef, made one of my husband’s best meal he ever had; Danae (forgive my spelling), one of the assistant managers was so interesting and interested and always involved in making sure everything ran perfectly. And it did. It was our anniversary and we had a special dinner by the fire and candles, chocolate and champagne waiting for us when we returned to our room. We would love to come back a little later for better whale spotting but loved the cliffside walk. We covered 8 miles both days. We did see a whale breaching which is something I have never seen before. I wish I had noted everyone’s name who took such great care of us but Arnold, Robin (masseuse), Shane and Craig are some I did note. The young lady in the gift shop was delightful. I would recommend a room with a view. The laundry service was so special, wrapped in a lace sheet upon return. We were spoiled and pampered and would love to return! next time maybe a 3rd night. But I don’t think it is ever enough time where I would want to depart.
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Laura Siebert, Marketing at Birkenhead House
Responded 25 Aug 2023
Thank you for taking the time to write this beautiful review of Birkenhead House. It is wonderful to read the details of your experience with us, and we are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the special touches. We are happy to hear that what truly set your experience apart was our passionate and expert team. We are looking forward to welcoming you back another memorable experience in the not too distant future! Laura (Marketing Team)
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We loved our 3 night stay at Birkenhead House. The hotel itself is stunning and very well maintained. Our bedroom and bathroom large and well furnished with every amenity
The food and staff are exceptional and even though we had unseasonable weather we were able to enjoy the cliff walk into Hermanus and rest in the lounge needed after back to back safaris!
Highly recommend a stay and we would love to come back in whale season.
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Laura Siebert, Marketing at Birkenhead House
Responded 10 Mar 2023
Thank you for your lovely review. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us at Birkenhead House, and we hope to welcome you back in the not-too-distant future. Whale season is not to be missed! Laura (Marketing Team)
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Visited Birkenhead House for the first time in 2018, & returning was like pulling on a favourite sweater. Hard to fault, the service, the facilities & the food/drink are all exceptional. All this with the best hotel location I can think of, overlooking the sea & crashing waves. Only complaint is there were no whales going past while we had breakfast, too early in the year! Boooo!…. We had room 7, great views over the sea & windows open all night listening to the waves , plus more than enough space. The free washing was a fantastic bonus for dirty clothes too, & nothing is too much trouble for the staff (we needed some windscreen wipers on the car changing & it was done in a flash…). Just lovely
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Date of stay: May 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Unbelievable one of a kind experience. Charming atmosphere and I can't stress enough on the outstanding service, so kind and polite. Luxurious service with attention to every little details.
Love about this stay is that in includes all beverages and food, which tastes really good. Scenery was so beautiful to complement this stay.
All correspondent before arriving was through email, they took care of every request we had. So professional in all aspects. Room service and care was on point, every time we come back we found beds clean, new waters and bed heater bags were applied! They even have adapters ready ( we learned to get our adapters with us before traveling to South Africa )
To be honest I can't describe the magical experience we had, thanks to the team for all the care and hospitality.
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Date of stay: August 2024
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from The Royal Portfolio, General Manager at Birkenhead House
Responded 16 Oct 2024
Dear Layla We are delighted that you had such a magical stay at Birkenhead House. It is wonderful to hear that our team's service and attention to detail were a highlight for you. We hope to welcome you back for another memorable experience soon! Warm regards, Shane Brummer General Manager
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Exceptional location, standing on the main deck you can see whales transiting the ocean! I was lucky enough to get an upgrade that led me to occupy a beautiful suite with ocean views and a large balcony. Excellent cleanliness and excellent cuisine.
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Date of stay: September 2024
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
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Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We have just returned from a wonderful holiday to SA and spent our last 4 nights at BH. We pushed the boat out with all our 4 hotels this year - all were great but we are glad we left the best until last as it’s just too good an act to follow! We booked a standard room and were pleased to get room 10 which is the better of the 2 standard rooms in my opinion. It was very spacious with 2 little balconies, a bit of a sea view and certainly not standard in any way and save for its location at the back of the hotel, it was stunning. A generous fully stocked mini bar was included but we hardly used it as all food and drinks are all inclusive and we tended to prefer to sit on the sea front deck for drinks which is stunning. We had a slight issue with room noise one night and on our mentioning it we were promptly offered a complimentary upgrade to the very best room on our last night together with a late afternoon check out the next day. We were blown away by that room and are now saving up to return next year - preferably to that room although individual room choices can’t be guaranteed. The food was excellent. Huge choice at breakfast, tapas at lunch and always a good choice in the evening although the puddings didn’t change when we were there. There was also afternoon tea if you were still hungry! You never had an empty glass either with a large choice of inclusive wines and cocktails etc. The staff are superb. This is without doubt an expensive hotel but most certainly not stuffy. The atmosphere is chilled and extremely friendly and attentive to ensure you want for nothing. In particular I should mention Lauren, Emile, Kristy, Silent, Thanhoe , Mufondo and Ashley but all the staff were first class. The location right above the most beautiful 2 coves and on the cliff path is stunning and great for jogging or strolling along either to Grotto Beach one way or into Hermanus the other way - if you don’t fancy the walk back from town they pick you up. In summary we just can’t wait to return!
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This was our first holiday since the start of covid and I am so glad we started off with Birkenhead. The property is located right on cliff and has breathtaking views of the Atlantic ocean. Photos and words are incapable of doing justice to the view and sound of the ocean. One has to see it in person to know what we experienced. We had the ocean facing rooms and absolutely loved them. Because of turbulent waters, we could not go on whale watching tour, so we just in balconies and whale watched them from there. The rooms have a lot of natural light coming in during the day, which I love. The common area is just so comfortable and has an at-home feeling, that we spent a lot of time lounging there either sitting in front of the fire place, gazing at the ocean, drinking tea, wine, reading, chatting, or playing board games. Food was deliciously prepared and there was lots of variety in all the meals. They have an excellent selection of wines and Chris, the sommelier, organized a special wine tasting for us. As he poured from each bottle, he gave us a brief and fascinating account of the vineyard the bottle came from, making the entire experience so much more than simply discussing the tannins, sugars, or bouquets. We did not know that Chris was taking notes on favorites, because after that day’s dinner, the chef brought a cheese platter paired with our favorite wines from the tasting. Staff is wonderful and always ready to help – special mention to Miriam and Chris who knew what we wanted even before made a request. Memory, the masseuse, is wonderful and very strong. Birkenhead is the most relaxing place I have ever been to and am counting down the days to our next trip.
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Date of stay: November 2021
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Spent a great couple of days at Birkenhead House in December 2020. Birkenhead House is an exceptionally charming former family summer house - and it truly feels like it, in a positive way! With only 11 rooms, it is a very intimate and cozy atmosphere, and the location on the cliffs just by the ocean is the best in Hermanus. The view is absolutely stunning over the beach and ocean. Service is first rate as it should be in a five star hotel, and both spa and food is of the highest standard. Just like the other Royal Portfolio hotels owned by the Biden family, the interior design is eclectic and luxurious with an African twist. Birkenhead House is truly worth a detour!
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Date of stay: December 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Petersfield, United Kingdom135 contributions7 helpful votes
We left a tip for the maid in each room we occupied over a 3 night stay and we tipped the drivers who took us Shark diving etc and when collected from Hermanus.We didn't tip general staff,I have never tipped hotel staff in the past only cleaner and porters,I'm now feeling quilty and wondered if we should have,but it's not something we do in the UK.The only hotel staff we tipped were at the Safari lodge we stayed at as there lifestyle was slightly different to those at the Birkenhead or the hotel in Cape Town.The Birkenhead is wonderful,enjoy!
There are more places to choose from in the Hermanus area.
PRICE RANGE
RÂ 15,421 - RÂ 24,059 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
birkenhead house & villa hotel hermanus, birkenhead house and villa
LOCATION
South AfricaWestern CapeOverberg DistrictOverstrandHermanus
NUMBER OF ROOMS
11
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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