One Marine Drive is a sixteen-room five-star hotel on the Hermanus cliff path, looking straight out over Walker Bay. It is small, quiet and unusually well placed: the path runs past the front of the property, and the town is a short walk in one direction.
Best for
Couples and honeymooners; whale watchers who want to see the animals from the room rather than from a boat; travellers who want a spa and two pools in a hotel with only sixteen keys.
It is not a family resort and it is not cheap. This is the top end of Hermanus, and it is priced accordingly.
Location
Marine Drive follows the cliff along the southern edge of Hermanus, and the hotel sits on it above the rocks. The cliff path passes the property, so the twelve-kilometre walk from the New Harbour to Grotto Beach starts at the front gate, and the shops, galleries and restaurants of the town centre are within easy walking distance.
Walker Bay is the reason Hermanus exists as a destination: southern right whales calve close inshore here between June and November. Our Hermanus destination guide covers the town, the path and the season.
Rooms and style at One Marine Drive
There are sixteen rooms across six categories: Classic, Deluxe, Superior Sea View, Junior Suite, and two named suites, the Columbine and the Agulhas. All have king beds, en-suite bathrooms and the standard five-star fittings, and the sea-facing categories are built around the view rather than merely having one.
The interiors are contemporary coastal in blue, white and grey, with commissioned art and a lot of glass on the seaward side. It is a design-led property rather than a traditional one, and it feels more like a private house than a hotel.
Facilities at One Marine Drive
The Zest Spa handles treatments, there are two swimming pools in a sheltered courtyard behind the building, and a twenty-four hour concierge, which is rare in a hotel this size. Breakfast is served in a dedicated room, and the hotel arranges boat-based whale watching, wine tours into the Hemel-en-Aarde valley and shark cage diving at Gansbaai.
There is no full restaurant open to the public for dinner, and no gym. In central Hermanus that matters less than it would elsewhere, because the restaurants are a walk away.
Who should consider One Marine Drive
Consider it if the sea view is the point and you are willing to pay for the best version of it in Hermanus. Two or three nights is the right length: one for the cliff path, one for the Hemel-en-Aarde wine farms, and one for doing nothing on the terrace.
Travellers on a mid-range budget will do better at the guesthouses and small hotels a few streets inland. Our Western Cape accommodation guide compares the range.
Trade-offs, honestly
Four things to weigh:
- The Classic and Deluxe categories do not have the sea view that the photographs sell; Superior Sea View and above do.
- Sixteen rooms means it sells out early in whale season and over the Whale Festival weekend.
- There is no dinner service on site, so evenings mean walking or driving into town.
- The cliff path runs past the property, which is wonderful for access and means passers-by at the boundary.
The pools are courtyard pools rather than sea-facing ones; the view belongs to the rooms.
Explore the area
The cliff path is the main event: roughly twelve kilometres of made path from the New Harbour past the Old Harbour and on to Grotto Beach, with the water dropping away below the rocks so that whales come extraordinarily close. Fernkloof Nature Reserve, in the mountains behind the town, has marked fynbos trails and a botanical garden.
Walker Bay Nature Reserve, managed by CapeNature, protects the coast and dunes to the east. Inland, the Hemel-en-Aarde valley produces some of South Africa’s best pinot noir and chardonnay, and Gansbaai, forty minutes east, is the base for shark cage diving; our Gansbaai guide covers that.
Getting there and getting around
Hermanus is about 120 kilometres from Cape Town and takes roughly an hour and a half by road. The scenic route along the R44 over Clarence Drive, between the mountains and False Bay, is one of the finest coastal drives in the country and is worth the extra twenty minutes.
The town centre is walkable from the hotel. A car is needed for Fernkloof, the wine valley, Grotto Beach and anything further along the coast. Our seven-day Whale Coast itinerary shows how the towns connect.
How One Marine Drive compares
Against the larger clifftop hotels you gain intimacy and lose a restaurant and a bar. Against the boutique hotels in the town centre, this hotel gains the uninterrupted sea view and the path at the door, and costs more for it. Against a self-catering apartment on the cliff, you gain a spa, two pools and a concierge.
Practical notes for a stay at One Marine Drive
Southern right whales are in Walker Bay from roughly June to November, peaking in September and October. The Hermanus Whale Festival takes over the town for a weekend at the end of September, and accommodation on the cliff is booked out months in advance for it.
December to February is hot and busy but whale-free. March, April and May are quiet, mild and good for walking, and the Hemel-en-Aarde farms are at their most interesting around harvest. Sea mist is common on this coast in any season and can close the view for a morning.
Before you book One Marine Drive
Confirm the category and whether it faces the sea, because that is the entire difference between a good stay here and an expensive one. Check whether breakfast is included in the quoted rate, whether the spa can fit you in on your dates, and what the current cancellation window is at checkout. Ask about the hotel’s policy on children before booking if that applies.
Current rates and availability
We do not publish rates for One Marine Drive, 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.