Schulphoek House is a small five-star hotel at Sandbaai, about five kilometres west of central Hermanus, standing fifty metres back from the rocks above Schulphoek bay. It is a house rather than a hotel block: mid-century art and furniture, an indigenous garden, a pool and a great deal of glass facing the water.
Best for
Couples who want the sea and silence rather than the town; whale watchers, because southern rights calve in the cove in front of the property; travellers who like design and are happy to be driven into Hermanus for dinner.
It is out of town by design. If you want to walk to restaurants and galleries, this is the wrong end of the coast.
Location
Sandbaai lies between Hermanus and Onrus on the Whale Coast, and Schulphoek bay is the small rocky cove it takes its name from. The hotel is fifty metres from the water, with fynbos between the building and the rocks, and the centre of Hermanus is about five kilometres east.
Cape Town International Airport is roughly ninety kilometres away. Our Hermanus destination guide covers the town, the cliff path and the whale season in detail.
Rooms and style at Schulphoek House
Accommodation is in seafront suites, which face the bay directly, and poolside garden suites set behind them around the garden and the pool. Rooms are large by South African guest-house standards, with modern bathrooms and sitting areas, and the seafront suites are built around a wall of glass.
The decoration is the property’s signature: original mid-century art and furniture, warm timber, tan leather and a restrained palette. It reads as a private collector’s house that takes guests, which is more or less what it is.
Facilities at Schulphoek House
There is an outdoor pool in an indigenous garden, an in-house spa, a concierge desk and free private parking. Breakfast is made from fresh organic produce, and the hotel runs a seasonal restaurant that opens in the evenings during high season. A complimentary shuttle service runs in and around Hermanus, which solves the out-of-town problem for dinner.
The property can also arrange whale-watching flights and boat trips. There is no gym and no conference facility.
Who should consider Schulphoek House
Consider it if you want to watch whales from a deck rather than from a public path, and if a shuttle into town is an acceptable substitute for walking there. Two or three nights is the natural length, with one day for the cliff path and one for the Hemel-en-Aarde wine valley.
Travellers who want to be in the middle of Hermanus, or who want a hotel restaurant open every night of the year, should look at the properties on Marine Drive. Our Western Cape accommodation guide compares the range.
Trade-offs, honestly
Four things to weigh:
- You are five kilometres from Hermanus, so dinner means the shuttle, a car or the hotel restaurant when it is open.
- Garden suites cost less and lose the sea frontage that defines the property.
- The restaurant is seasonal, so out of high season the evening options on site are limited.
- Sandbaai is a residential settlement rather than a resort village; there is little to walk to.
The shoreline here is rock and kelp rather than sand; the nearest swimming beaches are at Onrus and Grotto.
Explore the area
The Hermanus cliff path, five kilometres east, runs roughly twelve kilometres from the New Harbour to Grotto Beach and is the best land-based whale watching in the world. Fernkloof Nature Reserve behind the town has marked fynbos trails and a botanical garden worth an easy morning.
Walker Bay Nature Reserve, managed by CapeNature, protects the dunes and coast to the east. The Hemel-en-Aarde valley, a few minutes inland from Hermanus, makes some of the country’s best pinot noir and chardonnay, and Gansbaai, forty minutes east, is the base for shark cage diving; our Gansbaai guide covers that stretch.
Getting there and getting around
Hermanus is about 120 kilometres from Cape Town and takes roughly an hour and a half by road; Sandbaai is a few minutes before it on the R43. The scenic alternative is the R44 along Clarence Drive between the mountains and False Bay, which is one of the best coastal drives in South Africa.
A car is useful, although the hotel shuttle covers Hermanus itself. You will want your own transport for the wine valley, Fernkloof and the coast further east. Our seven-day Whale Coast itinerary shows how the towns connect.
How Schulphoek House compares
Against the cliff-path hotels in Hermanus you lose the walk into town and gain a private cove and considerably more quiet. Against a guest house in Sandbaai or Onrus, Schulphoek House adds a spa, a pool, a shuttle and a seasonal restaurant. Against self-catering on this coast, you gain breakfast, service and a concierge.
Practical notes for a stay at Schulphoek House
Southern right whales are on this coast from roughly June to November, peaking in September and October, and the cove in front of the property is used for calving. That makes winter and early spring the reason to book here, which is the opposite of most South African coastal hotels.
December to February is hot, busy and whale-free, and it is when the seasonal restaurant is most likely to be open. March to May is quiet and mild. The south-easter blows hard in midsummer, and sea mist can close the view for a morning in any season.
Before you book Schulphoek House
Confirm whether you are getting a seafront suite or a poolside garden suite, because the difference is the whole point of the property. Check whether breakfast is included in the quoted rate, whether the restaurant will be open during your stay, how the shuttle works and what the cancellation window is at checkout. Ask about spa availability when you book rather than on arrival.
Current rates and availability
We do not publish rates for Schulphoek House, 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.