Welcome to a whale of a stay at Whale Cottage Hermanus!

Whale Cottage Hermanus celebrated its twelfth anniversary on Women’s Day, as one of the long-established guest houses in Hermanus.  Its Guest Book is filled with compliments, praising the warm welcome and whale of a stay guests enjoy at Whale Cottage Hermanus.

Dynamic owner Chris von Ulmenstein chose Hermanus as the location for the first of her four Whale Cottages in 1996, and had the vision that whale watching would become immensely popular.  She named her guest house in honour of Hermanus’ honorary citizens, and has extended the brand name to her Whale Cottage Portfolio, South Africa’s first branded guest house group, including Whale Cottage Camps Bay in Cape Town, Whale Cottage Franschhoek in the Winelands,  and Whale Cottage Plettenberg Bay on the Garden Route.

From the outset von Ulmenstein applied her customer service training and marketing expertise to her business, and introduced a Whale Cottage Loyalty Card, whereby Whale Cottage guests receive one night free for every 10 nights that they stay at a Whale Cottage.   Also, no Single surcharge is charged.    In winter rates are heavily discounted.    Breakfasts are open ended, allowing Whale Cottage guests needing a good break to sleep in, and to recharge their batteries.

The Whale Cottage Hermanus location on Westcliff Drive gives the guest house fabulous views of Walker Bay, and its whales.   All Whale Cottages offer secure parking, a pool and a free wireless internet service.

The Whale Cottage Portfolio is at the forefront of the Guest House industry, and its WhaleTales electronic newsletter is read with eager anticipation by members of the industry and by Whale Cottage guests.  The guest house actively networks with its colleagues in Hermanus, and shares its booking overflow with them.   “We firmly believe in the maxim ‘give and thou shalt receive’ and this is very true for our industry.    We also support the local restaurants, actively encouraging our guests to eat at the fine Hermanus restaurants”  sparkles von Ulmenstein.