7 On Marine is a ten-suite boutique guest house at 7 Marine Drive in Hermanus, built on the cliff side of the road with the coastal path and Walker Bay directly in front of it. It is architecturally ambitious in a way that most Hermanus guest houses are not: concrete, glass, floating stairs and a great deal of sea.
Best for
Couples who want design and a sea view without a hotel around them; travellers who want to walk to the town centre and the tidal pool; whale watchers, because the path runs past the door.
It is a guest house rather than a hotel, so there is breakfast but no dinner service, and ten suites means it is intimate rather than anonymous.
Location
Marine Drive runs along the cliff on the southern edge of Hermanus, and number seven sits on it, a short stroll from the tidal pool and within walking distance of the town centre, the Old Harbour and the restaurants. The cliff path passes the property.
Walker Bay is immediately below, and southern right whales calve close inshore here from roughly June to November. Our Hermanus destination guide covers the town, the path and the season in detail.
Rooms and style at 7 On Marine
There are ten luxury suites, facing either the sea or the mountains. The categories include Superior Sea View rooms, a Superior Sea View suite with its own garden patio of about 40 square metres and ground-floor wheelchair access, and Courtyard Facing suites of around 30 square metres that open onto the courtyard, the jacuzzi and the balcony loungers.
All suites have king or twin extra-length beds, open-plan bathrooms with walk-in showers, air-conditioning, minibars, smart televisions, coffee and tea stations and wireless internet. The design is bespoke and contemporary: polished concrete, timber screens, curved ceilings and commissioned art.
Facilities at 7 On Marine
The shared spaces carry the property: a lounge and dining room, an honesty bar, a courtyard with a jacuzzi and a sauna, sun loungers on the balcony and a concierge service. Breakfast is included and served in the dining room or on the terrace. There is secure off-road parking, the whole property is fenced and monitored, and part of it is wheelchair accessible.
There is no restaurant for dinner, no gym and no spa building. Hermanus town centre, a walk away, has both restaurants and spas.
Who should consider 7 On Marine
Consider it if you want the cliff-path position without paying five-star hotel rates, or if the architecture matters to you as much as the view. Two or three nights works well: the path one day, the Hemel-en-Aarde wine valley the next.
Families with young children and travellers who want room service and a bar should look at the larger hotels. Our Western Cape accommodation guide compares the alternatives.
Trade-offs, honestly
Four things to weigh:
- Courtyard-facing suites are cheaper and do not have the sea view that defines the property.
- There is no dinner on site, so every evening means walking or driving into town.
- Ten suites means it sells out early in whale season and over the Whale Festival weekend.
- Marine Drive carries traffic, and the cliff path brings walkers past the front of the building all day.
The concrete-and-glass architecture is a strong statement; travellers who want a traditional Cape guest house will not warm to it.
Explore the area
The Hermanus cliff path runs roughly twelve kilometres from the New Harbour past the Old Harbour to Grotto Beach, and it passes the front of this property. The water drops away steeply below the rocks, which is why southern rights come so close; there is no better land-based whale watching anywhere.
Fernkloof Nature Reserve in the mountains behind the town has marked fynbos trails, and Walker Bay Nature Reserve, managed by CapeNature, protects the dunes to the east. The Hemel-en-Aarde valley inland makes some of South Africa’s best pinot noir, and Gansbaai, forty minutes east, is the shark cage diving base; our Gansbaai guide covers it.
Getting there and getting around
Hermanus is about 120 kilometres from Cape Town, roughly an hour and a half by road. The R44 along Clarence Drive, squeezed between the mountains and False Bay, is the scenic way in and is worth the extra twenty minutes. Cape Town International is the nearest airport.
The town centre is walkable from Marine Drive. A car is needed for Fernkloof, Grotto Beach, the wine valley and the coast beyond. Our seven-day Whale Coast itinerary shows how the towns link up.
How 7 On Marine compares
Against the five-star hotels on the same cliff you lose the spa, the pools and the concierge depth, and pay noticeably less. Against a guest house inland, this property gains the view and the path at the door. Against self-catering on the cliff, you gain breakfast, an honesty bar, a jacuzzi and someone to arrange the boat trips.
Practical notes for a stay at 7 On Marine
Whale season runs from roughly June to November, peaking in September and October, and the Hermanus Whale Festival fills the town for a weekend at the end of September. If you want the whales without the crowds, July and early August are the quiet months.
Summer is hot, busy and whale-free; March, April and May are mild, quiet and good for walking. Sea mist can close the view for a morning at any time of year, and the south-easter blows hard in midsummer.
Before you book 7 On Marine
Confirm whether the suite faces the sea, the mountain or the courtyard, because those are three different stays at three prices. Check whether breakfast is included in the quoted rate, whether a child can be accommodated in the suite you want, and what the current cancellation window is at checkout. Ask about ground-floor access if stairs are a problem; part of the property is wheelchair accessible and part is not.
Current rates and availability
We do not publish rates for 7 On Marine, because they move constantly with season and demand. Use the availability button on this page to see what the property currently costs on your dates, what is included and what the cancellation terms are. The booking provider is the merchant of record; Cape Town Travel Guide does not set prices, hold inventory or take payment.