A quick weekend in Hermanus

If you’ve been following along on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, you’ll know that last weekend was our annual trip to Hermanus to go whale watching. It was what I like to call a blitzkrieg – we flew in on the Saturday morning and out again on Sunday evening. Short and sweet. What’s more, it was baby’s first trip on a plane, and he showed himself to be a true little traveler – didn’t cry once and spent most of the time aboard either asleep or staring raptly out the window. What a cutie!

We usually go in the height of the season in September, but last year a local told us to come a bit later, because there are still plenty of whales to see and fewer crowds. Indeed, there were only a fraction of the people ambling along the streets, admiring the views over the cliffs, but unfortunately we didn’t see any whales, apart from one spout in the distance. If you’re planning a trip down to South Africa’s whale-watching capital, I would advise going in-season, because there’s a reason why this time is popular, and to go for a little longer than we did – at least two or three days – to maximise your chances of seeing whales.

I absolutely loved the self-catering apartment we stayed in this time around. It’s situated on the main coastal road, but away from the tourist centre, and had the most stunning ocean view. And the sunset! I’m reminded of that scene in Bedazzled where Brendan Fraser’s character couldn’t stop crying over the beautiful sunset. I felt a bit like that!

As always, we spent most of our time just walking along the cliff path, watching for those elusive whales, counting seagulls, chasing dassies and, of course, admiring the view. One of the things I love about Hermanus is it’s street art. There’s always something new whenever we are there. This year’s standout piece was an enormous head by artist Lionel Smit.

Dinner this year was at Fusion Restaurant and it was delectable. I had a vegetarian basket and promptly fell in love with the corn fritters, Gareth tried out an Old Harbour Beer for the first time and wanted to take a casket home, and my mother was in seventh heaven with her fish basket.

We had such a lovely time in Hermanus, as always, and we will definitely be back again next year, hopefully for longer this time. We left the next morning to drive back to Cape Town via Franschhoek and Delheim Wine Estate, but more about that next time.

Do you have a regular holiday destination that you return to year after year? Why? And would you consider making Hermanus that destination based on our experiences?