Whalesong Hotel & Spa is a thirty-two room hotel at 1 Marine Drive on the hillside above Plettenberg Bay, built as a group of thatched buildings in a landscaped garden looking east over the Keurbooms coastline to the Tsitsikamma mountains. Every room has a private wooden viewing deck, which is the whole idea of the place.
Best for
Whale watchers between June and November; families, because the hotel runs a children’s programme and has space to use; travellers who want a spa and a pool without paying five-star beachfront rates.
It is above the town rather than on the sand, and it is a comfortable four-star country hotel rather than a design property. Both of those are deliberate.
Location
Marine Drive climbs the ridge on the north-eastern side of Plettenberg Bay, and the hotel is set back from it in gardens. The view runs across the bay and the Keurbooms estuary to the mountains behind, which is why the property is named as it is: whales are visible from the decks in season.
The town centre and the Blue Flag beaches are a few minutes by car, and Robberg Nature Reserve is about fifteen. Our Plettenberg Bay destination guide explains how the bay, the town and the reserves fit together.
Rooms and style at Whalesong Hotel
There are thirty-two bedrooms in three categories: twenty-three standard rooms, eight superior rooms with double or twin beds and a sleeper couch, and one self-contained executive suite with a king bed, a lounge and dining area and a kitchenette. Twelve rooms face the sea and twenty face the garden, and every room has a private patio or deck.
The style is South African country hotel: thatch, whitewash, timber and comfortable rather than fashionable interiors. Rooms are en-suite and generously sized, and the superior category is the sensible choice for a family of three or four.
Facilities at Whalesong Hotel
There is a swimming pool on the lawn with the mountain view behind it, a spa offering treatments, and a bar and lounge in the main thatched building. The hotel runs craft gin tastings, an outdoor cinema, a children’s programme and a jumping castle in season, and can arrange mountain biking from the property.
Off-site it points guests at the elephant sanctuary and the other wildlife centres at the Crags, three Blue Flag beaches, boat-based whale watching, the Robberg walk and golf.
Who should consider Whalesong Hotel
Consider it if you are travelling with children, or if whale season is the reason for the trip. A sea-facing room here in July or August gives you a deck to watch from without leaving the property, which very few Plett hotels do at this price.
Couples wanting a small design hotel or a beachfront room will prefer other options in town. Our Garden Route accommodation guide compares the alternatives.
Trade-offs, honestly
Four things to weigh:
- Twenty of the thirty-two rooms face the garden rather than the sea. If the view matters, the sea-facing category is not optional.
- You are on a hillside above the town, so the beach is a short drive rather than a walk.
- The children’s facilities that make it good for families also make it noisier in school holidays.
- It is a four-star hotel and is priced and finished as one; do not expect five-star detailing.
Whale sightings are seasonal and never guaranteed, whatever the hotel is called.
Explore the area
Robberg Nature Reserve is the best walk on this coast: a peninsula of folded rock with three route options, from a short circuit above the seal colony to the full nine kilometres out to the point. Plettenberg Bay has several Blue Flag beaches, and the Keurbooms estuary just north of the hotel is good for boat trips and paddling.
East of town, the Crags holds a cluster of wildlife sanctuaries and the Bloukrans bungee bridge, and an hour further on is the Storms River mouth in the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park, where suspension bridges cross the gorge.
Getting there and getting around
Most travellers fly into George, about ninety minutes west by road, or drive the N2. Cape Town is roughly 520 kilometres away, about six and a half hours before stops, and Port Elizabeth is around 230 kilometres east. Plettenberg Bay has a small airport with seasonal flights.
A car is essential; the hotel is on a hillside outside the town centre. Knysna is thirty minutes west and Storms River an hour east. Our seven-day Garden Route itinerary shows where Plett nights sit.
How Whalesong Hotel compares
Against the beachfront lodges you lose the walk across the road to the sand and gain a view over the whole bay. Against the boutique river lodges inland, Whalesong Hotel is more family-oriented and less design-driven, with a spa and a pool. Against self-catering, you gain a bar, a spa, a children’s programme and daily servicing.
Practical notes for a stay at Whalesong Hotel
Southern right whales are in Plettenberg Bay from roughly June to November, with the strongest months usually August to October. Humpbacks pass on migration, and bottlenose and common dolphins are seen year round. The decks face the right way, but a pair of binoculars is worth packing.
Mid-December to mid-January is the local peak, when the town fills with South African families and rates rise steeply. March, April, October and November give the best balance of weather, price and space; winter is cool, clear and the best time for the whales.
Before you book Whalesong Hotel
Ask explicitly for a sea-facing room if the view is why you are booking, because most rooms are not. Confirm whether breakfast is included in the quoted rate, whether the children’s programme is running on your dates, and what the cancellation window is at checkout. If you want the executive suite with the kitchenette, book it early; there is only one. More options across the province are in our Western Cape accommodation guide.
Current rates and availability
We do not publish rates for Whalesong Hotel, 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.